This publication contains the written answers to questions tabled by Members. The content of the responses is as received at the time from the relevant Minister or representative of the Assembly Commission and has not been subject to the official reporting process or changed in any way.

Friday 21 September 2007
Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Agriculture and Rural Development
Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education
Employment and Learning
Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Environment
Finance and Personnel
Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Regional Development
Social Development

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

Development of the Maze Site

Mr David McNarry asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to advise on the current status of the interest of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) in moving to the proposed Maze development site; and, if the interest is confirmed to be of a positive nature, if he can confirm that the RUAS's intention would be to include in its plans provision for an international competition area for promoting equestrian sports events.

(AQW 1/08)

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister (Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness): In March 2007 the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) reaffirmed their interest in moving to the proposed Maze development site, and in particular the possible purchase of the area identified as the rural excellence zone in the Maze/Long Kesh Masterplan. This will be a matter between RUAS and potential Development Partners and OFMDFM cannot at this stage confirm the RUAS’s intentions as regards an international competition area for promoting equestrian sports events.

Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget 2006-08

Mr Declan O'Loan asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail, broken down by government department, the objectives and targets stated in the Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget 2006-08 that remain incomplete at this stage; to give a timescale for their completion; to identify any which it is envisaged will not be completed by March 2008; and to outline the pressures causing difficulty in completion.

(AQW 26/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: A monitoring report on progress against the objectives and targets stated in the Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget document was carried out by the Department of Finance and Personnel in September 2006. With the restoration of Devolution, responsibility for monitoring progress has now reverted to the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. OFMDFM officials are in the process of consulting with Departments to update progress against targets up to September 2007. It is expected that this report will be completed and available before the end of the year.

The Executive will set out its priorities for 2008 and beyond, including its objectives and targets, in its draft Programme for Government document which will be published later in the year.

Single Equality Bill

Mrs Dolores Kellyasked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail the cost to the department and its agencies in relation to administration, staffing and consultations on work related to the Single Equality Bill, in each of the last seven years.

(AQW 36/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness:

Year	Cost (£‘000s)	Year	Cost (£‘000s)
2000/01	Not available	2004/05	198.4
2001/02	96.1	2005/06	47.0
2002/03	182.3	2006/07	196.3
2003/04	233.9
		Total	954.0

The costs stated relate to expenditure on issues dealing specifically with single equality legislation. It has not been possible to extrapolate the cost of work undertaken by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland on legislative reform (including single equality legislation) as part of its statutory duty. This formed part of more comprehensive work on equality issues. Departmental costs directly associated with the progression of single equality legislation in 2000/01 were included in the Divisional spend and are not available separately.

Northern Ireland Executive

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if it proposes to follow the example of the Scottish Executive, and change the name of the Northern Ireland Executive to the Northern Ireland Government.

(AQW 55/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: There are currently no plans to change the name of the Northern Ireland Executive to the Northern Ireland Government.

Attacks on Orange Halls

Mr Billy Armstrong asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister what assessment has been made of the impact of the recent spate of attacks on Orange Halls on the department's strategic objectives of promoting better community relations, a culture of equality and rights, and promoting social inclusion.

(AQW 82/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: We totally deplore these acts and condemn utterly those people who carry out such attacks, which are a scourge on our society. We are totally committed to moving society forward; to make a real difference to the lives of all our people. We have already confirmed our commitment to challenging sectarianism and racism. We wish to see a future based on tolerance; equality; mutual respect and respect for the law. A monitoring and evaluation framework has been developed to assess the impact of good relations (including race relations) policies. The framework includes data on attacks on symbolic premises which include churches and chapels, GAA/AOH/Orange Halls and schools.

Efficiency Review Panel

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if it will commit to the early establishment of an efficiency review panel with the widest possible remit.

(AQO 2/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: The establishment of the Efficiency Review Panel to examine efficiency and value for money of aspects of the Strand One institutions is an important issue which needs to be carefully considered.

We have given a commitment to consult with the Assembly and Executive Review Committee on our proposals for the establishment, remit and work programme of the Panel before bringing proposals to the Assembly for approval.

Historic Crime Investigation

Mr David Burnside asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, pursuant to its answer to AQW 86/08, if it will list the times and dates of any interviews that have taken place between Ministers, officials and policy advisers and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, with reference to any historic crime investigation, since the First Minister and deputy First Minister affirmed the Pledge of Office on 8 May 2007.

(AQW 246/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: No such interviews have taken place.

Agriculture and Rural Development

Bovine Tuberculosis.

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what action she will take in relation to her department's policy not to cull new-born or young calves born to cows that have been culled from a herd because they tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.

(AQW 32/08)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms Gildernew): A recent DARD Veterinary Epidemiology Unit report showed no evidence that the progeny of dams infected with tuberculosis are at a significantly higher risk of becoming infected with Tuberculosis than other cohort calves, unless there are specific risk factors in the herd.

However, if in the opinion of the Veterinary Officer the circumstances pertaining to the herd which has suffered a tuberculosis breakdown are such that the offspring should be classed as a disease risk, they will be removed, culled and compensation paid.

The Department has no legislative powers to pay compensation for the removal of calves for welfare reasons, so these animals must usually remain the responsibility of the herd keeper.

Beef Marketing

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will undertake to have locally-produced beef marketed as 'Irish beef'; and if she will give her assessment of Northern Ireland's attachment to the United Kingdom in relation to beef marketing.

(AQW 34/08)

Ms Gildernew: I believe it is in the best interests of the North’s beef industry to determine how best to position its products in the markets they serve and I will continue to support industry in this respect in order to achieve the best returns possible.

An International Image Group consisting of experienced representatives from export businesses in the North was established by my Department and DETI to oversee research into the image of the North’s food and drink in international markets.

The research found that ‘ Northern Ireland’ was underplayed and unknown but had potential for development. It also suggested that the North may be best served by being marketed as part of the island of Ireland in international markets. However, to gain optimum advantage of its unique position, the Image Group felt that the North’s agri-food industry should utilise all options at its disposal, and, depending on the market and customer, market itself as NI, island of Ireland or UK.

Ultimately however, labelling will be determined by two areas: Legislation and the marketplace.

You will be aware that the EU beef labelling Regulations require the name of the member state or third country (i.e. country outside the EU), where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, to be recorded on the label. Because of this requirement, all beef from the North is labelled as UK beef and, as this information is compulsory, I have no latitude to deviate from these requirements. However, these Regulations also contain a voluntary scheme which provides scope to have other claims about beef, approved for use on the label. Claims in relation to the region in which the animal was born/reared etc. require approval under this part of the beef labelling rules. This scheme has proved very worthwhile for local processors in marketing beef and more than 50 claims are currently approved.

The Food Strategy Implementation Partnership, currently under the chairmanship of Dan Flinter, past CEO of Enterprise Ireland, have recommended that NI should have a cohesive Food Development entity to represent all food sectors in NI. If this recommendation was implemented (it is currently being considered), then NI would have a single voice that could interact with An Bord Bia on joint development in international markets.

We are fortunate in that products from the North of Ireland are sold in a wide range of markets and, as such, branding is tailored for specific markets in a manner that optimises the benefit of the North’s multiple identity.

Biofuels

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what measures she has introduced to promote the growth of crops for use as biofuels; and if she proposes to introduce any additional measures in the near future.

(AQW 53/08)

Ms Gildernew: Currently, the growth of crops for use as biofuels, is promoted by DARD under the EU Aid for Energy Crops Scheme. Aid of €45 per hectare is payable for all crops used for the production of energy products, with the exception of those grown on set-aside land. Crops eligible under the Scheme, which may be used in the production of biofuels, include oilseed rape, sugar beet and hemp.

The scheme, although modest in terms of its rate of payment, does represent an additional incentive and income stream for those growers contemplating renewable energy crops. There have been a small number of applicants in relation to growing crops specifically for production of biodiesel.

However the farm-gate price for cereals will make the growing of these crops a greater attraction to the arable sector than the growing of energy crops.

There are no plans to introduce additional measures to support the growth of crops for use as biofuels in the near future.

However, College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) are continuing to raise awareness of renewable technologies and efficiencies to the land based sector by way of continued training and technology transfer.

Tree Coverage

Mr Alex Easton asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the amount of tree coverage across Northern Ireland; and to outline how this compares with the rest of the United Kingdom.

(AQW 97/08)

Ms Gildernew: The North of Ireland contributes 86,000 Ha which represents 6.3% of the total surface area. Tree cover for Britain is 2,743,000 Ha which represents 12.0% of the surface area of Britain. This comprises 1,337,000 ha in Scotland (17.1% of surface area of Scotland); 1,121,000 ha in England (8.6% of surface area of England); and 285,000 ha in Wales (13.7% of surface area of Wales).

Proposed Staff Reductions

Mr Trevor Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will advise what financial savings will be made in relation to the proposed staff reductions in each of her department's three Rural Development Offices in Ballymena, Newry and Omagh, to make way for a centralised Rural Development Payments Unit in Dundonald House; and if she will detail the proposed staffing numbers, grades and costs of this new unit.

(AQW 149/08)

Ms Gildernew: Firstly there will be no savings made “to make way for” a centralised Rural Development Payments Unit in Dundonald House.

Financial savings made in relation to the proposed staff reductions in the three Rural Development Offices are:

Omagh Office £250k
Ballymena Office £406k
Newry Office £242k

The staffing numbers, grades and costs of the Payments Unit are

Number	Grade	Cost
1	Staff Officer	£37k
2	EOI	£67k
2.6	EOII	£70k
4.	AO	£98k
9.6		£272k

It is worth noting that the unit has been running since January 2007.

The Department would not be opposed to the dispersal of Civil Service posts and this is something we may look at in the future.

Rural Development Payments Unit

Mr Trevor Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will detail the consultation that took place with rural stakeholders prior to the decision to establish a new centralised Rural Development Payments Unit in Dundonald House, with particular reference to those stakeholders who will be most affected by the new arrangements, e.g. funding beneficiaries.

(AQW 157/08)

Ms Gildernew: Staff were made aware and there has been consultation with the Trade Union NIPSA. Other than this there was no requirement to consult with stakeholders because the decision has no relation to any central policy on decentralisation by government; no jobs are being lost, nor are there any policy changes involved.

Culture, Arts and Leisure

Indigenous Artists

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline any strategies and actions taken by his department to ensure that indigenous artists are able to tender to provide works of art via public procurement, with particular emphasis on the hospital sector.

(AQW 48/08)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr Poots): The Arts Council’s guidance on the commissioning of new artwork for the public realm, including integrated art commissions in healthcare environments, is that an open competition process should be adopted. This guidance is articulated in the Arts Council’s ‘Public Art Handbook’. Competitions are advertised in the main all-Ireland arts journals, websites and e-bulletins. These publications are well known by indigenous practising artists as the main sources for learning about commissioning opportunities.

The Arts Council also financially supports Visual Artists Ireland to perform the role of a support vehicle to enable indigenous artists to develop their practices and keep informed about new opportunities.

Procurement of art works for the hospital sector is a matter for the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. However I am advised that current procedures for the commissioning of artwork for integration into health projects are implemented by the Health and Social Care Trusts in whose areas the project is located.

The Health and Social Services Trusts take advice from the Health Estates Agency, the Centre for Procurement Expertise for capital projects in the Health and Social Services sector.

The process involves public advertisement seeking expressions of interest from artists. Advertisements are usually placed in an arts journal with a wide distribution as recommended by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Creative Media Sector

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he will outline his department's strategies to promote partnership working within the creative media sector in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 117/08)

Mr Poots: My Department leads on the over-arching strategy for Creativity and the Creative Industries and chairs an Inter-departmental Creativity Group in partnership with the Departments of Education, Employment & Learning, Enterprise, Trade & Investment and Invest NI.

A Creative Industries Working Group, comprising representatives from government Departments, Invest NI, Belfast City Council, NESTA and the University of Ulster was set up to enable the industry, government and academia to work in partnership to produce an action based plan to develop and support the creative industries in Northern Ireland. This work is in progress.

My Department is working closely with Invest NI, which is developing a strategy for the growth of the digital content sector in Northern Ireland, which will include the development of networks, partnerships and clusters.

My Department is also supporting work by DETI, Invest NI and the Special EU Programmes Body to develop a creative industries support programme, in which partnerships and creative media will feature.

Creative Media Sector

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he will outline his department's strategies to promote partnership working between the creative media sector in Northern Ireland and the creative industry in the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

(AQW 120/08)

Mr Poots: My Department maintains contact with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on its Creative Economy Programme, which aims to make the UK the world’s leading creative hub.

We are in liaison with the Scottish Executive and Scottish Arts Council on their respective strategies for the creative industries and have met officials from the Dundalk Institute which is working in partnership with the University of Ulster on a project to develop a ‘digital corridor’ for Ireland’s eastern seaboard .

My Department is also supporting work by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Invest NI and the Special EU Programmes Body to develop a creative industries support programme, involving creative businesses in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Western Scotland.

IFA Income

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail Irish Football Association's income from the sale of shirts and other merchandise, for each of the last three years.

(AQW 150/08)

Mr Poots: The Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) does not retain information on the Irish Football Association’s income from the sale of shirts and other merchandise. This is a matter for the Irish Football Association.

Shortfall in National Lottery Funding

Mr Kieran McCarthy asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what remedial measures are being taken to address the shortfall in funding caused by the National Lottery's decision to transfer £42 million of funding from Northern Ireland to the London Olympics.

(AQW 197/08)

Mr Poots: Policy and legislation in respect of the National Lottery is a reserved matter with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as the lead Department in Whitehall.

I have not made an assessment of potential job losses or projects that are at risk in the community, arts and sport sectors due to the National Lottery’s decision to transfer £42million of funding from Northern Ireland to the London Olympics.

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is making bids for funding, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, to support the development of sport and the arts in Northern Ireland. These bids will seek to take account of reductions of funding resulting from prioritisation of lottery spending on the London Olympics.

The Olympics will also provide modest funding opportunities for cultural and arts projects associated with the Cultural Olympiad. I would be keen to see arts organisations make the most of these opportunities when they arise.

In relation to community groups the Big Lottery Fund has made a public commitment that, providing forecasts of Lottery income are maintained, current funding programmes to community groups will not be materially affected by the diversion of funds to the Olympics. The Fund advises that its undertaking to provide 60-70% of its funding to the voluntary and community sector will be unaffected.

DCMS has recently confirmed that an agreement has been reached with the Mayor of London under which DCMS should, in time, be able to refund the £675m additional contribution to the Lottery Distributors throughout the UK. It is hoped that this will come from the proceeds of Olympic Park land sales post-2012.

Shortfall in National Lottery Funding

Mr Kieran McCarthy asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what assessment he has made of potential job losses in the community, arts and sport sectors, due to the National Lottery's decision to transfer £42 million of funding from Northern Ireland to the London Olympics.

(AQW 198/08)

Mr Poots: Policy and legislation in respect of the National Lottery is a reserved matter with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as the lead Department in Whitehall.

Shortfall in National Lottery Funding

Mr Kieran McCarthy asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what assessment he has made of projects that are at risk in the community, arts and sport sectors due to the National Lottery's decision to transfer £42 million of funding from Northern Ireland to the London Olympics.

(AQW 199/08)

Mr Poots: Policy and legislation in respect of the National Lottery is a reserved matter with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as the lead Department in Whitehall.

World Pipe Band Championships

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to his answers to AQW 1262/07 and 1264/07, if he would provide an update on efforts by his department to bring the World Pipe Band Championships to Northern Ireland.

(AQW 206/08)

Mr Poots: I met with representatives of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association on 25 th July to discuss the opportunities for hosting the World Pipe Band Championships in Northern Ireland.

Following this, officials are liaising with representatives of the Northern Ireland Events Company, Ulster Scots Agency and Arts Council of Northern Ireland to take this forward.

Irish Football Association Salaries

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the total salaries of the Irish Football Association's Chief Executives and Directors, for each of the last three years.

(AQW 297/08)

Mr Poots: The Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) does not retain information on the total salaries of the Irish Football Association’s Chief Executives and Directors for each of the last three years. This is a matter for the Irish Football Association.

Education

All-Island Centre of Excellence for Children with Autism

Mr John McCallister asked the Minister of Education to detail whether a business plan was in place when her predecessor announced, in April 2002, the decision to establish an all-island centre of excellence for children with autism at Middletown; and if she will place a copy of this business plan in the Assembly Library.

(AQW 7/08)

The Minister of Education (Ms Ruane): An Economic Appraisal for a Centre of Excellence for Autism Disorder at Middletown was approved in September 2001 and in place when an announcement was made in April 2002. Copies of this appraisal were placed in the Assembly Library in August 2005.

All-Island Centre of Excellence for Children with Autism

Mr John McCallister asked the Minister of Education to detail whether a new or updated business plan was in place in June 2004, when the former St. Joseph's Adolescent Centre in Middletown was purchased by a holding company funded by her department; and if she will place a copy of the business plan in the Assembly Library.

(AQW 10/08)

Ms Ruane: The Economic Appraisal, which was in place for the Middletown Centre for Autism in June 2004 when the Holding Company purchased the former St. Joseph’s Adolescent Centre, was that approved in September 2001. A revised Economic Appraisal was completed and approved in July 2006. This updated Economic Appraisal was placed in the Assembly Library on 12 February 2007.

The Bain Report

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Education to detail the expenditure of each Education and Library Board in relation to the implementation of the Bain Report.

(AQW 11/08)

Ms Ruane: The Bain Report sets out 61 recommendations covering a wide range of education issues, including funding, strategic planning of the schools estate, and sharing and collaboration. Some of the recommendations require further consideration and detailed work and consultation and it should be possible to progress others as part of the Department’s and education authorities’ existing responsibilities. It is too early at this stage to identify savings and expenditures associated directly with implementation of the Report.

The Bain Report

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of schools that have been closed, to date, as a direct result of the recommendations of the Bain Report.

(AQW 12/08)

Ms Ruane: The Bain Report was published in December 2006. Since then development proposals have been approved to close nine primary schools, two post-primary schools and one special school. The relevant school authorities had commenced work on each of these proposals in advance of the publication of the report.

