Thursday 24 March 2011

Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
Agriculture and Rural Development
Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education
Employment and Learning
Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Environment
Finance and Personnel
Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Justice
Regional Development
Social Development
Assembly Commission
Revised Written Answers

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

Emergency Hardships

Mr D O'Loan asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) to outline the progress in developing a mechanism to deal with emergency hardships suffered by people without recourse to public funds; (ii) whether provision has been made in their draft Departmental spending plan for such a mechanism; and (iii) whether they will bring this matter to an urgent conclusion.

(AQW 4482/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness): The Immigration Sub-Group of the Racial Equality Forum submitted a paper on the potential for a Migration Impacts Crisis Fund to the Racial Equality Panel of the Racial Equality Forum late last year. This is now being redrafted to incorporate comments from the Panel before being submitted to us for consideration.

We will be considering the allocation of the OFMDFM Budget in the light of the consultation which closed on 16 February. We hope to make a decision in the near future on whether a form of Migration Impacts Crisis Fund is viable and sensible.

It is also important to recognise that a number of organisations which have been in receipt of funding from the Minority Ethnic Development Fund have been central in helping to address emergency hardships suffered by people without recourse to public funds. The Fund was reopened recently for new applications and we would expect successful organisations to continue with this important work.

Presbyterian Mutual Society

Mr C Lyttle asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what threshold classifies a person as a 'small saver' in the Presbyterian Mutual Society; and whether the OFMDFM Financial Hardship legislation could be used to activate the PMS Mutual Access Fund, to assist such small savers, without EU approval in April 2011.

(AQW 4520/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We, alongside the DFP Minister and the DETI Minister, have been working tirelessly to finalise the proposed solution to the PMS situation. Through the Ministerial Working Group we have managed to secure from the Government the resources necessary for the £175m loan and a £25m contribution to the Mutual Access Fund. The Executive’s own Budget 2010 proposals include provision for the Executive's own contribution to the Mutual Access Fund. This is a considerable achievement in a difficult financial context and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that payments can be made as soon as possible in 2011-12.

We understand that the DETI Minister is in discussions with the Presbyterian Church about the size of its contribution and it is our desire that PMS members with less than £20,000 should receive most of their money back.

Use of Funding

Mr P Butler asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, pursuant to AQW 4226/11, how much of the funding allocated to the (i) Equality Commission; and (ii) the Commissioner for Children and Young People is used for (a) salaries; (b) administrative costs; and (c) public relations and advertising.

(AQW 4723/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister:

Equality Commission

Commissioner for Children and Young People

Fuel Price Stabilizer

Mr P McGlone asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what discussions they have had with the Treasury regarding a Fuel Price Stabilizer.

(AQW 4952/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: In recent months we have witnessed a sharp rise in fuel prices. Our Joint Declaration made on 1 February 2011 (prior to our JMC meeting on 2 February), with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Scotland, the First Minister of Wales, and the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport of Wales called on the UK Government to take urgent action to address the rising price of fuel by postponing the scheduled fuel price increase in April 2011. We believe this will stimulate the economy by protecting motorists, road hauliers and in particular remote rural communities from high and volatile prices. This followed correspondence on 27 January 2011 from the Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, welcoming commitments made by the UK Government to consider the merits of a Fair Fuel Stabiliser in a situation where rising crude oil prices and government duty could have a double impact on the road user.

The issue was also raised at a Ministerial meeting in early February 2011 with HM Treasury. We currently await further developments on the fuel price stabiliser in the Budget, due to be published on Wednesday 23 March 2011.

Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

Mr B Wilson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister when the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 will be amended to include the full extent of the recommendations agreed by the Assembly on Tuesday 26 May 2009.

(AQW 5189/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: OFMDFM will develop a programme of work with the incoming administration and this will be an issue to consider in that context.

Child Poverty

Ms D Purvis asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, pursuant to AQW 5058/11, how Executive Departments will be able to measure and report on their contributions to ending child poverty to the Assembly by March 2012 when they are working to targets set for 2020.

(AQW 5304/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Child Poverty Strategy will be supported by a Delivery Plan and Monitoring Framework that will be prepared following the Executive's agreement of the Strategy and the formal laying of the Strategy before the Assembly.

The Annual Report, due in March 2012, will report on developments since the agreement of the Strategy and on progress of both the measures agreed in the Delivery Plan and towards the 2020 targets.

Playboard Administered Funding

Mr C Lyttle asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what arrangements have been made to maintain Playboard administered funding for school-aged childcare projects beyond 31 March 2011.

(AQW 5319/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We are pleased to confirm that we have secured the continuation of Playboard funding for childcare projects for the next twelve months. It is our intention that a lead department for this policy area will be identified in the future. In the meantime, OFMDFM will continue to co-ordinate the issue through the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Children and Young People as we develop a comprehensive childcare strategy. Lack of affordable childcare is a significant barrier to employment therefore we will continue funding Playboard to ensure that the vital work they carry out continues.

In addition to interim funding, we have secured a further £12 million for childcare provision over four years. Over the next twelve months we will work to ensure that arrangements are put in place to deliver the level of care our children deserve.

European Commission Task Force

Mr P Weir asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they are aware of any plans by the European Commission Task Force to visit Northern Ireland; and if so, when the visit will take place.

(AQW 5325/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: During our successful visit to Brussels last December, we committed jointly with President Barroso to a renewal of the work of the European Commission’s Task Force, thereby deepening our engagement with the European Union. The President announced plans for an inward visit by the Task Force in early 2011 and this will now take place over the period 30 March to 1 April 2011.

We are committed to working with Europe to fully realise the potential for smart, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. This visit by senior Commission officials heralds a step-change in our engagement with European funding programmes, policies and networks.

Efficiency Review Panel

Mr D McNarry asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the Efficiency Review Panel, the establishment of which was announced on 9 April 2009.

(AQO 1317/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The St Andrews Agreement had indicated that we would appoint an Efficiency Review Panel to examine efficiency and value for money aspects of the Strand One institutions. We have announced that the first task of such a Panel would be to examine the number and organisation of Departments in the light of the present financial pressures and the implications of the Review of Public Administration, and to ensure that the departmental structure is best organised to deliver public services in an efficient manner.

The Panel has not yet been appointed but is among the matters to be covered by the draft report which is being prepared for consideration and agreement of the St Andrews Agreement Working Group established under the Hillsborough Castle Agreement.

In line with the Hillsborough Castle Agreement, the Working Group will forward its report, when agreed, to us for consideration. In the meantime, we remain committed to pursuing greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of our public services.

Victims and Survivors Groups

Lord Empey asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to list the victims and survivors groups recently selected for the funding verification and control process; and to outline on what basis they were selected.

(AQW 5332/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Groups were selected on the basis of a risk analysis exercise conducted by the Community Relations Council on all victims groups currently in receipt of core and/or strategic support funding from the Council. Four areas were reviewed: the value of funding received; the level of financial controls; the organisational governance arrangements; and the extent of multiple sources of funding. Each area was given a weighted value. It would not be appropriate to disclose the groups selected while the audit is still being carried out.

Budget Priorities

Lord Browne asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline their Department's budget priorities for the next four years.

(AQO 1319/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Strategic Investment Board will continue to support departments in the delivery of Executive plans to invest a further £5.2bn in the Budget 2011-15 period, building on the £5bn of new investment achieved over the previous three years.

The £80 million funding available through the Social Investment Fund will be targeted on d isadvantaged communities and vulnerable groups to address persistent patterns of poverty and disadvantage.

The establishment of a new Victims and Survivors Service will provide a more comprehensive and responsive solution to meeting the needs of victims and survivors.

Internationally, the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington and the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels will ensure that the profile of Northern Ireland remains high in the political and corporate spheres. OFMDFM will continue to lobby for the establishment of a Peace 4 Programme to build on the progress to date.

Regeneration activity sponsored by OFMDFM in the Budget 2010 period will focus on the continued regeneration work at Maze Long Kesh, Ebrington Barracks, and Crumlin Road Gaol. The Maze/Long Kesh Development Corporation will be established to take forward the regeneration of this regionally significant site. Investment in the Ebrington Barracks site will play a key part in the preparations for the City of Culture celebrations in 2013.

We will continue to place children and young people at the heart of government’s agenda through improvements in the integration of policy and service delivery on cross-cutting issues.

The establishment of a Commissioner for Older People will provide a voice for older people, raising awareness of the needs of older people and the positive contribution that older people make to our society.

Executive: Key Achievements

Mr S Hamilton asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline the key achievements of the Executive during this mandate.

(AQO 1320/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Executive has made substantial progress in the past 3 years and far too many to list in two minutes but amongst its key achievements we:

• underpinned the peace process and provided political stability – this is the first Assembly in 40 years to complete its 4-year term;
• assumed responsibility for Policing and Justice and laid a Justice Bill before the Assembly – the largest Bill the Assembly has yet considered – this task has challenged politicians for generations;
• secured almost £2.6 billion investment commitments and half a billion pounds in annual salaries; created more jobs and better jobs than at any time since records began and we succeeded in doing that in the context of a global recession;
• secured £520 million Bombardier Aerospace investment (the largest single investment by any company here);
• made available over 4½ thousand Social and Affordable Housing starts; installed more than 25,000 Warm Homes/Energy Efficiency systems;
• made payments totalling £22.5 million to 150,000 households who each received a £150 household fuel payment;
• average rates per household here are on average, 47% less than in England, Scotland and Wales;
• following our decision to freeze regional rates, average savings per household have increased from £15 per annum (in 2007/08) to £155 per annum (in 2010/11);
• we have also extended free travel to everyone over 60. There are now 61,000 smart passes in circulation and some 5.5 million journeys have been made since the scheme started – the most generous scheme in the UK;
• invested more in infrastructure than at any time before and more than twice the previous period under direct rule;
• brought forward a £10 million investment in combating rural poverty and social exclusion;
• improved the schools estate through investing around £500 million;
• purchased over 200 new buses during the period and 20 new trains – the first of which was delivered last week;
• by the end of the mandate, the Assembly will have passed 64 Executive Bills in addition to two Private Members' Bills;
• the Executive has considered nearly 800 papers which represent over 1,600 separate decisions, and all but 48 of these papers were agreed unanimously – more than at any other time in our history;
• the recent announcement of £138 million investment in three landmark sports grounds is further evidence of the Executive’s investment in the future; and
• we have increased Health’s DEL budget by 22% between 2007/08 and 2014/15.

This is only a snapshot of the work which the Executive has delivered and we are sure Assembly Members will agree that this is an impressive list of achievements.

Military Sites

Mr T Clarke asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the gifting of military sites.

(AQO 1321/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We have now agreed with the Ministry of Defence arrangements for the gifting of former military sites under the Hillsborough Agreement. The intention under the Agreement was that most of the gifted sites would be sold to meet exceptional resource needs.

However, we are pleased to say that the lands for the proposed educational campus in Omagh, comprising the entire Lisanelly base and the adjacent floodplain at the St Lucia base will be transferred directly to the Department of Education for an educational campus.

The St Patrick’s barracks site in Ballymena will transfer to OFMDFM, as will a portion of the St Lucia base in Omagh. A further portion of the St Lucia base cannot be transferred to OFMDFM due to a restrictive covenant in the deeds.

These sites will transfer on or soon after 1 April 2011. The first to be put up for sale is Shackleton. We have agreed with MoD that they would market the site immediately on behalf of the Executive and send the sale proceeds to us. OFMDFM will put the other sites on the market as quickly as possible.

US Visits

Mr A Bresland asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an assessment of their recent visits to the USA.

(AQO 1322/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Within the past five months we have made two very successful visits to Washington, DC. In October 2010 we accepted an invitation from Secretary of State Clinton and the US Special Economic Envoy, Declan Kelly, to speak at a US Government-sponsored Economic Conference. The purpose of the Conference was to promote investment in Northern Ireland. That Conference was one of the most successful we have ever attended. The Conference opened with two announcements. Dow Chemical, a new company to Northern Ireland, announced it is investing in a Design and Modify Supply Chain facility creating 25 jobs. Terex, an existing investor, announced the addition of a shared services facility at its Dungannon plant and the creation of an additional 35 jobs. The calibre of the potential investors was exceptional; it included several Fortune 500 companies and almost all of the companies were represented by global heads, CEOs or Board Chairs. Several of the companies represented were multi-billion dollar corporations. In total, it was estimated that there was over half a trillion dollars of commercial power in that conference room. We were honoured that Secretary Clinton hosted the Conference and that we were given such a high profile opportunity to promote inward investment. We were also able to have several one-to-one meetings with CEOs during the various breakout sessions.

Within the political sphere, we used our visit to build on our important relationship with the American Administration. We had a positive and constructive one-to-one meeting with Secretary Clinton.

Turning to our most recent visit, Members of the Assembly will be aware that we returned, over the weekend, from Washington, DC. We were there to represent the Executive at the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations. We spent most of last week undertaking speaking engagements or meeting with senior political figures. We were particularly honoured that President Obama and Secretary Clinton invited us to have separate meetings with them. During these meetings we were able secure their continued support for the work we are doing to support the economy. We also had separate meetings with Senators Leahy and Kerry and with members of the powerful Friends of Ireland Committee in the House of Representatives. We lobbied hard for their support for the continuation of the International Fund for Ireland.

Last Wednesday we participated in an Economic Forum in the US Chamber of Commerce which was hosted by the US Economic Envoy. We addressed over 40 CEOs on the Business Opportunity here. The US Chamber, which is one of the most prestigious business organisations in the United States, supported that event. We are encouraged that Jay Roewe, HBO and Brian Conlon, First Derivatives – two recent high-profile investors – made the trip to Washington specifically to advocate on our behalf. They told their own personal stories about investing here.

On St Patrick’s Day we hosted the Northern Ireland Bureau’s Business Breakfast where we promoted the local Creative Industries Sector. That event allowed us to show the very best of our creative talent; from Film and TV production to on-line media and video games.

In conclusion, both of our recent visits have been outstanding successes, in terms of the exposure we secured for Northern Ireland. We will continue to use every available opportunity when we are in the United States to put Northern Ireland on the map. We are grateful, but we do not take for granted, the level of support that we receive from the Obama Administration and Corporate America.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Rural Broadband Services

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide details of the announcement of funding from her Department and BT to improve rural broadband services, including the location of the 40 cabinets.

(AQW 3679/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): I am constantly reminded by rural dwellers and businesses of the importance of good communications and the increasing reliance many place on telecoms in their day to day lives. Access to improved telecoms provides a key catalyst for rural businesses and communities. That is why I decided to make available funding of £1 million from my Department to specifically target rural areas to provide increased access to these services.

The provision of these funds enabled an additional investment from BT of a £1 million. This means that in total £2 million is now being invested in rural areas that were not otherwise going to benefit from the next generation broadband project.

Please find attached (annex A) a list of the locations of the 40 cabinets as supplied by BT through Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment.

Annex A

The location of the 40 cabinets scheduled to be upgraded are as follows:

This information is also available at the website www.fasterbroadbandni.com

Social Clause Requirements

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (i) the social clause requirements in her Department's capital or current spend projects, including (a) the creation of apprenticeships; and (b) the employment of long-term unemployed persons; and (ii) any proposals her Department has to expand such opportunities.

(AQW 5032/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: As the Minister has directed, the Department and its agencies have operated social clauses in construction contracts since December 2008.

Existing social clause options include a requirement that the main contractor recruits:

• at least one long-term unemployed person, either directly or through the supply chain, for each £5m of project value.
• at least one apprentice, either directly or through the supply chain, for each £2m of project value.

The proportion of DARD procurements channelled through our Centre of Procurement Expertise, so ensuring the inclusion of social clauses in contracts, has risen substantially in the last 3 years to 98% in 2009/10.

Refined proposals currently being considered include additional requirements in respect of the unemployed, apprentices and student work placements.

Disposing of Poultry Litter

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (i) whether she is aware that the projected cost of safely and lawfully disposing of poultry litter in the Republic of Ireland to comply with the EU Nitrates Directive is approximately £12 per tonne; and (ii) how her officials calculated the projected £90 per tonne cost of disposing of poultry litter in Northern Ireland in compliance with the Nitrates Directive should the proposed Rose Energy incinerator at Glenavy not go ahead.

(AQW 5066/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: (i) Currently approximately 43,000 tonnes of poultry litter per year are disposed of by exporting to the south of Ireland. This is used in mushroom compost and for land spreading as an organic fertiliser on arable crops. The costs of these disposal options are estimated to range from £12 - £15 per tonne.

(ii) The estimated cost of £90 per tonne for the disposal of poultry litter produced in the north specifically relates to disposal in the Netherlands where some limited capacity is available at the Moerdijk power plant. This option would involve transporting poultry litter to the Netherlands by road and sea.

A range of options for disposing of poultry litter have been actively investigated including alternative treatment systems available in Britain, the south of Ireland and further afield. Conclusions of this work to date indicate that most potential options are not available due to lack of capacity.

Breakwater at Kilkeel Harbour

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (i) the cost of reports undertaken by consultants in relation to the Breakwater at Kilkeel Harbour (a) in each year from 1 March 2006 to 31 March 2010; and (b) from April 2010 to 28 February 2011; and (ii) the costs for the same period of the report undertaken by consultants on the preferred scheme, the Enhanced Safety Management Scheme.

(AQW 5135/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The following table provides a breakdown of the annual cost of reports undertaken by consultants from 1 March 2006 to date:-

The significant level of costs incurred in 2007 and 2008 related to essential technical and modelling studies necessary to determine the scale and nature of the problems; what practical solutions were feasible; and, which solution provided best value for money for the public purse.

The consultancy costs incurred since 1 April 2010, related to the economic appraisal on the options for improving navigational safety at the entrance to Kilkeel harbour which recommended the Enhanced Safety Management Scheme as the preferred scheme. Since then I have introduced a policy of such reviews being undertaken in-house.

South West Action for Rural Development

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of applications for funding to South West Action for Rural Development (SWARD) that were made by (i) GAA clubs; and (ii) the Orange Order between (a) its establishment and 31 December 2009; (b) 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010; and (c) 1 January 2011 and 7 March 2011; and how much funding SWARD has awarded to each organisation.

(AQW 5153/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The information requested is set out in the table below:

Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to outline the action the Loughs Agency is taking to comply with its obligations under the Williamsburg Resolution for the conservation of salmon in the North Atlantic ocean.

