Written Answers to Questions

Tree Planting Schemes

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what co-operation and assistance is available for schools and community groups to enable them to be involved in tree planting schemes in their own areas.

(AQW 3324/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Forest Service (an agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) offers advice and grant assistance up to £1850 per hectare under the Woodland Grant Scheme, for the creation of new woodland. In addition the Community Woodland Supplement, currently £1000 per hectare is also available to contribute towards the creation of woodland close to towns and villages especially designed for public access.

Forest Service also offers Forest Environments grants to develop existing woodland, currently up to 50% of agreed cost, or a maximum of £3000 for projects which contribute towards the management and maintenance of existing woodland for biodiversity or public access objectives.

All of these forestry grants are currently available to schools and community groups.

Flooding in County Fermanagh

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if hardship payments will be made available to individuals, farmers and businesses who have suffered as a result of the recent flooding in County Fermanagh.

(AQW 3340/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The recent heavy rainfall and flooding has caused problems and created great inconvenience to people in County Fermanagh and I have seen directly the adverse effects on farmers and those living in the county. My thoughts are with all those individuals and businesses who have suffered disruption.

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Ethnic Minority Languages

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline the work undertaken by his Department to promote and enhance ethnic minority languages in the last five years.

(AQW 3474/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr N McCausland):

The primary responsibility of my department for languages relates to Northern Ireland’s indigenous minority languages, Ulster-Scots and Irish. They are supported through the North-South Language Body which comprises Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency.

My department has also initiated work on a Strategy for Indigenous or Regional Minority Languages which will seek to enhance and protect the development of the Irish language and enhance and develop the Ulster-Scots culture, heritage and language.

My department has lead responsibility for the management of the Northern Ireland Civil Service wide Irish translations contract which was introduced on 8 June 2009. The translation contract provides quality assured Irish language translations.

It is the responsibility of each individual Department to source minority language translations to meet its own business requirements.

Civil Servants' Earnings

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how many civil servants in his Department receive an annual salary (i) between £37,801-£43,100; (ii) between £43,101-50,537; (iii) between £50,538-71,433; (iv) between £71,434-82,975; and (v) above £82,976.

(AQW 3492/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure:

ANSWER

Civil Servants' Earnings

Mr J Craig asked e Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to AQW 2997/10, to detail (i) the job titles; (ii) pay scale; and (iii) the total amount earned by the civil servants in question.

(AQW 3495/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure:

Investing for Health Strategy

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what targets his Department set towards the Investing for Health strategy; and what progress has been made to date against these targets.

(AQW 3506/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: DCAL, in partnership with Sport Northern Ireland (SNI), has developed a new 10 year strategy for sport and physical recreation entitled ‘Sport Matters: The Northern Ireland Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation, 2009-2019’. Sport Matters recognises the role of sport and physical recreation in improving public health. It contains 26 targets, in the areas of participation, performance and places for sport, over the next 10 years which are expected to contribute towards the Investing for Health Strategy. Sport Matters, including its 26 targets, was recently approved by the Northern Ireland Executive. The Department is now arranging for the full implementation of Sport Matters and the delivery of the 26 targets.

Libraries NI operate ‘Book prescription schemes’ – partnerships with Health Trusts which have funded the purchase of specific books. GPs then ‘prescribe’ these to patients who come and borrow them from the library.

Funding for Local Soccer

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (i) to detail the funding made available to each Irish Football Association member club over the past ten years, with particular regard to upgrading stadia and spectator facilities; (ii) what funding sources are currently available; and (iii) what funding streams are anticipated in the future.

(AQW 3510/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure:

Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. Over the past ten financial years, SNI has made funding available to Irish Football Association (IFA) member clubs, with particular regard to upgrading stadia and spectator facilities, as detailed in the attached tables.

SNI is currently making available a new small grants programme, Awards for Sport, which is designed to help sports organisations, including IFA member clubs, purchase sports equipment. This programme closes for receipt of applications on 6^th January 2010. In addition, SNI hopes, subject to a successful bid in the next Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) period, to complete further phases of its Stadia Safety Programme and launch a third phase of its Places for Sport Programme. IFA member clubs are already eligible to apply for funding under these programmes.

Financial Year – 1999/00

Financial Year – 2000/01

Financial Year – 2001/02

Financial Year – 2002/03

Financial Year – 2003/04

Financial Year – 2004/05

Financial Year – 2005/06

Financial Year – 2006/07

Financial Year – 2007/08

Financial Year – 2008/09

Departmental Initiatives

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what new initiatives, measures and practices have been implemented by his Department as a means of assisting the community and achieving improved, efficient decision-making during the current economic crisis.

(AQW 3531/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure:

My Department, along with all other Departments, has a target of 10 days in which to pay suppliers against valid invoices. Prior to the current economic downturn the target was 30 days. This is designed to improve the cash flow of local business.

Furthermore, DCAL, through its arms length bodies, process applications for grants and release payments to successful applicants promptly. For example, Arts Council NI aim to ensure that all publicized timelines are met and that all grant instalment payments, subsequent to offer, are paid promptly so as to ease the cash flow situation of community groups.

In addition, my Department, through its arms length bodies, and subject to available resources, continue to promote and develop the culture, arts and leisure sectors, conscious of the important contribution that this sector can make to economic development, for example:

• the Arts Council is currently undertaking a multi-million pound arts infrastructure programme which will lead to the construction of new arts facilities of world class standards. This will make a significant contribution to Northern Ireland’s cultural tourism; attracting visitors and investment to Northern Ireland;
• in addition the Arts Council is administering the Creative Industries Innovation Fund. The programme aims to deliver support to 140 Northern Ireland creative businesses over the period to March 2011; and
• Initiatives undertaken by NI Screen continue to attract significant investment in the local economy through Film and Television. This has helped develop the Northern Ireland skills base and support local industry.

Funding for Band Tuition Classes

Mr D Kennedy asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure why funding for band tuition classes is currently frozen; and when funds will be made available for such projects.

(AQW 3579/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure:

The Ulster-Scots Agency, through its Financial Assistance Scheme, may provide funding for musical tuition. Applications for tuition can also be made under the Arts Council’s Small Grants Programme or, depending on the scale of the project, under Lottery Project Funding.

Applications for grant assistance to the Ulster-Scots Agency for music and dance tuition exceeded the resources available to the Agency. Options to address this issue were being considered and agreement has now been reached with the Department to proceed with this programme. Letters of offer should issue from the Ulster-Scots Agency to the successful organisation in the coming weeks.

The Small Grants Programme operates on a rolling basis. Lottery Project funding has two application points per year; the next application date will be in March/April 2010.

Arts Council

Mr D Kennedy asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he plans to encourage the Arts Council to increase funding allocations to the Marching Bands community.

(AQW 3580/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: The Arts Council has allocated almost £900,000 funding to Marching Bands in the last five years. My Department, through the Arts Council, will continue to ensure that appropriate funding is provided for the artistic development of marching bands.

I recently met with the Arts Council and with representatives of the bands sector to discuss increased access for funding and I hope that this will result in a greater uptake of available funding in future years.

Department of Education

Teacher Appointment Committee

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Education how the Teacher Appointment Committee will operate in the Belfast Education and Library Board after 1 January 2010, given reduced numbers of representatives from the Transferor Representative Council.

(AQW 3318/10)

Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane ): I mo ráiteas ar 1 Nollaig, chuir mé in iúl go mbeadh tuilleadh díospóireachtaí agam ar an ghné de rialachas eatramhach agus socruithe bainistíochta le haghaidh eagraíochtaí oideachais. Ó shin i leith, bhreithnigh mé roinnt tuairimí a d’ardaigh na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne, agus an Coiste Oideachais. Mar gheall air sin, molaim mionathruithe a dhéanamh ar líon na mball de Bhoird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne Bhéal Feirste agus an Iarthair.

In my statement on 1 December, I indicated that I would be having further discussions on the detail of interim governance and management arrangements for education organisations. Since then, I have considered a number of points raised by Education and Library Boards, and the Education Committee. As a consequence, I propose to make minor changes to the numbers of members of the Belfast and Western Education and Library Boards. These are reflected in the table below, which replaces the table attached to my statement of 1 December.

In relation to the Belfast Board, I propose to appoint two members nominated by Transferors, and two members nominated by the Trustees of maintained schools. This will facilitate the establishment of a Teaching Appointments Committee.

MEMBERSHIP OF EDUCATION AND LIBRARY BOARDS

Education and Skills Authority

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 2817/10, to detail the number of staff employed by the Education and Skills Authority to date, broken down by (i) job title; (ii) salary scale; (iii) jobs which were publicly advertised; and (iv) jobs which were filled by internal trawl procedures.