The Bain Report

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Education to detail the savings made as a result of implementation of the recommendations of the Bain Report.

(AQW 13/08)

School Closures

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Education to list the schools earmarked to close in the current financial year.

(AQW 14/08)

Ms Ruane: The following closures have been approved for the current financial year:

Controlled
	Mount Gilbert Community College closed 31 August 2007.
	Eglish PS, Dungannon and Tullymacarette PS, Dromore closed 31 August 2007.
	Ballyduff PS, Newtownabbey closed 31 August 2007.
	Dungiven PS closed 31 August 2007.

Controlled (Contd)

Groomsport PS, Charley Memorial PS, Drumbo PS, Hillhall PS and Lambeg PS closed 31 August 2007.

Crossgar PS and Drumaghlis PS closed to form a new school on the Crossgar PS site at 1/09/2007

Maintained

St Mary’s PS, Ballygowan and St Joseph’s High School, Plumbridge closed 31 August 2007.

All Saints PS, St Joseph’s PS, St Louis’ PS and St Mary’s PS, Ballymena closed to form 2 new schools at 1/09/2007

St Joseph ’s PS, Poyntzpass and St James’ PS, Tandragee closed to form a new school on the St Joseph’s site at 1/09/2007.

Irish Medium Unit at St Patrick’s Primary School Gortin, closed 31 August 2007.

Special Schools

Lindsay Hospital School, Forster Green Hospital, Belfast closed 31 August 2007.

Beechgrove, Dunfane and Loughan Special Schools, Ballymena closed to form a new school at 1/09/2007 using existing accommodation pending the building of a new school.

Nursery Schools
	Ballycastle Nursery School closed to be replaced by a nursery unit at Ballycastle Primary School at 1/09/2007.

In addition, a development proposal for the amalgamation of St Joseph’s PS, Ahoghill and St Patrick’s PS, Aughtercloney was approved.

Single Education System

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Education what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of maintaining different education systems; and of the amount that could be saved by having a single education system for the whole of Northern Ireland.

(AQW 17/08)

Ms Ruane: Information is not available on the estimated costs of maintaining different education systems. The diversity of the education system reflects long established traditions and the principle of parental choice. The Review of Public Administration in education will introduce a common administrative structure for all schools here, but it will not introduce a single education system. Government will continue to support a diverse range of schools giving parents and young people a real choice in the type of education available to best meet their needs.

Unoccupied Desks

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education to detail the estimated annual savings associated with reducing the number of unoccupied desks in (i) controlled schools; (ii) maintained schools; (iii) integrated schools; and (iv) Irish language schools, by having one system of education in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 22/08)

Ms Ruane: The information is not available. Given the complexity of factors which impact upon enrolments at schools, and the varying costs of surplus places which can be unique to each school, the overall costs and savings would be difficult to quantify. The Review of Public Administration in education will introduce a common administrative structure for all schools here, but it will not introduce a single education system. Following the Bain Report, the improved planning of the schools’ estate will help to address the issue of surplus capacity.

Unoccupied Desks

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education to detail the estimated cost of unoccupied desks in (i) controlled schools; (ii) maintained schools; (iii) integrated schools; and (iv) Irish language schools, in each of the next five years.

(AQW 23/08)

Academic Selection

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education to detail the process that will be used to determine how much weight to give to public opinion when determining how pupils transfer from primary to secondary education.

(AQW 25/08)

Ms Ruane: I am continuing the search for a way forward on the issue of new arrangements for transfer from primary to post-primary education. I am not in favour of applying weights to different viewpoints, as I believe that the focus should be on the strength of arguments put forward and the interests of the children affected.

School Meals Contracts

Mr Declan O'Loan asked the Minister of Education to detail, for each of the last three years, the tendering process for the school meals contracts for catering equipment, including all companies that have tendered for the work; the total budget within the tenders; and the successful contractors, in the North Eastern Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 27/08)

Ms Ruane: The information requested is not readily available in the requested format.

Light and heavy school meals catering equipment is purchased from five-Board negotiated contracts. The Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) administers the contracts for heavy equipment and the North-Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) is responsible for light equipment.

The contracts are advertised in the European Journal and the local press. The tenders are assessed by an Inter-Board panel of representatives from the Purchasing and Catering Managers and ratified by the relevant Board.

Since 2004 the following companies were involved in the tendering process:

LIGHT CATERING EQUIPMENT (VARIOUS ITEMS)
Accepted	Non-Accepted
A J Stuart & Co Ltd, Belfast Caterfreeze Products, Castlederg Cater-Quip Ltd, Belfast Chefs & Cooks, Newcastle Frazerton Ltd, Cullybackey, Ballymena Galgorm Hygiene, Ballymena Hygiene Plus Ltd, Mallusk, Newtownabbey McNeill Hotelware Ltd, Belfast P Nugent & Sons Ltd, Lurgan S.O.S. Group, Belfast T McLaughlin Ltd, Armagh	CEE, Ballymena EJ Hilditch, Belfast Eurolec, Dundalk David R Swann, Ballymena Incorporatewear, Birmingham Harfield, Stockport ECC, Belfast

Estimated expenditure in the NEELB area – £95,000

HEAVY CATERING EQUIPMENT
Accepted	Non-Accepted
Anchor Data Systems (NI) Ltd, Belfast Avery Berkel Ltd, Mallusk Catering Equipment Engineers Ltd, Antrim Cater-Quip Ltd, Belfast FF Foods Engineering Ltd, Portadown McKenna Catering, Ballymena Northern Ireland Food Equipment, Hillsborough O’Kane Foodservice, Lisburn P & P Business Equipment (NI) Ltd, Belfast Regent Business Equipment, Newtownards Retail Systems Technology Ltd, Eglington Stephens Catering Equipment Co Ltd, Ballymena The Galgorm Group, T/A McKenna Catering, Ballymena W & G Sissons Ltd, Chesterfield	A J Stuart & Co Ltd, Belfast Anchor Data Systems (NI) Ltd, Belfast Associated Metal (Stainless) Ltd, Glasgow Bunzl McLaughlin, Armagh Burlodge Ltd, Surbiton Catering Connections Limited, Alfreton Catering Equipment Engineers Ltd, Antrim Cater-Quip Ltd, Belfast Ce-Tech (Catering Equipment Technical Services), Ballymena Commercial Kitchen Services, Strabane D H Business Services, Comber DMC Catering Equipment Limited, Ballymena E.C.C (NI) Ltd, Belfast Falcon Foodservice Equipment, Stirling F F Food Engineering Ltd, Portadown Food Service Equipment Ltd, Belfast Harry Dunlop Refrigeration Europe, Ballymena H.R Holfeld ( Belfast) Limited, Lisburn Johnsons Catering Equipment, Mapperley Masser Hammond, Dublin Massey Catering Equipment, Moira McKenna Catering, Ballymena McLaughlin, Armagh Meiko UK Limited, Slough Metcalfe Catering Equipment Ltd, Blaenau Ffestiniog Northern Ireland Food Equipment, Hillsborough Northern Servequip Ltd, Lisburn P Nugent & Sons Ltd T/A Nugents, Lurgan Refrigeration Service, Lisburn Regent Business Equipment, Newtownards Retail Systems Technology Ltd, Eglinton Selecta UK Ltd, Belfast Stephens Catering Equipment Co Ltd, Ballymena Taurus Canopies & Fabrication, Belfast The Galgorm Group T/A McKenna Catering, Ballymena Viscount Catering Ltd, Ecclesfield

Information relating to expenditure on heavy equipment contracts in the NEELB could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Carrick Primary School, Warrenpoint

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Education what is her assessment of the cause of the delay to progress on the construction of the approved primary school at Carrick, Warrenpoint; and what action she will take to have the project started.

(AQW 41/08)

Ms Ruane: I understand that after initial delays, planning for a new school for Carrick Primary School is now well advanced. Final sketch plans and costs were approved by the Department. A submission from the School Trustees setting out the contract document information and costs is now awaited. Once it is received and considered, and all the necessary statutory approvals have been granted, it is anticipated that tenders for the scheme could be sought in the autumn.

Free School Meals

Mr Sammy Wilson asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of (i) primary; and (ii) secondary school children who have been entitled to free school meals, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 60/08)

Ms Ruane: Details on the number of school children entitled to free school meals plus the number taking school meals over the last five years are as follows:

Entitlement to Free School Meals

	Primary	Post-Primary
2002/03	35,672	31,818
2003/04	34,500	30,839
2004/05	32,805	30,399
2005/06	31,558	28,714
2006/07	30,130	27,320

Uptake of School Meals

	Primary	Post-Primary
2002/03	82,996	84,798
2003/04	81,780	84,455
2004/05	80,184	83,558
2005/06	74,295	82,064
2006/07	73,090	80,357

School Meals

Mr Sammy Wilson asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of children who have taken school meals in (i) primary; and (ii) secondary schools, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 61/08)

Ms Ruane: Details on the number of school children entitled to free school meals plus the number taking school meals over the last five years are as follows:

Entitlement to Free School Meals

	Primary	Post-Primary
2002/03	35,672	31,818
2003/04	34,500	30,839
2004/05	32,805	30,399
2005/06	31,558	28,714
2006/07	30,130	27,320

Uptake of School Meals

	Primary	Post-Primary
2002/03	82,996	84,798
2003/04	81,780	84,455
2004/05	80,184	83,558
2005/06	74,295	82,064
2006/07	73,090	80,357

Cost of School Repairs

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Education to detail the estimated annual savings that having one education system for the whole of Northern Ireland would have on the cost of repairs to school buildings.

(AQW 68/08)

Ms Ruane: Information is not available on the difference it would make to the costs of repairs to buildings if we did not have a multi-sector education system.

School Repairs

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Education to detail the cost of repairs to school buildings in Northern Ireland (i) in total; and (ii) broken down by sector, for each of the last five years.

(AQW 69/08)

Ms Ruane: The expenditure information available does not distinguish between maintenance and repairs. The total cost of maintenance and repairs, and a breakdown of costs by sector, in each of the last five years is as follows:-

Expenditure on Maintenance and Repairs £’000

SECTOR

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

Controlled

Maintained*

Grant-Maintained
Integrated

Voluntary Grammar Schools

£25,095

£20,486

£391

£5,216

£22,990

£20,541

£586

£5,187

£13,973

£11,188

£546

£4,870

£10,708

£8,016

£642

£4,756

£11,191

£9,058

£598

£5,872

TOTAL

£51,188

£49,304

£30,577

£24,122

£26,719

*Including Irish Medium

Teaching Salaries

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Education to detail the cost of teachers' wages in Northern Ireland, (i) in total; and (ii) broken down by sector, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 70/08)

Ms Ruane: The cost of teachers’ wages in the North of Ireland, (i) in total; and (ii) broken down by sector, in each of the last five years is detailed in the attached table.

Sector	2002/2003	2003/2004	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007
Controlled	290,560,922.06	304,396,923.68	319,054,498.88	346,485,713.57	344,829,938.44
Controlled Integrated	7,127,882.35	8,064,340.18	8,921,327.56	10,052,753.83	10,187,103.46
Grant Maintained	23,568,034.08	25,708,174.31	27,943,316.42	32,008,979.91	33,934,935.27
Maintained	240,034,534.96	248,695,927.09	258,443,314.11	282,141,152.81	281,149,108.42
Other Maintained	2,512,488.84	2,818,389.17	2,840,231.54	3,150,402.61	3,194,483.56
Irish Medium	5,166,021.80	5,758,244.14	6,175,341.03	7,153,525.24	7,490,447.94
Total	568,969,884.09	595,441,998.57	623,378,029.54	680,992,527.97	680,786,017.09

Single Education System

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Education to detail the estimated saving in relation to expenditure on teachers' wages, by having one education system in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 71/08)

Teaching of Theories Other Than Evolution

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 928/07, under the revised curriculum, to detail the teaching materials that will be made available to teachers in Northern Ireland wishing to teach scientific theories of origins other than evolution.

(AQW 73/08)

Ms Ruane: It is up to schools to decide what teaching resources they wish to use to deliver the curriculum, in accordance with the needs of their pupils and the ethos of the school. A range of organisations produce teaching materials that schools can choose to avail of.

Teaching of Theories Other Than Evolution

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 928/07, under GCSE science specifications allowing for the explanation of theories other than evolution to explore the development of life on earth, what resource material will be made available to teachers wishing to explore other such scientific explanations with pupils.

(AQW 74/08)

Teaching of Theories Other Than Evolution

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 928/07, if she will confirm that pupils who answer examination questions outlining (i) creationist; or (ii) intelligent design explanations for the development of life on earth, will not be marked lower than any pupil who answers giving an evolutionist explanation.

(AQW 75/08)

Ms Ruane: I am not involved in the setting or marking of public examinations. I am informed by the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment that public examinations are based on specifications which form the basis for teaching and learning throughout the two years of Key Stage 4. These stem from criteria agreed across the Regulatory Authorities. However, not every area of a specification lends itself equally well to an examination question. Therefore every pupil’s examination answers are marked solely in accordance with the awarding body’s Mark Scheme for the relevant question.

The Mark Scheme sets out the range of answers and valid alternatives that pupils have to include in their answer to gain marks for it. The number of marks a pupil receives for any answer will therefore depend on how well their answer matches the Mark Scheme.

Teaching of Theories Other Than Evolution

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 928/07, what training will be given to teachers to help them to explore scientific explanations for the development of life on earth, other than evolution.

(AQW 76/08)

Ms Ruane: Teachers are currently involved in a phased programme of training to support the introduction of the revised curriculum. Any in-service training for teachers follows the requirements of the statutory curriculum and GCSE specifications which do not include any specific reference to alternative explanations of the origins of life. The Education and Library Boards have not received requests from any school or teacher for support on this issue.

Complaints of Child Sexual Abuse

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of complaints of child sexual abuse by teachers that have been made in each education sector, for each year for which there are records; and to detail the number of teachers in each sector against whom these allegations were made.

(AQW 77/08)

Ms Ruane: The Department does not collect this information from schools.

Where a complaint is made about a member of staff and is pursued either as a formal referral to the investigating agencies or under the school’s disciplinary procedures, a short summary must be entered by the Principal on a Record of Child Abuse Complaints. The summary must include:

The date and brief details of the nature of the complaints;
By whom and against whom the complaint is made;
If the complaint was formally referred, to whom it was referred and the date of referral; and
If the complaint was dealt with under the school’s disciplinary procedure.

The school’s Record of Child Abuse Complaints must be made available to the Board of Governors termly but at least annually. The Education and Training Inspectorate will ask to see the Record during inspections.

The Department only becomes involved if the employer decides to make a referral to us following disciplinary action or when the Department is notified that the individual has been convicted of a specified offence, not necessarily of a sexual nature. The Department will then consider whether or not to include the name on its list of persons unsuitable to teach or work with children.

Academic Selection

Mr Basil McCrea asked the Minister of Education what methods she is considering in relation to the transfer arrangements between primary and post-primary schools for the academic year 2009/10; and to indicate when she expects to make an announcement on her final decision.

(AQW 84/08)

Ms Ruane: The current transfer arrangements will still apply for the 2009/10 cohort. For transfer from 2010/11 onwards I intend bringing forward proposals that are capable of attracting widespread support. The ways in which this might be achieved are currently under consideration. I am not prepared to be rushed into making a decision unless it is the right decision for the children affected.

Local Business Needs

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Education what priority she has given to ensuring that Northern Ireland's education system meets the needs of local businesses.

(AQW 91/08)

Ms Ruane: The revised curriculum focuses on developing the skills young people need for life and work in the 21st century. Employability, incorporating Entrepreneurship, is also an important part of the revised post-primary curriculum.

In addition, the Entitlement Framework will guarantee all pupils access to a greater range of vocational courses, equipping them with the professional and technical skills that business and industry needs. Pupils will be able to access courses appropriate to their individual needs, interests and aspirations, providing a wider choice at age 14 and an even wider choice at age 16.

To support pupils in making their choices and decisions about their futures, we are working to develop high quality careers education, information advice and guidance.

All of this will be set within a broader strategic framework for 14-19 provision, on which DE and DEL are currently engaged, ensuring that our young people are equipped with the knowledge and skills to take their place in an increasingly global workforce.

Educational Welfare Officers

Mr Alex Easton asked the Minister of Education if she will explain why educational welfare officers with social work qualifications are not paid the same salary as social workers in the health service.

(AQW 95/08)

Ms Ruane: This is an employer matter.

The Education and Libraries Boards, as the employers, have advised that the grading of Education Welfare Officers is largely determined by a national and agreed process of Job Evaluation. This process takes account of a range of factors relating to the job including supervisory responsibility, creativity, contacts, decision making , knowledge and skills (including qualification), and work context and is regarded as much fairer than a determination solely based on qualification.

Staff employed in the Health and Social Services are engaged under different terms and conditions of service from staff in the Education and Library boards, Councils and other NJC employers - (a full list of these employers is contained in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government,etc)(Modification) Order (Northern

Ireland )1999 - and salaries and gradings are agreed through an entirely different negotiating machinery as indeed is the case for teachers .

Children Attending Grammar School in North Down

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of children attending a grammar school in the North Down constituency, who were living outside the constituency, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 111/08)

Ms Ruane: The information requested is as follows:

Year	Children attending a grammar school in North Down who lived outside North Down constituency
2002/03	484
2003/04	459*
2004/05	546
2005/06	550
2006/07	560

Note:
* Postcoded data for Bangor Grammar were not available for 2003/04.

Free Transport Expenditure

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Education to detail the expenditure on providing free transport for grammar school students who resided in the North Down constituency, but attended school outside the constituency, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 112/08)

Ms Ruane: The South-Eastern Education and Library Board has confirmed that the following expenditure was incurred transporting Grammar School pupils out of the North-Down constituency:

Year	Expenditure
2003/04	£228,160
2004/05	£249,944
2005/06	£258,416
2006/07	£277,760

* This information is not available prior to 2003/04

Children from North Down Attending Grammar School Outside North Down

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of children living in the North Down constituency, who attended a grammar school outside the constituency, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 113/08)

Ms Ruane: The information requested is as follows:

Year	Children from North Down attending a grammar school outside North Down constituency
2002/03	1,316
2003/04	1,251
2004/05	1,209
2005/06	1,161
2006/07	1,142

Bus Passes

Mr Thomas Burns asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of bus passes that were issued to school children in the postcode district of BT29 4XX (Crumlin/Glenavy area) for the forthcoming academic year of 2007/2008; and to detail the total amount that this cost.