(AQW 5158/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Loughs Agency’s capacity to contribute to NASCO objectives is currently limited by the fact that the Agency has not yet fully taken up its legislative responsibility for aquaculture licensing in the Foyle and Carlingford areas.

However, the Loughs Agency contributed through DARD to the north of Ireland Focus Area Report on Aquaculture, Introductions and Transfers and Transgenics, which was produced in December 2009. This Report sets out the actions that the north of Ireland is taking, and proposes to take, to ensure that NASCO objectives are met.

As a cross-cutting issue, the report was brought to the Executive for approval, in accordance with paragraph 2.4 of the Ministerial code, on 16 February 2010. This approval was received at the Executive’s meeting on Thursday 25 February 2010, and the report was forwarded to the European Commission and NASCO.

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for an update on the implementation of the plan to decentralise public sector jobs within her Department, and its agencies, since the publication of the Bain Report.

(AQW 5213/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Bain Report is currently awaiting Executive approval. However, individual public bodies, Departments and Ministers have scope to consider the relocation of public sector facilities and jobs subject to the normal requirements of business need, value for money and affordability.

I have set aside, in my Department’s Budget 2011-15 spending proposals, a capital allocation of £13m in 2014/15 with a further £13m of capital expenditure falling into the following budget period to relocate the DARD headquarters. It is recognised that the current headquarters is nearing the end of its useful life and will soon need replacing. This proposal provides an exciting opportunity to bring Government closer to the people and to stimulate the rural economy with significant economic and social benefits from increased spending and access to high quality local employment.

The DARD headquarters re-location project is scheduled to commence shortly and will be subject to the Executive’s usual requirements in respect of business cases and procurement.

Land at Crossnacreevy

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (i) when the decision to value land at Crossnacreevy at £200 million was taken; (ii) who arrived at this valuation; (iii) on what rationale was the valuation based; (iv) when the valuation was accepted by the Department of Finance and Personnel; and (v) when this decision was communicated to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(AQW 5262/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I would refer the Member to the agreed report by the Comptroller and Auditor General dated 9 March 2011 relating to ‘Reducing Water Pollution from Agricultural Sources: The Farm Nutrient Management Scheme’. Paragraphs 2.40 to 2.42 cover the issues raised in this question.

Calf Carcase Discovered in Keady

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development whether part of a calf carcase which was discovered recently in the Keady area was infected with Brucellosis.

(AQW 5303/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Culture results on the part of the calf carcase recently discovered in Keady area were negative for Brucella abortus. However, a limb is not the optimal site for recovery of the Brucella bacteria so a negative result does not give a guarantee that the carcase was not infected. There is also the concern regarding the whereabouts of the remainder of the carcase and if it could have been in close contact with stock.

Spend on Electricity

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how much her Department and its arms-length bodies have spent on electricity in each of the last two available financial years.

(AQW 5326/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Electricity spend by the Department, including its Agencies and arms-length bodies in each of the last two available financial years is shown below : -

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

Foras na Gaeilge

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to AQO 1132/11, (i) why he did not reveal in his letter of 25 January 2011 to the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure that he had concerns about the effectiveness of Foras na Gaeilge, which is the subject of ongoing legal correspondence; and (ii) whether the only matter relating to Foras na Gaeilge which was raised in the letter, namely the funding of 19 core funded bodies, was one that was already being addressed.

(AQW 5154/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr N McCausland): At that time I was anxious to ensure due process was followed without the spotlight of public attention, which may have compromised the proceedings.

The issue of funding for the 19 core-funded bodies was being addressed. The proposals to change the funding mechanism arose from concerns from the Sponsor Departments and the sector about the effectiveness of the system and were developed by the Sponsor Departments in conjunction with Foras na Gaeilge.

The Sponsor Departments had concerns about implementation and consequently steps were taken at the North/South Ministerial Council Meeting in Language Sectoral format on 3 November 2010 to enhance the implementation of the proposals including the appointment of a project manager and the establishment of a steering committee and an advisory committee.

Motorsport Programme

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to AQW 7191/10, to outline the criteria used to assess an applicant’s eligibility to receive funding under his Department's motorsport programme; and what restrictions are applied when assessing entitlement to receive payment.

(AQW 5287/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Projects funded under Sport Northern Ireland’s (SNI) Motorsport Investment Programme were identified and prioritised by the umbrella body for motorsport in Northern Ireland, the 2&4 Wheel Motorsport Steering Group Limited (2&4 Wheel). Once identified by 2&4 Wheel, proposed recipient organisations were subject to the standard SNI eligibility conditions including:

• solvency and viability; and
• ability to produce security of tenure.

In compliance with best practice, SNI set a number of standard conditions for capital projects before a payment is made. As a minimum these are:

• procurement in compliance with CPD requirements;
• an invoice from the contractor;
• sign off by the design team (if applicable);
• completion visit by SNI technical staff (for final payment); and
• compliance with any specific conditions.

Redevelopment of Windsor Park, Ravenhill Stadium and Casement Park

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure whether a business case has been submitted and approved for the redevelopment of (i) Windsor Park; (ii) Ravenhill Stadium; and (iii) Casement Park; and the dates on which business cases were received and approved.

(AQW 5295/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: An Outline Business Case was undertaken to examine the preferred options identified by the Governing Bodies of all three sports for their long-term regional stadium needs. This was submitted to my Department on 14 July 2010, subsequently fully considered within my Department and was approved by the Department of Finance and Personnel on 7 March 2011.

Funding for Motorsport

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to AQW 7191/10, whether eligibility for funding to help motorsport improve its health and safety is predicated upon an applicant having first received planning permission for motor racing activities.

(AQW 5301/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Eligibility for funding under Sport Northern Ireland’s (SNI) Motorsport Investment Programme to help improve health and safety at motorsport venues across Northern Ireland was not predicated upon an applicant having first received planning permission for motor racing activities. Applicants were advised by SNI, however, that any work carried out without the necessary approvals would be at risk.

Equality Screening

Ms A Lo asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what gender, race and disability equality screening was carried out prior to his Department's decision to authorise funding of £138 million for regional stadia.

(AQW 5323/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Section 75 issues in terms of stadium development have been considered in a number of ways.

The Outline Business Case for Regional Stadium Development included examining a range of Non-Monetary Costs and Benefits of the options considered. This included recognising and scoring the proposals against Section 75 policies with the key aim of ensuring that access to the redeveloped facilities for all was maximised.

In addition my strategy for sport “Sport Matters” launched last year includes the development of major sports stadiums. The strategy was subject to Section 75 screening and integrated impact assessments, including considerable consultation with the public on stakeholders on what is planned up to 2019. This did not reveal any negative aspects in respect of the stadiums.

Furthermore, as part of the Budget 2010 process my Department’s capital programme was subject to a high-level impact assessment. This included regional stadium development and the conclusion reached was that there were no negative Section 75 aspects associated with progressing the funding of stadiums.

The £138m to which you refer represents £61.4m for Gaelic games, £14.7m for rugby and £61.4m allocation for football. The football allocation includes the provision for regional stadium development at Windsor Park of £25.2m as part of the Budget 2010 settlement and £36.2m future provision for football’s strategic stadium needs at sub-regional level. The Executive endorsed taking sub-regional development forward as a priority area of spend in the next CSR period commencing 2015/16 and Section 75 aspects of this element will be further considered as policies are developed.

Overall the provision of fit-for-purpose stadiums can only enhance compliance with disability requirements, make the spectator experience more inviting and promote interest in the respective sports regardless of gender, race and other Section 75 categories.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Education and Training Inspectors

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education what proportion of Education and Training Inspectors have previous employment experience of working within a school environment; and to detail the positions the relevant inspectors held whilst working in the school environment.

(AQW 5055/11)

Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane ): Tá na cigirí nua á n-earcú trí fhógraíocht phoiblí sa phreas áitiúil.

New inspectors are recruited through public advertisement in the local press. All who become inspectors have academic and professional qualifications at least to degree level or the equivalent and are also required to have a qualification which enables them to teach in schools and / or a further education college; invariably all have substantial teaching and/or training experience in schools, colleges of further and higher education, youth work, organisations of higher education or in industrial/commercial training. Many of them have experience at senior levels in education or training; some have also held senior posts in industry and commerce. Normally, inspectors will have experience in more than one educational organisation.

Information on the details of individual inspector’s academic and professional qualifications has been withheld under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Education and Training Inspectorate: Value For Money Surveys

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last three years, to detail if any value for money surveys have been carried out on the Education and Training Inspectorate, including who carried out the survey and whether the findings were published.

(AQW 5102/11)

Minister of Education: Rinne Brainse Iniúchóireachta Inmheánaí na Roinne Oideachais measúnú ar an Chigireacht Oideachais agus Oiliúna in 2010.

The Education and Training Inspectorate was evaluated by the DE Internal Audit Branch in 2010. The following is an extract from the “Value for Money” section of resulting report, dated 7 July 2010:

“Value for Money

11.6 Internal Audit consider that ETI adds value by promoting good practice throughout the Department and this opinion is mirrored through evidence of the findings of an independent evaluation undertaken by PWC. This evaluation is entitled “Department of Education: Evaluation of the Inspection Process (Financial Year 2008/09)” and was conducted based on questionnaires completed by leaders and teachers of educational institutions who underwent an inspection in the previous academic year. The vast majority of the survey results were very positive and showed improvement on the previous survey levels recorded in 2007/08.

11.7 The ETI currently has Charter Mark Accreditation and the Charter Mark Certification Report on ETI states: “The Inspectorate is highly valued by the Schools, Colleges and Training Providers they inspect.

11.8 Internal Audit can also confirm that the ETI has obtained positive feedback on the quality, effectiveness and added value of their service from senior management within Departments they serve.”

Accumulation of Budgetary Surpluses

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 4484/11, to list any school which has exceeded the three year development plan period for the accumulation of budgetary surpluses in the last 12 years.

(AQW 5105/11)

Minister of Education: Níl an eolas a iarradh ar fáil go héasca agus bheadh costas díréireach ag baint le haon iarracht é seo a chur ar fáil.

The information requested is not readily available and an exercise to provide this would result in disproportionate cost.

Training from Education and Library Board Officers

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education whether there is a programme in place which provides training and support for Education and Library Board Officers to enable them to advise (i) Boards of Governors; and (ii) teachers and principals who have been deemed unsatisfactory.

(AQW 5147/11)

Minister of Education: Tá gach Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann freagrach as oiliúnt agus bainistíocht feidhmíochta a fhoirne féin a dhéanamh ionas go mbeidh gach foireann in ann a cuid dualgais a chomhlíonadh go héifeachteach ó thaobh chomhairle, oiliúnt agus seirbhísí tacaíochta a thabhairt do scoileanna de.

Each Education and Library Board is responsible for the training and performance management of its own staff to enable them to fulfil their duties efficiently and effectively in relation to the delivery of advice, training and support services to schools.

My Department’s school improvement policy sets out how schools will be supported in bringing about their own improvement. It includes a requirement to provide focused support for those schools found at inspection to be inadequate or unsatisfactory. That support is provided by Education and Library Board staff, working with any sectoral support body as appropriate.

I understand that:

(i) Board officers who are involved in the provision of advice to Boards of Governors are both trained and experienced in addressing performance issues within school improvement.

(ii) Each Board, under the procedure for dealing with unsatisfactory performance, has a statutory duty to ensure that the teacher or principal involved has access to appropriate training and support to enable them to reach a satisfactory standard. The policy is implemented by the Board of Governors, advised by each Board’s Governor Support Service and Curriculum Advisory Support Service (CASS) officers, who provide a customized programme of support.  Each Board has experienced officers trained and accredited by the National Association of Educational Advisers and Consultants against the National Standards for School Improvement Professionals in addressing performance issues within school improvement.

Training and Support for Boards of Governors and Teachers

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education to detail how the quality of the training and support for (i) Boards of Governors; and (ii) teachers and principals who have been deemed unsatisfactory, is assessed.

(AQW 5148/11)

Minister of Education: (i) Cuireadh seirbhísí oiliúna agus tacaíochta le haghaidh gobharnóirí faoi phróiseas chigireachta an Chigireacht Oideachais agus Oiliúna. Foilsíodh an tuairisc dheireanach sa bhliain 2005.

The governor training and support services have been subject to inspection by the Education & Training Inspectorate. The last inspection report was published in 2005.

Information on the views of governors on training and support services has also been included in a research report entitled ‘School Governors: The Guardians of our Schools’ published in 2010 by my Department. Governors are also asked to complete an evaluation form at the end of each training session. The responses are used by each Education and Library Board to assess the relevance and quality of the training in meeting the needs of governors.

(ii) Procedures drawn up jointly by teachers’ employing authorities, in consultation with my Department, provide Boards of Governors with the mechanism for dealing with teachers and principals whose work has been evaluated as unsatisfactory. The procedures were ratified by the Teachers’ Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee (Schools) and are currently under review by the Committee.

It is the responsibility of the Board of Governors, in consultation with the employing authority, to initiate such action by way of support and re-training as it deems appropriate. The Board of Governors, in consultation with the employing authority, is responsible for arranging and monitoring the support programme and for assessing the quality of training and support provided.

Training and Support Delivered by Education and Library Boards

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education to what extent is the Chief Executive of each Education and Library Board held responsible for the quality of the training and support delivered by each Board.

(AQW 5149/11)

Minister of Education: Is é an Príomhfheidhmeannach, agus é freagrach do bhaill an Bhoird, atá freagrach as eagraíocht agus bainistíocht an Bhoird agus as foireann Bhoird a sholáthar, rud a ligeann don Bhord a dhualgais a chomhlíonadh ar bhonn éifeachtúil. Tá seirbhísí oiliúna agus tacaíochta curtha san áireamh leis sin agus cinntíonn an Príomhfheidhmeannach fosta go gcuirtear socruithe an Bhoird i bhfeidhm.

The Chief Executive is responsible to the Board members for the overall organisation, management and staffing of the Board which enable the Board to discharge its responsibilities, including training and support services, efficiently and effectively, and for ensuring that decisions of the Board are implemented.

As the Accounting Officer in the Board, the Chief Executive is also accountable to the department for the discharge of his or her Accounting Officer responsibilities in accordance with the Board’s management statement and financial memorandum.

Health and Safety Issues

Lord Empey asked the Minister of Education to outline the immediate (i) capital; and (ii) resource needs of her Department in order to bring primary and post-primary schools up to acceptable Health and Safety Standards.

(AQW 5204/11)

Minister of Education: Tuigim go maith an tábhacht atá lena chinntiú go bhfuil eastát na scoileanna cothabháilte mar is cuí le cosc a chur ar mheathlú do-ghlactha na bhfoirgneamh agus le sláinte agus sábháilteacht ár ndaoine óga, ár múinteoirí agus ár mball foirne eile a chinntiú.

I am acutely aware of the importance of ensuring that the schools’ estate is appropriately maintained to prevent unacceptable deterioration of the buildings and to ensure the health and safety of our young people, teachers and other staff members.

The backlog in maintenance for the schools’ estate is currently estimated at £299 million. The term health and safety could be attached to many maintenance issues, as maintenance is normally deemed to be required when elements of the estate either deteriorate or are damaged.

However I would assure you that health and safety issues deemed to be an urgent priority are addressed by the Education and Library Boards (ELBs) immediately to ensure the health and safety of the staff and children and that the integrity of the school is maintained. The ELBs also have a schedule of planned maintenance based on a risk assessment of the issues.

This year the ELBs were allocated a total of £38 million for maintenance across the schools estate. The allocations for 2011/12 have yet to be finalised.

Interactive Computerised Assessment System

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) how much the Interactive Computerised Assessment System cost to implement; (ii) the costs incurred as a result of its implementation in each of the last four years; and (iii) how her Department measures satisfaction with the System.

(AQW 5224/11)

Minister of Education: Mionsonraíonn an tabla thíos na costais iarbhír don Chóras Idirghníomhach Measúnaithe Ríomhairithe (InCAS) le linn na tréimhse trialach agus feidhmithe, miondealaithe de réir bliain airgeadais:

The table below details the actual costs for the Interactive Computerised Assessment System (InCAS) over the trial and implementation period, broken down by financial year:

¹ Figures represent costs up to January 2011

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has assured me that, since its inception in 2007/08, InCAS has been subject to a rigorous, ongoing evaluation, including feedback from principals, teachers, pupils and parents. CCEA has also informed me that this process has been independently validated by the Consultation Institute. This evaluation has helped inform subsequent years’ implementation.

Additionally, I have asked the Education and Training Inspectorate to undertake an evaluation of how primary schools are making use of InCAS outcomes to inform teaching and learning and to improve outcomes for pupils. The evaluation will also have a focus on highlighting good practice within schools so that this can be disseminated more widely.

Interactive Computerised Assessment System

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education (i) to detail the relevant difficulties that have been experienced since the inception of the Interactive Computerised Assessment System; and (ii) whether all the difficulties have been addressed and individual reports are now accurate for both literacy and numeracy.

(AQW 5227/11)

Minister of Education: Léiríonn an fhianaise luachála roimh 2009 go bhfacthas do thromlach suntasach múinteoirí go raibh torthaí InCAS i gcomhréir lena mbreithiúnas proifisiúnta agus gur chuidigh siad le riachtanais foghlama agus teagaisc na n daltaí aonair a fhoirmiú.

Evaluation evidence prior to 2009 indicates that a significant majority of teachers found InCAS outcomes to be consistent with their professional judgement and helped to inform the learning and teaching needs of individual pupils.

The INCAS assessment tool experienced two software errors during October 2009, both as a result of incorrect computer coding at the University of Durham’s Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM). The first error resulted in incorrect age-related scores in general maths being reported to schools and, in some cases, on to parents. The second error affected the standardised scores accessed by some schools to allow for comparison with other standardised tests they may use - those scores are not for reporting to parents. Both of these software errors were corrected within 24 hours and correct results were issued to all affected schools (approximately 300).

In response to these errors, my Department established a Working Group, comprising education professionals, teachers and trade union representatives. It published a final report making 19 recommendations which I accepted in full. My Department has worked closely with CCEA to develop an action plan to address the recommendations and extensive work has also been undertaken by CCEA to ensure the accuracy of subsequent InCAS outcomes.