(AQW 3400/10)

Minister of Education: Níl aon fhoireann fostaithe ag an Údarás um Oideachas agus Scileanna cionn is nár tháinig an tÚdarás chun bheith ann go fóill.

No staff are currently employed by the Education and Skills Authority since the Authority has not yet come into existence.

Education and Skills Authority

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 2817/10, to detail the support services used by the Education and Skills Authority, broken down by (i) the cost involved in obtaining and retaining support services; (ii) the type of service provided; and (iii) the location of the service provided.

(AQW 3446/10)

Minister of Education: Níl aon sheirbhísí tacaíochta á n-úsáid ag an Údarás um Oideachas agus Scileanna cionn is nár tháinig an tÚdarás chun bheith ann go fóill.

No support services are currently used by the Education and Skills Authority as the Authority has not yet come into existence.

Education and Skills Authority

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 2817/10, to detail (i) the location of the accommodation used to date by the Education and Skills Authority; (ii) the cost of accommodation at each location; and (iii) the length of any leases taken out by the Education and Skills Authority at each location.

(AQW 3476/10)

Minister of Education: Níor úsáideadh aon chóiríocht go dtí seo agus níor íocadh as léas ar bith ag an Údarás um Oideachas agus Scileanna cionn is nár tháinig an tÚdarás chun bheith ann go fóill.

No accommodation has been used to date and no leases have been taken out by the Education and Skills Authority as the Authority has not yet come into existence.

Civil Servants' Earnings

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education how many civil servants within her Department receive an annual salary in excess of (i) £37,801; (ii) £43,101; (iii) £50,538; (iv) £71,434; and (v) £82,976.

(AQW 3491/10)

Minister of Education: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh leagtha amach sa tábla thíos.

The information requested is set out in the table below.

Investing for Health Strategy

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Education what targets her Department set within the Investing for Health strategy; and what progress has been made to date against these targets.

(AQW 3516/10)

Minister of Education:

There are 2 targets in the Investing for Health Strategy that are specific to my Department. They are:

Objective 2 - To enable all people and young people in particular to develop skills and attitudes that will give them the capacity to reach their full potential and make healthy choices.

Target i:

In the 25% of Primary Schools with the highest percentage of Free School Meal Entitlement, to reduce the proportion of pupils not achieving the expected (level 4) at Key Stage 2 to 25% in both English and Mathematics by 2005/06.

Target ii:

In the 25% of Secondary Schools with the highest percentage Free School Meal Entitlement, to reduce the proportion of year 12 pupils achieving no GCSEs to 5 % by 2005/06

The most up to date statistics (2007/08) show that the target for secondary schools was met (3.8%) but that the target for primary schools was not (32.2% English and 29.9% Maths).

My Department has a range of policies and initiatives which support the key aims and objectives of the Investing for Health strategy and will continue to impact upon the targets aimed primarily at

• raising standards and tackling educational underachievement, in particular on closing the achievement gaps between the highest and lowest achievers and between the most and least disadvantaged; and
• making schools a healthy setting by promoting healthy choices in relation to healthy eating, physical activity, personal development and emotional health and wellbeing for the whole school community.

Tá áthas orm a thuairisciú go bhfuil cuid mhór de na polasaithe seo i bhfeidhm cheana féin, mar shampla, an curaclam athbhreithnithe, Gach Scoil ina Scoil Mhaith- Beartas um Fheabhsúchán Scoile, Caighdeáin chothaitheacha do lónta scoile, Tús Cinnte, is araile. Tá dul chun cinn suntasach á dhéanamh i roinnt polasaithe agus tionscnamh eile, mar shampla, sláinte mheabhrach agus folláine daltaí, an Beartas Bia i Scoileanna, an Straitéis Litearthachta agus Uimhearthachta, an Straitéis Luathbhlianta 0-6.

I am pleased to report that many of these policies are already in place eg the revised curriculum, Every School a Good School – a Policy for School Improvement, Nutritional standards for school lunches, Surestart etc. Significant progress is being made in a number of other policies and initiatives eg pupil’s emotional health and wellbeing, Food in Schools policy, Literacy and Numeracy strategy, Early Years 0- 6 strategy.

Education and Skills Authority

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 2817/10, to provide a breakdown of the 'other costs' by (i) the location for which these costs were incurred; (ii) the types of costs incurred; (iii) any recurrent costs and their nature; and (iv) the actual costs within the 'other costs' category.

(AQW 3521/10)

Minister of Education:

Tá miondealú ar an chaiteachas a nochtadh mar ‘Costais Eile’ in AQW 2817/10 leagtha amach sa tábla thíos.

A breakdown of the expenditure disclosed in AQW 2817/10 as ‘Other Costs’ is set out in the table below:

All of the expenditure detailed in the table above is deemed to be recurrent expenditure as it is charged to the operating cost statement in the Departmental resource account.

Fathers' Rights

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education what plans her Department has to safeguard and increase fathers' rights to access their children's educational records.

(AQW 3524/10)

Minister of Education: Tacaíonn an reachtaíocht reatha le cearta freagrachta thuistí a bheith ag aithreacha, seachas i gcásanna inár cuireadh an chúirt srianta ar na cearta seo. Tá gach duine a bhfuil freagracht thuistí ar pháiste aige i dteideal réimse iomlán ceart a chleachtadh atá sa reachtaíocht oideachais nó i reachtaíocht eile, lena n-áirítear an ceart le teacht ar thaifid oideachais i dtaca leis an pháiste sin.

Current legislation provides for fathers to have parental responsibility rights except where restrictions are placed on this by a court. Anyone with parental responsibility for a child is entitled to exercise the full range of rights contained in education or other legislation, including rights to access educational records in relation to that child.

For children who have reached the age of compulsory schooling, education legislation provides for schools to make available to parents annually a range of information on their children’s educational progress, and to report to parents in each autumn term on assessment outcomes for children in Years 4 to 7. Schools are also required to keep a formal record of a pupil’s academic and other achievements and, on receipt of a written request from a pupil’s parent, to make this available to the parent.

More generally, schools also have obligations to parents under the Data Protection Act 1998. A parent acting on behalf of their child can access his or her personal data held by a school under the Act.

I recognise the importance of involving parents in the education of their children and keeping them informed. I believe that, where possible, it is in a child’s interests to have the encouragement and support of both parents. Where a school may not be aware that a person has parental responsibility rights, it is for the person to ensure that they can exercise them and, if necessary, satisfy the school that they have these rights.

Economic Crisis

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Education what new initiatives, measures and practices have been implemented in her Department as a means of assisting the community and achieving improved, efficient decision-making during the current economic crisis.

(AQW 3526/10)

Minister of Education: Tá an Coiste ag obair le chéile chun an cor chun donais eacnamaíoch a bhainistiú agus chun daoine agus gnóthaí áitiúla a chosaint ó éifeachtaí is measa an choir chun donais eacnamaíoch. Sa chomhthéacs seo, cuireadh £4 mhilliún ar fáil sa bhliain 2009/10 le dul i ngleic le cothabháil an riaráiste laistigh den earnáil oideachais. Ina theannta sin, chuir mé £5 mhilliún breise ar fáil do scoileanna sa bhliain airgeadais seo le déileáil leis na himthosca seo. Sholáthar na hacmhainní breise seo tuilleadh deiseanna don earnáil foirgníochta áitiúla.

The Executive is collectively managing the response to the economic downturn with the aim of protecting local people and businesses from the worst effects of the economic downturn. In this context £4 million was made available in 2009/10 to tackle backlog maintenance within the education sector. In addition to this I have made an additional £5 million available to schools in this financial year to help address the situation. These additional resources have provided further opportunities for the local construction industry.

I also have in place policies which are specifically targeted at addressing social need for example free school meals and clothing allowances. Mindful of the economic downturn and the financial impact on families, particularly those on low incomes, I have extended the current grant scheme which assists parents on low incomes with the cost of school uniforms to include, from this year, parents of primary school children. This is a very practical measure which I believe will make a real difference to children in our society.

In addition, I strongly support the prompt payment target of making payments within ten working days to ease any financial burden on suppliers particularly during the current economic downturn.

New Build Schools

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Education (i) how many schools are awaiting new builds; and (ii) to provide an update on the progress of each new build application.

(AQW 3559/10)

Minister of Education:

In line with the Investment Delivery Plan for schools and youth services, my Department tracks progress on 108 schemes. Of these 22 are complete and 18 are under construction or about to commence construction. The remaining 68 schemes are at various stages of development as outlined in Annex A.