(AQW 116/08)

Ms Ruane: The North-Eastern Education and Library Board has confirmed that it has not received any applications for home to school transport assistance for 2007/08 from families residing in the postcode district of BT29 4XX. As such, no expenditure has been incurred in this area.

Expenditure on Business Education

Mr Dominic Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail her department's expenditure on business education; and to provide a breakdown of the funding received by the various providers.

(AQW 129/08)

Ms Ruane: It is not possible to provide a breakdown of all expenditure on business education as many schools, particularly in the post-primary sector, will use funding from their delegated budgets to support business education. However, my department does hold a specific business education budget and I can advise that, in 2006-07, expenditure from that budget totalled £826,000.

That expenditure represents allocations made in support of a range of business education interventions, including those delivered by external organisations, as follows:

Charter Work Experience	£118,000
Foyle School and Employer Connections	£100,000
Business Education Partnerships	£88,000
Consultancy Study	£20,000
Sentinus	£400,000
CCEA Employability Pilots	£100,000
Total	£826,000

Business Strategy Unit

Mr Dominic Bradley asked the Minister of Education to outline the work that will be done by the Business Strategy Unit in the future; and to detail how this will link with employability and careers education in the curriculum.

(AQW 130/08)

Ms Ruane: The Business Education Strategy Unit will continue to be involved in identifying, implementing and evaluating policy approaches designed to ensure better co-ordination between education and the world of work. It will also be involved in work to ensure a coherent approach to the delivery of the curriculum to young people, especially in the 14-19 age groups, and to ensure that young people leave school equipped with the literacy, numeracy and ICT skills that employers need and ready to play their full part in the local economy.

The unit is already working closely with its colleagues in the Department for Employment and Learning to develop a new strategy for Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) designed to support pupils in making their choices and decisions about their futures. That strategy will reflect the direction of the revised curriculum and will be designed to develop effective career decision makers, leading to increased participation in education, training and employment. It will also ensure that business-related issues such as employability and work related learning are central themes.

Careers Education

Mr Dominic Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail how her department will work with the Department for Employment and Learning to ensure that there is a coherent strategy for careers education.

(AQW 131/08)

Ms Ruane: My Department already works very closely with the Department for Employment and Learning on a wide range of issues. Our joint work to develop a new strategy for Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is a good example of this.

The overall aim of the proposed CEIAG strategy is to develop young people as effective career decision makers leading to increased participation in education, training and employment.

The joint DE/DEL Strategy will issue for consultation in early October – the Education Committee will receive advance copies for information and will be consulted again once responses have been received and analysed by both DE/DEL.

All of this will be set within a broader strategic framework for 14-19 provision, on which DE and DEL are currently engaged, with the aim of ensuring that our young people are equipped with the knowledge and skills to take their place in an increasingly global workforce.

Teaching of Theories of Origins Other Than Evolution

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 928/07, if she will confirm that, under the revised curriculum, teachers wishing to do so may teach theories of origins other than evolution as credible scientific explanations in science class.

(AQW 135/08)

Ms Ruane: The Department of Education does not tell teachers how to teach. The revised curriculum sets out the statutory minimum to be covered and the learning outcomes to be focused on. It provides greater flexibility for teachers to tailor provision for their pupils and greater opportunities for creationist views to be explored, particularly in the context of the exploration of other beliefs and viewpoints. Pupils and parents can inform how the delivery of the curriculum in their school accommodates that exploration through the Board of Governors.

Teaching of Theories of Origins Other Than Evolution

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 928/07, if, under the revised curriculum, (i) pupils may request on behalf of themselves; and (ii) parents may request on behalf of their children, that they are taught theories of origin other than evolution as credible scientific explanations in science classes.

(AQW 136/08)

Hygienic Drinking Water

Mr Willie Clarke asked the Minister of Education what consideration she has given to issuing guidance to individual schools and local education authorities on the availability of hygienic drinking water facilities for pupils.

(AQW 161/08)

Ms Ruane: The Department of Education’s New Nutritional Standards for School Lunches and Other Food in Schools which issued to all grant-aided schools in June 2007 state that pupils should have easy access at all times to free, fresh drinking water. In addition, the Department ensures that fresh water dispensers are located in appropriate circulating areas within a school. Also, as drinking water is no longer permitted in school toilets, water fountains located in these areas are removed.

Newborn Hearing Screening Programme

Mrs Michelle O'Neill asked the Minister of Education if she will give an update on her department's input into the development of an inter-departmental strategy on early years support services for deaf children identified through the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, introduced in 2005.

(AQW 171/08)

Ms Ruane: Under the auspices of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) Steering Group, the Department of Education (DE) commissioned an audit of existing provision in relation to the impact of the NHSP on Educational Services for the Hearing Impaired. The key findings of the DE Audit, which was completed in March 2006, indicate that existing Education and Library Boards Hearing Impaired Services can cope with an increased demand. DE has asked the education and library boards to continue to keep the resources required for the impact of the NHSP under review.

Funding for Sports Coaching in Schools

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Education, in light of her recent announcement that the Irish Football Association and the Gaelic Athletic Association are to receive funding for sports coaching in schools, if she will make a statement on co-operation between her department and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in this regard.

(AQW 177/08)

Ms Ruane: My Ministerial colleague Edwin Poots and I both know from work within our departments the positive impact a healthy lifestyle can have for young people in many areas, such as their mental health, and their development across the curriculum. It is this curricular benefit which provided the starting point for my sports programme, which will take place within school hours to support the PE curriculum, and tie-in to other curricular areas. Clearly there are wider links which will grow over time and this is why I wrote to Edwin Poots at an early stage about the programme.

Both the curriculum sports programme and the draft Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation recognise the importance of physical literacy skills, especially when developed at a young age. There are exciting opportunities within the Departments of Education and Culture, Arts and Leisure to make a real difference to young people’s lives through sports, and I look forward to seeing the benefits on the ground coming through from the work of both departments.

Academic Selection

Mr Paul Butler asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of grammar schools that have indicated to her that they will break away from the main education system rather than accept the ending of academic selection.

(AQW 219/08)

Ms Ruane: I have received no direct communication indicating the number of grammar schools that are considering independent arrangements if agreement can not be reached on new admissions arrangements for the transfer of children from primary to post-primary education from September 2010 onwards.

Academic Selection

Mr Paul Butler asked the Minister of Education how many appeals of transfer test results there have been in each of the past five years; and how many of these resulted in legal action.

(AQW 221/08)

Ms Ruane: The number of requests for a re-mark of Transfer Test grades for each of the last five years is recorded in the table below, along with the number of occasions that a grade has been revised upwards. Downward revisions are not permitted. There are no legal actions to report in relation to these figures.

Year	Pupils Sitting The Transfer Test	Requests for a Re-Mark	Up-Grades
2006/07	14,944	1,157	3
2005/06	15,255	1,144	2
2004/05	15,373	1,095	0
2003/04	15,716	1,007	3
2002/03	16,537	1,352	2

Literacy and Numeracy Levels

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Education to detail her strategy for ensuring that no child leaves primary school with levels of literacy and numeracy that fall below her own targets.

(AQO 9/08)

Ms Ruane: I am determined to improve standards of literacy and numeracy. It is important for me that all children leave school with the appropriate levels of literacy and numeracy. It is the essential basis of their future lives as citizens and as contributors to social and economic progress.

From this September the revised curriculum is being introduced in our schools. I think this is an exciting development, bringing in a more flexible curriculum which is right for our young people and which has literacy and numeracy at its very core. Schools should understand the focus on these skills and use the methods available to them to focus on raising standards in these areas. The revised curriculum provides the opportunity for teachers to focus on skills development as well as on knowledge and understanding.

I intend bringing forward a range of measures in the coming months designed to support schools in bringing about improved outcomes for children. These include a revised school improvement policy; a revised literacy and numeracy strategy; and a targeted intervention programme focused initially on raising achievement levels in low attaining schools in Belfast and Derry.

In addition, the policy proposals emerging from the review of special educational needs and inclusion will be issued for public consultation early next year. They too are intended to support, and be an integral part of, our work to raise standards and to ensure that every child reaches his or her full potential.

In relation to literacy and numeracy targets the targets for 2007 were achieved in 2006. Our targets for 2008 are for 80% of primary school children to be at the expected level in English and 83% in Maths. Targets beyond 2008 and the strategy for achieving them will be set out in the revised Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.

Dickson Plan

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Education if she will make a statement on the Craigavon-based Dickson Plan for education.

(AQO 85/08)

Ms Ruane: I note that the arrangements currently operating in the Craigavon-based Dickson Plan are well established. Research into the impact of the Dickson Plan published in 1998 produced inconclusive findings.

Bullying

Mr Raymond McCartney asked the Minister of Education what steps have been taken to tackle the problem of bullying in schools.

(AQO 101/08)

Ms Ruane: Bullying behaviour has no place in our schools and I mean bullying in all its forms – pupil on pupil, staff on staff, pupil on staff and staff on pupil. Its presence is not conducive to a positive learning environment and must be tackled.

In tackling the pupil on pupil aspect of bullying the following specific steps have been taken: -

All schools are required by law to have measures in place to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. The detail of the policy is a matter for each school to determine, in consultation with pupils and parents.

The Department has issued guidance to schools on developing measures to address bullying. Racist, homophobic and sectarian bullying has been specifically identified as forms of behaviour to be tackled.

The effectiveness of a school’s anti-bullying measures is monitored through the regular cycle of school inspections of pastoral care arrangements. The Inspectorate seeks the views of parents and pupils on how effectively school staff deal with bullying as part of these inspections.

The Department published the research report on “The Nature and Extent of Bullying in Schools in the North of Ireland” in June. The findings show little change in the level of bullying behaviour reported by pupils compared to an earlier study completed in 2002. Regardless, the research confirms that although the problem of bullying appears no worse, the problem still remains, and must be tackled.

Following this report, the Department will be carrying out a survey of schools’ anti-bullying policies drawing on the expertise and experience of the local Anti-Bullying Forum and NICCY. The results will be published and used to inform future action.

The elimination of bullying behaviour from all schools is a long term aspiration and requires a sustained programme of co-operative working across all statutory and voluntary agencies to support schools. This is facilitated through the local Anti-bullying Forum. The Forum has also established formal links with similar bodies in the South, England, Wales and Scotland.

The Education and Library Boards have established an Inter-Board Group, which is developing a common approach to tackle bullying in schools. Each Board has a designated officer who works with schools to tackle bullying through assisting in the development of whole school policies and supporting individual pupils who have been victims of bullying.

The Department funds Childline NI to provide a dedicated anti-bullying telephone helpline for pupils and young people.

The independent schools’ counselling service is now available in all grant aided post-primary schools allowing pupils to speak to a trained counsellor about their concerns or fears around bullying.

Substitute Teachers

Mr Dominic Bradley asked the Minister of Education what progress has been made in reducing the number of teachers on the substitute teachers' roll, who have not yet been in full-time employment in teaching.

(AQO 17/08)

Ms Ruane: It is important to note that the substitute teachers’ register includes not only young teachers but teachers of all ages who wish to be employed on a substitute teacher basis, together with teachers who no longer wish to be full‑time members of the teaching profession. Figures obtained from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for June 2007 show that 240 job seeker allowance claimants specified teaching as the occupation sought, of which 72 were under age 30.

The Department recognises the impact which demography is having, and will have, on the number of teachers that we need here. We need to get the balance right between having a ready supply of appropriately qualified teachers and ensuring that, as with any career choice, young people have a realistic understanding of the factors affecting teacher recruitment levels. As part of that process, we have also reviewed and reduced approved intake numbers to the initial teacher education institutions by over 20% in the past three years. I will be keeping under review the number of initial teacher education places needed in future years to make sure that, in future, there is a better balance between supply and demand.

Teachers are highly qualified professionals and, as such, have skills that would prepare them for other jobs in related areas. For example, my sports and languages programmes for primary schools offer another means for newly qualified teachers to gain experience of working in a school.

It should also be recognised that teachers trained here have the opportunity to apply for teaching posts in the South of Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, where they are highly regarded.

The recruitment of teachers is the responsibility of teachers’ employers. However, the Department has issued guidance to employers advising them that preference should be given to newly qualified teachers and experienced non-retired teachers seeking employment. Schools have also been advised that they should recruit to vacancies on a permanent rather than a temporary basis unless the vacancy is clearly of a temporary nature. Furthermore, the capping of the levels of the central reimbursement of the costs of substitute cover also provides an incentive to employ newly qualified teachers.

Primary School Sports Coaches

Mr Francis Brolly asked the Minister of Education what the response has been to the scheme, developed in conjunction with the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Football Association, for the provision of forty new posts for primary school sports coaches.

(AQO 93/08)

Ms Ruane: The response to this programme for sports coaches in primary schools has been very positive as people can see the real benefits this can have for our young people.

As you know both the GAA and IFA will be recruiting 20 coaches each to work with teachers in schools. There was a very good response to the GAA recruitment advert recently, and the IFA is also close to placing recruitment adverts. Schools are starting to ask how they get involved.

This programme provides an opportunity for pupils, including our youngest, to develop their physical literacy skills and supports development across the curriculum. It also supports teachers in developing their skills and confidence in delivering the PE curriculum.

Low Educational Attainment

Mr Ken Robinson asked the Minister of Education what steps she is taking to address low educational attainment in Protestant inner-city areas of Belfast, and large re-location estate areas in towns surrounding Belfast.

(AQO 30/08)

Ms Ruane: I am determined that we will tackle under-achievement wherever it occurs, and in doing so am anxious that the debate on poverty and disadvantage does not become sectarianised. Our efforts must be targeted on the basis of objective need.

I shall therefore be bringing forward in the coming months a range of measures designed to support schools in bringing about improved outcomes for children. These will include a new school improvement policy; a new literacy and numeracy strategy; and a targeted intervention programme focused initially on raising achievement levels in low attaining schools in Belfast and Derry. I shall wish to consider rolling this out to other areas as evidence of success emerges.

Sustained Education Encouraging Diversity

Ms Anna Lo asked the Minister of Education what proposals exist to train teachers in the resources available from the Sustained Education Encouraging Diversity programme.

(AQO 62/08)

Ms Ruane: The Department is currently carrying out a ‘Review to Identify Teacher and Youth Worker Training Needs for Delivery of Community Relations in Schools.’ During this review all resources which are currently available will be considered and, on completion of the Review, the Department will be in a better position to determine future proposals.

However, currently schools can determine what resources they feel are appropriate for their teachers to utilise in addressing community relations.

Education Sectoral Meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Minister of Education if the issues of educational psychology and school transport services will be on the agenda of the next education sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council.

(AQO 94/08)

Ms Ruane: The next educational sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council is expected to take place in November 2007 and, while an agenda has yet to be agreed between the two Departments, we expect a wide ranging discussion of issues of mutual interest. The agenda will be advised to the Executive and the Assembly in due course.

Academic Selection

Mr David Burnside asked the Minister of Education to indicate what progress has been made on a replacement selection procedure for the 11+; and in what academic year the replacement will be operational.

(AQO 29/08)

Ms Ruane: I am aware of the need to put in place suitable transfer arrangements in time for the cohort transferring from primary to post-primary education in 2010. As members are aware I am not in favour of selection on the basis of ability. I am conscious, however, of the need to engage with those who hold opposing views to determine new post-primary admissions arrangements for this cohort. I would stress that I am not prepared to be rushed into making a decision. The priority must be to make the right decision for the children affected, within a broader view of the shape and nature of post-primary education.

Cross-Border Enrolment

Ms Martina Anderson asked the Minister of Education what plans she has to take a regional cross-border view of the issue of pupil enrolment, whereby children can apply to enrol for the most suitable primary or post-primary school for them in their vicinity, even if it lies within another jurisdiction.

(AQO 100/08)

Ms Ruane: I personally consider that children should be able to attend their nearest suitable school, be that in the North or South of Ireland. That would be very much in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. There are obviously legal considerations, however, which have to be taken into account. The Department is currently subject to a Judicial Review which may include a consideration of this matter. I will reflect on any legal judgement and determine my response in due course.

Grammar Schools

Rev Dr Robert Coulter asked the Minister of Education to acknowledge the major contribution of grammar schools in putting Northern Ireland at the top of the United Kingdom's examinations results tables year after year; and what steps she is taking to identify, safeguard and extend the good educational practices in grammar schools that lie behind these results.

(AQO 31/08)

Ms Ruane: I readily acknowledge good teaching practice at any school, and the good results that have been produced by all types of school. There is no doubt that grammar schools have played their part by producing good results for the children they admit. I am determined to ensure that, over time, all schools are capable of delivering a good standard of education for their pupils, and increased levels of collaboration in support of the Entitlement Framework will add to the opportunities for the sharing of good practice.

Special Schools

Mr Alban Maginness asked the Minister of Education if she will introduce a change in legislation to allow special schools, who may wish to do so, to transform to integrated status.

(AQO 55/08)

Ms Ruane: There are specific reasons why the legislation prohibits Special Schools from attaining Integrated status. The current intake criteria to Special Schools are based on the special educational needs of each individual child. Integrated schools can include community background as an intake criterion in order to have a reasonable mix of children from each community background. This would mean that, if they were to be developed, Integrated Special Schools would allow some children to be admitted, or not, based on their religion rather than their educational needs.

Economic Benefit of Education

Mr Paul Maskey asked the Minister of Education to give her assessment of the role of education in delivering a strong economy.

(AQO 98/08)

Ms Ruane: Education is fundamental to delivering a strong economy and investment in education and skills is vital to achieving economic growth through higher rates of productivity and increased competitiveness. The importance of education to the economy is reflected in the education reforms which represent a fundamental refocusing of the work of schools in support of the economy.