For 2010, CEM provided assurances that all of the assessments in the InCAS suite performed as designed. I am aware that some schools reported data was missing from reports in a small number of cases (anticipated to affect fewer than 0.5% of pupils, though final figures are not yet available). A software resolution to this issue is currently being trialled.

Interactive Computerised Assessment System

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education, in the event of the contract for the Interactive Computerised Assessment System being awarded to a different provider, whether the information that has been collected to date will transfer to the new system.

(AQW 5230/11)

Minister of Education: Ní dócha go mbeadh na sonraí inmhalartaithe go díreach.

In a circumstance where the contract for a statutory computer based assessment tool was awarded to a provider other than the current one, it is unlikely that data would be directly interchangeable and therefore the issue of transferring data from one provider to another would not arise.

Interactive Computerised Assessment System

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education (i) whether the objective of the implementation of the Interactive Computerised Assessment System was to enable the tracking of a pupil's progress throughout primary education; and (ii) whether the appointment of a new system provider every 3 to 5 years would present continuity difficulties.

(AQW 5232/11)

Minister of Education: Uirlis mheasúnaithe diagnóisigh is ea InCAS go príomha a ceapadh chun tacú le scoileanna agus iad ag iarraidh láidreachtaí na ndaltaí a shainaithint mar aon le réimsí ina dtiocfadh leo feabhsú.

InCAS is primarily a diagnostic assessment tool designed to support schools in identifying pupils’ strengths and areas for improvement. The outcomes from the InCAS assessments should therefore help teachers plan their teaching during the school year to meet the needs of pupils in their classrooms. The assessments will also provide schools with useful information for monitoring individual pupil progress – to ensure every pupil is reaching his or her full potential – and, more generally, to inform self-evaluation, development planning and target setting.

The information provided by InCAS can also contribute to the formative record of progress and achievement that schools prepare for each pupil.

While changes in assessment practice can present challenges of continuity and making direct comparisons in performance in different assessments, I believe that the arrangements currently in place (and proposed for 2012 on) where a contract is awarded for a 3-year period extendable for up to 2 further years, represent the best way of ensuring continuing fitness for purpose, flexibility and value for money.

Withdrawal of Funding from Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Education when she intends to publish the Equality Impact Assessment on the proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools.

(AQW 5235/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an tuarascáil Measúnachta Tionchair Chomhionannais (EQIA), ar an togra le maoiniú ranna ullmhúcháin na scoileanna gramadaí a stopadh, ina chéimeanna deiridh.

The Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) report on the proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools is in the final stages of completion. Over 400 responses were received in respect of the consultation, therefore, collating and analysing the responses has taken some considerable time. However, my Department will shortly be writing to all those who participated in the consultation to advise of the EQIA’s publication, including a quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses, on the Department’s website.

Provisions for Opting Out of Religious Education

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Education to detail the Department's (i) policy; and (ii) processes that are in place which enable a child, of sufficient maturity, to opt out of religious education and other faith based activities, in accordance with a student's right under the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

(AQW 5240/11)

Minister of Education: (i) Tá an t Oideachas Reiligiúnach mar chuid reachtúil den churaclam do gach dalta ón Bhonnchéim go dtí Eochairchéim 4.

(i) Religious Education is a statutory part of the curriculum for all pupils from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 4. The Department’s policy position recognises the need for parents to be able to withdraw their children all or part of collective worship and/or RE lessons on the grounds of conscience and this right is provided for under Article 21(5) of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986. This is in keeping with Article 14(2) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that recognises the rights and duties of parents and guardians to guide children appropriately.

(ii) The processes for ensuring that parents are aware of, and able to exercise, their right include a requirement that schools must publish information in their prospectus about Religious Education provided at the school and on the arrangements that are in place within the school for pupils whose parents chose to exercise this right.

Additionally, new departmental guidance provided recently for school governors in the on-line guide 'Every School a Good School – The Governors' Role' includes a specific focus on the provision of religious education and highlights specifically parents’ right to withdraw their children along with governors’ responsibilities in relation to the promotion of equality, good relations and diversity.

I expect schools to ensure that requirements in relation to including information on RE in their prospectuses are met and that parents are notified of the facility to opt out of religious education and the arrangements for making alternative provision for pupils.

Withdrawal of Funding from Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education when she intends to publish the Equality Impact Assessment on the proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools.

(AQW 5245/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an tuarascáil Measúnachta Tionchair Chomhionannais (EQIA), ar an togra le maoiniú ranna ullmhúcháin na scoileanna gramadaí a stopadh, ina chéimeanna deiridh.

The Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) report on the proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools is in the final stages of completion.

Over 400 responses were received in respect of the consultation, therefore, collating and analysing the responses has taken some considerable time. However, my Department will shortly be writing to all those who participated in the consultation to advise of the EQIA’s publication, including a quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses, on the Department’s website.

Withdrawal of Funding from Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Education (i) when she intends to publish the Equality Impact Assessment on the proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools; and (ii) to detail the reasons for the delay.

(AQW 5250/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an tuarascáil Measúnachta Tionchair Chomhionannais (EQIA), ar an togra le maoiniú ranna ullmhúcháin na scoileanna gramadaí a stopadh, ina chéimeanna deiridh.

The Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) report on the proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools is in the final stages of completion.

Over 400 responses were received in respect of the consultation, therefore, collating and analysing the responses has taken some considerable time. However, my Department will shortly be writing to all those who participated in the consultation to advise of the EQIA’s publication, including a quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses, on the Department’s website.

Religious Education

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Education whether religious education is subject to the same inspection and quality control systems as other subjects in the curriculum, and if not, how she intends to address this issue.

(AQW 5254/11)

Minister of Education: Níl an t Oideachas Reiligiúnach faoi réir ag na socruithe cigireachta céanna le hábhair eile sa churaclam faoi láthair.

Religious Education is currently not subject to the same inspection arrangements as other subjects in the curriculum and legislation provides for it only to be inspected by the Education Training and Inspectorate at the invitation of the Board of Governors of the school.

Provision exists in grant aided schools for Ministers of religion and other suitable persons, including teachers of the school, to whom the parents do not object, to be given reasonable access to inspect and examine the religious education given in the school.

There are currently no plans to change this position.

Funding for Voluntary Organisations

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Education when the voluntary organisations funded by her Department will receive (i) information; and (ii) confirmation about her Department's funding allocations and spending plans for 2011/12.

(AQW 5261/11)

Minister of Education: Shocraigh an Tionól an Bhuiséad Críochnaitheach ar 9 Márta agus is féidir liom anois machnamh a dhéanamh ar an bhealach is fearr úsáid a bhaint as an airgead a cuireadh ar fáil dom. Go dtí go mbeidh sé seo déanta agam, ní dhéanfar aon socruithe críochnaitheacha maidir le leithdháiltí na bliana 2011/12 a bhaineann le heagraíocht ar bith a fhaigheann maoiniú ón Roinn.

The Assembly agreed the Final Budget allocations on 9 March and I am now in a position to consider how best to allocate the resources available to me. Until I have completed this, no final decisions on allocations for 2011/12 can be made in relation to any organisation funded by the Department.

The majority of voluntary organisations who receive DE funding do so through the Education and Library Board Youth Service or the Youth Council. The Boards and the Youth Council will be notified of their main budget allocations as soon as possible and following this it will be their responsibility to decide on funding allocations to individual organisations in 2011/12.

Religious Education

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Education what action her Department is taking to ensure that schools teach children about world religions and non-religious life, in order to promote the development of mutual respect and critical thought.

(AQW 5266/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an curaclam athbhreithnithe i bhfeidhm anois ar fud gach grúpa bliana i ngach scoil dheontaschúnta agus tá fócas ar leith ar chothú tuisceana agus measa ar an éagsúlacht.

The revised school curriculum is now in place across all year groups in all grant-aided schools and includes a specific focus on building tolerance and respect for difference. The Core Syllabus aims to reflect the changing world and now enables Key Stage 2 pupils to become aware of and have respect for differing cultures and faiths, as well as providing for Key Stage 3 pupils to study two world religions (and for Key Stage 4 pupils to study the Christian Church from both a Protestant and Catholic tradition).

The Core Syllabus is not intended to represent the total provision for RE in schools, but provides the basis on which each individual school can build a programme to suit the needs of its pupils and reflect the ethos of the school. Schools can, for example, include additional teaching on world religions, including drawing out similarities and differences between the main religions here, or make provision for any other RE-related matter. In doing so, schools can also build on the increased flexibility of the revised curriculum and make valuable links between RE and areas such as personal development and citizenship.

Schools-Careers Service Partnership Agreement

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Education whether schools are obligated to use any of the Schools-Careers Service Partnership Agreement menu of options for Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance for young people.

(AQW 5281/11)

Minister of Education: Níl dualgas ar bith ar scoileanna leas a bhaint as na roghanna uile a chuireann an tSeirbhís Gairmeacha ar fáil.

Schools are not obliged to avail of all options offered by the Careers Service. However they do have responsibilities to provide effective careers education and to provide access to the professional expertise available through the Careers Service. I am pleased to say that the evidence we have shows that schools are working effectively with the careers service to provide young people with appropriate and effective careers education, information, advice and guidance that best meets their needs. This objective is clearly stated in our joint DE DEL careers strategy. The partnership working arrangements will also ensure that any duplication in services or provision for pupils does not take place.

Funded Pre-school Places

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 4489/11, for her assessment of whether the current criteria for funded pre-school places discriminates or disadvantages parents with a disability as it does not include Employment Support Allowance.

(AQW 5284/11)

Minister of Education: Mar a léiríodh i m’fhreagra ar AQW 4489/11, tá go leor áiteanna réamhscolaíochta maoinithe ar fáil anois do níos mó ná 90% de na páistí sa bhliain réamhscoile deiridh.

As indicated in my response to AQW 4489/11, there are now sufficient funded pre-school places available for over 90% of children in their final pre-school year. As research has shown that the parents of approximately 10% of children do not want them to avail of a funded pre-school place, this is considered to be sufficient to meet demand.

As there should be a funded pre-school place available for every child whose parent wants them to have one, I do not consider that the absence of Employment Support Allowance in the pre-school admissions criteria is discriminatory or disadvantages parents with a disability.

However, as also indicated in my earlier response, officials intend to look at changes which have been made to the benefit system and consider whether they may be appropriate in relation to the admissions criteria for funded pre-school places.

Mobile Classroom Provision

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education to detail the schools in the Belfast Education and Library Board area which have received funding for mobile classroom provision in the (i) 2008/09; (ii) 2009/10; and (iii) 2010/11 academic year, including the date of each funding approval and the amount provided.

(AQW 5305/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an t-eolas seo curtha ar fáil i mblianta airgeadais, mar go leithdháiltear maoiniú i mblianta airgeadais.

This information has been provided in financial years, as funding is allocated in financial years.

* Decanting for Major Work

Funding for Irish Football Association and GAA Youth Schemes

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of Education how much funding has been ring fenced by her Department for the Irish Football Association and GAA youth schemes, including coaching and training sessions, for the 2011-15 budget period.

(AQW 5313/11)

Minister of Education: Ní mhaoiníonn mo Roinn Cumann Sacair na hÉireann nó CLG le haghaidh seisiún cóitseála agus oiliúna do dhaoine óga.

My Department does not fund the Irish Football Association or the GAA for youth coaching and training sessions. It does, however, provide funding to both organisations for the Primary Curriculum Sports Programme which is focused on helping primary-aged children, particularly those in Foundation and Key Stage 1, to develop their generic physical literacy skills.

That programme has been a great success in building the skills of our youngest pupils, raising their confidence, self-esteem and motivation to learn, and promoting the importance of regular participation in physical activity. It is my intention that it will continue to receive funding at the current annual level of £1.5m over the 2011-15 budget period.

Redundancies

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of Education when her Department will issue guidance on the number of redundancies required as a result of the 2011-15 Budget; and who will be responsible for issuing this guidance.

(AQW 5321/11)

Minister of Education: I ndiaidh leithdháiltí buiséid deiridh, beidh na scoileanna agus na comhlachtaí fad láimhe in ann cinneadh a dhéanamh maidir leis an dóigh is fearr le déileáil lena gcuid leithdháiltí buiséid.

Following final budget allocations, schools and arm’s length bodies will be in a position to decide how best to deal with their budget allocations. It will not be until this stage that the impact on the education workforce will be known.

The Department will not be issuing guidance on the number of redundancies required as it will be the responsibility of the relevant employer to decide how best to deliver any savings required. If it is identified that redundancies must be made, it will be a matter for employers to issue such guidance as may be required.

It is not expected that there will be any redundancies in respect of the Department’s workforce but rather that any possible reductions in the number of staff will be managed through natural turnover or by transfer to other Departments.

DE: Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Education why the Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit has not reported its findings in relation to her Department.

(AQO 1328/11)

Minister of Education: Tabharfar an tAthbhreithniú ar aghaidh i ndhá chéim, de réir Téarmaí Tagartha aontaithe an athbhreithnithe um éifeachtacht a rinne DE agus DFP ar a gcuid seirbhísí riaracháin agus tacaíochta.

The agreed Terms of Reference for the DE and DFP joint Efficiency Review of education administration and support services indicated that the review would be taken forward in two stages by the Department of Finance and Personnel’s Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit, or PEDU. Stage One was to identify a number of areas for evidence of potential efficiencies and savings. Stage Two would examine a subset of the selected areas in more detail.

PEDU has now completed Stage One of this work and two areas, namely Home to School Transport and School Meals, will be subject to more detailed assessment in Stage Two of the Review. PEDU plans to complete this work by the end of May. In the meantime, copies of the report on Stage One will be placed in the Library and on the Departmental website.

Minister for Education and Skills

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister of Education when she will meet with the newly appointed Irish Minister for Education and Skills.

(AQO 1330/11)

Minister of Education: Scríobh mé chuig an Aire Ruairi Quinn TD cheana féin chun comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis agus le cruinniú a iarraidh leis.

I have already written to Minister Ruairi Quinn TD to congratulate him on his appointment and requesting a meeting with him.

The promotion of education and skills, and ensuring that all of our young people realise their full potential is a key challenge, both North and South. I have welcomed the opportunity to work closely with Minister Quinn’s predecessors, and I value the progress that has been made, particularly under the four current themes that are part of the formal North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) education sectoral arrangements namely: educational underachievement, special educational needs, teacher qualifications and superannuation and youth and school exchanges.

I look forward to building on that progress, and I hope to meet the Minister for Education and Skills at the earliest possible opportunity.

Loreto College, Coleraine

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education whether she has approved the Development Proposal for Loreto College, Coleraine.

(AQO 1331/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an moladh faofa agam ón ochtú lá Márta dhá mhíle is a haon déag.

On 29 November 2010, the North Eastern Education and Library Board published Development Proposal (DP) No. 252, which proposed the discontinuance of academic selection as a criterion for entry to Loreto College, with effect from 1 September 2012, or as soon as possible thereafter. The statutory two-month consultation period ended on 31 January 2011 and I approved the proposal on 8 March 2011.

I very much welcomed the decision of Loreto College to move away from academic selection/rejection. Their decision marks a turning point and I would encourage others to follow the Loreto College example. The 11 plus is gone and there will be no return to any form of academic testing as part of our transfer procedures and pleased that Loreto College recognises that breakaway tests are unnecessary and unjust and further perpetuate inequality.

Schools: Capital Building Programme

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister of Education what progress has been made on the Capital Building Programme for schools which was announced in June 2010.

(AQO 1332/11)

Minister of Education: Tá áthas orm cur in iúl daoibh go bhfuil dul chun cinn den scoth déanta maidir leis na trí thionscadal déag a bhí faofa le haghaidh maoiniú caipitil mar a d’fhógair mé i mí Lúnasa sa bhlain dhá mhíle is a deich.

I am delighted to report that excellent progress has been made regarding the 13 projects approved for capital funding in my August 2010 announcement. This represents an investment of over £65million in the schools estate and has been an excellent boost not only to the schools but to the local construction sector.

Six of the projects have already commenced construction work on site and four projects have reached contract award stage with a start on site imminent. It is anticipated that the remaining 3 projects will conclude contract signature and commence construction work before the end of March 2011.

In addition to these 13 projects, I am also delighted to report that the contracts were signed last week for new schools for Lagan College Belfast and Tor Bank Special School, Dundonald representing a further investment of £31m . In addition to this a site was purchased for the new build for Colaiste Feirste at a cost of £2.3m.

This is a clear demonstration that given the necessary resources I can deliver much needed new schools. There remains a large number of schools that require new accommodation across the north and I will continue to press for additional capital investment in the schools estate.

Teachers: Job Losses

Mrs M Bradley asked the Minister of Education how many teaching jobs will be lost because of the education budget cuts over the next four years.

(AQO 1333/11)

Minister of Education: Bhí an Bhuiséad Críochnaitheach do na blianta dhá mhíle is a haon déag go dhá mhile is a cúig déag faofa ag an Tionól ar an naoú lá de mhí Mhárta.

The Final Budget 2011-15 was approved by the Assembly on 9 th March. I am now considering final allocation of the education budget for the next four years and will announce budgets at the earliest opportunity. Following budget allocations, schools will then be in a position to decide how best to deliver any savings required. It will not be until this stage that the impact on the teaching workforce will be known.

I am committed to minimising the impact on jobs as far as possible. I will therefore seek to maximise the resources provided directly to schools, so that schools have adequate funding to employ their most valuable resource – teachers - including newly qualified teachers.

Following agreement of the Final Budget, the Budget Review Group will continue to consider, and where possible progress, additional revenue raising proposals. A strong case exists to allocate any additional funding identified to education.

DE: Draft Spending Plan

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Education to outline the discussions she had with HM Treasury regarding the proposal in her Department's draft spending plan to transfer capital expenditure to revenue expenditure.

(AQO 1334/11)

Minister of Education: D’aontaigh an Coiste Fheidmheannach go ndéanfaí machnamh ar iarrtais ó Airí le caiteachas caipitil a athrangú agus é a úsáid le haghaidh acmhainní dá mbeadh fadhbanna ann i ndiaidh leithdháiltí an dréachbhuiséid.