In addition my Department has received 100 proposals for construction of new schools. All of these are at initial Economic Appraisal stage as outlined in Annex B.

Beidh gach scéim chaipitil nach bhfuil tiomnaithe go conarthach, beidh siad faoi réir an athbhreithnithe a d’fhógair mé ar 15 Deireadh Fómhair 2009, lena chinntiú go bhfuil siad ar fad i gcomhréir le mo chreat foriomlán beartais agus go mbeidh siad inmharthana agus inbhuanaithe san fhadtréimhse.

All capital schemes not contractually committed will be subject to the review I announced on 15 October 2009, to ensure that all are consistent with my overall policy framework and will be viable and sustainable in the long term.

ANNEX A

PROJECTS ANNOUNCED AND IN PLANNING

ANNEX B

SCHEMES NOT YET ANNOUNCED

Documents in Irish

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education why official documents, such as the recent circular reminding Boards of Governors of their curricular responsibilities, are issued in Irish to non-Irish medium schools; and what additional cost is involved in terms of paper and postage.

(AQW 3577/10)

Minister of Education:

Léiríonn úsáid na Gaeilge sa chiorclán a ndearna tú tagairt dó an tiomantas atá agam don Ghaeilge a urramú agus a léiriú i mbealach cuí i ráitis na Roinne. Tá mionchostais bhreise ag baint leis an fhormáid dhátheangach maidir le postas agus le húsáid páipéir cionn is go ndéanann mo Roinn cumarsáid le scoileanna trí ríomhphost de ghnáth. Soláthróidh suíomh gréasáin na Roinne leaganacha dátheangacha, leaganacha Gaeilge-amháin agus leaganacha Béarla-amháin de dhoiciméid, lena n-áirítear ciorcláin scoile, le clódóireacht a éascú.

The use of Irish in the circular you refer to reflects my commitment to respect the Irish language and reflect it in an appropriate way in Departmental communications.

The bilingual format has minimal additional costs in terms of postage and paper use as my Department communicates with schools mainly via e-mail. The Department’s website will provide bilingual and Irish-only and English-only versions of documents, including school circulars, to facilitate printing.

Foreign Language Teaching

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Education what measures are in place to provide foreign language teaching in primary schools.

(AQW 3586/10)

Minister of Education:

Thug mé an Clár Teangacha Bunscoile isteach chun tacaíocht pheiripitéatach a thabhairt do bhunscoileanna atá ag iarraidh an Spáinnis, an Ghaeilge, agus níos déanaí, an Pholainnis a sholáthar. Tá lúchair orm go bhfuil 349 bunscoil ag glacadh páirte sa chlár le breis agus 22,000 dalta ag baint an tairbhe le teanga bhreise a fhoghlaim i seisiúin sheachtainiúla a bhfuil baint ag múinteoirí agus teagascóirí teanga araon leo.

I have introduced the Primary Languages Programme, providing peripatetic support for primary schools wishing to deliver Spanish, Irish and, more recently, Polish. I am delighted that 349 schools are currently participating in the programme, with over 22,000 pupils benefitting from learning an additional language in weekly sessions involving both teachers and language tutors.

Additionally, the Education and Library Boards Language Advisors provide support to primary schools wishing to deliver an additional language. Primary schools are also encouraged to become involved in programmes such as Comenius and the Regio programme, which support primary schools and teachers in language learning. Following the Primary Languages Pilot programme run by CCEA, which focused on German, French, Spanish and Irish, work has also been undertaken to develop a Primary Languages Website which was launched in June 2009 and provides support and resources for schools choosing to offer teaching of these four languages based on the experiences of the programme. CCEA also continues to provide support and resources for primary schools that wish to introduce an additional language.

Foreign Language Teaching

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Education in how many primary schools is foreign language teaching available during school hours.

(AQW 3587/10)

Minister of Education:

Ní choinníonn an Roinn taifead de líon na mbunscoileanna a theagascann teangacha iasachta faoi láthair. Áfach, coinníonn an Roinn eolas ar na scoileanna sin atá ag glacadh páirte sa Chlár Teangacha Bunscoile a sholáthraíonn tacaíocht pheiripitéiteach do bhunscoileanna atá ag iarraidh Gaeilge, Spáinnis nó Polainnis a chur ar fáil. Is féidir liom a dheimhniú go bhfuil 349 bunscoil ag glacadh páirte sa chlár faoi láthair, a thugann deiseanna iontacha do bhreis agus 22,000 dalta teanga nua a fhoghlaim.

The Department does not hold records of the number of primary schools currently delivering foreign language teaching. It does, however, hold information on those schools participating in my Primary Languages Programme which provides peripatetic support to primary schools wishing to deliver Spanish, Irish and, more recently, Polish. I can confirm that 349 primary schools are currently participating in this programme, providing excellent opportunities for over 22,000 pupils to learn a new language.

Department for Employment and Learning

Further Education College Associate Lecturers

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if an Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out into HR practices relating to Further Education College Associate Lecturers; and if their terms and conditions relating to pay, teaching and preparation time ratio and overtime are managed on a pro-rata basis with full-time teaching staff.

(AQW 3213/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey):

I am advised by the Colleges’ Human Resource Group that the terms and conditions of associate lecturers are managed on a pro-rata basis with full-time teaching staff.

My Department has not carried out an Equality Impact Assessment into Human Resource practices relating to Further Education College Associate Lecturers. This is a matter for the further education colleges as the employing authorities.

National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network'

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the recommendations aimed at devolved institutions and local councils in the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network' (March 2009); and whether the Department has identified how it can make better use of the Post Office network.

(AQW 3282/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

This Department’s engagement with the Post Office network is limited to links - as with other workplace learning venues - to encourage and facilitate the development of essential skills in the workforce

The location or otherwise of Post Office locations would also have relevance to those trainees on the Department’s programmes who opt to have their allowances paid via the Post office. However, this is primarily an issue for the Social Security Agency.

Swine Flu

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how much money was redirected from his departmental budget to fund the cost of dealing with the Swine Flu pandemic.

(AQW 3359/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

As stated in the Finance Minister’s Statement to the Assembly on 13 October 2009 in relation to the 2009/10 September Monitoring exercise, the Executive unanimously agreed that, having taken account of the amounts available within the existing DHSSPS budget, the balance of funding required to meet the cost of dealing with the swine flu pandemic should be funded by way of a pro rata contribution from all other departments. The Department for Employment and Learning redirected a total of £5.025m, £4.690m current expenditure budget and £0.335m capital expenditure budget, as its pro rata contribution to fund the cost of dealing with the Swine Flu pandemic.

Funding Learning Units

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he would consider increasing the number of Funding Learning Units for the South Eastern Regional College, due to the increasing number of students.

(AQW 3360/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

The college’s recurrent block grant allocation and number of Funded Learning Units for the 2009/10 academic year has been agreed in negotiation with my Department. For South Eastern Regional College, this has resulted in an increase in grant of £2.4 million on the previous academic year.

My Department is currently analysing the November enrolment data received from each of the FE Colleges however at this time I have no additional resources available to me to increase existing allocations. All Colleges are required to have sound financial controls in place and are required to live within the budget set.

Full-time and Part-time Teaching Jobs

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if the full-time and part-time teaching jobs at the Ballyboley, Newtownards and Bangor campuses of the South Eastern Regional College will be secure until the end of the academic year.

(AQW 3361/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

Matters relating to the employment of staff are a matter for the Governing Body of South Eastern Regional College (SERC), as the employing authority.

The College has advised me that the contracts of its full-time lecturers will be secure for the remainder of the current academic year, at least; the contracts of part-time lecturers are determined by the duration of the course they have been appointed to teach.

South Eastern Regional College

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, given that the Ballyboley and Newtownards campuses of the South Eastern Regional College are receiving only limited funding for 2010, what action he intends to take to assist them to deliver courses.

(AQW 3364/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

The Department does not fund individual campuses. Each Regional College is funded on an academic year basis, through the recurrent block grant allocation.

The governing body of South Eastern Regional College is responsible for deciding how funding is allocated throughout the various campuses.

South Eastern Regional College

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what action he is taking to ensure that enrolment at the Ballyboley Campus of the South Eastern Regional College can continue in January, March and September 2010.

(AQW 3460/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

Further Education Colleges are responsible for determining the nature and timetabling of provision offered at each of their campuses, based on local demand.

South Eastern Regional College has advised that provision will continue where there are sufficient enrolment numbers.