The importance of the role of education has been recognised within the draft Regional Economic Strategy, where skills are identified as one of the four key drivers of productivity.

Priory College, Holywood

Dr Stephen Farry asked the Minister of Education to report on the proposed new capital build for Priory College, Holywood.

(AQO 76/08)

Ms Ruane: The capital scheme for Priory College is one of six schemes that were put on hold following the review of capital projects, by the previous administration. These schemes are still being assessed by the Department and the position will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Additional Finances

Mr Sammy Wilson asked the Minister of Education what estimate she has made of the additional finances required by her department, in each of the next three years.

(AQO 53/08)

Ms Ruane: Additional finances required by the Department of Education in each of the next three years are estimated to be £401 million, £580 million and £682 million in each year respectively. The additional amounts sought will be considered by the Executive in the forthcoming Budget 2007 exercise.

Employment and Learning

Universities Admissions

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what is his assessment of the latest published Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) figures on Northern Ireland student applications to universities in the United Kingdom.

(AQW 2/08)

The Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey): My Department has examined the figures published by UCAS on 19 July 2007 which showed a 5.5% fall in the number of NI domiciled students applying to UK institutions between 2006 and 2007 . This however needs to be set in the context of a decline in the school leaving age population. The latest estimates show that the number of 18 year olds in NI declined by 5.4 % over the last year.

Further provisional figures published by UCAS on 29 August 2007 show that there has been a 0.4% increase in the number of NI domiciled students accepted to UK institutions over the same period. My Department will continue to monitor UCAS figures as further information becomes available.

Higher Education Funding

Mr David McClarty asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, following the restoration of devolution, what consideration he has given to conducting a fully independent review into higher education funding in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 15/08)

Sir Reg Empey: My Department works closely with the other UK funding bodies in an ongoing process of review and development of all aspects of higher education funding strategy, ensuring parity, where possible and appropriate, for institutions and students alike.

An independent review of the current student finance arrangements is planned to commence in 2008/09. This will inform the future shape of student finance arrangements in Northern Ireland and will be premised on the need to ensure we maintain world class institutions and secure equitable access to higher education for all who are able to benefit.

University Applications

Mr David McClarty asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what assessment he has made of the figures published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) on 19 July 2007, regarding applications by Northern Ireland domiciled students to institutions in the United Kingdom; and what consideration he has given to making changes to the funding package for students, based on the current level of applications.

(AQW 16/08)

Sir Reg Empey: My Department has examined the figures published by UCAS on 19 July 2007 which showed a 5.5% fall in the number of NI domiciled students applying to UK institutions between 2006 and 2007 . This however needs to be set in the context of a decline in the school leaving age population. The latest estimates show that the number of 18 year olds in NI declined by 5.4 % over the last year.

Further provisional figures published on 29 August 2007, show that there has been a 0.4% increase in the number of NI domiciled students accepted to UK institutions over the same period. My Department will continue to monitor UCAS figures as further information becomes available.

A review of variable fees and student support arrangements is planned to commence in Academic Year 2008/2009. The review will take account of participation in higher education since the introduction of variable fees.

Further Education Enrolment

Mr Robin Newton asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of people who have been enrolled on courses in each of the Further Education Colleges; and to list the courses that have not met full enrolment capacity.

(AQW 78/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The table below provides the requested data for part 1 of the question for the period 2003/04 to 2005/06, the latest year for which data is currently available. The Department does not hold information pertaining to the courses that have not met full enrolment capacity.

Students enrolled at the Northern Ireland Further Education Colleges, 2003/04 – 2005/06

Academic Year	2003/04
Student Type	Vocational(Assessed provision)	Non-vocational (Non assessed provision)
Armagh College	2,876	1,302
Belfast Institute	19,810	9,137
Castlereagh College	4,361	2,390
Causeway Institute	2,992	1,575
East Antrim Institute	5,729	2,821
East Down Institute	4,891	2,493
East Tyrone College	3,369	5,844
Fermanagh College	7,305	2,489
Limavady College	2,704	1,558
Lisburn Institute	3,939	460
Newry & Kilkeel Institute	7,319	3,844
North Down & Ards Institute	7,831	3,058
North East Institute	5,744	2,769
North West Institute	12,997	3,576
Omagh College	3,628	1,771
Upper Bann Institute	6,308	4,381
Total	101,803	49,468

Academic Year	2004/05
Student Type	Vocational (Assessed provision)	Non-vocational (Non assessed provision)
Armagh College	3,494	1,556
Belfast Institute	20,902	8,050
Castlereagh College	4,556	2,739
Causeway Institute	3,665	1,991
East Antrim Institute	5,625	3,569
East Down Institute	4,684	2,034
East Tyrone College	3,782	6,276
Fermanagh College	6,634	3,189
Limavady College	3,193	1,599
Lisburn Institute	4,045	1,184
Newry & Kilkeel Institute	7,757	3,976
North Down & Ards Institute	8,604	2,464
North East Institute	6,337	3,196
North West Institute	12,319	3,362
Omagh College	4,643	1,635
Upper Bann Institute	6,737	4,365
Total	106,977	51,188

Academic Year	2005/06
Student Type	Vocational (Assessed provision)	Non-vocational (Non assessed provision)
Armagh College	3,379	1,247
Belfast Institute	22,478	9,853
Castlereagh College	4,695	3,010
Causeway Institute	3,884	2,155
East Antrim Institute	5,007	3,064
East Down Institute	4,102	1,826
East Tyrone College	3,126	6,414
Fermanagh College	4,817	2,280
Limavady College	3,322	1,537
Lisburn Institute	3,459	714
Newry & Kilkeel Institute	7,647	4,608
North Down & Ards Institute	7,775	2,387
North East Institute	6,617	2,526
North West Institute	12,217	3,803
Omagh College	5,398	2,347
Upper Bann Institute	6,327	3,459
Total	104,250	51,230

Further Education Colleges

Mr Robin Newton asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the financial cost of merging the Further Education Colleges into six bodies; and what financial savings have been achieved through the merger strategy.

(AQW 79/08)

Sir Reg Empey: While the colleges have merged formally from 1 August 2007, the restructuring process has only been completed at senior management levels. The wider re-organisation of the colleges will be implemented during the course of the current academic year. Therefore, a complete analysis of the financial cost and savings is not yet available.

It is anticipated that the costs associated with the college mergers, many of which will be one-off costs - for example IT and other restructuring costs, will be offset by efficiency savings in subsequent years.

Over 65s in Further Education

Mr Robin Newton asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the total number of people over the age of 65 who have enrolled on courses in each of the Further Education Colleges.

(AQW 80/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The tables below detail the requested data for the period 2003/04 to 2005/06, the latest year for which data is currently available.

Students aged 65 and over in the Northern Ireland FE Colleges 2003/04

College Reference	Vocational (assessed provision) Students	Non Vocational (Non assessed provision) Students	Total
Armagh College	37	97	134
Belfast Institute	656	2,518	3,174
Castlereagh College	100	618	718
Causeway Institute	77	284	361
East Antrim Institute	66	567	633
East Down Institute	184	437	621
East Tyrone College	34	983	1,017
Fermanagh College	84	246	330
Limavady College	21	278	299
Lisburn Institute	53	59	112
Newry & Kilkeel Institute	63	206	269
North Down & Ards Institute	288	411	699
North East Institute	86	180	266
North West Institute	149	265	414
Omagh College	22	83	105
Upper Bann Institute	166	1,076	1,242
Total	2,086	8,308	10,394

Students aged 65 and over in the Northern Ireland FE Colleges 2004/05

College Reference	Vocational (assessed provision) Students	Non Vocational (Non assessed provision) Students	Total
Armagh College	59	133	192
Belfast Institute	698	2,170	2,868
Castlereagh College	136	674	810
Causeway Institute	167	329	496
East Antrim Institute	91	691	782
East Down Institute	120	435	555
East Tyrone College	52	913	965
Fermanagh College	97	227	324
Limavady College	25	200	225
Lisburn Institute	100	132	232
Newry & Kilkeel Institute	91	253	344
North Down & Ards Institute	589	247	836
North East Institute	104	165	269
North West Institute	210	317	527
Omagh College	61	93	154
Upper Bann Institute	189	1,123	1,312
Total	2,789	8,102	10,891

Students aged 65 and over in the Northern Ireland FE Colleges 2005/06

College Reference	Vocational (assessed provision) Students	Non Vocational (Non assessed provision) Students	Total
Armagh College	43	202	245
Belfast Institute	564	2,063	2,627
Castlereagh College	133	681	814
Causeway Institute	208	400	608
East Antrim Institute	61	636	697
East Down Institute	76	431	507
East Tyrone College	28	985	1,013
Fermanagh College	71	191	262
Limavady College	32	205	237
Lisburn Institute	45	52	97
Newry & Kilkeel Institute	53	410	463
North Down & Ards Institute	455	183	638
North East Institute	88	203	291
North West Institute	261	367	628
Omagh College	67	154	221
Upper Bann Institute	225	879	1,104
Total	2,410	8,042	10,452

Further Education Means Business Strategy

Mrs Michelle O'Neill asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail whether or not his department's new 'Further Education Means Business Strategy' has been equality proofed.

(AQW 168/08)

Sir Reg Empey: ‘Further Education Means Business’, which set out the high level strategic direction for the Further Education Sector, was the subject of a major public consultation exercise in March 2004. The consultation period closed in August 2004, and the response to the strategy proposals was, broadly, very positive.

The Strategy is now being implemented through a programme of twelve separate, but inter-related, projects. As part of the overall Programme Management approach being adopted, further consultation, and equality proofing in line with the Department’s Equality Scheme, is carried out on these individual projects if and when appropriate.

Disablement Advisory Service

Mrs Michelle O'Neill asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline whether or not internal changes within the advice-giving structures at Jobs and Benefits Offices, and, in particular, the restructuring of the Disablement Advisory Service, have been subject to an equality impact assessment or consultation with disability organisations; and, if so, to list the organisations consulted and the outcome of the assessment of impact upon disabled people.

(AQW 170/08)

Sir Reg Empey: It is the responsibility of each Further Education College to determine whether it wishes to offer a particular course. In line with the implementation of FE Means Business and the Skills Strategy, my Department is reviewing the curriculum offered by colleges to ensure an increasing emphasis on provision that meets the skills and qualification needs of employers and the economy. However, the policy will also facilitate wider community education provision programmes.

Further Education provision is generally accessible to those with disabilities whilst colleges will also continue to offer provision for those with learning difficulties. Proposals for a revised FE curriculum will be issued for public consultation later this year.

Further Education Means Business Strategy

Mrs Michelle O'Neill asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, in relation to ongoing concerns regarding the future of community education in light of his department's 'Further Education Means Business' strategy, what provision will be available for community education programmes (non-accredited) accessible to disabled people.

(AQW 172/08)

University Enrolment

Mr George Robinson asked the Minister of Employment and Learning to detail the number of A-level students in Northern Ireland, who have accepted university places outside Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 189/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The number of Northern Ireland domiciled first year students enrolled on Higher Education (HE) courses at Great Britain (GB) HE institutions whose highest qualification on entry to HE included an A level is provided in the table below. Figures for the 2006/07 academic year will not be available until early 2008.

Academic Year	Total
2001/02	2,960
2002/03	3,060
2003/04	3,220
2004/05	3,550
2005/06	3,730

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

University Enrolments

Mr Paul Butler asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (a) the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds that are attending university; and (b) the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who leave university during their courses.

(AQW 216/08)

Sir Reg Empey: My Department classifies Higher Education (HE) students who come from socio-economic classification (SEC) groups 5-7 as being from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A) In 2005/06, there were 5,975 enrolments on HE courses at Northern Ireland institutions whose SEC background was in groups 5-7.

B) Non-continuation data are available for students enrolled on full-time undergraduate courses only. For 2005/06 there were 1880 full time undergraduate entrants from SEC Groups 5-7. Of these, 235 were no longer in HE in 2005/06.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
Notes: Figures are rounded to nearest 5.

Students from the Republic of Ireland

Mr Paul Butler asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (a) the number of students from the Republic of Ireland that are attending university in Northern Ireland; and (b) the number of students from the Republic of Ireland that attended university in Northern Ireland prior to the introduction of tuition fees.

(AQW 217/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The latest data shows there were 3,905 students from the Republic of Ireland enrolled on courses at universities in Northern Ireland in the 2005/06 academic year. Data for the 2006/07 academic year (ie the year variable tuition fees were introduced) will not be available until early 2008.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
Notes: Figure has been rounded to the nearest 5.

Hospitality and Tourism

Mr David Burnside asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to make a statement on the present funding, facilities and infrastructure for training in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

(AQO 28/08)

Sir Reg Empey: There is a considerable and extensive range of training provision currently available to the tourism and hospitality sector. The greater majority of this provision is administered through the Department for Employment and Learning. The Department considers that the range of training provision continues to meet the needs of the sector.

Educational Guidance Service for Adults

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline his plans for celebrating 40 years of the Educational Guidance Service for Adults, and for the future involvement of this organisation in relation to literacy and numeracy skills.

(AQO 10/08)

Sir Reg Empey: This is an important milestone in the development of the organisation and I congratulate the Educational Guidance Service for Adults on their contribution to introducing adults to learning and developing adult guidance over the last 40 years. I look forward to participating in the conference to celebrate 40 years of the Educational Guidance Service for Adults.

The Educational Guidance Service for Adults is currently under contract with the Department to deliver services in relation to introducing adults to learning and in particular literacy and numeracy skills learning. This contract is due to end at the close of the current financial year. Plans are underway to review the contract specification and complete an open competition for services in line with Departmental and Northern Ireland Civil Service policy.

Apprenticeships

Mr Paul Maskey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail what difficulties have been identified in increasing the uptake and completion rates of apprenticeships and similar schemes.

(AQO 104/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Young people often consider training as a return to the classroom rather than a route to employment or career. Employers see training as an additional cost or conflicting with busy work schedules. Training for Success will offer individualised training suited to the needs of the young person and the employer. There will also be financial incentives to the trainee, the training organisation and the employer to encourage completion.

Armagh College of Further and Higher Education

Mr Dominic Bradley asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to give an update on the capital development proposals in respect of the former Armagh College of Further and Higher Education, which was promised a £20 million development two years ago.

(AQO 19/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Armagh College submitted an economic appraisal which was cleared as being technically compliant at April 2005. Funding was not available at that time, and since then Armagh has become part of the new Southern Regional College. The new college will now need to review its future accommodation needs across all of its campuses.

Architectural Courses

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the admissions criteria for Masters Degree Architectural Courses at Queen's University, Belfast and the University of Ulster.

(AQO 95/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Applicants to the Bachelor of Architecture postgraduate course at Queens must hold a 2:1 Honours degree, have twelve months practical experience and may be called for interview. Applicants to the Masters of Architecture course at the University of Ulster must hold a 2:2 Honours degree, have a professional portfolio and will be interviewed.

Economically Inactive People

Mr Kieran McCarthy asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he plans to set a target for reducing the number of economically inactive people, as a proportion of the working-age population, by 2010.

(AQO 47/08)

Sir Reg Empey: I have no plans to set such a target. My Department has a target to contribute to increasing the employment rate. Increasingly, we are focusing on assisting those deemed to be furthest from the labour market, including the economically inactive, to move towards and into work.

Skilled Labour Supply

Mr Billy Armstrong asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of skilled labour to meet the needs of the manufacturing sector.

(AQO 118/08)

Sir Reg Empey: My Department’s Skills Strategy, Success through Skills, places a strong emphasis on providing a demand led skills system with employers articulating the volume and level of skilled people they require through mechanisms, such as the 25 Sector Skills Councils. There are five Sector Skills Councils whose ‘footprint’ includes the manufacturing sector, SEMTA , Proskills, Skillsfast-UK, Cogent and Improve. Sector Skills Councils are contracted to set standards within their industries and as a result have an increasing role in influencing both the development of new qualifications and the curriculum at all levels of post 16 year old training.

Once the demand for skills has been ascertained, my Department works with training providers, Further Education Colleges and universities to ensure that provision is in place to supply a suitably skilled workforce.

In terms of the Manufacturing sector, the Department for Employment and Learning supports training at all entry levels including:

Training for Success, offers a range of professional and technical training opportunities for those people between 16-24 years of age. Apprenticeships provide people with the opportunity to train as they work in the Manufacturing sector, gaining industry-led qualifications in the skills the sector requires;

Higher level training and education is offered through our Further Education Colleges and Universities. Much work has been done to ensure that our graduates have qualifications and skills relevant to the needs of the Northern Ireland economy; and

Management and Leadership provision which aims to promote best practice at middle and senior levels of company management.

Essential Skills Strategy

Mr Ken Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of persons that have received qualifications through schemes operating under the Essential Skills Strategy.

(AQO 22/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Between the commencement of the Essential Skills programme in October 2002 and 31 July 2007, 15,605 learners had gained an Essential Skills qualification in Literacy, and 11,877 learners had gained an Essential Skills qualification in numeracy.

Source: Awarding Bodies Qualifications Data.

Student Enrolment

Ms Anna Lo asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, given the continuing decrease in student enrolment since the increase in student top-up fees, how he intends to reverse this trend, particularly in light of the skills requirement in the employment market in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 82/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Enrolment data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, for 2006/7, will not be available until January 2008. This will be the first set of comprehensive data that will show if there has been a decline in enrolments due to the introduction of variable deferred tuition fees in 2006/7. I will be happy to respond fully to the member at that time.

South Eastern Regional College

Mr Jeffrey Donaldson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to give a timescale within which he hopes to announce the composition of the Board of the new South Eastern Regional College; and to detail the number of Board members that will come from the city of Lisburn.

(AQW 313/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The names of nine governing body members of the South Eastern Regional College, drawn from the business, industry or professional category of governor, were announced in July 2007. This follows the announcement of the chair of the Governing Body in September 2006. Two of these members live in the Lisburn City Council area. I would hope that the remaining categories of governor, including the staff and student members, which are filled through processes of election and nomination, will be filled by the end of the year. It is not possible to say how many of those members will come from Lisburn.