The Executive agreed to consider requests from Ministers to reclassify capital expenditure to resource if, following the draft Budget allocations, the pressures on the resource side of the budget were particularly severe and unmanageable. In this context, I wrote to the Minister for Finance and Personnel on 14 th January requesting Executive agreement to a proposal to transfer £41 million of funding from capital to resource in 2011-12 to minimise as far as possible the impact on the level of funding directly available to schools.

A reply from the Minister for Finance and Personnel confirmed it would be important that the Executive consider the overall block position, including proposals put forward by other Ministers, before reaching decisions and that this matter would be considered by the Executive in their deliberations on the Revised Budget.

In agreeing Final Budget allocations, the Executive agreed a reclassification for education of £25 million from capital to resource next year.

Dromore Central Primary School

Mr P Givan asked the Minister of Education, given that the Department's Budget 2011-15 capital allocation has been agreed, when will the new build at Dromore Central Primary School receive approval.

(AQO 1335/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an tionscadal le haghaidh Dromore Central ag ard chéim pleánála agus tá an aighneacht le mo Roinn faoi láthair le haghaidh faomhadh agus í ag Céim D den phróiseas (agus baineann seo leis na pleananna sceitse críochnaitheacha).

The project for Dromore Central is well advanced in planning with a Stage D submission (final sketch plans) currently with my Department for approval.

While I was successful in securing an additional £65.5 million of capital funding over the four year period in the Final Budget allocation, a gap still exists between the capital funding required to fully deliver the Department’s capital programme and the amount allocated. Any investment in new builds, if at all possible, is therefore likely to be intermittent and limited until 2014-15.

The reduction in the capital allocation will require a comprehensive reassessment of how the limited capital funds available should be deployed on a strategic and prioritised basis to address the most pressing needs. I will write to schools on the IDP, including Dromore Central, to inform them of the position when this is finalised.

Independent Counselling Service for Schools

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Education whether she intends to extend the Independent Schools' Counselling Service to primary schools and to outline the estimated cost of such an extension.

(AQO 1336/11)

Minister of Education: Tá mé tiomanta do leas na bpáistí agus na ndaoine óga.

I am committed to the well-being of children and young people and I intend to roll out counselling support to pupils in primary schools to complement the service which I introduced in post primary schools in 2009.

Counselling support is currently available to primary pupils as part of the support arrangements which are put in place in response to a critical incident. The basis on which the independent counselling service will be extended more widely into the primary sector, where children are younger, raises a number of issues including:

• the role of parents in the counselling process;
• how confidentiality, which underpins the counselling process, will apply to clients of primary school age;
• the type of counselling support which is appropriate for this age group and the skills which counsellors will require; and
• the availability of suitably qualified and experienced counsellors.

I have asked my officials to bring forward an action plan over the coming weeks to address these issues, and to look at the options for the development of a suitable delivery model for a counselling service in primary settings. That work will draw on the facilities which are currently available within full service schools.

The resources that can be made available will be informed by the scrutiny of the issues, the design of the service and the timetable for roll out.

Schools: Budgets

Mr B Armstrong asked the Minister of Education when schools will be informed of their allocations under the Aggregated Schools Budget.

(AQO 1337/11)

Minister of Education: I ndiaidh an Bhuiséid Críochnaitheach do na blianta dhá mhíle is a haon déag go dtí dhá mhíle is a cúig déag bheith socraithe, is féidir liom socruithe críochnaitheacha a dhéanamh ar leithdháileadh achmhainní le haghaidh seirbhísí agus buiséid oideachais agus tá an Bhuiséad um Scoileanna Comhiomlánaithe curtha san áireamh leis sin.

Following agreement of the Final Budget 2011-15, I am now in a position to make final decisions on the allocation of resources for education services and budgets, including the Aggregated Schools Budget. These will be announced at the earliest opportunity.

DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Training for Women Network

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning whether there will be any further review of the allocation of funding from the European Social Fund to the Training for Women Network.

(AQW 5061/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Mr D Kennedy): Following the second open and competitive call for funding under the Northern Ireland European Social Fund (NIESF) Programme 2007-2013 as set out in the Operational Programme document that was agreed by the Competitiveness and Employment (C&E) Monitoring Committee in 2007, a total of 112 applications were received, seeking funding of £50 million against an ESF budget of £30 million. As a result of the unprecedented level of applications and over-subscription I was able to offer funding of 75% of that bid for to 83 projects in merit order against the available ESF budget of £30 million. This meant that it was not possible to offer funding to the Training for Women Network. While we will keep the matter under review, given that all available ESF and DEL match funding has been allocated, it is highly unlikely that any funds will become available for further allocations as the next stages of the process are completed.

European Social Funding

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the name of each women's organisation which received funding under the European Social Fund in each of the last three years; and (ii) the level of funding allocated in each case.

(AQW 5062/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: A first Call for applications to Priority 1 of the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme, 2007 -2013 was launched on 10 October 2007. Among the successful applicants, 8 Women’s organisations were selected for funding for the period 1 April 2008 – 31 March 2011. The table overleaf provides details of the Women’s organisations that were supported and the amount of funding offered.

NIESF Programme Priority 1 - 1st Call – Women’s Organisations offered funding

European Social Fund

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the number of reviews sought by organisations which did not receive funding under the European Social Fund; and (ii) how many of these reviews were successful.

(AQW 5064/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: A second Call for applications under Priority 1 of the Northern Ireland European Social Fund (NIESF) Programme 2007 -13 was launched on 23 September 2010. Unsuccessful applicants were offered the opportunity to request an appeal against the decision of the Selection Panel and to have the decision reviewed by an independent Review Panel. A total of 14 applicants requested an appeal and none were upheld by the Review Panel.

Essential Skills and Training for Success Programme

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, for each of the last three years, to detail the (i) student retention rate; and (ii) student achievement rate of (a) Essential Skills; and (b) the Training for Success Programme, broken down by further education college.

(AQW 5065/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Retention and achievement rates in the format collected by the Department are detailed overleaf for the most recent 3 years for which data are available for (a) Essential Skills and (b) Training for Success (and Jobskills).

(a) Essential Skills

(b) Jobskills/Training for Success

Source: Further Education Leavers Survey (FELS)

Notes:

1. Due to difficulties associated with obtaining data from awarding bodies it is accepted that the achievement rates quoted above are understated. Data quality issues also exist and therefore these figures are used for information purposes only.
2. Data for 09/10 are provisional and likely to change following further validation discussions with the colleges.
3. To be consistent with the data provided in the recent AQW 4931/11, the above information on Essential Skills and Jobskills/Training for Success has been sourced from the Further Education Leavers Survey, which is generated from the FE Colleges’ Management Information System.
4. The retention rate is defined as the proportion of final year students who complete their programme of study as a percentage of those who start their final year.
5. The achievement rate is defined as the proportion of final students who obtain a qualification as a percentage of final year completers.
6. Partial achievement is also included within the data (although this accounts for less than 5% of total achievements).

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mr Pól Callaghan asked e Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the implementation of the plan to decentralise public sector jobs within his Department, and its agencies, since the publication of the Bain Report.

(AQW 5122/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: There is currently no centralised programme for the location or relocation of public sector or civil service jobs.

Posts and services within the Department for Employment and Learning are already widely dispersed across Northern Ireland. Of the 2110 staff (full-time equivalent 1943) presently employed in the Department, 1068 (full-time equivalent 952) (or approximately 51%) work in 31 offices outside the greater Belfast area. Of those based in the Belfast area, 38% of staff deliver frontline services to the public, with a relatively small core providing support in Headquarters buildings. The Department has no plans to decentralise any additional jobs to centres outside Belfast.

University Tuition Fees

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the impact that a rise in university tuition fees would have on regional colleges offering collaborative courses in partnership with the University of Ulster and Queen's University, Belfast.

(AQW 5136/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Institutions offering full-time higher education courses may not charge tuition fees for full-time students above the basic level, currently £1,310, without an Access Agreement that my Department has approved and no institution may charge fees above the higher fee limit, currently £3,290, set by the Department. Aside from annual inflationary rises, the level of tuition fees cannot be increased unless the Assembly votes to do so.

Within the regulatory framework set by my Department, each University and Further Education Regional College is responsible for setting its own fees policy. Similarly, within this framework, decisions on tuition fee levels for collaborative courses are a matter for agreement between the Further Education Colleges and University consortium partners.

I have recently launched a public consultation on the future policy of tuition fees and student finance arrangements for Northern Ireland. The consultation paper seeks views on a range of issues, including both the higher and basic fee levels.

I am committed to maintaining access and continuing our record of having the best higher education participation rates in the United Kingdom for those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and I recognise that HE in FE - Higher Education in Further Education - plays a significant role in my Department’s policy in this area.

University Fees

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he can confirm that an increase in fees will not be imposed on regional colleges wishing to continue to offer courses to students who cannot afford to pay university fees and who wish to study close to home.

(AQW 5139/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Institutions offering full-time higher education courses may not charge tuition fees for full-time students above the basic level, currently £1,310, without an Access Agreement that my Department has approved and no institution may charge fees above the higher fee limit, currently £3,290, set by the Department. Each Further Education Regional College is responsible for setting its own fees policy within the overall fee limits set by the Department.

I am very much aware of the important role that the Further Education Regional Colleges play in the widening access agenda through the delivery of close to home higher education courses to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who could not otherwise consider higher education.

I have recently launched a public consultation on the future policy on tuition fees and student finance arrangements for Northern Ireland. The consultation paper seeks views on a range of issues, including both the higher and basic fee levels. Any decision to raise the current fee cap on tuition fees will require approval by the Assembly.

Additional Budget Allocation

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline how he intends to use the further £51 million that was made available to his Department in the Budget 2011-15.

(AQW 5200/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: While the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) welcomes the additional allocation of £51m, which equates to some £13m each year, it has to be seen in this larger context:-

After delivering 5% cumulative reductions in expenditure of £40m / £72m / £108m / £144m, DEL still has a shortfall in funding of £40m (Yr1) and £31m (Yr2). Despite this further allocation, there is still a substantial gap in the first two years: £28m (Yr1) and £18m (Yr2).

Precedence will be given to the £7m required annually to address existing contractual commitments on capital projects for FE Colleges and a further £1m each year to deal with the consequences of the cessation of the student rates relief scheme. Hence, there is only some £5m each year which is actually uncommitted, new money.

DEL intends to use the balance of £5m to partially address other pressures such as funding some of the costs required for Welfare Reform and continuing research and innovation in the higher and further education sectors. I would hope that this is sufficient to protect initiatives such as the Innotech centre in the South West Regional College.

UK NARIC Pilot Scheme

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning (i) for his assessment of the UK NARIC pilot scheme in the Dungannon Jobs and Benefit office and the European Employment Service office in Belfast, to provide qualification equivalents to migrants; (ii) how many people have used the service; and (iii) how long it takes for a service user to receive a result.

(AQW 5205/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: (i) There is a provision within my Department for migrants to have their qualifications, academic and vocational, mapped to UK equivalents. This is done through the United Kingdom National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC), International Comparisons databases, to which my Department subscribes. This service has been available to anyone contacting the Department since April 2002. However, in December 2010 a pilot was launched by the Department’s Employment Service in its Dungannon and EURES (Belfast) offices to provide qualifications equivalences to migrants more locally. The pilot will be reviewed after three months.

(ii) As at 7th March 2011 the number of enquiries received by EURES offices in Belfast is 77. The number of enquiries received by Dungannon is 13.

(iii) The turnaround time for response to enquires is within 15 days, though we can respond within 2-5 days provided all necessary documentation is provided. However if additional documentation/clarification from the enquirer is necessary or if referral to UK NARIC office for guidance is required, then the 15 day deadline may be exceeded.

The service can also be used by employers and I can report that enquires have been received from employers wishing to check the validity of particular qualifications presented to them by migrants seeking employment.

Interim Chairperson of the Board of Belfast Metropolitan College

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the name of the interim Chairperson of the Board of Belfast Metropolitan College; (ii) the process by which the appointment was made; and (iii) whether the interim Chairperson declared any interests in relation to the development of the Titanic Quarter.

(AQW 5274/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Mr Peter McNaney was the Interim Chair of the Governing Body of Belfast Metropolitan College from 28 October 2008 to 31 August 2010. Following the resignation of the previous Chair, with immediate effect, Mr McNaney was appointed under emergency procedures that had been agreed with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.

Mr McNaney is not recorded as having declared any interests in relation to the development of the Titanic Quarter.

Former Deputy Director of Business Services at Belfast Metropolitan College

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning whether the former Deputy Director of Business Services at Belfast Metropolitan College expressed concerns to the Department about the affordability of the Titanic Quarter building project for the College; and if so, what action did the Department take in response to these concerns.

(AQW 5278/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: On the 9 March 2009 the Governing Body of Belfast Metropolitan College unanimously approved the Titanic Quarter project and it was agreed that my Department’s approval should be sought to sign the contract.

On the 21 May 2009, in the course of a meeting with a Departmental official, the former Deputy Director of Business Services of Belfast Metropolitan College expressed concerns about the affordability of the Titanic Quarter project.

These concerns were immediately relayed to the Interim Director of Belfast Metropolitan College, who was asked for reassurance that the financial projections supplied previously were both realistic and achievable. These assurances were given. Belfast Metropolitan College remain firmly of the view that this project is affordable and that it is the value for money option to address its accommodation issues.

Gateway Review Recommendations

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning whether his Department received a Gateway Review in 2008 which expressed concerns about the affordability of the Titanic Quarter building project for Belfast Metropolitan College and the sustainability of student numbers; and whether the Gateway Review recommended that a full review of the business case should be conducted.

(AQW 5293/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The Gateway Review carried out in 2008 made six recommendations. Two of the recommendations were given the status Red (take action immediately) and the other four recommendations were given the status Amber (take action within an agreed timetable).

One of the Red recommendations referred to "a complete refresh" of the Full Business Case (FBC) to cost the option of remaining on the existing sites. As this exercise had been completed previously in the Outline Business Case, a document that the Gateway Team had not reviewed fully, the information was already to hand. The cost information in the OBC was reviewed and updated without the requirement for a costly refresh of the FBC. Affordability was also raised in this recommendation and this was addressed by the College prior to its Governing Body approving the FBC and seeking Departmental approval to sign the contract at April 2009. Sustainability of student numbers was not raised in the report.

All other recommendations in the Gateway Review were addressed prior to contract signing.

Adult Education Services

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Employment and Learning (i) when the results of the questionnaire into adult education will be published; (ii) for his assessment of whether the funding awarded to the Belfast Metropolitan College was the most appropriate use of funds, given that most of this work was carried out in Neighbourhood Renewal areas; and (iii) how he will ensure that future funding for adult education services and support will include the community sector in the delivery of vital services and skills.

(AQW 5298/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department expects that the research project recently commissioned to explore adult perceptions and attitudes to participation in Further Education to be formally published in May 2011.

The Department is currently providing funding to each of the six Further Education College under the Learner Access and Engagement pilot programme. This funding allows Colleges to contract with third party organisations for the delivery of additional to support for hard to reach adult learners who enrol on economically focused courses. This three year pilot programme was introduced to encourage effective collaboration between the statutory and non statutory sectors and reduce the potential for a duplication of services. Belfast Metropolitan College has contracted with a consortium of four voluntary and community groups, representing the north, south, east and west of the city, to provide learner support for adults enrolling on the College’s Essential Skills provision. This three year pilot programme, which is currently being evaluated, operates across all areas of Belfast, including designated Neighbourhood Renewal areas.

My Department recognises the benefits to be derived by Colleges entering into partnerships with third parties, including community groups and charities. Further Education Colleges are committed to working with the community and voluntary sector to widen access and increase participation in further education through their wide range of provision on offer at their various campuses and network of community outreach centres.

Northern Regional College, Larne

Mr S Neeson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if his Department has any plans for the future of the Northern Regional College in Larne.

(AQO 1344/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The Northern Regional College has developed a Business Improvement Plan which considers all key elements of its operations, and has identified difficulties in maintaining the viability of the Larne campus. These concerns have arisen as a result of a reduction in the demand for part time courses which was the primary reason for the current accommodation being provided.

In response, my Department has asked the College to prepare a business case in order to identify the best value for money option for delivering further education provision in Larne.

It is important to note that each college will deliver its curriculum through a network of community outreach centres as well as their own estate, and the Northern Regional College continues to be committed to the long term provision of further education in Larne.

Adult Apprenticeships

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the future of adult apprenticeships.

(AQO 1345/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I am pleased that I have been able to identify funding to ensure that adult apprenticeships are offered in either Priority Skill areas and/ or at Level 3 only.

I understand from the Press that the Chancellor of the Exchequer in today’s Budget is going to give more money to apprenticeships.

Given the importance of apprenticeships to the Northern Ireland economy I would strongly endorse the Barnett consequentials of this Budget decision being allocated in full to apprenticeships.

The final decision as to which option to adopt will be made once the Statutory Equality Impact Assessment requirements have been undertaken. There is no change to the funding arrangements for apprentices aged 16-24.

I can assure the House that even in difficult times the training of apprentices remains central to my department’s response to the economic recovery and development of Northern Ireland.

Students: Employability Certificates

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of whether the introduction of an employability certificate for all students in further and higher education would be an economic benefit.

(AQO 1346/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: During my most recent visit to North Carolina, I was impressed by the work done there on the introduction of an employability certificate for high school students aged 14 - 17.

Ensuring that young people leave education and training with the essential skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT as well as the employability skills of flexibility, team working and adaptability is a priority for me.

As part of FE Means Business, the Department worked with colleges to ensure that all full-time 16-19 year olds entering a Further Education college have agreed a programme of learning and qualifications on the Qualifications and Credit Framework to develop essential and employability skills.

Also, from September 2011, in addition to vocational qualifications and Essential Skills all young people following Training for Success programmes will undertake regulated qualifications in employability.

In higher education, both the Queen’s University of Belfast and the University of Ulster recognise the importance of developing students’ employability skills within their degree courses. Skills and experience gained through extra-curricular activities are also becoming formally recognised through programmes such as Queen’s Degree Plus and the development of the Higher Education Achievement Report, a UK-wide initiative.

Building on this good progress across all sectors, I am pleased to announce that I have asked my officials to establish a Working Group, involving business and other key stakeholders to examine what further could be done to improve employability among our young people and to consider how this could be certified.