South Eastern Regional College

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he will consider providing additional financial assistance for the South Eastern Regional College, in light of the increasing number of students.

(AQW 3461/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

Please also refer to AQW 3360/10. The college’s recurrent block grant allocation for the 2009/10 academic year was agreed in negotiation with my Department in April 2009. Additionally, further funding is made available sector wide for specific purposes, which is allocated through earmarked funds. My Department is currently analysing the November enrolment data received from each of the Colleges. However at this time I have no additional resources available to me to increase existing allocations.

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

The Tourism Industry

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how many meetings her officials have had with officials in other Departments and public bodies in each of the last three years regarding the management of the tourism industry.

(AQW 3170/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster): Officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment have formal Oversight and Liaison Meetings with management from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland on a quarterly basis.

In addition, officials in DETI meet their colleagues in NITB and Tourism Ireland on a regular and frequent basis to discuss a wide range of matters relating to tourism and also meet colleagues from other Departments occasionally to consider, consult and develop a number of cross cutting tourism related issues.

Capital for Enterprise Fund

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (i) how many businesses have received assistance under the Capital for Enterprise Fund since its inception; and (ii) how much has been spent on this assistance.

(AQW 3171/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Since the launch, in January 2009, of the £75 million Capital for Enterprise Fund equity scheme, the appointed fund managers have so far made offers totalling £68.7m to 44 businesses across the UK. Eight businesses have received investment totalling £12.4m with a further thirteen businesses having accepted the terms of the funding offered with a total value of £20.3m.

The Capital for Enterprise Fund is being run in Northern Ireland by Maven Capital Partners who held a seminar in June 2009 in Belfast to help publicise the fund. Although there have been a number of enquiries from Northern Ireland companies, none to date has made a successful application or is under current consideration.

Economically Inactive People

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how many people were economically inactive in the East Antrim constituency, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 3182/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Estimates of economic inactivity at constituency level are sourced to the Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey annual dataset and are only available on a consistent basis from 2005 onwards. The table below provides the estimated1 total number of economically inactive people in the East Antrim Parliamentary Constituency Area, aged 16 & over and of working age, from 2005 – 2008.

Number of economically inactive2 persons in the East Antrim Constituency, 2005 - 2008

1 The LFS is a sample survey and the estimate has an associated degree of sampling error. In particular, estimates at constituency level are based on relatively small sample sizes and are subject to a higher degree of sampling variability. They should, therefore, be treated with caution.

2 The economically inactive are those people who are neither in employment nor unemployed. This group includes, for example, all those who are looking after the family/home, retired, sick/disabled or in full-time education etc.

3 Working age refers to females aged 16 to 59 and males aged 16 to 64.

Source: NI Labour Force Survey (LFS), January - December annual dataset.

Working Capital Scheme

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (i) how many businesses have received assistance under the Working Capital Scheme since its inception; and (ii) how much has been spent on it.

(AQW 3192/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: £2bn of guarantees have been provided to two banks under The Working Capital Scheme (WCS), which is administered by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It provides guarantees to participating banks related to working capital portfolios, rather than individual loans. It is designed to free up capital for new lending to UK companies. Companies themselves do not apply for WCS guarantees and are not aware that their loans are guaranteed under the scheme. BIS does not hold records by region of companies which have loans underpinned by WCS guarantees.

Accelerated Support Fund

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (i) how many businesses have received assistance under the Accelerated Support Fund since its inception; and (ii) how much has been spent on it.

(AQW 3194/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The gateway to Accelerated Support Fund (ASF) support is the ‘credit crunch diagnostic’, which is free to Invest NI clients attending ‘Challenges and Opportunities – the Credit Crunch’ events.

(i) 527 diagnostics contracts have been issued valued at £1,283,279.

Following on from the diagnostic activity 112 clients have received ASF offers of support totalling £3,645,296.

(ii) Total expenditure to 30 November 2009 is £1,521,248 This includes expenditure on the free diagnostic undertaken in each of the participating companies and grant support paid under ASF

As at 30 November 2009 the total support committed to ASF both via diagnostic and project support is £ 4,928,575.

Clients can access information on ASF through nibusinessinfo.co.uk which gives details on the scheme and eligibility considerations.

Invest NI

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, pursuant to AQW 1362/10, to detail the orders generated by Invest NI's overseas trade missions in each constituency, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 3251/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

The following table gives details of the orders reported by companies participating in Invest NI’s trade mission activities by constituency in each of the past three years.

* Orders received by RoI-based companies which participated in Invest NI’s trade mission programme

Civil Servants' Earnings

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, pursuant to AQW 2954/10, to detail (i) the job title; (ii) pay scale; and (iii) the total amount earned by the civil servant in question.

(AQW 3259/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The one Civil Servant who currently earns more than the Minister in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is the Permanent Secretary. The current pay band scale for Permanent Secretary in the NICS is £98,059 to £205,000. The DETI Permanent Secretary currently earns between £100,000- £105,000.

National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network'

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the recommendations aimed at devolved institutions and local councils in the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network' (March 2009); and whether the Department has identified how it can make better use of the Post Office network.

(AQW 3283/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

The document ‘Six Steps to a Sustainable Post Office Network’ – A Report by the National Federation of Sub Postmasters provides opportunities to enable the sustainability of the national network of Post Offices. At page 13, the document provides a list of services which might be delivered within Post Offices; the only example relevant to my Department is the delivery of tourist information.

In Northern Ireland, tourist information is formally delivered by local councils, mainly through the network of 31 Tourism Information Centres (TICs). In addition, there are Local Information Centres (LICs); Tourism Information Points (TIPs); and Electronic Kiosks.

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) is currently considering how servicing of visitor information might be co-ordained into a seamless integrated network accessible throughout Northern Ireland.

NITB welcomes the opportunity to increase visitor opportunities to gain quality visitor information at locations which are highly accessible and in formats which are suitable to the visitors’ needs and preferences.

Nevertheless, NITB would wish to ensure that all visitors continue to avail of the highly skilled and quality experience delivered in the Tourist Information Centres (TICs) across Northern Ireland.

The successful delivery of visitor information requires detailed knowledge of Northern Ireland, as well as local authority districts. During September 2009, NITB commissioned a survey of 1,000 visitors at Tourist Information Centres and visitor attractions across Northern Ireland. The survey identified that of those visitors who used the services of a TIC, 55% stated that they visited an attraction which they had not planned to visit, while 31% indicated that they were greatly encouraged to return to Northern Ireland following their visit to the TIC.

NITB would consider any potential role for Post Offices in the delivery of visitor information to be concerned with hosting self service materials only.

Wireless Network in Fermanagh and Tyrone

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline the reasons for the delay in the availability of the wireless network in parts of Fermanagh and Tyrone, given that some of the contract winners have received funding to provide the service.

(AQW 3296/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: My Department is currently supporting the deployment of fixed wireless networks in the rural west, Foyle Basin/North Sperrins and Co. Fermanagh border areas. Delivery of services using fixed wireless technologies is dependent on line-of-sight and while the core network in the rural west has been completed on schedule this month, some minor in-fill work is underway to address not-spot areas. Commercial services are therefore already being delivered in some areas under this project.

Work on the Foyle Basin/North Sperrins network, being delivered by the same company, will commence in December 2009 and will take approximately 6 months. A condition of funding this project was that it would commence only when work was substantially completed on the rural west network.

Work on delivery of the Co. Fermanagh network began in August 2009 and is scheduled to run for approximately 12 months, at which point commercial services will be made available.

No funds have been paid out, to date, in respect of either the Foyle Basin/North Sperrins or Co. Fermanagh projects.

Rose Energy

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment why funding sought by Rose Energy from Invest NI for a proposed biomass fuelled power plant is being considered by the Food Division of Invest NI and not the Energy Division of Invest NI.

(AQW 3297/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: My response to AQW 2923/10 indicated that the evaluation of this project was at an advanced stage. The project rests with Invest NI’s Food Division because of the links with the Northern Ireland poultry industry but the evaluation process goes much wider and has involved Energy Division in DETI.

NI Electricity

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if she has had discussions with NI Electricity on the early introduction of smart meters which calculate how much gas or electricity is used each time an appliance is switched on.

(AQW 3300/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: To date my Department has not had any discussions with NI Electricity on the early introduction of smart meters. Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR) is currently engaged with both the electricity and gas companies in looking at the potential for smart meters in both the electricity and gas sectors.

DETI is currently working closely with NIAUR in this area, particularly in a study looking at potential technical solutions for a smart metering rollout in Northern Ireland which is nearing completion.