The composition of the college governing bodies is presently under review and formal consultation with interested parties was undertaken earlier this year. I hope to make an announcement on the outcome of that consultation in the near future with a view to putting the matter before the Assembly.

Enterprise, Trade and Investment

CO2 Emissions

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the estimated average CO2 emissions (in grams) per KWh useful output, for (i) home heating oil; (ii) mains electricity; (iii) natural gas; and (iv) wood pellets.

(AQW 49/08)

The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mr Dodds): The table below represents the average CO 2 emissions in kg per kWh of delivered energy, which is the recognised normal reporting format. Determining grams per kWh of useful output requires the system efficiency to be taken into account. As no verifiable source of system efficiency exists the figures quoted are on the basis of the normal format of kg of CO 2 per kWh of energy delivered.

Energy Source	Estimated Average CO 2 Emissions kg/kWh delivered	Source of Information
(i) Home Heating Oil	0.258	UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory for 2005
(ii) Mains Electricity	0.43	UK Emissions Trading Scheme
(iii) Natural Gas	0.206	UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory for 2005
(iv) Wood Pellets	0.00936	Wood Fuel Strategy for England, Biomass Energy Centre.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what is his assessment of the efficacy of, and requirement for, the strategic and operational coupling of both energy efficiency and renewable energy across a range of sectors, as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 50/08)

Mr Dodds: DETI energy policy currently promotes both energy efficiency and renewable energy, as a means of not only contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Northern Ireland, but also to enhancing security and diversity of our energy supply. A more competitive and sustainable energy mix is a key goal and as such my Department has recently commissioned a review of the Sustainable Energy market in Northern Ireland. The strategic and operational coupling of energy efficiency and renewable energy across a range of sectors will be examined as part of that process.

Renewable Energy

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, (i) to detail the renewable-source electricity production capacity required to meet Northern Ireland’s renewables obligation by 2012; (ii) to give an estimate of the power in GWh that will be generated by wind turbines; and (iii) to give an estimate of the number of on- and off-shore wind turbines that will be necessary to produce the required amount of electricity.

(AQW 51/08)

Mr Dodds: NI’s renewable obligation in 2012-2013 will be 6.3%, representing the proportion of sales of electricity that suppliers must account for under the NI Renewables Obligation Order. This is different from our renewables energy target which is that, by 2012,12% of electricity consumption will be from renewable energy sources, of which 15% will be from non-wind sources.

Estimated electricity consumption in 2012/13 is 9980 GWh, implying 1200 GWh from indigenous renewables to meet the 12% target with 15% from non-wind sources which implies around 29 MW of non-wind capacity. The remaining 85% would require 332 MW of wind capacity. A total of 361MW estimated production capacity would therefore be required to meet the 2012 target.

The number of wind turbines needed to meet this demand depends on the capacity of each turbine, which can be as much as 3MW. Based on an average of 2MW however, this would equate to 166 turbines. These would all be on onshore farms, as there are currently no offshore NI wind farms.

Energy: A Strategic Framework for Northern Ireland

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he will explain the method used to assess whether Northern Ireland is achieving the goal of 1% reduction in electricity consumption each year from 2007 to 2012, as stated in 'Energy: A Strategic Framework for Northern Ireland', published in June 2004; and if he will indicate whether this year's target will be met.

(AQW 118/08)

Mr Dodds: We are collecting electricity savings data from the complete range of energy efficiency programmes supported by Government. From this “bottom-up” approach we will be able to monitor the performance against the reduced consumption target which is 1% of the Northern Ireland electricity demand for 2006/07 adjusted to include an allowance of 1.8% for economic growth.

Further detail on the methodology, which is that favoured by the EU Directive on Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services, is contained in a paper "Delivering Northern Ireland’s 1% Energy Efficiency Target" which is available on my Department’s web site on the Sustainable Energy page at www.energy.detini.gov.uk

We are currently almost 6 months into the first year of the 5 year period to achieve this target and an indication of performance will not be available until early 2008. However the scoping work indicates that the 1% target reduction in electricity consumption is achievable given the high level of energy efficiency activity across all sectors in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Electricity

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he will undertake to investigate (i) Northern Ireland Electricity's charging of business and industry for mains supply connections; (ii) the reason for the time delay in having a new mains supply connected; and (iii) to detail the comparable cost of supply and timing of delivery in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

(AQW 154/08)

Mr Dodds: (i) Regulation of Northern Ireland Electricity’s (“NIE’s”) connection charges is a matter for the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (“NIAUR”). NIE’s licence contains an obligation requiring it to issue a statement for connection charges which must first be approved by NIAUR. If a customer has a dispute about the size of the charge quoted by NIE they have the right to refer the case to NIAUR who will carry out an independent assessment.

(ii) Before a connection can be made by NIE, some or all of the following may be necessary in order to meet the customer’s requirements:

approval from other landowners for the electricity infrastructure, including formal agreement to wayleaves or easements (which can potentially take several months);
planning permission from DoE Planning Service;
permission from DRD Roads Service to carry out work on public roadways;
NIE design the works (which may require a detailed site survey);
construction of the connection (which can take 4-12 weeks, or 4-6 months if specialised items of equipment need to be procured by NIE);

NIE cannot make any new connection live until it has received a connection card filled in by the customer’s electrical contractor. New business customers must also have entered into a contract with an electricity supplier before the supply can be made live.

(iii) While NIE has a straightforward and transparent charging schedule, the information available from distribution companies in the Republic of Ireland (“RoI”), Scotland, England and Wales in relation to the cost of making electricity connections is complex and varied. This does not readily allow like for like comparisons with the position in Northern Ireland. In relation to the time taken to make a connection, the position in Northern Ireland is broadly comparable to that in the Irish Republic, Scotland, England and Wales for the same reasons as are detailed in (ii). NIAUR does not compare the connection costs with Great Britain and the Irish Republic when regulating NIE’s connection charges, but does seek to ensure that they are broadly cost reflective.

Household Programme

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (i) the number of applications received under the Household Programme to install solar, PV, biomass, wind or geothermal energy systems to date; (ii) the number of these applications that have been approved; and (iii) the total amount of grant that has been issued.

(AQW 156/08)

Mr Dodds:

The total number of applications to date to under the household programme, now known as Reconnect, to install solar, PV, biomass, wind and ground source heat pumps (geothermal is not actually supported under Reconnect) is 2,695.
The number of applications approved is 2,557 (137 applications were withdrawn and 1 was rejected.
The total amount of grant issued to date under Reconnect is £2.77 million.

Household Programme

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the number of applications that have been received under the Household Programme under the headings (i) solar; (ii) PV; (iii) biomass; (iv) wind; and (v) geothermal.

(AQW 158/08)

Mr Dodds: The household programme, now known as Reconnect, was officially opened to applications on 24 July 2006. The numbers of applications to date are as follows:

(i)	Solar:	1,187
(ii)	PV:	56
(iii)	Biomass:	1,012
(iv)	Wind:	176
(v)	Geothermal*:	264
	Total:	2,695

*Geothermal is not actually supported under Reconnect and the number given is for ground source heat pumps.

Invest NI

Mr Daithí McKay asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the overseas trips that Invest NI has financed for members of staff in 2004; 2005; 2006; and 2007; the amount that each trip cost; and the reason for each trip.

(AQW 166/08)

Mr Dodds: Given the nature of Invest NI’s work, there is quite a significant amount of information which has to be processed to fully answer this question. The current systems in Invest NI do not allow for this information to be collated and produced centrally. Therefore, Invest NI has to conduct a large-scale coordination exercise across its Divisions to gather all of the requisite information.

I will write to the member following the conclusion of the coordination exercise to provide him with a full response to his question. I will also place a copy of this final reply in the Assembly Library

Agri-Food Industry

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he has identified export markets where Northern Ireland's agri-food industry is currently at a competitive disadvantage, compared to that of the Republic of Ireland.

(AQW 173/08)

Mr Dodds: There are no specific export markets where I have identified a competitive disadvantage for NI agri-food companies against their Irish Republic counterparts.

Tourism in Craigavon

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he will make a statement on tourism in the Craigavon area.

(AQO 70/08)

Mr Dodds: Craigavon received 55,700 visits in 2006. This was 1.8% of visits to Northern Ireland and involved spending of £11.8 million, representing 2.4% of total tourism spend in Northern Ireland. Oxford Island and the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre are the two most visited attractions. Oxford Island received 260,000 visits in 2006 and Lough Neagh Discovery Centre received 66,241 visits. Craigavon has 305 bed spaces which is approximately 1% of the Northern Ireland total.

I will be visiting the area in the near future when I look forward to visiting some of its tourism attractions and discussing opportunities to develop tourism further.

Financial Services

Mr David Burnside asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what plans he has for assisting the development of a financial services sector in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 27/08)

Mr Dodds: Invest NI has already developed a strategy to target this sector globally and is actively cultivating relationships at a very senior level with a number of key accounts in Europe and the United States. This is a growing sector with the potential to provide significant new opportunities for Northern Ireland.

During 2007, Northern Ireland has seen strategic investments by two high-profile financial institutions. Citi, one of the world’s largest financial corporations, has established a Centre of Excellence in Belfast promoting 716 jobs. This facility includes 117 jobs in capital markets and banking operations as well as 39 jobs in legal and compliance. These jobs attract average salaries of circa £25k, well in excess of Northern Ireland’s private sector average. In July 2007, Bank of Ireland Securities Services announced its intention to promote 149 jobs creating its first UK hedge fund administration centre. These jobs will attract average salaries of £35k per annum and is evidence of the sustainable economic growth opportunities provided by the financial services sector.

In addition to offering selective financial assistance, Invest NI is working closely with Department of Employment and Learning and the education sector to develop a supply of suitably qualified people to avail of these employment opportunities.

Key Industries

Ms Anna Lo asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline three key industries in which he believes Northern Ireland can become a world leader over the next decade.

(AQO 63/08)

Mr Dodds: Invest NI’s focus is on developing our companies into world leaders within the niche markets in which they operate. At present, Northern Ireland has companies operating with key niche strengths in the advanced manufacturing sectors, such as Seagate and Bombardier, life sciences sector, such as Almac and Norbrook, and the software development sector, such as Meridio and Northbrook. Our companies have also demonstrated growing strengths in the services sector, particularly ICT and financial services. With a continued focus on capability and innovation development, the companies operating within these sectors can further increase their competitiveness and be successful in winning orders against global competitors into the next decade.

Economic Development

Dr Stephen Farry asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to report on the indicators used by his department to assess economic development in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 65/08)

Mr Dodds: My Department collects data on a range of indicators to monitor the performance of the NI economy. Areas covered include the labour market, exports, R&D and innovation.

Over the CSR period, as part of its Public Service Agreement, the Department will continue to track performance in the key areas of Productivity; Employment and Tourism.

The Department has also developed - in partnership with the Economic Development Forum - a set of monitoring and forecasting indicators for the Northern Ireland economy. These are aligned to the Economic Vision for Northern Ireland and the latest report was published in October 2006

Invest NI

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to clarify whether advance sites located in West Tyrone, that are under the control of Invest Northern Ireland, may be made available to indigenous companies planning to expand their operations.

(AQO 105/08)

Mr Dodds: Property sites owned by Invest NI are sold or leased to its client companies, both locally or externally owned, based on demonstrable immediate need and an approved business case.

A business needs to meet certain criteria on turnover and export capability to qualify as an Invest NI client. Clients generally operate in the fields of manufacturing and tradable services and have a strong export focus.

Invest NI has identified a shortage of available Industrial land in the area and is working with Planning Service to identify suitable land for industrial zoning in the emerging West Tyrone Area Plan. It is also resisting change of use applications in order to protect remaining industrial sites.

Visitors' Centre at the Giant's Causeway

Mr Declan O'Loan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to indicate the date for completion of a permanent Visitors' Centre at the Giant's Causeway.

(AQO 4/08)

Mr Dodds: The Member is aware of Minister Foster’s 10 September statement and my statement of the same date. The issues relating to the Giant’s Causeway were explored during the Adjournment Debate on 11 September. The completion date for a permanent Visitor’s Centre will depend on the resolution of planning and related issues. Much will depend on all key Stakeholders taking a constructive and co-operative approach to the delivery of a facility that does justice to the importance of the Giant’s Causeway as a heritage and tourism asset

Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, pursuant to AQW1374/07, if he will engage directly in discussions relating to the future development of Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly, as a centre for economic enterprise, trade and investment.

(AQO 11/08)

Mr Dodds: Invest NI’s current landholding in the surrounding areas of Londonderry, Limavady and Coleraine is considered to be sufficient for the medium to long term needs of its clients and prospective clients in the North West. There is also significant private sector industrial landholding in the area.

Invest NI holds over 50 acres in Limavady Council area. 35 acres are already occupied by client companies leaving 15 currently available for lease. Adding the figures for Londonderry and Coleraine, over 170 acres remain available for lease out of a total landholding in the area of almost 550

Manufacturing Sector

Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what steps he is taking to boost the manufacturing sector, considering that in 2000 the sector accounted for 16% of the Northern Ireland workforce, whereas today it stands at 12%.

(AQO 89/08)

Mr Dodds: Manufacturing continues to play a vital role in the Northern Ireland economy and both DETI and Invest NI continue to actively promote and support the sector. The trend in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the world is for further erosion of employment in the sector but with rising productivity as companies move up the value-added chain, become more knowledge-intensive, higher skilled, develop products for niche markets and compete more on quality and less on price.

Innovation is the key to the future success of the manufacturing sector and Invest NI continues to assist its manufacturing clients to improve their competitiveness and boost export growth through programmes aimed at capability development. This is demonstrated by the significant resources Invest NI allocates to manufacturing where the majority of its sector teams are focused. Invest NI is also seeking to secure mobile manufacturing investments in Northern Ireland by encouraging clients to invest in HQ activities such as R&D centres and administrative support functions

Tourism Industry

Mr Paul Maskey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to give an assessment of the potential growth of the tourism industry in Northern Ireland, and its potential contribution to economic growth.

(AQO 106/08)

Mr Dodds: Research based on 2003 figures indicates that tourism contributed some £783 million, or 3.5 per cent of Gross Value Added, and supported more than 28,000 Full Time Equivalent jobs. By establishing Northern Ireland as a world class visitor destination we will further increase tourism’s contribution to the economy. We have already had significant success in this regard with out-of state visitor numbers to Northern Ireland increasing by 33.7 per cent during the period 2000-2006, and visitor spend increasing by 48.1 per cent over the same period. My Department has very recently received corresponding figures for 2004 and indicative figures for 2005. These have to be verified before they can be published. I will write to the Member shortly to provide him with this update and place a copy of that letter in the Assembly Library.

Smithsonian Festival

Mr Kieran McCarthy asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to report on the financial benefits to Northern Ireland of his attendance at the Smithsonian Festival in the United States of America, in late June 2007.

(AQO 48/08)

Mr Dodds: The trip was to support an Invest NI trade mission, to undertake a series of inward investment engagements, with potential and existing investors, and to speak at the Tourism Ireland event that followed the launch of the Titanic Exhibition in Washington on 26th June. The mission was planned to coincide with the Smithsonian Festival and I was invited to the opening of the Festival. The trip also allowed me the opportunity to meet with the US Administration and other key influencers and business people to discuss the forthcoming US NI investment conference next spring. I am confident that these activities will generate significant financial benefits for Northern Ireland in the fullness of time.

Invest NI

Mr Seán Neeson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to report on the performance of Invest Northern Ireland in comparison to the Industrial Development Agency in the Republic of Ireland.

(AQO 56/08)

Mr Dodds: Invest NI is not directly comparable to the Irish Industrial Development Authority, either in terms of functional responsibility or product offering. For example, the IDA focus is solely on foreign direct investment whereas Invest NI’s clients comprise both locally and internationally owned companies. Since 2002, Invest NI has performed strongly in the area of foreign direct investment, supporting 164 inward investment projects, leveraging almost £1.1 billion of investment; promoting over 13,200 new jobs and safeguarding almost 10,500 existing jobs.

Indeed, between April 2003 and January 2007, Northern Ireland, with 2.8% population share, secured 7% of contestable projects into the UK; or 14% if projects locating in SE England are excluded.

Review of Public Administration

Mr Danny Kennedy asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he has undertaken any assessment of the likely impact of a reduction in well-paid public sector jobs, through the Review of Public Administration, on the service and retail sector and, if so, what conclusions he has reached.

(AQO 35/08)

Mr Dodds: The Review of Public Administration is a wide ranging initiative and it will have impacts on most if not all Ministerial portfolios. However, some of its key decisions are under review and final decisions on location associated with RPA reforms have not been taken. I will, of course, be interested to ensure that any final decisions pay due regard to their potential impact on the local economy across all of its sectors. It is clear, however, that the economy needs rebalanced towards greater value added private sector activity and employment. Only by growing the more prosperous and wealth generating private sectors of the economy, can we ensure growth across all sectors including service and retail.

Roaming Charges

Mr Mitchel McLaughlin asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what progress has been made, and what further steps are planned, on the issue of eradicating mobile phone roaming charges on the island of Ireland.

(AQO 109/08)

Mr Dodds: Last year my Department, working in conjunction with the then Department of Communications Marine and Natural Resources in the Republic of Ireland and both Regulators, made significant progress in addressing the mobile roaming issue. This work led to the introduction of all-island tariffs and special tariff initiatives for phone users which significantly reduced the scale of the problem.

In August this year the EU capped roaming tariffs across Europe. Whilst welcome for those travelling across Europe it does not fully address the inadvertent roaming issue for those living and using mobile phones close to the border. It is too early to gauge the impact it will have.

My Department will continue to monitor the situation, liaising with the industry and the regulator, were appropriate, and consider the scope for further action.

Environment

Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of the Environment if she intends to make greater use of Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.

(AQW 54/08)

The Minister of the Environment (Mrs Foster): The Department currently makes full use of Article 40 agreements, where appropriate, to facilitate, regulate or restrict the use of land.

If, however, there is a choice between imposing planning conditions and entering into a planning agreement, the practice is that the Department will normally opt for conditions.