South Eastern Regional College, Lisburn

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the construction of a car park for the South Eastern Regional College in Lisburn.

(AQO 1347/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The South Eastern Regional College’s car park in Lisburn, which is part of its Public Private Partnership contract, is on schedule to be completed by the 9th May 2011 target date.

I will ask the Principal of the college to write to the Member with an update.

Budget 2011-15

Mr A Ross asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the impact that the additional resources allocated in the Budget will have on his Department.

(AQO 1348/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I am on record, from early January, as stating that my Department faces significant inescapable pressures across the 4 year Budget period, with shortfalls of £40m, £31m in the first two years. While I welcome these additional allocations, which equate to some £13m each year, they have to be seen in this larger context.

Unfortunately, as the Finance Minister knows, £7m is needed annually to address existing contractual commitments on capital projects for Further Education Colleges and a further £1m each year to deal with the consequences of the Department of Finance and Personnel’s cessation of the student rates relief scheme. Hence, there is only some £5m each year which is actually uncommitted, new money.

I intend to use the balance of £5m to partially address other pressures such as funding some of the costs required for Welfare Reform and continuing research and innovation in the higher and further education sectors. I would hope that this is sufficient to protect initiatives such as the Innotech and STEM centres in the South West Regional College.

Belfast Metropolitan College: Titanic Quarter

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning which developer was awarded the contract to build the new Belfast Metropolitan College building in the Titanic Quarter; and the value of the contract awarded.

(AQO 1349/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The private sector consortium that is delivering and will be responsible for the operation of Belfast Metropolitan College's Titanic Quarter campus comprises the following companies:

• Special Purpose Vehicle: Ivywood Colleges Ltd, (a subsidiary company within the Titanic Quarter group);
• Designers: Todds Architects;
• Construction company: Pattons Ltd;
• Funder: Ulster Bank; and
• Facilities Management: Amey Ltd.

The estimated capital value of the contract is £44m. However, as the project is a Public Private Partnership it will be paid over the 25 year life span of the contract by means of the Unitary Charge. This charge will not only cover the design and construction of the building but also cover the costs of all elements of running the building for 25 years including, for example, general and life cycle maintenance, cleaning, security, caretaking, and insurance.

Apprenticeships

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the importance of providing funding for apprenticeships to ensure that the young workforce is well prepared for a future economic upturn.

(AQO 1350/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I am determined to protect apprenticeship funding for those aged 16-24 to ensure future career opportunities for young people are a priority.

Apprenticeships offer a valuable option for young people to gain skills and knowledge in order to prepare them for working life and for a career.

Apprentices who complete their training under the ApprenticeshipsNI programme will be recognised as qualified persons within their chosen industry. This will provide them with an advantage in competing for job opportunities now and in the future.

European Social Fund

Mr M Brady asked the Minister for Employment and Learning whether his Department intends to fund the projects which were unsuccessful in bidding under the European Social Fund.

(AQO 1351/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: All available European Social Fund (ESF) monies and DEL Match funding under the second call for ESF Priority 1 have been allocated to 83 successful projects. On this basis I am not in a position to provide any additional ESF funding.

Furthermore, my Department’s budget has been fully allocated over the incoming budget period for mainstream activities and I have no plans to support ESF Projects that did not secure funding in the second ESF call, where a total of £50 million was bid for by all applications against an available budget of £30 million.

Young People not in Education, Employment or Training

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what action his Department has taken following the Committee for Employment and Learning's report on its Inquiry into Young People not in Education, Employment or Training.

(AQO 1352/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department continues to provide a range of key services aimed at supporting and enabling young people to continue in or progress into education, employment or training.

The 41 recommendations of the Employment and Learning Committee’s Report, many of which relate to the activities of other Departments, are being actively considered within my Department’s work to develop a cross Departmental strategic approach to this issue. Since the Executive gave its approval to this work in July 2010, my Department’s officials have been working with the principal service delivery Departments and work has also been ongoing with the voluntary and community sector through a forum developed by Barnardos, with whom a pre-consultation seminar was held on 27 January. This work, together with my Department’s earlier Scoping Study and the Committee Report have all helped to inform the development of a draft high level consultation document which I brought to the Executive Meeting on 10 March. The Executive gave approval to proceed to full consultation. I am pleased to inform the member that I will launch the consultation to-morrow, 24th March, and it will be open until 30th June.

A NEET strategy must be based on structures that firmly cement partnership, co-operation and co-ordination between Executive Departments and other agencies and stakeholders. With all the combined good practice, experience and goodwill I am confident that we will make a difference to the lives of those young people who are most at risk of disengaging or remaining disengaged from education, employment or training.

DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Anaerobic Digestion Plants

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether the same level of grant support could be offered to farming co-operatives who wish to build Anaerobic Digestion plants for the disposal of poultry litter as an alternative to the proposed Lough Neagh Incinerator, thus safeguarding the future of the poultry industry and supporting farmers who invest in renewable energy projects.

(AQW 5018/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster): In terms of assistance with the installation of Anaerobic Digestion Plants in farming co-operatives, the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) is my Department’s main mechanism for incentivising renewable electricity generation. The NIRO is not a grant, but instead places an obligation on electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of electricity from renewable sources. Once accredited under the NIRO, a generating station, which could be operated by a farming co-operative, would receive Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) for the electricity generated which can then be sold to electricity suppliers. Electricity generated from gas formed by the anaerobic digestion of biomass is eligible to claim ROCs.

In respect of the proposed waste to energy plant at Lough Neagh, no financial assistance has been offered to this project to date and it is currently subject to an ongoing due diligence process.

Social Clause Requirements

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (i) the social clause requirements in her Department's capital or current spend projects, including (a) the creation of apprenticeships; and (b) the employment of long-term unemployed persons; and (ii) any proposals her Department has to expand such opportunities.

(AQW 5028/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: (i) DETI and its Arm Length Bodies work with Central Procurement Directorate (CPD), which is the Departments Centre of Procurement Expertise, to include social clauses within appropriate construction contracts. The Social Clause requirements for new construction contracts from December 2008 aims to encourage the economically inactive back into the work place and encourage training and skills development to build a sustainable construction industry. These proposals include a requirement that the main contractor recruits:

(a) one apprentice, either directly or through the supply chain, for each £2m of project value.

(b) one long-term unemployed person, either directly or through the supply chain, for each £5m of project value.

Contracting authorities have flexibility in setting their targets and therefore the discretion, depending upon the scope and nature of the project, to adjust the targets to reflect particular social or economic circumstances in relation to a specific project.

When offering employment related support towards job creation projects, Invest NI’s letters of offer to clients based in disadvantaged areas routinely require grant recipients to use all reasonable endeavours to recruit at least 10% of new employees from the unemployed using established government programmes when appropriate.

(ii) The current targets are a baseline position and a reflection of the relatively buoyant state of the construction market at the time of their development. A task Group of the Construction Industry Forum for Northern Ireland (CIFNI) has been commissioned to identify key areas where further detailed work is required to refine the current measures in light of experience to date and the changing economic environment.

Refined proposals currently being considered include:

• Apprentices

5% of the contracting team’s workforce are employed on formally recognised paid apprenticeships.

(The contracting team consists of the contractor and first tier subcontractors.)

• Unemployed

For every £0.5m of labour value the contractor would provide 26 person weeks of employment opportunities through DEL Steps to Work or equivalent.

• Student Work Placements (a new requirement)

The Contractor would provide employment opportunities for student(s) on a University or Further Education College construction related course (40 person weeks minimum placement).

One student placement to be included in contracts with a labour value of £2m to £5m; and two student placements for contracts with a labour value of greater than £5m.

CPD is working with DEL to consider how the revised proposals integrate with wider Government programmes for employment and training. It is anticipated that once the revised targets have been agreed they will be piloted in construction contracts early in the new financial year.

CPD is also working to take forward a number of pilots aimed at integrating social clauses within supplies and services contracts.

Board of the Presbyterian Mutual Society

Mr A Maginness asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, pursuant to AQW 4307/11, excluding the representations stated, whether there were any other representations or enquiries made by a third party in relation to proposed disqualification proceedings on behalf of any former director of the Presbyterian Mutual Society.

(AQW 5103/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Representations were made by directors and by third parties on behalf of directors before proceedings were issued.

As previously stated in AQW 4307/11 the Department gave due consideration to all representations made.

Project Kelvin Initiative

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the benefits for businesses on the North Coast and the North West region as a result of the Project Kelvin initiative.

(AQW 5178/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Project Kelvin provides businesses on the North Coast, the North West region and across Northern Ireland, for the first time, with a direct international telecommunications link. Furthermore, under the terms of the Project contract, the latency, resilience and cost of this international connectivity is guaranteed until 2018.

This means that businesses throughout Northern Ireland now have access to the same international telecoms services found in major cities like Amsterdam and New York. This enables them to compete in global export markets and provides increased opportunities to sell goods and services overseas.

In addition, Project Kelvin facilitates new opportunities for inward investment in sectors such as financial services and TV/film post production.

Small and Medium-Sized Business Sector

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what action has been taken to improve the IT skills of those in the small and medium-sized business sector.

(AQW 5179/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Invest NI has made significant investment in skills development through its Business Improvement Training programme.

The support is not subject specific but focuses on business growth. It provides assistance to businesses to help them develop the skills of their staff in line with business objectives, making them ultimately more competitive.

Invest NI continues to work closely with the Department for Employment and Learning and the relevant sector skills council, e-Skills UK, to ensure there is an adequate supply of suitably skilled IT professionals to meet the future demand from the SME sector. 

NI’s ability to provide a flexible and motivated workforce and focus training on the needs of industry is vital to maintaining our global competitiveness. Some specific examples of action taken to improve the IT skills within existing employers include the Microsoft Professional Course and the .NET course which has been developed in conjunction with Belfast Metropolitan College.

Since 2008, Invest NI has offered £13m support SMEs in developing the skills of their workforce.

Small and Medium-Sized Business Sector

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for an update on the current business outlook for small and medium-sized businesses.

(AQW 5180/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: While forecasts are not undertaken by business size in Northern Ireland, the local economy is forecast to grow at 1.5% during 2011. However, given the increased input costs and reduced export sales to the Republic of Ireland it is likely to be a difficult year for many businesses, not least SMEs. However, while it is undoubtedly a challenging environment, opportunities do exist – particularly for businesses willing to export to emerging markets such as India and China.

In addition, Invest NI continues to provide a range of support for SMEs in all stages of their development. For example, some programmes are targeted at particular areas such as the Growth Accelerator programme which helps SMEs to grow through exporting, while assistance is also available for strategy and people development and R&D.

SMEs, in particular, have recently raised the issue of access to finance. My department continues to put pressure on local banks to lend, making use of schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme when appropriate.

Rising Cost of Fuel

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether any business groups have made representations to her in relation to the escalating cost of fuel and its effect on overheads and profitability.

(AQW 5181/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I am acutely aware of the impact of rising fuel costs and the pressure this places on local businesses with, for example, the cost of unleaded petrol increasing by 15% over the last year and with diesel up by 18%. Not only does Northern Ireland have the highest fuel costs of the UK regions but we are very reliant on imported fuel while the cost of crude oil continues to drive prices upwards.

I have received a number of representations, in particular regarding the Fuel Price Stabiliser, which the government announced as part of the June Budget last year. I raised this with the Minister for Finance and Personnel, following which, he wrote to the Exchequer Secretary to highlight the additional constraint that the recent rises in petrol and diesel are having on the Northern Ireland economy. This issue was also raised at a Ministerial meeting in early February with HM Treasury. We await further developments on the fuel price stabiliser in the national Budget.

Fuel Duty Stabilizer

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether an assessment has been made of the effect a fuel duty stabilizer might have on the ability of businesses to cope with the current recession.

(AQW 5182/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: A Fair Fuel stabiliser is a measure which reduces fuel duty when oil prices rise, and vice versa. Although potentially complex to administer it was announced in the June 2010 Budget to avoid the current situation where rising crude oil prices and government duty have a double impact on the road user and is designed to provide a smoother transition to higher or lower prices.

The introduction of a Fair Fuel Stabiliser could positively impact on business as it could provide greater stability and certainty regarding underlying fuel costs. The measure could also benefit consumers by supporting motorists during these challenging times as the cost of living and motoring rises – helping reduce uncertainty regarding the cost of motoring which in turn might help bolster consumer confidence.

The concept of a Fuel Stabiliser would certainly be welcome in the current economic climate given the recent surge in crude oil prices and the resultant inflationary effects. However, I will be in a better position to assess its potential impact once the details of any proposed scheme are announced.

Exploratory Drilling

Mr G McHugh asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the findings of exploratory drilling that has been carried out on and off shore, in particular in the border areas to date.

(AQW 5267/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Fifteen petroleum (oil and gas) exploration wells have been drilled in Northern Ireland since 1964 and, although no production has resulted from these, significant oil and gas shows have been recorded. Nine of these wells were located in the southwest (Co. Fermanagh and south Co. Tyrone) and six in the ‘concealed’ sedimentary basins (Rathlin, Larne and Lough Neagh basins) in the northeast of Northern Ireland. All but one of the wells in the southwest had gas shows but failed to produce commercial quantities of gas to the surface when tested because of the poor quality of the Carboniferous reservoir sandstones. Only minor indications of oil and gas have been recorded from the Permo-Triassic sandstones targeted by the wells in the northeast basins. However, the 2008 Ballinlea No. 1 well, in north Co. Antrim, drilled down to the deeper Carboniferous strata and encountered a number of oil and gas shows. Two of the oil-bearing intervals were tested and some oil was recovered.

Following the introduction of new petroleum legislation in 2010, DETI expects to grant at least four new petroleum licences in 2011 leading to renewed exploration in Fermanagh, the Rathlin and the Larne-Lough Neagh basins.

Offshore petroleum drilling is the responsibility of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Mining for minerals in Northern Ireland has taken place for many years. In the late twentieth century exploration drilling led to the discovery of potentially economic deposits of precious and base metals (the Sperrin Mountains, south Co. Armagh), lignite (Crumlin, Ballymoney and Coagh) and industrial minerals such as salt (Carrickfergus) and perlite (Tardree).

Recent exploration drilling has focussed on the gold deposits at Cavanacaw (near Omagh), Curraghinalt (near Gortin) and Clay Lake (near Keady). The 2004-2006 Tellus geophysical and airborne geochemical surveys of Northern Ireland revealed new exploration targets, and recent Mineral Prospecting Licences have been issued for the exploration of Platinum Group minerals and other critical metals. Drilling has taken place on the Antrim Plateau but the results remain confidential. Most of the occurrences of industrial minerals are minor but salt is worked at Kilroot, near Carrickfergus, and drilling has been used to delineate possible extensions to the current mine workings.

Titanic Signature Project

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline any concerns her Department has in relation to the quality of the surrounding infrastructure of the Titanic Signature Project.

(AQW 5268/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The Titanic Signature Project is on track to be completed by April 2012. However some concerns have been raised about the quality of some of the surrounding infrastructure. These concerns arising from the current economic downturn have been raised at an early stage which gives us time to work with all interested parties to ensure that they are addressed. Discussions and assurances received to date give me confidence that the Titanic Signature Project and its surroundings will be ready by April 2012.

Presbyterian Mutual Society

Ms M Ritchie asked e Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment when he will bring forward legislation to give statutory effect to the financial relief package for the Presbyterian Mutual Society.

(AQW 5306/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I plan to introduce appropriate legislation as soon as practically possible.

Rise in Air Passenger Duty

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether she has had any discussions with Continental Airlines or HM Treasury in relation to the rise in air passenger duty.

(AQW 5317/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I am fully aware of the potentially serious implications for Northern Ireland of any increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD). I have discussed this matter with Mr Bob Schumacher, Continental Airlines’ Senior Director UK & Ireland, and with Mr Barry Jackson, Continental Airlines’ Northern Ireland Sales Manager. I am also aware that the First Minister and deputy First Minister have corresponded with Mr Jeff Smisek, President and CEO United Continental Holdings about the issue. I have also received correspondence on the issue from the Chief Executive of Belfast International Airport with who I have also discussed the issue.

I have discussed APD with Executive colleagues and Mr Sammy Wilson, Finance Minister, and I have raised this issue with Ministers from HM Treasury. In addition, my officials have had several meetings about APD with colleagues in HM Treasury and remain in close contact.

Business Start-Ups: East Belfast

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the number of business start-ups in East Belfast (i) as a result of the Go For It Programme; and (ii) which have benefited from the Young Enterprise Programme.

(AQW 5341/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: In the financial year 09/10 102 businesses started up in East Belfast, with 144 new start ups in the financial year to date (28 February 2011).

In terms of participation on the Go For It Programme, 88 participants from East Belfast completed a business plan in 09/10 and 188 in the year to 28 February 2011.

Within the Youth Enterprise Programme, which has been operational since 1 December 2010, there are 31 registered users from East Belfast.

Titanic: 100th Anniversary

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for an update on the programme of events arranged to mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic in 2012.

(AQO 1359/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: My department and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) are very excited by the opportunities presented by a number of events and anniversaries in 2012, including among others, the Titanic centenary, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 50th Belfast Festival at Queens. This is a unique opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland internationally.

We are proactively working with key stakeholders to harness this potential, and have developed a programme of Tier 1 international-scale events for 2012 as part of the activity driven by a Steering Group specially established to identify and drive forward all opportunities. This will include a Titanic Festival which will showcase Belfast and Northern Ireland as the home of Titanic to the world.

A number of organisations have also proposed holding Tier 2 events to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic on 14-15th April 2012. NITB, along with Belfast City Council and others, are working to review event proposals in order to promote a cohesive events programme, while also taking account of the funding available.

Investment: West Belfast

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what steps her Department is taking to ensure that inward investment and job opportunities in the West Belfast constituency will help achieve parity with other areas of Belfast.

(AQO 1360/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Inward investment plays a significant role in supporting the Executive’s ambition of building a dynamic and innovative private sector and creating job opportunities for our people.

Invest NI encourages potential investors to consider a variety of potential locations within Northern Ireland however, it is important to emphasise that it is the investor’s decision to select a business location. This is based on a number of factors, including availability of skills and workforce, transport links and availability of suitable property. And, in the case of existing clients, most will choose to expand in their current location.