Some smart meters have the functionality to output the amount of electricity or gas being consumed to a separate real time display. These types of displays can identify the switching on and off of appliances.

DETI will issue a further consultation on the options for Northern Ireland once an impact assessment has been completed to identify the likely costs of any solution and the potential impact on consumer bills.

NI Electricity

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if an assessment has been made of the impact the introduction of smart meters would have on the employment of NI Electricity staff.

(AQW 3301/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The introduction of smart meters has the potential to reduce the need for meter readers in the longer term. However at this stage, neither DETI nor NIE can make an assessment of the impact on meter readers until the technical solution for a smart metering rollout in Northern Ireland has been completed.

DETI is currently working closely with the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR) in this area, and a study looking at potential technical solutions for a smart metering rollout in Northern Ireland is nearing completion.

Smart Meters

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if she has had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy on the newly announced Government scheme to introduce smart meters across the UK by 2020.

(AQW 3302/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy on smart meters, although officials from Energy Division work closely with their counterparts in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in this area. Energy policy is a devolved matter and therefore recent announcements by DECC apply to GB only.

In April 2009 my Department issued a consultation on Better Billing and Metering, including smart metering and the majority of respondents were in favour of a smart meter rollout. DETI is currently working closely with the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR) in this area, and a study looking at potential technical solutions for a smart metering rollout in Northern Ireland is nearing completion.

DETI will issue a further consultation on these options once an impact assessment has been completed to identify the likely costs of any solution and the potential impact on consumer bills.

Broadband

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (i) why County Fermanagh is not deemed a priority area in the latest Broadband Fund call, given that in January 2009 Fermanagh District Council presented a list of over 50 townlands which do not receive broadband; and (ii) when County Fermanagh can expect to receive broadband coverage other than that currently being offered by Avanti Communications.

(AQW 3312/10)

1. Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: There are no areas in Co. Fermanagh or indeed anywhere else in Northern Ireland that do not have access to broadband. As a direct consequence of my Department’s initiative in developing the 2004 Local Broadband Access Contract, Northern Ireland has 100% access to broadband services. Less than 1% of existing broadband services across Northern Ireland are delivered using the satellite in-fill service put in place by my Department with Avanti Communications.

The Broadband Fund is a mechanism for supporting projects delivering next generation broadband services into rural locations. My Department engaged extensively with Fermanagh District Council when identifying priority areas under the 3^rd call for projects. One application was received and approved for funding assistance, involving the development of a fixed wireless network. The project began in August 2009 and is on schedule for completion and delivery of commercial services in August 2010. Although no specific locations in Co Fermanagh were prioritised under the recently closed 4^th call, my officials wrote to the Council, and all of the others, advising them of the opportunities under the 4^th call.

2. Co. Fermanagh, like every other part of Northern Ireland, has broadband coverage. This is delivered by fixed line, wireless and satellite technologies, but in the main by fixed line (with less than 1% using the other solutions). Co. Fermanagh will also benefit from my announcement this week of the award of a contract to BT for delivery of a next generation solution for Northern Ireland businesses.

Broadband

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment why her Department and Avanti Communications are marketing a satellite service with speeds of 512 Kbps as a broadband service when, according to the BT Group, internet speeds of below 1Mbps are not classified as broadband.

(AQW 3325/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

The telecommunications market is privatised and independently regulated nationally by Ofcom. Although there are many definitions of broadband, Ofcom, in numerous publications, including its latest Communications Market Report (2009), defines broadband as "a service or connection generally defined a being ‘always on’ and providing a bandwidth greater than narrowband". Narrowband is in turn defined as "a service or connection providing data speeds up to 128 kilobits per second, such as via an analogue telephone line, or via ISDN".

In awarding the contract to Avanti Communications (as was the case in awarding the previous 5-year contract to BT) DETI specified that services delivered should provide a minimum data transfer speed of 500kbps and this is clearly in line with the Telecommunications Regulator’s definition of broadband as well as meeting the recommendations of internationally renowned groups such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which suggests that broadband services should offer internet connectivity capable of download speeds of at least 256kbps. In addition BT in Northern Ireland have confirmed that they can find no reference to substantiate the claim that internet speeds of below 1Mbps are not classified as broadband.

Broadband

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment why Avanti Communication customers pay £24.47 a month for 512kbps, when BT Retail could offer the same service for £17.99 a month through their phone lines, but refuse to as it provides a speed of less than 1Mbps.

(AQW 3326/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The telecommunications market is privatised and independently regulated nationally by Ofcom. Investment decisions in the delivery and pricing of services are typically made by the Private Sector service providers. DETI has made investments in the marketplace to deliver networks or improve their extent, quality and reliability where it notes underlying market failure.

The contract between DETI and Avanti Communications was put in place to counter a market failure in the delivery of broadband services to those living and working in rural areas but unable to access broadband services via a fixed-line solution.

Avanti provides a portfolio of services under its contract with DETI ranging from a 512/128 kbps service at £24.47 per month (including VAT) to a 3mbps/768kbps service at £67.56 per month (including VAT). These costs are heavily subsidised by the Department and are very favourable in relation to those for comparable services elsewhere in the UK where, on average, the cost of a direct satellite service is £1400 for installation and £70 per month thereafter.

While BT Retail or, indeed, any other service provider operating in Northern Ireland can make the commercial decision to supply an ADSL broadband service to Northern Ireland customers at lower prices and higher speeds, this can only be achieved where the line length to the customer’s premises will accommodate the signal.

Broadband

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (i) to detail the 166 telephone exchanges which will be upgraded as part of the recently announced £50 million investment in broadband provision; and (ii) what the anticipated date of the upgrade is.

(AQW 3333/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: On 3 December 2009 I announced jointly with BT the Next Generation Broadband project which will deliver Next Generation Services to 85% of businesses across Northern Ireland by 2011. The project will involve the deployment of fibre optic cable deeper into our urban districts, towns, villages and countryside and upgrades to equipment across 166 exchanges. (i) These are listed below.

(ii) The investment roll out is scheduled to be completed by May 2011.

Disposal of Poultry Litter

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, apart from the proposed Rose Energy Poultry Litter Incinerator, what alternative technologies her Department has considered for the disposal of poultry litter; and how much her Department has invested in progressing these alternatives.

(AQW 3356/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

Invest NI is not considering alternative technologies for the disposal of poultry litter. Invest NI participates in an Interdepartmental Working Group on Bioenergy and this group’s recent public consultation on a Bioenergy Action Plan 2009 – 2014, noted the current proposal for a 30 mega watt power plant using chicken litter as a feedstock. The Carbon Trust which is funded by Invest NI has recently commissioned an Organic Energy Scoping Study, to map and quantify food-based organic waste arisings in Northern Ireland, with a view to informing the development of opportunities for renewable energy generation and the supply and maintenance of associated waste conversion equipment and plant. It is anticipated that this study will include poultry litter arisings.

Department of the Environment

National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network'

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of the recommendations aimed at devolved institutions and local councils in the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network' (March 2009); and whether the Department has identified how it can make better use of the Post Office network.

(AQW 3308/10)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): I am aware of the report produced by the Federation regarding the Post Office Network and its recommendations to devolved and local government, and would point out that the type of activities that the report highlights in terms of local authorities supporting local sub-post offices are unlikely to feature in local council activity in Northern Ireland in the short or even medium term.

Within my Department, the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) currently has a contract with the Post Office for the renewal of vehicle tax discs in Northern Ireland. At present, this work is carried out at 145 post offices across Northern Ireland and involves the issue of nearly 750,000 tax discs by the Post Office. Under the terms of the contract for this work, the selection of the number and location of the Post Offices offering re-licensing services is determined by the Post Office, as a commercial decision. DVA is always happy to discuss with the Post Office the use of additional outlets.

Planning

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of the Environment how many (i) new buildings; and (ii) extension/expansion projects have been built without planning permission in each of the last five years, in each of the following categories (a) residential; (b) industrial; (c) leisure / recreational; and (d) other.

(AQW 3404/10)

Minister of the Environment: Breaches of planning control are recorded on the Department’s database by the nature of breach, e.g. change of use, breach of condition, operational development, etc., and not land use. It is not therefore possible to provide the requested figures.

In order to provide accurate figures for the information requested a manual search of individual case records which is not only disproportionate in terms of time and cost but would result in un-validated statistics being released would be required. This would be contrary to the Code of Practice for the release of official statistics published in January 2009 ahead of the enactment of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 on 1 April 2009.

There were 4,241 live enforcement cases as at 31 October 2009.

Department of Finance and Personnel

National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network'

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for his assessment of the recommendations aimed at devolved institutions and local councils in the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network' (March 2009); and whether the Department has identified how it can make better use of the Post Office network.