The Semple review recommended that planning obligations under Article 40 should be used to secure developer contributions to affordable housing. This will be considered as part of a review of PPS 12, since a new policy direction would have to be provided through PPS 12 and new legislation may be required.

Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail each occasion upon which Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 had been used by her department, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 56/08)

Mrs Foster: I can confirm that 8 Article 40 Agreements were processed in 2002, 10 in 2003, 7 in 2004, 6 in 2005, 10 in 2006 and 11 to date in 2007. Details of these Agreements are shown in the attached table.

ARTICLE 40 AGREEMENTS

2002	Location	Planning Ref
10/01/2002	Carrickbawn Wood, Greenbank Park, Rostrevor	P/2000/0736
10/01/2002	Shore Road, Lower Ballinderry	S/1999/0036
22/03/2002	21 Glenariffe Road , Glenariffe	E/2000/0163
17/05/2002	201 Loughan Road , Coolderry	C/2001/0268
24/05/2002	287 Upper Road , Carrickfergus	V/2000/0169
13/09/2002	Sandybrae Road , Attical, Kilkeel	P/2000/0769
01/10/2002	Landsdown Road , Newtownards	X/1998/0942
11/10/2002	Silverhill House, Enniskillen	L/2001/0344

2003	Location	Planning Ref
10/01/2003	Craigmacagan Td, Rathlin	E/1999/0266
12/01/2003	2 Glendesha Road , Mullaghbawn, Newry	P/1997/0942
27/01/2003	Clady Road, Cushendun	E/2000/0226
20/03/2003	13 Cloughs Road , Clough, Cushendall	E/2002/0117
27/03/2003	Crescent Link, Londonderry	Genova North West Ltd
01/04/2003	Opp. St. Eugene's PS	J/2001/0065
07/05/2003	Whitepark road & Castlenagree road, Bushmills	E/2001/0113
08/05/2003	108 Mill Road , Annalong	P/1998/0335
31/07/2003	Buncrana Rd , Londonderry	A/2001/1224/F
04/12/2003	Green Rd , Coleraine	C/2001/0660

2004	Location	Planning Ref
05/01/2004	Colemans Nurseries, 6 Old Ballyclare Rd, Templepatrick	T/2001/0299
20/02/2004	Clare Park, Clare Rd, Ballycastle	E/1999/0383
26/03/2004	19B Cloughs Rd, Cushendall	E/2002/0380
07/06/2004	58 Largy Rd , Carnlough	F/2002/0389
08/06/2004	26 Carnalbanagh Rd , Glenarm	F/2002/0058
27/08/2004	160 Moss Rd , Ballycopeland, Millisle	X/2001/1406
08/11/2004	120M SE of No.13 Cloughs Road, Cloughs, Cushendall	E/2003/0492


2005	Location	Planning Ref
26/01/2005	69 Portmuck Rd , Islandmagee	F/2002/0203/F
27/07/2005	North Lisburn Feeder Rd	S/2003/0253/O
26/08/2005	110M West of 19B Cloughs Road, Cushendall	E/2003/0295/F
07/12/2005	41 Teeshan Road , Cullybackey	G/2004/0548/F
20/12/2005	To the rear of 80 Whitepark Road, Ballycastle	E/2003/0015/F
22/12/2005	366 Saintfield Road , Castlereagh	Y/1996/0281/O

2006	Location	Planning Ref
20/01/2006	Adj. To Hutchinsons Quay, Portna, Kilrea	H/2003/1112/O
22/02/2006	24 Glen Road , Hillhall, Lisburn	S/2004/0581/F
05/05/2006	185C + 185D Torr Road, Cushendun	E/2003/0513
24/05/2006	20m North of 42 Killycanavan Road, Ardboe, Dungannon.	I/2003/0519
17/06/2006	Brokerstown Village , Lisburn	S/2003/0466/O
06/09/2006	144b Largy Road, Carnlough, Co Antrim	F/2004/0148/F
07/09/2006	8 Harbour Road , Ballintoy	E/2002/0281/F
15/09/2006	Site adjacent to 20 Nicholson's Road, Derryogue, Kilkeel.	P/2000/1122
11/10/2006	40 Corbally Road , Portrush	C/2000/0558/F
22/11/2006	Limekiln Road, Bessbrook	P/1999/0544

2007	Location	Planning Ref
22/02/2007	51 Seacoast Road , Limavady	B/2002/0591/O
26/02/2007	St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast	Z/2004/2961/F
26/04/2007	87-89 Ballinlea Road , Ballycastle.	E/2002/0115/O
26/04/2007	99 Whitepark Rd , Ballintoy	E/2003/0218
26/04/2007	29 Clooney Rd , Tobermore	H/2002/0846
08/05/2007	20 Ballybogey Rd , Ballymoney	D/2001/0152/F
21/05/2007	20b Mountstewart Road, Greyabbey, Newtownards.	X/2006/0492/F
31/05/2007	Sandy Bay Marina, 7A Shore Road, Upper Ballinderry	S/2002/1123/O
20/06/2007	53 Quarterlands Road , Killinchy, Comber.	R/2005/1423/F
31/07/2007	The Castle off Harbour Road, Ballintoy.	E/2004/0055/O
04/09/2007	To the rear of 105 Edenticullo Road, Hillsborough.	S/2004/1136/F

Environmental Protection Agency

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment to detail her department's consideration of, and position on, the introduction of an Environmental Protection Agency.

(AQW 64/08)

Mrs Foster: I remain open minded about the recommendations of the Review of Environmental Governance, including whether or not there should be an Environmental Protection Agency.

I will carefully consider my approach to environmental governance. In so doing I will take account of the Review recommendations and of resource considerations, the views of the Environment Committee and of any points which stakeholders wish to make.

I expect to make a public statement on the way forward towards the end of the year, following discussion with my colleagues on the Executive.

Underground Slurry Tanks

Mr Billy Armstrong asked the Minister of the Environment to advise which government department or body is responsible for setting the criteria governing the construction of underground slurry tanks, and if she is aware of any plans to review these criteria.

(AQW 83/08)

Mrs Foster: The criteria governing the construction of underground slurry tanks are set out in The Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (SSAFO). The Regulations were made by the Department of the Environment in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Article 14 of the Water ( Northern Ireland) Order 1999. I am in discussion with my officials with regard to the criteria.

Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of the Environment if she will confirm that the land at Bangor Sportsplex, which is being sold by North Down Borough Council, will be subject to the provisions of Planning Policy Statement 8: Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation.

(AQW 87/08)

Mrs Foster: I can confirm that Planning Policy Statement 8: Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation is one of a number of material considerations in the determination of the current application.

High Hedges Legislation

Mr Alex Easton asked the Minister of the Environment if she will give a timescale for the introduction of high hedges legislation.

(AQW 96/08)

Mrs Foster: The Department confirmed in 2005, through public consultation, that the nuisance high hedge problem here is on a par with that in England and Wales where legislation is already in place and in operation to address the problem.

I wish to bring forward similar legislation as soon as possible, starting with a policy consultation on the detailed operation of the legislation. However, the timing will be subject to consideration of other competing priorities.

Drink Driving

Mr George Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to outline her plans for a Christmas and New Year advertising campaign, to reduce the incidences of drink driving on Northern Ireland's roads.

(AQW 132/08)

Mrs Foster: It is planned to run an anti drink drive television advertising campaign from 20 November 2007 until 6 January 2008. The campaign will be supported by increased PSNI enforcement. Research undertaken to identify when road safety campaigns are likely to be most effective has indicated that incidences of drink driving increase over the Christmas and New Year period.

The principal message of the television advertising campaign will continue to be “NEVER EVER DRINK AND DRIVE”.

Outstanding Planning Enforcement Cases

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning enforcement cases that are presently outstanding in each of the Divisional Planning Offices.

(AQW 147/08)

Mrs Foster: The total number of planning enforcement cases that are presently outstanding throughout Planning Service is 5653.

The breakdown of this total for each Divisional Planning Office is shown in the table below.

Divisional Office	Total No. of enforcement cases presently outstanding
Ballymena	460
Belfast	683
Craigavon	1363
Derry/Coleraine	680
Downpatrick	1453
Omagh	536
Headquarters	478
TOTAL	5653

Seals in Northern Ireland

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of seals in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

(AQW 152/08)

Mrs Foster: The peak monthly count for all seals (including pups) for each of the last three years (2004, 2005 and 2006) is 526, 580 and 636 respectively. The count for the current year is not yet complete.

Seals in Strangford Lough

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of seals in Strangford Lough.

(AQW 153/08)

Mrs Foster: The peak monthly count for all seals (including pups) for each of the last three years (2004, 2005 and 2006) in Strangford Lough is 244, 282 and 251 respectively. The count for the current year is not yet complete.

Finance and Personnel

Government Carbon Offset Fund

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail whether CO2 emissions resulting from Northern Ireland Ministerial and Government Official air travel will be included in the Government Carbon Offset Fund, which is used by the United Kingdom Government.

(AQW 5/08)

The Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr Robinson): DFP have been in contact with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which has lead responsibility for the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF), to enquire if the Northern Ireland Civil Service could participate in the GCOF.

DEFRAhave responded that they have exceeded their carbon credits budget for the current financial year and therefore the GCOF cannot accommodate the NICS, at least in this first reporting year. DFP has asked to be considered for next year’s project but in the interim are researching alternative carbon offsetting funds through which the carbon emissions from official NICS air travel can be offset.

It is generally acknowledged that offsetting in itself is not a solution to climate change and the priority should be to reduce carbon emissions. DFP will be pursuing with all departments the ways and means to reduce all official travel, including air travel, looking to alternatives such as video-conferencing and conference calls wherever possible.

Devolution of Justice and Policing Powers

Mr Alex Attwood asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel when he intends to commence discussions with the Northern Ireland Office and HM Treasury to safeguard the policing and criminal justice budgets, in the event of the devolution of justice and policing powers.

(AQW 40/08)

Mr Robinson: Discussion on this issue will take place when the devolution of policing and justice is being considered. No discussions have yet taken place on this matter but a satisfactory resolution of this issue will be required before the powers are devolved.

MRSA

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail, broken down by each hospital in Northern Ireland, the number of people who died and subsequently had MRSA listed on their death certificate, for each of the last five years.

(AQW 231/08)

Mr Robinson: Cause of death statistics are classified by the International Classification of Diseases , the current version of which does not include a specific code for MRSA. However, statistics on deaths where MRSA was a contributing factor can be obtained by identifying deaths registered with specific conditions likely to be linked with MRSA and then checking whether MRSA was actually recorded on the death certificate.

The table attached gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, 2002-2006, where MRSA was mentioned on such death certificates. The figures relate to all deaths where MRSA was mentioned on the certificate, regardless of whether it was the main cause of death or not. The figures presented are classified by place of death, which need not be the place where an infection was first contracted.

Table: Number of deaths registered related to MRSA by place of death, 2002-2006 P

Place of Death	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006 P
Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust	7	1	4	4	1
Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust	1	4	7	7	8
Causeway HSS Trust	1	1	0	3	1
Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust	7	2	5	9	12
Down Lisburn HSS Trust	0	2	2	4	0
Green Park HSS Trust	0	0	0	1	0
Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust	3	3	1	6	2
Newry & Mourne HSS Trust	0	1	0	1	0
Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust	1	2	4	6	7
Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust	0	2	5	3	1
Ulster Community & Hospitals HSS Trust	4	1	2	8	9
United Hospitals Group HSS Trust	1	4	4	5	6
Other 1	1	7	10	12	9
Total	26	30	44	69	56

1 ‘Other’ place of death includes deaths in Nursing Homes or in the home.
P Provisional Data.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of people who have died in each of the last five years, where hospital-acquired infections other than MRSA were listed on the death certificate.

(AQW 232/08)

Mr Robinson: It is not possible to give reliable figures on the number of deaths involving all hospital- acquired infections as information on whether an infection was acquiredin hospitalor elsewhere may not be available to the doctor certifying the death.

However, in Northern Ireland statistics on deaths registered where MRSA or Clostridium difficile are mentioned on death certificates are routinely published. The attached table gives the number of deaths where Clostridium difficile was mentioned on the death certificate by registration year from 2002 to 2006.

Table: Number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland with Clostridium difficile 1,2 was mentioned on the death certificate, by registration year 2002-2006

Registration Year	Deaths with Clostridium difficile 1,2 mentioned on the death certificate
2002	26
2003	34
2004	44
2005	35
2006 P	63

1 ICD code A04.7 and other mentions of Clostridium difficile.
2 Included in these figures are 4 deaths where the death certificate mentioned both Clostridium difficile and MRSA.
P Provisional data.

Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail, broken down by each hospital in Northern Ireland, the number of people who have died as a result of a subarachnoid haemorrhage, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 233/08)

Mr Robinson: The attached table gives the number of deaths registered due to subarachnoid haemorrhage 1 each year between 2002 and 2006 P in Northern Ireland. The figures are broken down by place of death as recorded on the death certificate. Place of death figures may be influenced by the medical/surgical specialties available in each hospital.

Table: Number of registered deaths due to subarachnoid haemorrhage by year and place of death, 2002-2006 P.

Place of Death	Registration Year
Place of Death	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006 P
Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust	2	3	5	4	2
Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust	4	8	4	5	1
Causeway HSS Trust	4	0	2	0	3
Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust	8	5	4	4	3
Down Lisburn HSS Trust	4	0	2	5	1
Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust	1	4	5	0	3
Newry and Mourne HSS Trust	3	1	2	1	2
Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust	14	21	14	16	14
Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust	4	3	1	0	3
Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust	7	7	4	5	5
United Hospitals Group HSS Trust	8	0	5	3	4
Other 2	9	14	15	13	7
Total	68	66	63	56	48

1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code I60.
2 ‘Other’ place of death includes deaths in Nursing Homes or in the home.
P Provisional data.

Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Bonfire Costs

Mr Daithí McKay asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the costs incurred by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service in relation to call-outs associated with 11 July bonfires, in each of the last four years.

(AQW 93/08)

The Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr McGimpsey): The costs are shown in the table below:

Year	2004	2005	2006	2007
Cost	£5,122	£10,045	£12,193	£7,860

The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) calculates the costs on the basis of the number of fire appliance hours expended attending bonfire-related fires. These were 43, 86, 108 and 67 respectively for the years in question.

Accident and Emergency Waiting Times

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the average waiting time for treatment in each Accident and Emergency department in Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 139/08)

Mr McGimpsey: Information on the average time that patients wait for treatment in Accident and Emergency departments is not collected centrally.

A new electronic system is currently being developed which will have the capability to provide this information. It is now estimated that unvalidated data on accident and emergency waiting times should be available from this new system by the end of November 2007.

A target has been set to ensure that 95% of patients are treated and discharged, or admitted to a ward, within four hours of arrival at A&E by March 2008. Progress towards this target is being closely monitored and my Department is supporting Trusts through a programme of reform and modernisation.

Complaints Against GPs

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of complaints that were made by patients against GPs; (ii) the number, in total and as a percentage, of these that were upheld, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 141/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information is not available in the format requested. The following represents the number of complaints made by patients against GPs in each of the last five years across HSS Boards.

			2002/2003	2003/2004	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007 2
Total			588	562	639	707	664
EHSSB			219	236	219	294	267
NHSSB			135	134	160	153	149
SHSSB			74	89	106	120	124
WHSSB			160	103	154 *	140*	124*

		Source: Information Analysis Branch

	*	Figures received from WHSSB

Compensation to Patients

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount that was paid out in compensation to patients, broken down by each hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 142/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information requested is not readily available by hospital, but is available by Legacy Trust and is set out in the table below.

AMOUNTS PAID OUT TO SUCCESSFUL CLAIMANTS IN RESPECT OF CLAIMS FOR COMPENSATION FOR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE MADE AGAINST EACH OF THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRUSTS IN EACH OF THE LAST 5 YEARS

HSS Trust	2005/06	2004/05	2003/04	2002/03	2001/02
	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000
Altnagelvin Hospitals	305	358	214	205	416
Armagh and Dungannon	45	132	144	147	3
Belfast City Hospital	728	548	594	797	1,526
Causeway	364	1,009	414	192	472
Craigavon and Banbridge Community	72	0	0	0	0
Craigavon Area Hospital Group	144	2,546	559	55	520
Down Lisburn	1,652	492	504	155	161
Foyle	0	10	7	3	0
Green Park Healthcare	117	37	112	2	57
Homefirst Community	6	0	0	0	0
Mater Hospital	93	61	179	279	47
Newry & Mourne	116	27	193	332	41
NI Ambulance Service	0	0	0	0	0
North & West Belfast	21	0	46	0	0
Royal Group of Hospitals & Dental Hospital	1,364	733	2,249	1,090	508
South & East Belfast	309	0	667	30	16
Sperrin Lakeland	492	75	36	122	41
Ulster Community & Hospitals	616	279	710	184	194
United Hospitals	1,187	940	115	50	652

The five new Health and Social Care Trusts came into operation on 1 April 2007. Since the information relates to the years 2001/02 – 2005/06, the answer has been given in relation to the nineteen Health and Social Services Trusts which existed prior to that. Information for 2006-07 is not yet available.

Biofuel Health Risks

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what assessment he has made of the health risks associated with the gases released when biofuels burn; and if he will make a statement on his assessment, from a carcinogenic perspective, of the combustion gases produced by biofuels and the gases contained in carbon dioxide.

(AQW 169/08)

Mr McGimpsey: My Department has not made an assessment of potential health risks associated with emissions from the burning of biofuels.

MRSA

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) to detail the number of outbreaks of MRSA, broken down by Health and Social Services Board area; and (ii) to list the exact location of each incidence of MRSA, for each of the last three years.

(AQW 180/08)

Mr McGimpsey: (i) Information on the number of outbreaks of MRSA, broken down by Health and Social Services Board area for each of the last three years for which information is available is given in the table below. Due to the complexities involved in defining an MRSA outbreak, MRSA outbreaks are not an appropriate measure to use to monitor the incidence or prevalence of MRSA infection.