Investment in Belfast, particularly inward investment, tends to be concentrated within a three mile radius of the city centre, and in all the Belfast constituencies the majority of people actually work outside the area where they live. Therefore it is appropriate to say that investment in the greater Belfast area will benefit all of the Belfast constituencies, including West Belfast.

Business: Insolvency

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what plans she has to assist smaller businesses that are being affected by large firms going into insolvency.

(AQO 1361/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Those SMEs which qualify for full Invest NI support have access to an extensive Business Development Solutions portfolio consisting of professional advice, financial assistance and non-financial support across a range of key areas including strategy development, people development, R&D and Exporting.

SMEs in the wider business base can also benefit from many of Invest NI’s programmes and services including export development programmes, energy and environmental efficiency support, comprehensive business information services and information and communications technology support.

In addition, Invest NI's information website, nibusinessinfo.co.uk, provides free access to over 5,000 pages of key information, advice, funding and training and the agency also offers access to comprehensive databases, directories and specialised business and global market information.

Invest NI

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the impact that a reduction in funding for Invest NI might have on inward investment.

(AQO 1362/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I fully recognise the importance of Foreign Direct Investment in helping to build a more dynamic and innovative private sector in Northern Ireland.

I remain encouraged by the interest that is being shown by potential investors in Northern Ireland and Invest NI is continuing to actively pursue all available inward investment opportunities and I am confident that the many strengths we offer will enable us to continue to secure high quality foreign-owned investment.

Following the Executive’s final agreement of the Budget, I have been able to reallocate an additional £4 million to Invest NI for the forthcoming financial year which will allow the agency to deliver on the full potential of its pipeline of opportunity and will contribute towards the promotion of an additional 2,500 new jobs.

Corporation Tax and Enterprise Zone

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for an update on the proposals to reduce corporation tax and to implement an enterprise zone in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 1363/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The coalition government announced in their June 2010 Budget that they would publish a consultation paper on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy. The consultation will examine proposals such as changes in our corporation tax rate, the prospect of enterprise zones as well as other measures that have the potential to stimulate growth in our economy.

I, along with some Executive colleagues, have been working increasing closely with the Coalition Government in preparing the consultation. Clearly this consultation will be a useful first step to an informed debate around the merits of the NI Executive taking additional powers regarding corporate taxes. As a result, we look forward to its publication and gauging the public appetite for potentially far reaching proposals to grow our economy.

Fuel Duty

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what discussions she has had with the UK Government in relation to the benefits of a fuel duty stabiliser for businesses.

(AQO 1364/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: This is an issue I discussed with the Finance Minister – he subsequently wrote to the Exchequer Secretary to highlight the additional strain that the recent rises in petrol and diesel are having on the Northern Ireland economy. This issue was also raised at a Ministerial meeting in early February with HM Treasury.

I am pleased to note that this afternoons Budget included an announcement on a variant of the Fair Fuel Stabiliser, which called a halt to planned rises above inflation and will lead to a reduction in fuel duty – all funded by additional levies on the profits from oil production.

Internet: North Down

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what percentage of the cabinets in the North Down constituency has been upgraded with fibre to the cabinet by BT.

(AQO 1365/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The North Down Constituency is served predominantly by the 5 telephone exchanges at Holywood, Bangor, Donaghadee, Millisle, and Helen’s Bay. Some areas of the constituency are served by the 2 exchanges at Stormont and Newtownards. Across the 5 main exchange areas serving the constituency 62% of cabinets have been upgraded to date. Across all 7 exchange areas 51% of cabinets have been upgraded so far. Based on current plans it is estimated that 85% of cabinets across the 7 exchanges will be upgraded by this time next year.

Agrifood

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment when the recommendations of the All-Island Agri-Food Study carried out by InterTrade Ireland will be implemented.

(AQO 1366/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The Agri-Food study is not complete and has not been published. I disagree with some of the recommendations and believe that the report should be re-drafted before it is published.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Planning Application by Tesco for the Outlet Centre at Banbridge

Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister of the Environment when he expects a decision to be made on the planning application by Tesco for the Outlet Centre at Banbridge.

(AQW 5045/11)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): I am presently considering a report and recommendation from my officials in relation to this application and intend to make my decision on the matter within a couple of days. In accordance with normal practice I will notify the Speaker, the Chair of the Environment Committee and Members of the Assembly of my decision in due course.

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mr Pól Callaghan asked e Minister of the Environment for an update on the implementation of the plan to decentralise public sector jobs within his Department, and its agencies, since the publication of the Bain Report.

(AQW 5123/11)

Minister of the Environment: The Minister for Finance and Personnel has set out his position on the Bain Report into the Review of Policy on the Location of Public Sector Jobs on a number of occasions. The Minister has indicated that in the current financial climate and in light of the spending pressures facing all departments spending £40 million on relocating public sector jobs is not affordable at present.

Individual public bodies, departments and Ministers can of course consider the relocation of public sector facilities and jobs subject to the normal requirements of business need, value for money and affordability.

The Department of the Environment and its agencies do not have any plans at present to relocate jobs to other locations.

Sixmilewater River: Sampling

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) who has responsibility for the sampling of the Sixmilewater River; (ii) how often the River is sampled; (iii) the acceptable level of pollutants in the River; (iv) the sites at which the sampling is carried out; and (v) if his Department would consider supplying Ballynure Angling Club with the findings of the samples.

(AQW 5222/11)

Minister of the Environment: (i) Statutory water quality monitoring of the Sixmilewater River is the responsibility of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. This function is carried out by the Water Management Unit of Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

(ii) Routine chemical monitoring is carried out on a monthly basis for a variety of general chemical quality elements including pH, Ammonia and Dissolved Oxygen at the two stations marked with an asterisk set out under paragraph (iv) below. The other stations are monitored on a rolling programme of monthly sampling for two years in every six. In addition, there is a further rolling programme at the asterisked stations of monthly sampling for one year in every six for substances defined by the Water Framework Directive as specific pollutants and priority substances. This includes trace organic compounds and metals.

Routine biological water quality sampling is carried out, usually in spring and autumn, for macro-invertebrates (aquatic insects) yearly at the two asterisked stations. An additional station, on the Blackwater at Park Road Bridge is monitored for investigative purposes each year. The other stations are monitored on a rolling programme of two years in six.

Macrophytes (aquatic plants) are programmed for sampling at all stations once every three years and phytobenthos (diatoms) between three and six times over a six year period. Fish monitoring programmes are carried out by the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) via a Service Level Agreement contract at the asterisked stations once every three years.

(iii) The environmental quality standards for rivers are contained in The Water Framework Directive (Priority Substances and Classification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011 which is accessible via the following link:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2011/10/contents/made

(iv) Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) carries out water quality sampling at approximately 500 river sites for chemical analysis and 460 river sites for biological analysis across Northern Ireland.

In the Sixmilewater the locations of the monitoring stations are as follows:

(v) All Water Management Unit river monitoring data is freely available on request. Alternatively, it can be accessed via: waterinfo@doeni.gov.uk.

Downpatrick Divisional Planning Office

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of the Environment what is the current waiting time for a planning application to be allocated to a case officer in the Downpatrick Divisional Planning Office; and how he intends to address any delays.

(AQW 5265/11)

Minister of the Environment: Applications are allocated to the named case officers by the SPTO within 3 days of validation. Staff have a target of 6 days to get the application to validation stage. Delays occurred during December and January due to the introduction of a new IT system and a reduction in staffing levels associated with the general decline in the number of planning applications being received.

These problems have been experienced in other planning divisions as well as Downpatrick.

To overcome the difficulties, staff in Downpatrick, continue to be used flexibly between duties to reduce delays.

Historic Buildings Grant Scheme

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister of the Environment, in light of the recent budget allocations, whether the suspension on new applications to the Historic Buildings Grant Scheme will be lifted in April 2011; and whether the scheme will be reinstated in full.

(AQW 5286/11)

Minister of the Environment: Following final Budget decisions by the Executive and Assembly, my Department is now revising our spending plans for next year in the light of our available resources. This includes a review of the suspension on processing new applications for Grant-Aid to listed historic buildings. It will only be when that internal exercise is complete, after the turn of the financial year, that the budget for Grant-Aid including the accumulated spend in 2010/2011 plus the remaining commitments – and, as a result, what remains available for allocation in 2011/12 – will be known.

As a result it would be premature – at this time – to say whether or not the suspension will be lifted then, and whether or not the scheme will be reinstated in full.

High Hedges Bill

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of the Environment, in light of the passage of the High Hedges Bill through the Assembly, when residents will be able to seek enforcement from local councils.

(AQW 5312/11)

Minister of the Environment: The High Hedges Bill completed Final Stage in the Assembly on 15 March 2011 and is now progressing towards Royal Assent.

The Assembly amended the Bill to require the Department to introduce subordinate legislation to limit the maximum level of fee a complainant should pay and to allow for the transfer of the fee to the hedge owner.

Therefore the legislation cannot commence until all the necessary subordinate legislation is on the statute book. As this will be for the Department to take forward when the new Assembly is in place it is not possible to be specific about timing. However I hope this can happen quickly and I have asked officials to take forward work on the planned subordinate legislation in the interim.

Local councils will only be empowered to deal with complaints once the legislation has been commenced.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

Number of Staff Employed in each Department

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many casual or agency staff are currently employed in each Department; and what is the longest length of service of staff currently in a temporary post.

(AQW 3858/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): The number of casual or agency staff employed in each Department and the longest length of service of staff currently in a temporary post are set out in the attached table.

The number of Casual or Agency Staff employed in each Department and the longest length of service of staff currently employed in a temporary post at 1 February 2011

NOTES:

+ Information at 2 February 2011

*In addition to the details provided, DOE has an on call contract with Grafton Recruitment for up to 9 Technical Grade 1 staff to provide vehicle test cover to ensure continuity in relation to vehicle tests in the event of staff shortages.

^ Information at 31 December 2010

Number of Staff Employed in each Department

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many casual or agency staff are currently employed in each Department; and what is the longest length of service of staff currently in a temporary post.

(AQW 3858/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of casual or agency staff employed in each Department and the longest length of service of staff currently in a temporary post are set out in the attached table.

The number of Casual or Agency Staff employed in each Department and the longest length of service of staff currently employed in a temporary post at 1 February 2011

NOTES:

+ Information at 2 February 2011

*In addition to the details provided, DOE has an on call contract with Grafton Recruitment for up to 9 Technical Grade 1 staff to provide vehicle test cover to ensure continuity in relation to vehicle tests in the event of staff shortages.

^ Information at 31 December 2010

Departmental Staff: Deputising

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many staff in each Deprtment are currently deputising at a higher grade; and how long each has been deputising.

(AQW 3859/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of staff in each Department currently deputising at a higher grade and the durations are set out on the attached table. For the purposes of this question, deputising has been regarded as meaning both deputising and temporary promotion. Deputising is a short-term arrangement of less than one month, for example, to cover sick absence or annual leave, while temporary promotion is a longer-term arrangement, of more than one month, to cover, for example, maternity leave or a specific project.

NICS STAFF IN EACH DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY DEPUTISING/TEMPORARY PROMOTED TO A HIGHER GRADE AND DURATION AS AT JANUARY 2011

Notes

* figure includes 66 staff (at 31 December 2010) who were deputising at a higher grade for periods of less than 1 month.

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many jobs in each Department will be decentralised to centres outside Belfast over the next three years.

(AQW 4390/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The information requested is set out in the attached table.

Summary of Departmental Responses: Numbers of jobs to be decentralised to centres outside Belfast over the next 3 years (2011/12 to 2013/14)

NB. For the purpose of this question ‘Belfast’ was defined as the area covered by the four Belfast parliamentary constituencies.

Agency Staff Employed in each Department and their Arm's-Length Bodies

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the current (i) number; (ii) grade; and (iii) salaries of agency staff employed in each Department and their arm's-length bodies.

(AQW 4801/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of agency staff employed in each NI Civil Service Department is broken down by grade in the attached tables The figures shown are as of 1 February 2011 except for DOE which shows figures as of 1 March 2011.

As Contractors’ rates are commercially sensitive, the rates payable have not been provided.

*Information on grades of agency staff in FE Colleges has not been included as the grading structure is inconsistent across the Sector.

*DHSSPS Trusts - The Health and Social Care Trusts do not have the information requested on agency staff employed readily available and this could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Civil Service Staff

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of Civil Service staff in each Department who are (i) waiting to return to work following a career break; and (ii) waiting to return from a career break, having been waiting longer than a year to be posted.

(AQW 5209/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The information requested is provided in the attached table. The figures presented (up to and including 10 March 2011) include NI Government departments and their Executive Agencies.

Civil Service Staff

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of Civil Service staff in each Department who have been posted in the last two years following a career break.

(AQW 5211/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The information requested is provided in the attached table. The figures presented (up to and including 10 March 2011) include NI Government departments and their Executive Agencies.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Temporary Posts

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of temporary posts currently filled in (i) each Health and Social Care Trust; and (ii) the Regional Health Board; and how many of these posts have been filled for (a) more than 2 years; (b) more than 5 years; and (iii) in excess of 8 years.

(AQW 1244/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey): The information requested is given in the table below.

Number of Temporary Staff in post by Trust

Source: NI HSC Trusts and NI HSC Board

Notes:

• HC = Headcount
• WTE = Whole-time Equivalent
• The current figure for Northern Trust is at 31 July 2010 and the current figure for Southern Trust is at 31 August 2010.
• Figures exclude staff employed on “as and when” contracts, rotational doctors, and student trainees.
• Figures include significant numbers of staff who are funded on a limited time basis by outside organisations such as research charities, and in Social Care such as SureStart. Figures also include staff holding permanent contracts seconded to posts on a temporary basis.
• Length of service has been used to indicate the length of time each staff member has been temporary. It is possible however that some staff will have moved from bank to temporary posts, or from permanent to temporary posts, or from one temporary post to another, and therefore the length of time indicated may be over-estimated.

Formal Complaints Received by Health and Social Care Trusts

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many formal complaints have been submitted in writing to each Health and Social Care Trust, in each of the last three years, broken down by category of complaint; and what percentage of these have required corrective action.

(AQW 1476/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information on the number of formal complaints submitted in writing to each Health and Social Care Trust, in each of the last three years, broken down by category of complaint, is detailed in the attached tables.

It is not possible to provide data on the percentage of these that have required corrective action and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Belfast HSC Trust: Total complaint issues received (2007/08 – 2009/10)

Source: CH8

Northern HSC Trust: Total complaint issues received (2007/08 – 2009/10)

Source: CH8

South Eastern HSC Trust: Total complaint issues received (2007/08 - 2009/10)

Source: CH8

Southern HSC Trust: Total complaint issues received (2007/08 – 2009/10)

Source: CH8

Western HSC Trust : Total complaint issues received (2007/08 – 2009/10)

Source: CH8

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS): Total complaint issues received (2007/08 – 2009/10) *

Source: CH8

* Information on complaints received by the NIAS in 2007/08 and 2008/09 cannot be broken down by category of complaint.

Cost of Answering Assembly Questions

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what is the average cost to his Department of answering (i) Written; and (ii) Oral Assembly Questions; and how these costs are calculated.

(AQW 1644/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I would estimate the average cost to this Department of answering written Assembly questions to be £300 per question. The average cost of answering an oral question is around £925 per question.

These estimates are based on the time taken to research, prepare and quality assure answers to questions, and in the case of oral questions, the significant extra work that is required to provide draft responses to potential supplementary questions and ensuring I am properly briefed.

Written Assembly Questions

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the average amount of working hours required to answer a single Written Assembly Question; and for an estimate of the total hours taken to answer all the Written Assembly Questions submitted to his Department since September 2010.

(AQW 1645/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The average is around 8 hours. It is estimated that a total of 8160 hours have been taken to answer all the Written Assembly Questions submitted to this Department since September 2010.

Ambulance Service Earnings

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2870/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service; (i) there are 4 Senior Executives, 3 Administrative Managers and 1 General Medical Practitioner earning between £50,000 and £100,000; and

(ii) 1 General Medical Practitioner earning over £100,000 per annum.

Public Health Agency

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Public Health Agency who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2873/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Public Health Agency; (i) 1 Director, 7 Medical Staff, 1 Nursing & Midwifery Manager and 15 Administrative staff earn between £50,000 and £100,000; (ii) the Chief Executive, 1 Director and 12 Medical staff earn over £100,000.

Stafff in the Health and Social Care Board

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Health and Social Care Board who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2924/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Health and Social Care Board; (i) there are 2 Directors; 49 administrative staff; 10 social work staff; 3 professional and technical staff and 10 medical staff earning between £50,000 and £100,000. (ii) the Chief Executive; 2 Directors and one medical staff earn over £100,000.

Northern Ireland Social Care Council

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Social Care Council who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2926/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Northern Ireland Social Care Council; (i) the Chief Executive and 3 Senior Administrative staff earn between £50,000 and £100,000.

(ii) No staff member earns over £100,000.

Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2928/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Agency; (i) there are 2 Medical & Dental staff and 2 Administrative Managers earning between £50,000 and £100,000; and (ii) 2 Medical & Dental staff earn over £100,000.

Backlog of X-rays at Altnagelvin Hospital

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm that the reassurances given by representatives of the Western Health and Social Care Trust that the four 'at risk' patients affected by the backlog of x rays in Altnagelvin Hospital were informed by October 2010 are accurate, as information has come to light that one of the patients was not informed until Thursday 3 February 2011.

(AQW 4256/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: It is clearly unacceptable for such delays in radiological reporting and I very much regret the distress and anxiety that some patients and their families have experienced as a consequence.

The communication of the results of diagnostic tests to patients is entirely a clinical matter and even in these exceptional circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the clinical diagnoses of individual patients. In recent public statements by senior members of staff, the Western HSC Trust has confirmed that patients were notified of the results as soon as they became available. I have been assured by the Trust that no patient was notified of their diagnosis as late as 3 February 2011.

C Difficile

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2400/11, what precise action was taken after his Department received the Serious Adverse Incident report from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust on 15 October 2007 regarding the emergence of the new Ribotype 027 strain of C difficile; and when this action was taken.

(AQW 4924/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) report in question was received by the Safety, Quality and Standards Directorate (SQSD) of the Department on 15 October 2007 and was recorded on the Department's SAI database as SAI 248/07. It was circulated on the same day to policy and professional leads within the Department for comment relating to the actions taken by the Trust to that point. The SAI was sent to a senior nursing lead the following day for the same purpose.