(AQW 3269/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): I am all too aware of the Federation’s concerns for the future of small post offices, having attended and participated in an event organised by the National Federation of Sub Postmasters in Stormont on 14 September and in subsequent correspondence with the Northern Ireland Branch of the Federation.

The Six Steps Report has a number of recommendations relating to devolved and local government. One of the key recommendations in the Report relates to providing rate relief for post offices.

You will be aware that my predecessor, Nigel Dodds, announced in December 2008 his intention to introduce a Small Business Rate Relief scheme and that is now progressing well. It is intended to come into operation in time for the next rating year in April 2010. Included in the scheme will be enhanced rate relief for post offices. This will benefit around 80% of all post offices, most of whom will pay no rates at all as a result of the scheme. In real terms that means an average benefit to eligible post offices of between £1,620 and £2,580 per year. Relief will be paid automatically by Land and Property Services to all post offices that qualify. The new scheme will help to sustain the network, particularly those operating in isolated urban and rural communities.

In terms of the provision of wider government services by post offices, I know that the Federation has suggested a number of possibilities such as the administration of benefit payments, payment for local council bills and the payment of fines (such as parking fines). Most of these are beyond the scope of this Department and therefore for my Ministerial colleagues to consider.

However, I am pleased to say that Land and Property Services is increasingly promoting the use of third parties, including post offices, for the payment of rates. In the last financial year, £77 million was collected from ratepayers through the post office network.

In addition LPS advise that there may also be potential for post offices to be involved in document verification, for some of the rating reliefs and allowances, such as the recently introduced Lone Pensioners Allowance Scheme. I have asked officials to examine the feasibility of such a service and if it appears a practicable proposition I will request a business case to be prepared, which will weigh up the costs and benefits. The Federation will be invited to assist in this task.

Childcare Vouchers

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, in light of the support shown during the Assembly debate on Childcare Vouchers, if he will lend his support to the campaign to continue this scheme, and speak to the Prime Minister on this issue.

(AQW 3284/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel:

At present 532 staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service have registered to receive childcare vouchers. The Prime Minister has recently confirmed that the scheme will continue but that from 2011 tax relief for new entrants to the scheme will be limited to 20%. This will ensure that the system does not disproportionately benefit higher rate taxpayers.

I will write to the Prime Minister in my capacity as an MP to advise him of my views.

Civil Service Equal Pay Claim

Dr A McDonnell asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel why he is not adhering to the commitment given in 2008 by the former Finance Minister, to include all NICS employees who have been retired 6 years in the settlement of the Civil Service equal pay claim.

(AQW 3371/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel:

I am not aware of any commitment to include all NICS employees who have been retired 6 years in the settlement of the Civil Service equal pay claim.

Civil Service Pay Structure

Ms A Lo asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel if he will a consider review of the Civil Service pay structure following the pay offer to Administrative Assistants, Administrative Officers and EO2s, which has caused the anomaly of some Administrative Officers earning more than their EO2 managers.

(AQW 3399/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: A comprehensive pay and grading review will be carried out in the NICS. This review will prioritise the examination of the EO2 grade within the NICS pay and grading structures.

Civil Servants' Earnings

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many civil servants within his Department, inclusive of salaries, bonuses and any paid positions on outside bodies, earn more than the salary of a departmental Minister of £80,902.

(AQW 3452/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: There are 16 civil servants in DFP who earn more than the salary of £80,902.

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Crohn's Disease

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients in each Health and Social Care Trust are receiving ongoing treatment for Crohn's disease and similar chronic bowel conditions; and how many of these patients are receiving 'Remicade' treatment.

(AQW 3162/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey):

The information is not collected in the form requested. Treatment with Remicade for Crohn’s disease is funded in line with current NICE guidance; that guidance does not recommend the use of Remicade on an ongoing (maintenance) basis. NICE is however currently consulting on revised guidelines on the use of Remicade and Humira for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.

NICE has issued guidance indicating that Remicade is not recommended for people with subacute, moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. The Institute has recommended Remicade as a possible treatment for people with acute, severely active ulcerative colitis if ciclosporin is considered inappropriate for them or they are taking part in a research study (clinical trial). My Department has endorsed this guidance.

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the hospitals inspected by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority; and how many times each hospital was inspected, in each of the last two years

(AQW 3164/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Since The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) began its programme of unannounced infection prevention/ hygiene inspections in March 2008, all 19 acute hospitals in Northern Ireland have been subject to an inspection. The RQIA is also undertaking a programme of re-audits.

Physiotherapy Posts

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many physiotherapy posts have been vacated at the Tyrone County Hospital in the last two years; and what measures are being taken to recruit physiotherapists for these posts.

(AQW 3173/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The number of permanent posts vacated are as follows:

• 0.6 WTE Band 6 Community Physiotherapist – this was subsequently filled by an existing Tyrone County Hospital Physiotherapist via interview
• 1.0 WTE Band 5 rotational physiotherapist – interviews for this post were held recently.

In total, there are currently 1.5 WTE temporary Band 5, 1.0 WTE permanent Band 5 and 1.0 WTE Band 6 (maternity leave cover) positions out for recruitment.

The recruitment of staff is a matter for the Trust however the Western Trust advises that the current vacant posts are being recruited to using the usual recruitment process.

Physiotherapy Treatment

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the average waiting time for patients referred to Tyrone County Hospital for urgent physiotherapy treatment; (ii) the number of people currently on the waiting list for physiotherapy treatment at Tyrone County Hospital after urgent referral by their GP; and (iii) the number of physiotherapists currently working at Tyrone County Hospital.

(AQW 3174/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

(i) Information on the average waiting time for patients referred to Tyrone County Hospital for urgent physiotherapy treatment is not available.

(ii) There are currently 61 patients waiting for physiotherapy treatment at the Tyrone County Hospital following urgent referral by their GP; and

(iii) There are currently 8.8 wte physiotherapists in place at Tyrone County Hospital.

Herbal Drugs

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many 'herbal drugs' have been made illegal in each of the last five years.

(AQW 3181/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

In order to ensure a consistent approach is taken to the law in relation to drugs use, all jurisdictions within the UK place the same restrictions on certain drugs as set out in the Misuse of Drugs Act – which is the responsibility of the Home Office in Westminster.

No "herbal drugs" have been added to the Misuse of Drugs Act in the previous five years. However, I understand that the Home Office is currently proposing to amend the Act to include a number of substances known as "legal highs". The amendment will make it illegal to possess or distribute a range of substances including:

• GBL and 1,4-BD);
• BZP and a group of substituted piperazines;
• a range of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists; and
• 24 anabolic steroids, and two growth promoters.

Drug Awareness Programmes

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if drug awareness programmes include information on drugs that are advertised as giving a 'legal high'.

(AQW 3183/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Through the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs, the Public Health Agency commissions and funds a range of locality based substance misuse education and awareness programmes. Where "legal highs" are identified as an issue by a service provider this will be directly addressed within the education, prevention and drug awareness programmes. The misuse of legal substances is also included in all education, prevention, and drug awareness programmes as a matter of good practice.

Currently Legal Drugs

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the process for banning currently legal drugs which are advertised as giving the user a 'legal high'.

(AQW 3197/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: It is the duty of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to advise Ministers on appropriate measures to be taken with respect to drugs which are being, or appear to them are likely to be, misused and which are causing or may cause a social problem.

‘Legal highs’ are substances currently not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and which are self-administered to achieve an altered state of mind. Commonly, ‘legal highs’ contain benzylpiperazine (BZP), or one of a group of related compounds (substituted piperazines). In Northern Ireland, this Department has secured convictions under the Medicines Act 1968 for sales of these preparations.

Following a ACMD report and a subsequent public consultation, BZP, a number of other substituted piperazines and a similar preparation, Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL) are to be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 from 23 December 2009

Clinical Supervision

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the annual cost of clinical supervision for each of the last three years.

(AQW 3200/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Details regarding the costs of clinical supervision are not held centrally by the DHSSPS and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Clinical Supervision by Nurses

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the practice of clinical supervision by nurses; and to outline its merits.

(AQW 3202/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Clinical supervision is an important element of clinical governance, enabling practitioners to examine their practice, skills, knowledge, attitudes and values.

This has been highlighted in national and regional critical incident inquiries such as The Clothier Report (1994), Lewis Review (2003), Shipman Reports (2002 - 05), Murtagh Review (2005) and the McCleery Report (2006).