Health Board	2004	2005	2006
Eastern	0	0	0
Northern	2	2	1
Southern	0	1	0
Western	0	0	1

Source: Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSC (NI)).

Notes: Outbreaks can generally be defined as: two or more cases associated in time and/or place or where the observed number of cases exceeds that which would be expected in a specified period and place or other definitions may be used depending on the circumstances.

(ii) the exact location of each incidence of MRSA are not available centrally but information is available on the number of patient episodes of MRSA bacteraemia reported by year and Trust and where possible by hospital over the last three years. These are detailed in the table below.

Trust	Hospital	Calendar Year
Trust	Hospital	2004	2005	2006
Altnagelvin Hospitals	Altnagelvin Area Hospital	22	21	11
Altnagelvin Hospitals	Waterside Hospital (Ward 5)	0	0	0
Belfast City Hospitals	Belfast City	47	39	32
Belfast City Hospitals	NICCO ( Belvoir Park)	47	0	0
Causeway	Causeway Hospital	9	10	9
	Dalriada Hospital		0	0
	Robinson Memorial Hospital		0	0
Craigavon Area Hospital Group	Craigavon Area Hospital	22	19	16
	Lurgan Hospital	2	1	3
	South Tyrone Hospital	0	0	0
Down Lisburn	Downe Hospital	14	4	2
Down Lisburn	Lagan Valley Hospital	3	3	3
Greenpark	Forster Green Hospital	2	3	5
Greenpark	Musgrave Park Hospital	2	3	5
Mater	Mater Infirmorum Hospital	9	23	29
Newry & Mourne	Daisy Hill Hospital	5	3	3
Royal Group of Hospitals	RBHSC	1	1	49
	Royal Jubilee	2	2
	Royal Victoria Hospital	41	46
Sperrin Lakeland	Erne Hospital	3	2	3
Sperrin Lakeland	Tyrone County Hospital	13	4	6
Ulster Community & Hospitals	Ards Hospital	0	0	0
	Bangor Hospital	0	0	0
	Ulster Hospital	34	25	37
United Hospitals	Antrim Area Hospital	41	37	27
	Braid Valley Hospital			1
	Mid Ulster Hospital			2
	Moyle Hospital			0
	Whiteabbey Hospital			7
Northern Ireland Total		270	243	245

Source: Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSC (NI)).

Targets have been set for the reduction of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) including MRSA. The target sets a 10% reduction by 31 March 2009 in numbers of cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (inclusive of both MRSA and MSSA).

MRSA

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of cases of MRSA that have been recorded in each of Northern Ireland's hospitals, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 184/08)

Mr McGimpsey: Information on the number of patient episodes of MRSA bacteraemia reported by year and Trust and where possible by hospital over the last three years are detailed in the table below.

Trust	Hospital	Calendar Year
Trust	Hospital	2004	2005	2006
Altnagelvin Hospitals	Altnagelvin Area Hospital	22	21	11
Altnagelvin Hospitals	Waterside Hospital (Ward 5)	0	0	0
Belfast City Hospitals	Belfast City	47	39	32
Belfast City Hospitals	NICCO ( Belvoir Park)	47	0	0
Causeway	Causeway Hospital	9	10	9
	Dalriada Hospital		0	0
	Robinson Memorial Hospital		0	0
Craigavon Area Hospital Group	Craigavon Area Hospital	22	19	16
	Lurgan Hospital	2	1	3
	South Tyrone Hospital	0	0	0
Down Lisburn	Downe Hospital	14	4	2
Down Lisburn	Lagan Valley Hospital	3	3	3
Greenpark	Forster Green Hospital	2	3	5
Greenpark	Musgrave Park Hospital	2	3	5
Mater	Mater Infirmorum Hospital	9	23	29
Newry & Mourne	Daisy Hill Hospital	5	3	3
Royal Group of Hospitals	RBHSC	1	1	49
	Royal Jubilee	2	2
	Royal Victoria Hospital	41	46
Sperrin Lakeland	Erne Hospital	3	2	3
Sperrin Lakeland	Tyrone County Hospital	13	4	6
Ulster Community & Hospitals	Ards Hospital	0	0	0
	Bangor Hospital	0	0	0
	Ulster Hospital	34	25	37
United Hospitals	Antrim Area Hospital	41	37	27
	Braid Valley Hospital			1
	Mid Ulster Hospital			2
	Moyle Hospital			0
	Whiteabbey Hospital			7
Northern Ireland Total		270	243	245

Source: Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSC (NI)).

Community Care Packages

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people currently awaiting community care packages in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust area.

(AQW 185/08)

Mr McGimpsey: Information is not available on the number of people awaiting community care packages by areas smaller than Health & Social Services Trust (AQW 186/08). However, information is available on the number of people awaiting community care packages by Health & Social Care Trust, in respect of quarter ending 31 March 2007, the latest date for which such information is available.

At 31 March 2007, 188 people were waiting for community care packages in South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, of which 137 were waiting in the community and 51 in an acute setting (AQW 185/08).

Community Care Packages

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people currently awaiting community care packages in the Comber/Ballygowan/Killinchy area.

(AQW 186/08)

At 31 March 2007, 188 people were waiting for community care packages in South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, of which 137 were waiting in the community and 51 in an acute setting (AQW 185/08).

Clostridium Difficile

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of cases of clostridium difficile that have been recorded in each hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 187/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The number of episodes of clostridium difficile that have been recorded in each hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last three years is not available.

The number of episodes of clostridium difficile for patients aged 65 years and over that have been recorded in each Health Trust and where possible by hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last two years is available and is presented in the table below.

Trust	Hospital	2005*	2006
Altnagelvin Hospitals	Altnagelvin Area Hospital	72	85
Altnagelvin Hospitals	Waterside Hospital (Ward 5)	2	0
Belfast City Hospitals	Belfast City	158	163
Belfast City Hospitals	NICCO ( Belvoir Park)	7	4
Causeway	Causeway Hospital	52	50
	Dalriada Hospital	0	0
	Robinson Memorial Hospital	6	1
Craigavon Area Hospital Group	Craigavon Area Hospital	129	87
	Lurgan Hospital	43	20
	South Tyrone Hospital	12	9
Down Lisburn	Downe Hospital	16	17
Down Lisburn	Lagan Valley Hospital	37	22
Greenpark	Forster Green Hospital	0	0
Greenpark	Musgrave Park Hospital	12	22
Mater	Mater Infirmorum Hospital	32	88
Newry & Mourne	Daisy Hill Hospital	31	18
Royal Group of Hospitals	Royal Victoria Hospital	109	108
Sperrin Lakeland	Erne Hospital	4	17
Sperrin Lakeland	Tyrone County Hospital	8	8
Ulster Community & Hospitals	Ards Hospital	0	0
	Bangor Hospital	1	0
	Ulster Hospital	181	213
United Hospitals	Antrim Area Hospital	59	83
	Braid Valley Hospital	0	1
	Mid Ulster Hospital	37	19
	Moyle Hospital	0	0
	Whiteabbey Hospital	24	29
Northern Ireland Total		1032	1064

Source : Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSC (NI)).

Notes : laboratory testing in Northern Ireland came into line over the course of 2005. 2006 is the first complete calendar year with all laboratories using the same methods

Targets have been set for the reduction of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) including Clostridium difficile. The target sets a 20% reduction by 31 March 2009 in numbers of cases of Clostridium difficile in all patients.

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to his answer to AQW 101/07, if he will make a statement on his department's fortnightly monitoring of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service's performance.

(AQW 193/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is required to respond to an average of 65% of life threatening (Category A) calls within eight minutes in 2007/08, improving to 70% from March 2008.

My Department meets fortnightly with NIAS to monitor progress towards the achievement of these targets, and to review the measures being put in place by NIAS to ensure they are achieved.

Since the commencement of these meetings in May 2007, performance has improved from 55% of Category A calls responded to within eight minutes to 61.8% for the month of August 2007.

I believe this focused performance management by both my Department and NIAS will ensure the continued improvement in performance and achievement of the targets.

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to his answer to AQW 101/07, what improvements the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has shown since it was benchmarked against Staffordshire Ambulance Service.

(AQW 194/08)

Mr McGimpsey: I refer to my answer to AQW 193/08 which details the recent improvement in the performance of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS).

Since the benchmarking exercise, NIAS has worked with my Department in a number of initiatives to improve its performance such as tactical deployment, additional deployment locations, better 999 call prioritisation and the modernisation of communications and control technology.

Hospital Treatment

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many (i) males; and (ii) females, were treated in each hospital in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, for injuries received while they were in (a) an out-patient clinic; (b) Accident and Emergency; (c) a male general ward; (d) a female general ward; (e) a mixed general ward; (f) a male mental health ward; (g) a female mental health ward; and (h) a mixed mental health ward.

(AQW 209/08)

Mr McGimpsey: Information on the number of patients who were treated in hospital for an injury received whilst in an out-patient clinic, Accident & Emergency Department, general ward or mental health ward, in each of the last five years is not available.

Treatment of Severe Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Mr David McClarty asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he will consider providing, on the NHS, the use of the drug natalizumab (Tysabri) for the treatment of severe relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.

(AQW 226/08)

Mr McGimpsey: Additional funding of £24 million has been allocated in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for specialist hospital drugs. It is for Health and Social Services Boards, as commissioners of services, to prioritise how funding is used, taking into account local circumstances, the strategic objectives established for the Health and Social Care (HSC) sector and demands and pressures generally for access to a wide range of new effective drug therapies.

On 22 August 2007, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance recommending natalizumab as a treatment option for people with rapidly evolving severe relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. All guidance published by NICE from 1 July 2006 is reviewed locally for its applicability to Northern Ireland and my Department is in the process of considering the guidance on natalizumab. The Department expects to issue advice on the status of the guidance in Northern Ireland, and its implementation, later this year.

Satellite Radiation Unit for the North West

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he will meet with Co-operating for Cancer Care North West to discuss the establishment of a cross-border satellite radiation unit for the North West.

(AQW 235/08)

Mr McGimpsey: Unfortunately due to demands on my diary it will not be possible for me to meet with Co-operating for Cancer Care North West (CCCNW). However, Noelle Duddy Spokesperson for CCC (NW) has written to me on the issue of cross border radiation services and I am aware of her views.

I believe that the possibilities for cross border cooperation and collaboration on health issues which have the potential to deliver real benefits for patients in both jurisdictions should be explored.

My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children, is currently assessing the potential for further collaboration and co-operation to improve the health of the population and the provision of health services for people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Also I intend to meet with the Minister for Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland, Mary Harney, in the near future and I expect that cross border cooperation across a range of health issues, including radiotherapy, will feature strongly in those discussions.

Proposed Health Village in Banbridge

Mr John O'Dowd asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to explain the delay in completing the proposed health village on the site of the former Banbridge Hospital, taking into account assurances provided to Banbridge District Council by senior health service officials in 2004 that this scheme was ranked as the most significant for the then Craigavon and Banbridge Trust area; and how he will intervene to bring this project to an early completion.

(AQW 238/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The Banbridge community health village has been under ongoing development since 2004. The final element, a new Health and Care Centre and Learning Disability Day Centre, on this site is included in Phase 1A of the Southern Health and Care Trust’s Primary and Community Care Infrastructure (PCCI) Programme and has been recommended by the Trust as high priority within the PCCI Programme. The project business case is currently being assessed by the Department and it is expected this will be completed by December 2007, thus enabling decisions on approval to be then taken. This would then allow the project to progress to the procurement stage. This will, of course, be subject to the availability of the requisite capital and revenue resources that remain to be confirmed in the current Comprehensive Spending Review and associated review of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland.

Expenditure of HSS Boards

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the total amount spent by each of the Health and Social Services Boards, in each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 258/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information requested is set out in the tables below.

TOTAL AMOUNTS SPENT BY EACH OF THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BOARDS IN EACH OF THE LAST THREE FINANCIAL YEARS

HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BOARD	2006/07	2005/06	2004/05
	£000	£000	£000
Northern Board (Revenue expenditure)	790,307	727,617	681,528
Northern Board (Capital expenditure)	941	1,139	614
Total	791,248	728,756	682,142

HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BOARD	2006/07	2005/06	2004/05
	£000	£000	£000
Southern Board (Revenue expenditure)	595,925	554,556	517,642
Southern Board (Capital expenditure)	1,029	906	495
Total	596,954	555,462	518,137

HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BOARD	2006/07	2005/06	2004/05
	£000	£000	£000
Eastern Board (Revenue expenditure)	1,379,493	1,300,051	1,224,609
Eastern Board (Capital expenditure)	1,955	2,010	1,318
Total	1,381,448	1,302,061	1,225,927

HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BOARD	2006/07	2005/06	2004/05
	£000	£000	£000
Western Board (Revenue expenditure)	561,217	513,089	480,697
Western Board (Capital expenditure)	924	938	632
Total	562,141	514,027	481,329

The figures above are taken from the ‘Total Revenue Expenditure’ line and the ‘Total Capital Expenditure’ line from each Board’s annual accounts.

Spending on Artwork

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the highest expenditure on a single piece of art by each Health and Social Services Board, in each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 259/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information requested in relation to the healthcare sector is not held centrally. The review, which I announced on 24 August 2007, will look at the pattern of spending on artwork in healthcare facilities. In particular, I have asked that clear guidance is produced on how resources should be found for works of art.

Disability Access to Government Buildings

Mr David Simpson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he will make a statement on disability access to buildings for which his department is responsible.

(AQW 329/08)

Mr McGimpsey: My Department does not have responsibility for any Government buildings.

Regional Development

Roads Service's Moratorium on Expenditure

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the extent and duration of the Roads Service's moratorium on expenditure, broken down by divisional office.

(AQW 89/08)

The Minister for Regional Development (Mr Murphy): My Department’s Roads Service has confirmed that there is currently a £36million pressure on its capital budget and that a contingency plan, which includes the delay of some capital schemes, is in place pending the outcome of the October Public Expenditure Monitoring Round.

As capital expenditure is managed centrally by Roads Service Headquarters, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by Divisional Office.

A20 Newtownards Southern Distributor

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the start date for commencement of the construction of the A20 Newtownards Southern Distributor.

(AQW 101/08)

Mr Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has advised me that the tendering process is progressing satisfactorily with tenders returned on 13 September 2007. Subject to the successful conclusion of tendering procedures it is anticipated that the contract will be awarded during November 2007 and that construction work will commence shortly thereafter.

Derry/Londonderry to Belfast Commute

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development to provide an estimate of the number of people commuting from Derry/Londonderry to Belfast by road, on a daily basis.

(AQW 106/08)

Mr Murphy: In relation to questions AQW 106/08 and AQW 110/08, my Department does not hold information on the number of commuters (i.e. drivers and passengers) travelling daily by car from Derry to Belfast. I can advise, however, that Translink has estimated the numbers of persons travelling by bus/train during the morning peak period at 450 and 218 respectively.

In relation to question AQW 107/08, the most recent journey time information available for the A6/M2 Derry to Belfast route during the morning peak period is as follows:

Mode of Transport	Average Time
Car	1 Hour 40 Minutes
Bus	2 Hours

Derry/Londonderry to Belfast Commute

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development to give typical journey times for people commuting by road between Derry/Londonderry and Belfast, where the traveller works normal office hours.

(AQW 107/08)

In relation to question AQW 107/08, the most recent journey time information available for the A6/M2 Derry to Belfast route during the morning peak period is as follows:

Mode of Transport	Average Time
Car	1 Hour 40 Minutes
Bus	2 Hours

Derry/Londonderry to Belfast Commute

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development to provide an estimate of the number of people who commute from Derry/Londonderry to Belfast, on a daily basis.

(AQW 110/08)

In relation to question AQW 107/08, the most recent journey time information available for the A6/M2 Derry to Belfast route during the morning peak period is as follows:

Mode of Transport	Average Time
Car	1 Hour 40 Minutes
Bus	2 Hours

Derry/Londonderry Rail Link

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development what consideration he has given to the feasibility of establishing a cross-border rail link between Derry/Londonderry and Letterkenny; and to the availability of additional funding from the European Union, to allow such a project to take place.

(AQW 127/08)

Mr Murphy: There are no plans to establish a cross border rail link between Derry and Letterkenny and consequently no application for additional funding from the European Union has been made to allow such a project to take place.

I would of course be happy to consider any feasibility study on such a line but would stress that my immediate priority is to secure the appropriate level of funding for rail services in the North.

Former Ministry of Defence Sites

Mr George Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will indicate whether or not his department will adopt the water, sewerage and road infrastructure on former Ministry of Defence sites, to ensure that these sites remain viable for development.

(AQW 134/08)

Mr Murphy: Following the introduction of the Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order, 2006, the Department for Regional Development does not have the power to adopt the water and sewerage infrastructure. This is now a matter for Northern Ireland Water.

In relation to the road infrastructure, my Department’s Roads service advises that sites can be considered for adoption under Article 9 of the Private Streets ( Northern Ireland) Order 1980 as amended, where:

The majority of landowners or occupiers so request it;
The roads or streets are first brought up to adoption standard, normally at the expense of the landowners or occupiers; and
The Department is of the opinion that the street should become a public road.

Double-Cut Trimming Programme

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will undertake to reintroduce a double-cut trimming programme on rural roads; and if he will make a statement on the current single-cut policy.

(AQW 143/08)

Mr Murphy: Firstly I should explain that the objective of my Department’s Roads Service, in cutting grass on its lands, is to prevent overgrowth onto carriageways and footway surfaces and the obstruction of sightlines and traffic signs. Grass cutting operations are therefore carried out for road safety reasons and not for cosmetic or amenity purposes. This was confirmed following a review of grass cutting policy, undertaken in 2002, following a request by the former Assembly’s DRD Committee.

The present policy provides for two cuts per year in rural areas and five cuts in urban areas. The area to be cut is one swathe width (1.2m), with the complete area required for sightlines to be cut as necessary. This maintains the balance between road safety and environmental protection.

I am sure you will appreciate that there are many demands on the Roads Service budget, and that any additional amount spent on grass cutting and verge maintenance, could result in the reduction of funding on other essential areas, many of which are related to road safety measures. At present Roads Service has no plans to increase the width of grass cutting.