On 16 October SQSD assigned SAI 248/07 to the agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the SAI Review Group to be held on 7 January 2008, for detailed consideration of the incident and further examination of the actions taken by the Trust, including any potential for regional learning.

In early November professional colleagues indicated that they were content with the actions taken to that point by the Trust, which included informing the Northern Health and Social Services Board and the Consultant Regional Epidemiologist that ribotype 027 had been identified.

On 16 November 2007, the Consultant Regional Epidemiologist emailed each Northern Ireland hospital laboratory with advice on reporting ribotype 027 to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Northern Ireland).

On 7 January 2008 at the meeting of the SAI Review Group, which was made up of senior officials within the Department and governance leads from the HSS Boards, it was agreed that the Chief Nursing Officer would discuss this SAI with the Consultant Regional Epidemiologist to see if any further action was required.

The second SAI report from the Northern Trust (SAI 07/08) which declared an outbreak of Clostridium difficile in Northern Trust hospitals was received by the Department on 8 January 2008.

On 18 January 2008 the Permanent Secretary issued Circular HSS/27/2007 to disseminate key learning arising from the outbreaks of Clostridium difficile in Stoke Mandeville and Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells.

On 24 January 2008 the Chief Medical Officer issued Circular HSS(MD) 1/2008. This circular informed other HSC trusts of the Northern Trust outbreak of ribotype 027 and provided guidance, including the reissue of the Good Practice Guide to control of C. difficile which had first been issued in Northern Ireland in April 2007.

Specialist Community Heart Failure Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps he has taken to develop specialist community heart failure services.

(AQW 5022/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Specialist heart failure services in Northern Ireland are based in primary, community and secondary care settings. They are linked to Cardiology Services and teams consist of cardiologists and specialist cardiology nurses who are supported in their role by clinical physiologists and other professionals such as dieticians, social workers and cardiac rehabilitation nurses.

In June 2009, I launched for implementation a Service Framework for Cardiovascular Health and Wellbeing, which sets 45 standards to help prevent, diagnose, treat and care for individuals and communities at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease - 2 of the standards relate specifically to the treatment of individuals with suspected or diagnosed heart failure.

Last year there were 26.3 WTE specialist heart failure nurses working across Northern Ireland providing care from 12 centres. Almost two thirds of these nurses work across primary and community care settings with the remainder working in secondary care settings.

Family Nurse Partnership Pilot Project

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an update on the Family Nurse Partnership pilot project in the Western Health and Social Care Trust.

(AQW 5024/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Public Health Agency is leading the introduction of Family Nurse Partnerships to Northern Ireland. The Western HSC Trust, as the first test site, has recruited a small team of Family Nurses and a Supervisor to deliver the programme. The team has commenced training and the Trust is actively working to recruit 100 teenagers, up to the 28th week of pregnancy, to the programme. The first test site will be completed when babies in this cohort reach two years of age.

Experiments on Animals

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 4105/11, whether his Department will use its devolved powers on the issue of animal experimentation and form a policy separate from that of the Home Office.

(AQW 5026/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department has no plans to form a policy on animal experimentation separate from that of the Home Office.

Experiments on Animals

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 4106/11, how his Department ensures that there is no duplication in experiments on animals when the results of a previous experiment are not known.

(AQW 5027/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: An Inspector assesses all applications for new licences or for amendments to existing licences in detail and advises the Department on how to ensure that only properly justified work is licensed. All proposed project licences are subject to a rigorous scrutiny process aimed at ensuring the validity, necessity and justification of any research proposal. This includes taking into account experiments where the results are still not known.

Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline his plans for the future funding of the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust.

(AQW 5067/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I refer my colleague to the answer I provided to AQW 5252/11.

Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the funding his Department has allocated to the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5068/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust has received funding from a number of separate Departmental funding streams; a core grant towards the Trust’s central operating costs, and funding for its Arioso Project from the Children’s Fund. When the Children’s Fund ended in March 2008, NIMTT received continued support for the Arioso Project from funding which I identified from within my own budget to continue supporting those ex-Children’s Fund projects which pursued health and social care activity.

The amount of funding allocated to NIMTT in each of the last 5 years is detailed below.

Asylum-Seeking Children

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children presented to Health and Social Services in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) age; (ii) gender; and (iii) Health and Social Care Trust area.

(AQW 5078/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The figures requested are not available centrally within the DHSSPS, or from the Health and Social Care Board, and could only be provided by HSC Trusts at disproportionate cost.

16 and 17 Year Olds Placed in Unregulated Accommodation

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many (i) 16 year olds; and (ii) 17 year olds were placed in unregulated accommodation in each Health and Social Care Trust area in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5079/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The figures requested are not available centrally within the DHSSPS. The Health and Social Care Board introduced a notification process in September 2009, whereby HSC Trusts .notify the Board of 16 and 17 year olds who are placed in unregulated accommodation. On receipt at the Board these placements are then analyzed to establish background circumstances, support arrangements in place, levels of contact with Social Worker and Personal Advisor, and what attempts are being made to find suitable accommodation for the young person.

The Board is working with the Housing Executive and the Department of Social Development to attain suitable accommodation for these young people, governed by minimum standards which are also being introduced to facilitate this process.

Legal Fees

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 3160/11, to detail the reasons for the high level of expenditure on legal fees by each Health and Social Care Trust; and for a breakdown of how the money was spent.

(AQW 5082/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: This information is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an update on the implementation of the plan to decentralise public sector jobs within his Department, and its agencies, since the publication of the Bain report.

(AQW 5086/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety has no plans to decentralise Departmental jobs.

The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety has not

(i) decentralised nor (ii) relocated any jobs in the last 3 years.

The new HSC organisations have all commenced early work to examine in particular, the realignment and location of legacy HSS Board functions. This work is still under consideration and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on the numbers of posts at any location until such times as this process is complete. I remain committed however to ensuring, that a strong local presence continues to be a feature of our health and social care system.

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mrs M Bradley asked e Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, for each of the last three years, to detail the number of public sector jobs within his Department and its agencies that have been (i) decentralised from Belfast to another location, broken down by the new location; and (ii) relocated to Belfast from another location, broken down by the original location.

(AQW 5091/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: There is currently no centralised programme for the location or relocation of public sector or civil service jobs.

The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety has not

(i) decentralised or (ii) relocated any jobs in the last 3 years.

The new HSC organisations have all commenced early work to examine in particular, the realignment and location of legacy HSS Board functions. This work is still under consideration and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on the numbers of posts at any location until such times as this process is complete. I remain committed however to ensuring, that a strong local presence continues to be a feature of our health and social care system.

European Centre for Connected Health

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) whether there are any efficiency savings that could be made through working with the European Centre for Connected Health; and (ii) to outline the extent of his Department's association with the ECCH.

(AQW 5125/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department established the European Centre for Connected Health (ECCH) in 2008, a central purpose of which is to progress remote telemonitoring initiatives. Responsibility for the ECCH now resides with the Public Health Agency. Technological developments offer real opportunities to deliver cost effective modern health care solutions and in that context, my Department will continue to work with PHA and the ECCH in order to develop those opportunities. Indeed, a contract for a remote telemonitoring service across Northern Ireland was signed on 16 March.

However, schemes such as telemonitoring require significant investment in order to realise long term efficiencies. Given that the final budget settlement provided to my Department is not adequate to meet pressures across health, social care and public safety, it will mean that difficult decisions will need to be taken in order to deliver on my Department’s overall objectives.

Mental Ill-Health in East Belfast

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the current levels of mental ill-health in East Belfast; and (ii) how they compare to levels in other constituencies.

(AQW 5126/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Department does not collect information on levels of mental ill-health on a population basis. Levels in East Belfast and other constituencies are therefore not available.

Death Rate from Cancer

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, given that East Belfast has the highest death rate from cancer, to outline the action his Department is taking to address this issue.

(AQW 5127/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I am advised by the NI Cancer Registry (NICR) that cancer mortality rates in East Belfast are not the highest in Northern Ireland, only slightly above the NI average. People in East Belfast have access to excellent facilities for cancer patients at the Regional Cancer Centre in Belfast and the Cancer Units at the Ulster Hospital.

Research by the NICR has shown improved survival rates for cancer patients, despite an increase in the number of cases. This improvement is due to substantial investment in cancer services in recent years, including almost £60million for the development of the Regional Cancer Centre, which opened in 2006. Northern Ireland has made enormous progress in both the quality of treatment and outcomes for cancer patients.

Over the past three years, additional funding has been allocated to cancer prevention including the introduction of bowel cancer screening and the HPV vaccination programme for cervical cancer. In addition, the upper age limit for breast screening was extended to 70.

If we are to sustain what has been achieved for cancer patients to date, continued investment is essential. I will continue to fight to for funding to ensure the world class health service that the people of Northern Ireland need and deserve.

Acute Mental Health Services

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the acute mental health services that are currently available in East Belfast for (i) young people; and (ii) adults.

(AQW 5128/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Belfast Trust operates a Crisis Intervention and Assessment Team (CAIT) providing emergency mental health assessment of young people who present at the Emergency Departments of Hospitals or through GPs. CAIT have introduced the Card Before your Leave Scheme. All young people who, having presented with a Mental Health issue at an Emergency Department but are subsequently deemed fit for discharge are given a “Keep Safe” leaflet and an appointment with CAIT staff for the same or the next day.

The CAIT service will also act as the gatekeeper to Tier 3 (out-patient) child and adolescent mental health services.

All Belfast adult residents have access to the Home Treatment Service providing acute mental health care to patients in their own homes. There are also 6 Home Treatment beds located in the university area.

Acute Mental Health Day Treatment is provided from Woodstock Lodge and from the South Belfast Day Hospital at Belfast City Hospital sites. This service is also delivered in the Community Care and Treatment Centres including Hollywood Arches. Acute inpatient care is currently delivered on 3 sites in Belfast, Knockbracken Health Care Park, Mater Hospital and Belfast City Hospital.

Acute Mental Health Services

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the acute mental health services that are currently available on a 24-hour basis in East Belfast for (i) young people; and (ii) adults.

(AQW 5130/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Belfast Trust’s Crisis Intervention and Assessment Team (CAIT) service normally operates from 8am – 8pm - 7days a week. Currently the service is operating with limited medical cover but it is hoped that this will be increased in the future to provide a 24 hour service 7 days per week service. Most assessments are made on the same day as referral unless the child or young person is medically unfit to be assessed.

The Belfast Trust CAMHS also operates an out-of–hours Consultant Psychiatrist rota for access to in-patient beds for children and young people requiring emergency in-patient care in the Beechcroft Regional Child and Adolescent In-Patient Service on the Forster Green Hospital site.

The CAIT service will also act as the gatekeeper to Tier 3 (out-patient) child and adolescent mental health services.

All Belfast adult residents have access to the Home Treatment Service providing acute mental health care to patients in their own homes. There are also 6 Home Treatment beds located in the university area.

Acute Mental Health Day Treatment is provided from Woodstock Lodge and from the South Belfast Day Hospital at Belfast City Hospital sites. This service is also delivered in the Community Care and Treatment Centres including Hollywood Arches. Acute inpatient care is currently delivered on 3 sites in Belfast, Knockbracken Health Care Park, Mater Hospital and Belfast City Hospital.

For Adults, Mental Health at Night is available from 5:00pm until 9:00am Monday to Friday and at weekends, this service provides urgent mental health assessments to adults referred by GPs or presenting to the RVH, BCH or Mater Emergency Departments out of hours. A similar system is in place, provided by the South Eastern Trust for adults presenting at the Ulster Hospital. Home Treatment is available 24 hours a day. Inpatients beds are available 24 hours a day.

Causeway Hospital

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether he is aware of the discussions taking place between the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and other parties regarding the reduction in the number of cardiac nurses in the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine.

(AQW 5152/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The delivery of services at Causeway Hospital is a matter for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

The Trust tells me that since 1 February 2011, the pre hospital cardiac care service (cardiac ambulance) has been provided by NIAS (Northern Ireland Ambulance Service) instead of nursing staff from the coronary care unit at Causeway Hospital. I am advised that the Trust has had a preliminary meeting with staff who may be affected by this change; discussion is at a very early stage and the time frame for any organisational change has not been agreed.

Waiting List for Cataract Removals

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of patients in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area who were awaiting cataract removals at the year end in each of the last four years.

(AQW 5156/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The number of patients in the Western Health and Social Care Trust who were awaiting cataract removals at the year end in each of the last four years is shown in the table below.

Source: DHSSPS Inpatient Waiting Times Dataset

Domiciliary Home Care Packages

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the current waiting times for domicilary home care packages to be put in place for patients ready for discharge from hospital; and what action he is taking to reduce the waiting times.

(AQW 5184/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information provided by the Chief Executives of the five Health & Social Care (HSC) Trusts indicates that on 14 March 2011, 11 people were waiting in Hospital for a domiciliary care package longer than the agreed time period specified in my Department’s Priorities for Action target below:

“From April 2010, the HSC Board and Trusts should ensure that 90% of complex discharges take place within 48 hours, with no discharge taking longer than seven days. All other patients should be discharged within six hours of being declared medically fit.”

I am continuing to develop and expand the range of domiciliary care services available and increase the number of people who manage their own care through Direct Payments. I have also introduced Regional Access Criteria for Domiciliary Care in 2008 to provide for greater transparency and harmonisation in the process of identifying and prioritising need. In investment terms I committed an extra £58m from April 2008 to March 2011 in order to help support an additional 1500 people in the community.

In spite of this, Trusts have been finding it extremely difficult to meet the rising demand for domiciliary care, and this situation is likely to worsen in view of the inadequate budget settlement for health in 2011/12.

Specialist and Consultant Nurses

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many specialist or consultant nurses are employed in the (i) acute sector; and (b) the community in each Health and Social Care Trust; and to list the areas of specialism practised.

(AQW 5191/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested is given in the tables below.

Specialist Nurses employed within NI Health & Social Care by Trust as at March 2011

Source: NI HSC Trusts

Notes:

1. WTE = Whole-Time Equivalent
2. Specialties within the Acute Sector in the Belfast HSCT include A&E, Addictions, Anaesthetics, Cancer Services, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic, Child & Family, COPD, Continence, Critical Care Outreach, Cystic Fibrosis, Dermatology, Diabetes, Dementia, Endocrinology, ENT, Epilepsy, Fractures, General Medicine, Genetics, GUM, Haematology, Hepatology, Infection Control, IVF, Learning Disability, Macmillan, Mammography, Medical, Medical Physics, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology, Obs & Gynae, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Outpatient, Paediatrics, Pain, Renal, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Stoma Care, Surgical, Theatre, Tissue Viability, Transplant Coordinator, Urology & Vascular.
3. Specialties within the Community Sector in the Belfast HSCT include COPD, Continence, Diabetes, Education, Gynaecology, Heart Failure, Learning Disability, Mental Health, Palliative Care, Primary Care, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Quality Assurance, Renal, Stroke & Tissue Viability.
4. Specialties within the Acute Sector in the Northern HSCT include A&E, Ante-natal, Breast Care, Breast Feeding, Cardiology, Colposcopy, Dermatology, Diabetes, Endoscopy, ENT, Epilepsy, Family Planning, IBD, Neonatal, Nurse Practitioners, Ophthalmology, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Sexual Health, Stoma Care, Stroke & Urology.
5. Specialties within the Community Sector in the Northern HSCT include Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Child Accident Prevention, Child Protection, Continence, Health Protection, Infection Prevention & Control Nurses, Learning Disability, Paediatrics, Palliative Care & Tissue Viability.
6. Specialties within the Acute Sector in the South Eastern HSCT include Cancer Services, Cardiology, Dermatology, ENT, Neonatal, Newborn Hearing Screening, Ophthalmology, Pain, Paediatrics, Palliative Care, Respiratory, Sexual Health & Urology.
7. Specialties within the Community Sector in the South Eastern HSCT include Continence, Dermatology, Diabetes, Respiratory & Tissue Viability.
8. Specialties within the Acute Sector in the Southern HSCT include Cardiology, Diabetes, Endoscopy, GUM, Gynaecology, Haematology, Neurology, Paediatrics, Pain, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Stroke & Urology.
9. Specialties within the Community Sector in the Southern HSCT include Adult Mental Health, Cardiology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Child Protection, Continence, COPD, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Family Planning, Fractures, Learning Disability, Older People, Paediatrics, Palliative Care, Parkinsons, Respiratory, Stroke, Tissue Viability & Vascular.
10. Specialties within the Acute Sector in the Western HSCT include A&E, Breast Care, Cancer Services, Cardiology, Critical Care, Diabetes, Endoscopy, ENT, Epilepsy, Fractures, Haematology, Infection Control, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Pain, Palliative Care, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Stoma Care, Stroke, Tissue Viability, Urology & Vascular.
11. Specialties within the Community Sector in the Western HSCT include Cardiology, Child Protection, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Continence, Diabetes, Family Planning, GUM, Mental Health, Neurology, Palliative Care & Stoma Care.

Mental Health Facilities

Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety when the business cases which have been submitted to his Department in relation to (i) the extension of the Bluestone Psychiatric Unit; and (ii) the conversion of an Early Treatment Unit ward in Craigavon Area Hospital to a ward for children and young people with mental health problems will be approved; and whether funding is available to complete these capital projects over the next four years.

(AQW 5192/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Southern Health and Social Care Trust submitted a revised business case for the extension of the Bluestone Unit to my Department on 7 March 2011 and this is currently being assessed by my officials.

Only when the business case has been finalised and approved can a decision be made on the timing of the project. You will be aware of the significant cut in the funding to my Department as part of Budget 2010 allocation. This level of funding makes it impossible to progress all of the projects which I had expected to take forward and I am considering my priorities in light of the final budget.

The Southern Trust has not submitted a business case to convert a ward for treatment of children and young people with mental health problems.

Ambulance Provision: Prisoners

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the procedures followed by the Ambulance Service when attending a call requesting medical assistance in a prison; (ii) the average cost of such a call-out; and (iii) the total cost to the Ambulance Service for the transportation of prisoners to hospital in the last six months.