The Regulation Quality and Improvement Authority (RQIA) also recognise the importance of ensuring that staff have access to effective supervision, this is reflected in DHSSPS published quality standards for health and social care

In April 2008 the Chief Nursing Officer introduced two new standards for the supervision of nurses and a regional policy was agreed. This states that each registered nurse will undertake a minimum of two formal supervision sessions per year, the format for these sessions are arranged between the supervisor and supervisee.

Nursing Staff Shortages

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he has met with the Royal College of Nursing or ward managers in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to discuss potential staff shortages following the scaling back in the use of agency nurses.

(AQW 3203/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I have not met with the Royal College of Nursing or ward managers in the Belfast Trust to discuss potential staff shortages and the use of agency nurses. The employment of agency staff is an operational matter for the Health and Social Care Trusts.

Nurse to Patient Ratio

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) the statutory requirement for nurse to patient ratio on hospital wards; and (ii) how many times this requirement has been breached in each Health and Social Care Trust in the last six months.

(AQW 3204/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: There is no statutory ratio of nurses to patients in the UK.

Agency Nurses

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he is aware of the difference in costs associated with English or Scottish-based nursing agencies, compared to locally based agencies; and what plans he has to prioritise locally based nursing agencies.

(AQW 3205/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The employment of agency staff is an operational matter for the Health and Social Care Trusts and my Department has no direct involvement in this.

Agency Nurses

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the use and cost of English or Scottish-based nursing agencies; and (ii) how this compares to the use and cost of locally based nursing agencies, for each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 3206/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Information relating to the cost of agency staff is published bi-annually on the departmental website at www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/hrd/wpu/wpu-monitoring.htm

Agency Nurses

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the cost of (i) travel; (ii) accommodation; and (iii) subsistence associated with the use of agency nurses based in England or Scotland in each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 3207/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Information relating to the cost of agency staff is published bi-annually on the departmental website at www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/hrd/wpu/wpu-monitoring.htm

Health Charges

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what procedures his Department has in place for charging patients who do not qualify for exemption from health charges.

(AQW 3208/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Responsibility to identify and charge a person who is not entitled to free health services falls on the relevant health and social care body treating the patient.

The majority of costs incurred by treating non-entitled patients are for treatment in a hospital setting, where the responsible charging body is the relevant Health and Social Care Trust. All Trusts have procedures in place to identify and charge persons who do not satisfy an exemption category.

Charging for care for non-exempt patients in the primary care sector is a matter for each independent primary care contractor, i.e., Community Pharmacists, GPs, Dentists and Opticians

Occupational Therapists Issuing Wheelchairs

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what criteria are in place for Occupational Therapists issuing wheelchairs to patients.

(AQW 3212/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

My Department is committed to the provision of a person-centred, accessible, responsive and equitable wheelchair service to every individual in Northern Ireland who is assessed by an Occupational Therapist who confirms the need for a wheelchair.

Comprehensive regional access criteria and policy guidelines for wheelchair provision has been developed in partnership with users and professionals. This guidance will be formally signed off by the NI Occupational Therapy Managers in early 2010 for implementation across the province.

Multiple Sclerosis

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if provision will be made at South Tyrone Hospital for specialist treatment and physiotherapy for people in that area diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, given that they currently have to travel to Forster Green Hospital in Belfast for treatment.

(AQW 3244/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I understand that patients with MS in the South Tyrone region have access to a variety of physiotherapy treatment delivered both in hospital and community settings. Inevitably patients with more complex symptoms will need to continue being treated at the Regional Specialist Centre provided at Forster Green, Musgrave Park and the Royal Victoria hospitals.

However, from November 2009 a specialist Multiple Sclerosis clinic has commenced in Craigavon Area Hospital and I anticipate that a number of patients who currently travel to Belfast for treatment will now be accommodated at this new clinic.

Hospital Accident and Emergency Departments

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many walk-in cases to hospital accident and emergency departments in the last twelve months could have been appropriately dealt with by a GP or pharmacist.

(AQW 3245/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Information on how many walk-in cases to hospital accident and emergency departments that could have been appropriately dealt with by a GP or pharmacist is not available.

Royal Victoria Hospital

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) when the kitchen in ward 4F of the Royal Victoria Hospital was closed down; (ii) why it was closed; (iii) why it is still closed; (iv) when it will re-open; and (v) from where does the food for patients on this ward now come.

(AQW 3248/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The kitchen in Ward 4F of the Royal Victoria Hospital was closed in May 2009 because additional storage space was needed for essential ward supplies and it will not re-open. The kitchen was used only for hot beverages which are now available as required via a trolley supplied from the central kitchen. Patient food continues to be supplied from the Level 4 pantry kitchen.

Health and Social Care Trusts

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the performance related pay and bonuses paid out by each Health and Social Care Trust to Chief Executives and Senior Management since their inception; and to outline the key indicators for these payments and bonuses.

(AQW 3249/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Health and Social Care Trust Chief Executives and Directors are employed under contracts that provide them with a single annual percentage increase on their basic pay; based on how well they have achieved the performance targets set for them in the previous year. There is no automatic entitlement to any increase under these employment contracts. In addition, one individual in each organisation may receive a non-recurring payment if they are assessed to be in the "Superior" performance category.

The annual increases are set with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel Minister.

The increase due from 1 April 2009 is still under consideration. Details of the salaries paid to individuals relating to these % increases are published in the HSC Trust’s annual reports.

Health and Social Care Trusts

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many legal cases are currently pending against each Health and Social Care Trust.

(AQW 3250/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The information requested has been set out in the table below.

Hospital Complaints

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) how many complaint forms have been submitted in the last twelve months by nurses, broken down by hospital; (ii) to provide a summary of these complaints; (iii) how many of the complaints remain unresolved; and (iv) for the outcome of the complaints that have been resolved.

(AQW 3252/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Information on complaints submitted by nursing staff in hospitals within Northern Ireland is not collected centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in light of recent media reports highlighting the increase in the number of people diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, what steps he is taking to assist people diagnosed with these conditions.

(AQW 3254/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

My Department is currently developing a Northern Ireland Dementia Strategy. It is hoped the strategy will be available for consultation in early 2010. The Strategy will assess the current level of service provision for people with dementia and their carers, and, drawing on best practice here and elsewhere, make recommendations which will aim to significantly improve the services and support arrangements currently available.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease; and how much funding is available to assist these people.

(AQW 3255/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

It is estimated that there are approximately 16,000 people living with dementia in Northern Ireland. At 31 March 2009 a total of 9,971 patients were registered by their GP as having dementia; these registers are maintained by GPs as part of the Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF). 

An exact cost of health and social care services provided for people with dementia in Northern Ireland cannot be obtained because people with dementia often have other health and social care needs which are also being met; and people with dementia often use services which are not earmarked as being specifically for people with dementia.

HIV

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people in the age groups (i) 20 years and under; (ii) 21-40; (iii) 41-60; and (iv) 61 and over are currently diagnosed with HIV.

(AQW 3256/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Data relating to the number of people accessing HIV related care from statutory medical services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and giving an address in Northern Ireland as their address when they last accessed care is published by the Health Protection Agency and can be found at the following link:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_c/1221722386279

HIV

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what his Department is doing to warn people of the dangers of HIV, given the rise in the number of cases.

(AQW 3268/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Action to raise awareness of specific sexual health issues including HIV and AIDS is contained in my Department’s Sexual Health Promotion Strategy and Action Plan. Planned action includes the further development and implementation of information initiatives for the public and professionals, with a particular focus on those most at risk, to highlight and encourage safer sexual health practices. My Department also funds a number of voluntary organisations working in the field of HIV prevention through information, education and awareness rising.

The Post Office Network

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the recommendations aimed at devolved institutions and local councils in the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network' (March 2009); and whether the Department has identified how it can make better use of the Post Office network.

(AQW 3270/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

I am aware of the Report produced by the Federation regarding the Post Office Network.

I have considered whether any additional Departmental services could be offered through post offices, but have not identified any.

Swine Flu

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for a breakdown of the £64 million allocated to Swine Flu.

(AQW 3271/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

Department for Regional Development

EASSDA Property Developments

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 2892/10, to detail (i) the number of EASSDA property developments (a) in Northern Ireland; and (b) in the South Antrim constituency, where work is outstanding on the roads and sewers; (ii) the full address of these developments; (iii) the nature of the outstanding work; (iv) the estimated cost of completing this work; (v) the value of the bonds in place to pay for the outstanding work; and (vi) if the bonds which are in place have been paid in full, and if not, how the cost will be recovered from EASSDA.