Pedestrian Crossing in Dundrum

Mr Willie Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will consider the provision of a pedestrian crossing at Main Street, Dundrum, Co. Down.

(AQW 165/08)

Mr Murphy: An assessment for the provision of a pedestrian crossing facility in Dundrum village was carried out by my Department’s Roads Service in February 2007. It was concluded that the criteria for the provision of such a crossing were not met at that time. I would refer the Member to my answer to his earlier Question on the criteria for the provision of pedestrian crossings (AQW 59/07), for further information.

Roads Service will, however, carry out a further survey before the end of September 2007, to determine if there has been any change in vehicle flows or pedestrian activity.

I have asked the Divisional Roads Manager to write to you when the results of the additional assessment are known.

Accident Rate on the Mountstewart Road, Newtownards

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development what steps he is taking to address the continuing accident rate on the Mountstewart Road, Newtownards, taking into account the assurances given that work would be done.

(AQW 167/08)

Mr Murphy: While I am aware that there is some evidence of collisions occurring on the Mountstewart Road, particularly at a specific bend close to house number 24, not all of these collisions are being reported to the PSNI. Consequently, it is difficult for my Department’s Roads Service to determine the cause of the problem.

However, work has recently been carried out to enhance the signage at the bend in an effort to increase drivers’ awareness.

It is also Roads Service’s intention to carry out improvements works at this location. However, I should point out that financial pressures are such that it is necessary to prioritise work on the trunk road network. I can assure you that Roads Service remains committed to this scheme and it is intended that it will proceed whenever finance becomes available.

Pedestrian Crossings in Newcastle, Co. Down

Mr Willie Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will consider the provision of pedestrian crossings at Dundrum Road, Castlewellan Road, and Shimna Road in Newcastle, Co. Down.

(AQW 174/08)

Mr Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has advised me that the Dundrum Road in Newcastle meets the criteria for the provision of a pedestrian crossing. Subject to the availability of finance and pending the identification of a suitable location, Roads Service intends to provide such a facility in the 2008/09 financial year.

Both the Castlewellan Road and the Shimna Road in Newcastle have been assessed for the provision of a pedestrian crossing, but neither currently meets the necessary criteria. However, I understand that the Tesco store in Newcastle will be relocating on the Castlewellan Road and once this happens, Roads Service will re-assess the situation.

Dual Carriageway Between Randalstown and Castledawson

Mr Thomas Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the benefits of having a dual carriageway between Randalstown and Castledawson, as opposed to a single lane highway.

(AQW 175/08)

Mr Murphy: The current single lane carriageway on the A6 between Randalstown and Castledawson, which forms part of the North Western Corridor linking Belfast to Derry, has numerous junctions and many private and agricultural entrances, contributing to conflicting traffic manoeuvres. This type of single lane carriageway can provide few overtaking opportunities, thus increasing the platooning effect of traffic being held up behind slow moving vehicles, resulting in driver frustration.

A dual carriageway between Randalstown and Castledawson (as opposed to single lane carriageway) will have the following benefits:

Increased capacity to reduce the serious congestion presently experienced by drivers on this route;
Improvement in road safety by reducing the number of junctions and eliminating all right turning and crossing traffic ;
The separation of some strategic traffic from more local traffic, which will continue to use the existing A6; and
Improvement and increased reliability of journey times for users of this route.

The proposed new dual carriageway will deliver improved road safety for both strategic and local road users and will facilitate further expansion of local industry.

Upgrade of the A6 Between Randalstown and Castledawson

Mr Thomas Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the total cost of the project to create a dual carriageway (upgrade of the A6) between Randalstown and Castledawson; and to give the estimated completion date of this scheme.

(AQW 176/08)

Mr Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service have advised that the project to dual the A6 between Randalstown and Castledawson is currently estimated to cost £69.5million at 2005 prices. However, now that greater development work on the scheme has been carried out, this estimate is under review and will take account of the level of detail now known, together with inflation in construction and lands prices.

Commencement of this scheme will be dependent on the outcome of the Public Inquiry, due to be held in November 2007 and the availability of finance, with construction taking two to three years.

Planning Policy Statement 14

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development what plans he has to convene meetings with farming organisations, district councils and other interested parties to discuss planning policy for sustainable development in the countryside, in light of Mr Justice Gillen's decision on Planning Policy Statement 14.

(AQW 178/08)

Mr Murphy: The 5 July meeting of the Executive Committee agreed to undertake a review of rural planning policy. The review is being taken forward by an Inter-Departmental Group of Ministers. As a first step meetings with key stakeholders were held on 29 and 30 August which included representatives of Ulster Farmers Union, Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association, Young Farmers Clubs, and the Northern Ireland Local Government Association as well as other key interest groups. I will consider plans for further meetings after the conclusion of current Judicial Review proceedings.

Planning Policy Statement 14

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development to give a timescale within which he will make a statement to the Assembly on Mr Justice Gillen's decision on Planning Policy Statement 14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside.

(AQW 179/08)

Mr Murphy: The recent Judgement by the Courts of the Judicial Review of PPS14 found that DRD did not have the statutory authority to make draft PPS14. The Court did however give both parties one week (from 7 September) to consider if they wish to provide evidence on the issue of remedies before finalising the judgement. The Court heard this evidence on Friday 14 September when the Department were afforded a further week within which to gather additional evidence. A further hearing is scheduled for 27 September when Mr Justice Gillen will make his final decision.

Winter Gritting

Mr Willie Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will consider including the village of Leitrim, Co. Down in the winter gritting schedule.

(AQW 181/08)

Mr Murphy: The hamlet of Leitrim lies on the C323, close to Castlewellan. My Department’s Roads Service will arrange for a traffic survey to be carried out to ascertain whether this route meets the criteria for inclusion in the schedule for routine salting.

This will be undertaken at the earliest opportunity and I will write to you when the results of the assessment are known.

A37 Limavady to Coleraine Road

Mr George Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the current position in regard to the construction of the crawler lane on the A37 Limavady to Coleraine Road.

(AQW 188/08)

Mr Murphy: The Gortcorbies Climbing Lane scheme on the A37 Limavady to Coleraine Road, is included in a programme of widened single carriageways to improve overtaking on parts of the Regional Strategic Transport Network, where traffic flows do not justify the construction of dual carriageways.

Detailed design of this scheme is well advanced. However, construction cannot start until environmental concerns about the disposal of the substantial volume of surplus material arising from the scheme have been resolved and funding is available.

Portadown to Belfast Rail Fares

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost of all rail fares between Portadown and Belfast, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 195/08)

Mr Murphy: The cost of rail travel between Portadown and Belfast over the last three years is set out in the table below.

	Single Fare(£)	% Change from Previous Year	Return Fare(£)	% Change from Previous Year
April 2005	£5.50		£9.80
April 2006	£6.00	+9.1%	£11.00	+12.2%
April 2007	£5.90	-1.7%	£10.00	-9.1%

	Weekly Fare(£)	% Change from Previous Year	Monthly Fare(£)	% Change from Previous Year
April 2005	£36.00		£128.00
April 2006	£41.00	+13.9%	£145.00	+13.3%
April 2007	£41.00	0%	£145.00	0%

Fares are expressed in actual terms. Allowing for the effects of inflation, the decision to hold some fares constant and to reduce others in 2007 has actually resulted in real fares decreases larger than the percentages shown.

Major Road Schemes

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to his answer to AQO 226/07, what measures have been put in place to decrease the number of major road schemes that exceed their expected completion date.

(AQW 202/08)

Mr Murphy: Firstly, in relation to AQW 202/08, the table below details the amount of time that each of the subject schemes listed exceeded their original expected completion dates. The table also provides a brief explanation as to the cause of the overrun in each of the schemes.

SCHEME	EXPLANATION FOR DELAY	OVERRUN
A1 Loughbrickland to Beech Hill	Archaeological finds, unforeseen ground conditions and delays in utility service diversions.	8 months
A5 Omagh Throughpass - Stage 3	Contractual Difficulties	5 months
Foyle Bridge, Derry – Strengthening/painting/resurfacing	A shortage in high quality steel caused delays in procuring raw materials for strengthening works, which were completed in December 2004. This had a subsequent effect on painting, which could not commence until strengthening was complete, and which was suspended over the winter period to ensure optimal conditions for application. To minimise traffic delays resurfacing was confined to the July/August period and as strengthening was not complete by July 2004 this work was postponed until July/August 2005.	10 months
A1 Underpass at Hillsborough Road junction, Dromore	An authorised contract extension of 4 weeks was granted to accommodate additional works comprising extra street lighting and installation of a safety fence.	5 weeks
Bann River Bridge , Portadown - strengthening	Additional works comprising extra street lighting and flood lighting to the structure, plus work to adjoining pleasure gardens. Note: 3 lanes over the bridge, which replicated the layout prior to the scheme, were opened to traffic a week before the original contract completion date at the end of November 05 (with the fourth lane opened mid January 06)	7 weeks
A8 Belfast to Larne Road -dual carriageway from Doagh Road to Hillhead Road	BT + NIE Utility works and adverse weather conditions led to an authorised contract extension of 12 weeks.	3 months
M1 Blacks Road to Stockmans Lane	Investigation and repair of an embankment slip and the enhancement of temporary traffic management arrangements were authorised through a contract extension of 4 weeks.	4 weeks

In relation to AQW 203/08 Roads Service officials continue to set deliberately challenging targets so that road users will derive maximum benefit from major road schemes as soon as possible.

In order to encourage early completion of the works, various activities are carried out in advance of the main contract to avoid overrun of programme timescales. These include:

detailed site investigation works carried out by competent geotechnical consultants;
examination of records from the Department of the Environment’s Environment & Heritage Service to investigate any known areas that may be of archaeological interest;
advanced archaeological investigation contracts have been procured to resolve foreseen archaeological issues where considered necessary;
Utility Authorities are trawled and existing services charted, with any alterations agreed and programmed into the works;
procurement processes and guidelines are in place to ensure the selection of appropriately skilled Contractors and use of the most appropriate procurement methods; and
risk management regimes to mitigate against other unforeseen events.

That said there are legitimate contractual reasons why schemes exceed their original expected completion dates, and which may be permissible under the terms of the contracts. For example, unforeseen ground conditions; adverse weather conditions; archaeological discoveries; and additional works which have accrued additional benefits to road users.

Major Road Schemes

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to his answer to AQO 226/07, to detail the amount of time by which each of the major road schemes (i) A1 Loughbrickland to Beech Hill; (ii) A5 Omagh Thoroughpass - Stage 3; (iii) strengthening of the Foyle Bridge; (iv) A1 underpass at Hillsborough Road junction, Dromore; (v) strengthening of the Bann River Bridge, Portadown; (vi) A8 Belfast to Larne Road - dual carriageway from Doagh Road to Hillhead Road; and (vii) M1 Blacks Road to Stockmans Lane, have exceeded their expected date of completion.

(AQW 203/08)

SCHEME	EXPLANATION FOR DELAY	OVERRUN
A1 Loughbrickland to Beech Hill	Archaeological finds, unforeseen ground conditions and delays in utility service diversions.	8 months
A5 Omagh Throughpass - Stage 3	Contractual Difficulties	5 months
Foyle Bridge, Derry – Strengthening/painting/resurfacing	A shortage in high quality steel caused delays in procuring raw materials for strengthening works, which were completed in December 2004. This had a subsequent effect on painting, which could not commence until strengthening was complete, and which was suspended over the winter period to ensure optimal conditions for application. To minimise traffic delays resurfacing was confined to the July/August period and as strengthening was not complete by July 2004 this work was postponed until July/August 2005.	10 months
A1 Underpass at Hillsborough Road junction, Dromore	An authorised contract extension of 4 weeks was granted to accommodate additional works comprising extra street lighting and installation of a safety fence.	5 weeks
Bann River Bridge , Portadown - strengthening	Additional works comprising extra street lighting and flood lighting to the structure, plus work to adjoining pleasure gardens. Note: 3 lanes over the bridge, which replicated the layout prior to the scheme, were opened to traffic a week before the original contract completion date at the end of November 05 (with the fourth lane opened mid January 06)	7 weeks
A8 Belfast to Larne Road -dual carriageway from Doagh Road to Hillhead Road	BT + NIE Utility works and adverse weather conditions led to an authorised contract extension of 12 weeks.	3 months
M1 Blacks Road to Stockmans Lane	Investigation and repair of an embankment slip and the enhancement of temporary traffic management arrangements were authorised through a contract extension of 4 weeks.	4 weeks

In relation to AQW 203/08 Roads Service officials continue to set deliberately challenging targets so that road users will derive maximum benefit from major road schemes as soon as possible.

In order to encourage early completion of the works, various activities are carried out in advance of the main contract to avoid overrun of programme timescales. These include:

detailed site investigation works carried out by competent geotechnical consultants;
examination of records from the Department of the Environment’s Environment & Heritage Service to investigate any known areas that may be of archaeological interest;
advanced archaeological investigation contracts have been procured to resolve foreseen archaeological issues where considered necessary;
Utility Authorities are trawled and existing services charted, with any alterations agreed and programmed into the works;
procurement processes and guidelines are in place to ensure the selection of appropriately skilled Contractors and use of the most appropriate procurement methods; and
risk management regimes to mitigate against other unforeseen events.

Lead Water Supply Pipes

Mr George Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the funding that will be made available for the removal of all lead water supply pipes to domestic residences.

(AQW 205/08)

Mr Murphy: It is recognised that some properties built before 1970 may be connected to the public water mains by a lead service pipe. The part of the service pipe from the customer’s tap to the property boundary, which is known as the supply pipe, is the responsibility of the customer while responsibility for the part of the pipe from the property boundary to the water main, which is known as the communication pipe, rests with Northern Ireland Water. Under its current policy, Northern Ireland Water will, at the request of a customer, replace the communication pipe free of charge provided that the customer replaces the supply pipe.

In each of the last 3 years Northern Ireland Water, and its predecessor DRD Water Service, has replaced approximately 1,000 lead communication pipes at a cost of £500,000 per year. It is expected that a similar amount will be spent in the current financial year.

Social Development

Houses Sold by the NIHE in Ards

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development if she will identify all land and houses sold by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the Ards area, and the prices received from such sales, in the last three years.

(AQW 102/08)

The Minister for Social Development (Ms Ritchie): Completed House Sales – 1 April 2004 – 31 March 2007

Total number of completed house sales – 261

Total discounted sales value - £10.5m

Completed Flat sales – 1 April 2004 – 31 March 2007

Total number of completed flat sales – 31

Total discounted sales value - £743,000

Sales of Vacant properties – 1 April 2004 – 31 March 2007

Total number of sales of vacant properties – 10

Total sales value (no discount) - £1,681,000

Land sales – 1 April 2004 – 31 March 2007

6 plots of land were sold at a cost of £573,000

Northern Ireland Housing Executive Waiting List

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of people on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive waiting list, who have identified Saintfield as one of their areas of choice.

(AQW 103/08)

Ms Ritchie: Ninety six applicants have indicated Saintfield as a 1 st or 2 nd preference area for housing. Sixty of these have more than 30 points and are therefore considered to be housing stress.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive Waiting List

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of people on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive waiting list, who have identified Comber as one of their areas of choice.

(AQW 104/08)

Ms Ritchie: Two hundred and eighty five applicants have indicated Comber as a 1 st or 2 nd preference area for housing. One hundred and eighty three of these have more than 30 points and are therefore considered to be in housing stress.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive Waiting List

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of people on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive waiting list who have identified Comber as one of their areas of choice, and who currently reside in Comber.

(AQW 105/08)

Ms Ritchie: NIHE records show that, at 31 March 2007, a total of 139 applicants (82 of which are in housing stress) with an address of origin in Comber, had Comber as one of their areas of choice.

Properties Owned by NIHE in Comber

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of properties currently owned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the Comber area.

(AQW 138/08)

Ms Ritchie: In Comber the Northern Ireland Housing Executive owns 438 dwellings, 757 former NIHE properties having been sold to sitting tenants.

Properties Owned by NIHE in Saintfield

Mr Simon Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of properties that are currently owned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the Saintfield area.

(AQW 140/08)

Ms Ritchie: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive currently owns 111 dwellings In Saintfield, 206 former NIHE properties having been sold to sitting tenants.

Friday 21 September 2007 Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister Agriculture and Rural Development Culture, Arts and Leisure Education Employment and Learning Enterprise, Trade and Investment Environment Finance and Personnel Health, Social Services and Public Safety Regional Development Social Development

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

Development of the Maze Site

Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget 2006-08

Single Equality Bill

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness:

Northern Ireland Executive

Attacks on Orange Halls

Efficiency Review Panel

Historic Crime Investigation

Agriculture and Rural Development

Bovine Tuberculosis.

Beef Marketing

Biofuels

Tree Coverage

Proposed Staff Reductions

Rural Development Payments Unit

Culture, Arts and Leisure

Indigenous Artists

Creative Media Sector

Creative Media Sector

IFA Income

Shortfall in National Lottery Funding

Shortfall in National Lottery Funding

Shortfall in National Lottery Funding

World Pipe Band Championships

Irish Football Association Salaries

Education

All-Island Centre of Excellence for Children with Autism

All-Island Centre of Excellence for Children with Autism

The Bain Report

The Bain Report

The Bain Report

School Closures

Single Education System

Unoccupied Desks

Unoccupied Desks

Academic Selection

School Meals Contracts

LIGHT CATERING EQUIPMENT (VARIOUS ITEMS)

Accepted

Non-Accepted

HEAVY CATERING EQUIPMENT

Accepted

Non-Accepted

Carrick Primary School, Warrenpoint

Free School Meals

Primary

Post-Primary

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

Primary

Post-Primary

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

School Meals

Primary

Post-Primary

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

Primary

Post-Primary

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

Cost of School Repairs

School Repairs

SECTOR

Friday 21 September 2007
Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Agriculture and Rural Development
Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education
Employment and Learning
Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Environment
Finance and Personnel
Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Regional Development
Social Development

Grant-Maintained
Integrated