(AQW 3215/10)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy):

My Department’s Roads Service has advised that there are five EASSDA occupied property developments in the North, four of which are within the South Antrim constituency, where work is outstanding on the roads and sewers.

Details of the location of these developments, the nature of the outstanding work, the estimated cost of completing this work and the value of the bonds in place to pay for the outstanding work, are set out in the table below:-

The above mentioned bonds are sealed and active and can be used to fund pre-adoption repairs where required. In the case of a shortfall in any bond area, additional costs will be funded in accordance with the Private Streets Legislation.

In addition, there are two unoccupied EASSDA developments under construction within the South Antrim constituency, at Bush Hall, Antrim. Again, details of outstanding work, associated costs and bonds are set out in the table below.

The above mentioned bonds are sealed and active and can be used to fund pre-adoption sewer repairs where required.

A5 Western Transport Corridor

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister for Regional Development how much his Department has paid, to date, to Mouchel consultants in relation to their work on the proposed A5 Western Transport Corridor; and what is the anticipated total payment.

(AQW 3219/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

My Department’s Roads Service has advised that Mouchel were appointed to the A5 project in October 2007, and provide professional advice to Roads Service on a wide range of issues including engineering, environmental, economic and traffic aspects of the scheme.

Roads Service has to date paid Mouchel £15,583,276, in relation to development work completed to date, on the A5 Western Transport Corridor project. It is anticipated that they will be paid around £32m under their current commission, which extends to the end of the Public Inquiry phase.

If a successful outcome is obtained at Public Inquiry, it is anticipated that further costs to completion of the project, would be in the order of £15-£20 million.

Easy Bus Service Bangor

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Regional Development why his Department is withdrawing funding for the Easy Bus service in Bangor for older people and people with disabilities.

(AQW 3231/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

Currently there are two Easibus vehicles operating in Bangor, only one of which is supported by my Department through the Transport Programme for People with Disabilities.

The decision to withdraw these services was taken by Translink in discussion with the Department. I am told by Translink that the number of passengers using these services is low and that Translink considers that it is not an efficient use of resources to continue these non commercial services.

Easibus services were introduced in Bangor in 2000 to provide accessible local transport within the area. They therefore pre-date the substantial improvements in accessibility of local services which have resulted from investment in the upgrading of the Ulsterbus fleet. They also pre-date the Door-to-Door Transport services for older and disabled people which have been available in the Bangor and Holywood areas since February 2007.

A5 Western Transport Corridor

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister for Regional Development what the estimated cost is of each of the four proposed options for the route of the A5 Western Transport Corridor.

(AQW 3232/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

My Department’s Roads Service has advised that because of the scale of the project and the number of possible route options, the scheme was split into three sections to assist the assessment process. Section 1 runs from New Buildings to the south of Strabane, Section 2 runs from the south of Strabane to the south of Omagh and Section 3 runs from the south of Omagh to Aughnacloy. The estimated costs of the four routes within each of the three sections are outlined in the table below.

I announced The Preferred Route in July 2009, which is a combination of parts of the routes in the table above. In Section 1 the Preferred Route is estimated to cost £383 million, in Section 2 the Preferred Route is estimated to cost £385 million and in Section 3 the Preferred Route is estimated to cost £342 million.

It must be emphasised that these cost estimates were used for comparative purposes, and that economy is only one of the criteria used in determining the Preferred Route. The other criteria are safety, environment, integration and accessibility, in accordance with Department for Transport guidance.

After consideration of risk, as well as the efficiencies and savings which materialise as the scheme design develops, the estimated cost of the Preferred Route was subsequently adjusted to the range of £650 million - £850 million.

Further details of the scheme costs and rationale used are available on the project website www.a5wtc.com under Publications/Preferred Options Report. Chapter 3 of this document describes how the various routes evolved, Chapter 10 (and Appendix I) refer to costs and Chapter 12 describes the selection of the Preferred Route.

If you require any further clarification on the scheme costs then please contact the Project Sponsor, Conor Loughrey on 02882254728, or by e-mail at conor.loughrey@drdni.gov.uk

Road Traffic Accident ‘Black Spots’

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) what research his Department has commissioned into identifying road traffic accident ‘black spots’; and to list the locations of dangerous roads or junctions which have been identified.

(AQW 3304/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

My Department’s Roads Service does not commission research into identifying road traffic accident ‘black spots’. Roads Service receives information on collisions from the PSNI and uses this to identify locations where four or more injury collisions have occurred within a three-year period. These locations can then be investigated to see if any engineering measures can be introduced that would reduce the potential for collisions to occur. The results of this work are published in our Road Safety Engineering Report which is available online at http://www.roadsni.gov.uk/2006-07_rdsafetyreport.pdf

Roads Service is also an active member of the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP), an organisation established to independently assess and report on the safety records of strategic roads in a consistent manner across Europe. Through membership of EuroRAP, Roads Service and the National Roads Authority in the South have produced risk rate maps for the island of Ireland. The first such map was published in March 2005 and a recent update was produced in May 2008. The risk rate maps provide an indication of the risk of being involved in a fatal or serious collision on the major road networks, based on previous collision histories and traffic volumes.

National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network'

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the recommendations aimed at devolved institutions and local councils in the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters Report 'Six Steps of a Sustainable Post Office Network' (March 2009); and whether the Department has identified how it can make better use of the Post Office network.

(AQW 3307/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

I am aware of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters’ Report: ‘Six Steps to a Sustainable Post Office Network’.

Currently Northern Ireland Water (NIW) facilitate the payment of bills by non-domestic customers at all Post Offices in the North. My Department has recently reviewed whether it could make better use of the Post Office network but, unfortunately, we failed to identify any additional services that could be provided through the network.

Currently Translink use approved agents for Smartlink card issues. There is an ongoing tendering process to allow public transport customers to top-up the value on their Smartlink cards at locations across the North. It is possible the Post Office could be successful in that tendering process.

EASSDA Property Developments

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 2892/10, to detail (i) the number of Euro Construction Corporation property developments (a) in Northern Ireland; and (b) in the South Antrim constituency, where work is outstanding on roads and sewers; (ii) the full address of these developments; (iii) the nature of the outstanding work; (iv) the estimated cost of completing this work; (v) the value of the bonds in place to pay for the outstanding work; and (vi) if the bonds which are in place have been paid in full, and if not, how the cost will be recovered from Euro Construction Corporation.

(AQW 3335/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

My Department’s Roads Service has advised that there are three Euro Construction Corporation occupied property developments in the North, all of which are within the South Antrim constituency, where work is outstanding on the roads and sewers.

Details of the location of these developments, as well as the nature of the outstanding work, the estimated cost of completing this work, and the value of the bonds in place to pay for the outstanding work, are set out in the table below:-

The above mentioned bonds are sealed and active and can be used to fund pre-adoption repairs where required. In the case of a shortfall in any bond area, additional costs will be funded in accordance with the Private Streets Legislation.

In addition to the above detailed property developments, Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has advised that it is aware of one further development at Rawdon Court, Moira. NI Water has also advised that it is awaiting a request from the Administrator in respect of the adoption of sewers and does not hold an estimate for the costs of completing any works. Roads Service does not hold any information on this particular development, including any information on the value of bonds.

Belfast International Airport: Unauthorised Car Parks

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister for Regional Development if he has had any discussions with his Executive colleagues regarding car parks in the vicinity of Belfast International Airport which do not have planning permission; and what action he intends to take, along with other Departments, to address this issue.

(AQW 3348/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

I can advise the Member that I have not held any discussions with my Executive colleagues regarding unauthorised car parks in the vicinity of Belfast International Airport. My Department does not have statutory responsibility for planning enforcement and, as the car parks referred to are on private land, this is not a matter that my Department plans to pursue with other Departments.

Belfast International Airport: Unauthorised Car Parks

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister for Regional Development what information his Department holds on unauthorised car parks in the vicinity of Belfast International Airport which do not pay rates.

(AQW 3349/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

I can advise the Member that my Department does not hold any information on unauthorised car parks in the vicinity of Belfast International Airport, as that would be a matter for the Department of the Environment’s Planning Service. With regard to the collection of rates, I am advised by officials from the Department of Finance and Personnel’s Land & Property Services that they are responsible for maintaining the property valuation list and for issuing rates bills, based on that list, and that no account is taken of whether planning permission has been granted.

Flooding

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost of work carried out in 2009 on storm drains and sewers to alleviate flooding in the Glen Road area of Comber.

(AQW 3350/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that during 2009 a project to improve the sewerage network and reduce the risk of flooding in the Glen Road area of Comber was completed at a cost of £78,000.