(AQW 5203/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has advised that, on receiving an emergency call from a Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) establishment, its staff proceed to the prison’s front gate where they are met by NIPS officers who escort them to the patient’s location, usually the prison hospital wing. Once prison medical staff and ambulance staff have agreed the most appropriate hospital for the patient’s medical needs, NIPS officers accompany the patient in the ambulance. The ambulance crew is responsible for the patient’s medical requirements during the journey. NIPS officers remain after the patient is handed over to A&E department nursing staff.

NIAS estimates that the average cost of prison call-outs in the period September 2010 to February 2011 was £82.50. The estimated total cost of calls-outs where patients required transportation from prison to hospital in that period was £8,640.

Home-Start Projects

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount of funding allocated by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to each Home-Start project in the Trust area (i) in each of the last three years; and (ii) in the current year to date; and how much funding is planned for the 2011/12 financial year.

(AQW 5217/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Funding allocated by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to each Home-Start project in the Trust area in the last three years; current year to date and planned for the 2011/12 (subject to available budgets) is as follows:

Funding in the last 3 years

Current and Planned Funding

Armagh and Dungannon Home Start

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much funding has been provided to Armagh and Dungannon Homestart for the outreach element of its work in each of the last three years; and whether this funding will continue in the 2011/12 financial year.

(AQW 5220/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department provided the Homestart Armagh and Dungannon project with funding of £22,589 and £22,033 in 2008/09 and 2009/10 respectively, and is making further funding of up to £23,154 available to it in the current year.

Responsibility for commissioning services at a locality level rests with the Health and Social Care Trusts, and projects should engage direct with them about future funding issues. It is for the Trusts to determine the level of funding that they make to individual groups, based on assessed need, the resources they have available to them and their priorities at that time.

My Department, through the Health and Social Care Board, is currently providing financial support to the majority of locally-based Home Start schemes, including the Armagh and Dungannon. This funding is delivered through the Health and Social Care Trusts.

New Build for Oakridge Social Education Centre, Dungannon

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety at what stage is the application for a new build for Oakridge Social Education Centre, Dungannon.

(AQW 5251/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Southern Health and Social Care Trust is currently revising the business case for Oakridge Social Education Centre. Upon receipt, the business case will need to be assessed and approved by my Department and by the Department of Finance and Personnel.

Once the business case has been approved, I will consider the timing of this and other projects in light of my available budget.

Music Therapy Service

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many children attending special education schools currently benefit from the Music Therapy Service.

(AQW 5259/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost.

Orthopaedic Surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what is the average waiting time for orthopaedic surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital.

(AQW 5263/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: At 31 st December 2010 (the most recent date for which official waiting time data are available), the average waiting time in the Trauma and Orthopaedic specialty at Altnagelvin Hospital was 123 days (17.5 weeks).

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidelines

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how his Department assesses the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines in Health and Social Care Trusts.

(AQW 5264/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is responsible for reviewing clinical and social care governance arrangements in individual HSC Trusts against a range of quality standards on an on-going basis. This includes compliance with best practice guidance concerned with safe and effective care such as NICE guidelines.

Music Therapy Service

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of children on the waiting list for the Music Therapy Service; and how much it would cost to fund these additional places.

(AQW 5271/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost.

Emergency Ambulance

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether every emergency ambulance is crewed by both an emergency medical technician and a paramedic.

(AQW 5276/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Emergency ambulances are normally crewed by both an emergency medical technician and a paramedic. There are a small number of occasions when this is not possible due to short notice of sickness or other absence.

It is the NIAS’s policy that as far as reasonably possible, a paramedic will respond to all Category A calls.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidlines

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if his Department monitors whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidlines are implemented within the specified time-frame.

(AQW 5283/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: At present there is a general expectation that applicable NICE technology appraisals will be implemented within 12-24 months of endorsement for Northern Ireland. The process for the endorsement and implementation of NICE guidance here is currently under review. As part of this, the setting of specific timeframes for implementation of both NICE technology appraisals and clinical guidelines, and improved monitoring and assurance measures are being considered.

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is responsible for reviewing clinical and social care governance arrangements in individual HSC Trusts against a range of quality standards on an on-going basis. This includes compliance with best practice guidance concerned with safe and effective care such as National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Mental Health Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in light of the decision to centralise mental health services in Lisburn, what measures he intends to put in place to transport patients and relatives from the Ards Peninsula.

(AQW 5289/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust has provided assurances that it will develop an appropriate transport scheme for patients and their families from the Ards peninsula, and other areas, as a result of consolidating the Trust’s three acute psychiatric inpatient units in Lagan Valley Hospital. The Trust will be engaging with service users, carers and representative organisations in due course.

Scottish Medicines Consortium

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether his Department considers Scottish Medicines Consortium guidance to assess whether it would be appropriate for Northern Ireland; and to detail any such guidance it has endorsed for use in the last two years.

(AQW 5294/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department does not currently have any links with the Scottish Medicines Consortium; however this position may be reviewed in the future.

Children's Fund

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the projects to date that have received funding under the Children's Fund, including the level of funding they received; and (ii) any funding that has been allocated for 2011/12.

(AQW 5324/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The centrally-funded Executive Children’s Fund came to an end in March 2008. Since then, I have been providing funding from within my own resources to support those projects, previously assisted by the Children’s Fund, that are undertaking activities that contribute to the aims and objectives of my Department. The table attached provides information on these projects, and the level of funding being made available to them in 2010/11.

With regard to funding in 2011/12, the final budget settlement provided to my Department is not adequate to meet all pressures across health, social care and public safety. In this context, I am obliged to take difficult decisions to ensure that any potential adverse impact on front line services to patients, clients and service users is minimised. As a consequence, it is with regret that I am unable to continue to provide funding to those schemes which until now have been supported directly by the Department.

Cardiac Emergency Ambulance Service

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether a cardiac emergency ambulance service is available on a 24-hour basis in the Coleraine area; and what cover is in place when the ambulance is engaged on another call.

(AQW 5328/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: From 1 February 2011, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has been responsible for providing, on a 24/7 basis, the pre-hospital cardiac care service formerly provided by Causeway Hospital coronary care unit nursing staff which covered the Coleraine area.

It is important to note that NIAS deploys its emergency response resources using a dynamic tactical deployment plan to ensure that the nearest available resource responds to an emergency call. This means that the response to an emergency call in the Coleraine area might not necessarily be provided by a resource based in that area.

Enhanced Cooperation

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether he intends to meet with the new Irish Health Minister to discuss (i) the development of enhanced cooperation in cancer services in the Radiotherapy Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital; and (ii) the implementation of the North/South Feasibility Study on cooperation in health care.

(AQW 5329/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: There have been no specific arrangements made for me to meet with Dr James Reilly, the new Irish Minister for Health and Children.  I remain fully committed to ensuring appropriate radiotherapy capacity exists for all cancer patients. My proposals to increase radiotherapy capacity include the development of a radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Hospital.  I remain fully committed to working closely with colleagues in the Republic of Ireland where there are opportunities to develop services which offer real and sustainable benefit for both jurisdictions.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Republican Parade in Rosslea

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 4530/11, to detail the reasons why he will not hold an inquiry or make a statement into the collapse of this case due to the operational independence of the Public Prosecution Service, given that he has decided to hold an investigation into a case which was dropped and then reinstated, where a woman was convicted of neglecting a patient in her care.

(AQW 5145/11)

Minister of Justice (Mr D Ford): As I noted in the reply to AQW 4530/11, the Public Prosecution Service operates independently from Government and does not fall within my Ministerial portfolio. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to hold an inquiry into any issue which falls within the responsibilities of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

I did not hold an investigation into the case where a woman was convicted of neglecting a patient in her care. However, I received a factual briefing from officials and I also spoke with the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions who made me aware of the circumstances and legal issues surrounding the case.

Operation Ore

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 4316/11, as the Chief Constable has advised that the information requested is held by the Court Service, to detail how many people have been convicted in Northern Ireland as a result of the UK-wide Operation Ore.

(AQW 5151/11)

Minister of Justice: Further to the answer provided in AQW 4316/11, the information requested is not available. Court conviction data held by the Department do not contain background information in relation to offences committed, and it is therefore not possible to give the number of those convicted as a result of a specific operation.

Disturbance at Maghaberry Prison on 7 March 2011

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, in relation to the disturbance at Maghaberry Prison on 7 March 2011, when a fire was reported, to detail (i) in what part of the prison the fire occurred; (ii) how many prisoners were involved; (iii) the time at which the disturbance began and ended; (iv) how the fire started; (v) what damaged was caused; (vi) what injuries were sustained; and (vii) what action is being taken against those involved in the disturbance.

(AQW 5161/11)

Minister of Justice: (i) A fire was started in the exercise yard in the centre of Foyle House. It was extinguished by House staff.

(ii) 43 prisoners were in the exercise yard. Seven prisoners were later identified as having caused damage. After being ordered several times to leave the exercise yard and to return to their cells, all prisoners did under controlled conditions.

(iii) The disturbance was reported at 18.42 hours and concluded at 21.31 hours.

(iv) The fire was started using plastic chairs and rubbish which were piled against a metal door leading into the exercise yard.

(v) The metal door and wall were damaged and, in four cells, windows, furniture and toilets were broken. Minor smoke damage occurred on two of the landing areas. Damage was also caused to the windows and to a snooker table in the recreation room.

(vi) No injuries were sustained by either staff or prisoners.

(vii) Prisoners identified as having taken part in the indiscipline have been charged under prison rules.

Prisoners: Education

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Justice to detail what plans he has to (i) review the voluntary nature of education in prisons; and (ii) bring forward proposals which would make education more (a) attractive to prisoners; (b) rewarding; and (c) likely to lead to achieving qualifications which may decrease the chances of reoffending.

(AQW 5165/11)

Minister of Justice: I would refer the Member to my reply to AQW 4809/11 on the voluntary nature of education provision in prisons. The Member will also be aware that the recently published interim report of the Review of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, led by Dame Anne Owers, indicated that a core aim of a more effective prison system should be rehabilitation, and that in achieving that aim there would need to be a revision of education and skills provision.

In my statement of 28 February to the Assembly (Official Report, Volume 62, No 4, 260), I welcomed the interim report and noted that work is already under way within the Prison Service to bring a sharper focus on rehabilitation. I also noted that Dame Anne’s final report will ultimately define the Prison Service’s Strategic Efficiency and Effectiveness programme, the main vehicle by which this required change will be delivered.

A review of all Learning and Skills services is currently underway and will be used by NIPS management to align services more closely with the employment market and the type and level of qualifications required to enhance employability.

Students: Sexual Offences Prevention Order

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice , pursuant to AQW 4663/11, if any of the students under a Sexual Offences Prevention Order are currently subject to court proceedings for breaching the Order whilst (i) on a Further and Higher Education course; or (ii) in Further and Higher Education facilities.

(AQW 5194/11)

Minister of Justice: This question has been passed to me for answer from the Department for Employment and Learning. It would be inappropriate to provide any information about current court proceedings in individual cases.

Hospital Assistance For Prisoners

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Justice (i) how many prisoners have been released from Maghaberry Prison to seek hospital assistance in the last six months; (ii) how many of these prisoners were prescribed medication which they subsequently overdosed on; and (iii) what is the average annual cost to the Prison Service for the transportation of prisoners to hospitals.

(AQW 5210/11)

Minister of Justice: (i) A total of 257 prisoners were sent from Maghaberry Prison to hospitals in the six months between 1 September 2010 and 28 February 2011. This figure covers both scheduled appointments and emergency incidents.

(ii) Of these prisoners, 13 cases had overdosed on their prescribed medication.

(iii) The approximate cost to the Prison Service for the transportation of prisoners from prison establishments to hospital during the 12 month period from 1 January 2010 – 31 December 2010 was £577,000. This figure is based on an average cost of £500 per prisoner transported and includes journeys made for both scheduled appointments and emergencies.

Knife Traders

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Justice what consideration has been given to introducing a licence for knife traders.

(AQW 5218/11)

Minister of Justice: I have no plans at this stage to introduce a knife licensing scheme for traders but will keep the option under review. I continue to monitor levels of knife crime in Northern Ireland and have included in the Justice Bill increased penalties for possession of a knife on school premises and possession of a weapon with intent to commit an offence. Knife crime offences now have a consistent maximum penalty of up to four years’ imprisonment.

Potential Savings

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Justice for his assessment of the potential savings that could be made by reducing division in prisons and the justice system.

(AQW 5229/11)

Minister of Justice: The Department of Justice has a role, shared with other Government Departments, in tackling division in society in Northern Ireland. My role as Justice Minister is to contribute to cohesion, and many aspects of my Department's work contribute directly or indirectly to that.  Examples include, work in respect of interface areas, through further enhancing confidence in the police, seeking to reduce crime and fear of crime, rehabilitating offenders and many other areas.   It is not possible to put a cost on all of this but the benefits are clear.

Within the area of prisons, the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) is currently looking at all areas of its business in order to deliver the necessary savings as set out in the Budget 2010 settlement. The recent report produced by the Prison Review Team helpfully identified a range of issues, including division that NIPS will need to consider.  The Prison Service’s Strategic Efficiency and Effectiveness Programme will be the vehicle through which these recommendations will be delivered.

Prison Service Staff

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Justice (i) to detail the percentage of job applications to the Prison Service received in the last two years that were from the Roman Catholic community; (ii) whether the Prison Service will meet the target this years as outlined in the Prison Service Diversity Strategy of having 35 per cent of job applicants from the Roman Catholic community; and (iii) what percentage of the current prison workforce is from the Roman Catholic community.

(AQW 5292/11)

Minister of Justice: (i) In 2009 the percentage of applications received from the Roman Catholic community was 22.8. In 2010 it was 12.5.

(ii) None of the competitions which were launched in 2011 have ended yet and so it is impossible to give a figure for the current calendar year or to estimate whether we will meet the published target.

(iii) 13.1% of the current Prison Service workforce is Roman Catholic, this figure includes both discipline and non-discipline staff.

NIPS has developed, and is currently implementing, an action plan aimed at addressing this issue through a range of positive measures, including partnership working with organisations and representatives from the voluntary and community sectors, affirmative action on advertising campaigns, a programme of school visits, offering summer work experience and representation at recruitment and careers exhibitions across Northern Ireland. However there have been no recent large recruitment campaigns to demonstrate the effectiveness of this work.

Register of Perpetrators of Domestic Violence

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister of Justice whether he would consider the development of a register of perpetrators of domestic violence, similar to the sex offenders register, which would allow the disclosure of offences to relevant agencies and individuals.

(AQW 5296/11)

Minister of Justice: Under risk assessment and management arrangements, set out in the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008, criminal justice agencies, social services and others already work together and share information to more effectively assess and manage the risk posed by certain sexual and violent offenders in the community.

Included in these arrangements are those who from 1 st April 2010 have been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) in domestic or family circumstances; or who have a previous conviction for a violent offence in domestic or family circumstances and about whom there are significant concerns.

DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Procurement Breaches

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 3897/11, to detail how specific procurement breaches are identified by his Department's Internal Audit Unit .

(AQW 4671/11)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): My response to AQW 3897/11 referred to the role of Internal Audit in providing Accounting Officers with an independent and objective opinion on risk management, control and governance processes and advised how, in accordance with Government Internal Audit Standards (GIAS), DRD Internal Audit employs a “Risk Based Systems Auditing” approach. This approach focuses on strategic and high-risk areas, making recommendations for the implementation of controls to manage identified risks to an acceptable level, in accordance with the Departmental/ Agency “risk appetite”.

In determining the work to be covered within the Internal Audit Strategy (three year and annual programmes), the DRD Head of Internal Audit will establish risk-based plans to determine the priorities for internal audit activity, consistent with the Department’s/ Agency’s priorities, risks and goals. The Audit plans are approved by the DRD/ Roads Service Accounting Officers and the respective Audit Committees. The plans identify areas to be audited during the Annual/ Strategic period, including those relating to the procurement environment, and show linkages between the areas to be audited and the Departmental/ Agency risks.

Procurement/ procurement–related audits are undertaken using the systems based approach. As mentioned in my previous correspondence, this approach is not intended to focus specifically on identifying breaches in rules / regulations or to identify the cost of any breaches. Specific issues associated with procurement may be identified whilst employing this approach, however the key aim is to examine the adequacy and effectiveness of the system of internal control and to make recommendations to improve control and mitigate risk.

Water Meters

Mr P Butler asked the Minister for Regional Development to provide an estimate of the costs that would be incurred if water meters were provided to all domestic customers.

(AQW 4792/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it estimates the cost of installing a water meter in all domestic properties would be in the region of £106 million. This estimate takes into account the number of meter ready chambers already installed at domestic properties since their use began in the 1990s and is based on current tendered rates for meter installation.

There are circumstances where it may not be possible to fit a meter such as when one pipe supplies a number of properties (shared supply), or where engineering difficulties or obstructions are encountered.

Legal Fees

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 4219/11, to provide a breakdown of the amount paid in (i) legal fees; and (ii) related expenses, to legal consultants, Dundas and Wilson, in (a) 2007/08; (b) 2008/09; (c) 2009/10; and (d) 2010/11 to date.

(AQW 4814/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that a breakdown of the approximate amount reported, in pursuant to AQW 4219/11, as paid in legal fees and related expenses to legal consultants Dundas and Wilson, in each of the last four years is as included in the table below.

The amounts above are approximate and are stated exclusive of VAT.

Reclassification of NI Water

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will publish all correspondence, including minutes of meetings, between his Department and (i) the Office of National Statistics; and (ii) all NI Departments or UK Government Departments, in relation to the reclassification of NI water as a non-departmental body.

(AQW 4921/11)

Minister for Regional Development: In accordance with agreed protocol, my Department does not engage directly with HM Treasury and the Office of National Statistics (which has the final say regarding the classification of arm’s length bodies). The Department of Finance and Personnel was the lead department in dealing with both organisations in relation to the reclassification of NI Water as a non-departmental public body.

Domestic Water Charges

Mr P Butler asked the Minister for Regional Development how much revenue could be raised annually by the introduction of domestic water charges.

(AQW 4959/11)

Minister for Regional Development: In my statement to the Assembly on 13 September 2010 I made clear my view that water and sewerage services should be delivered by a body that is not set up to introduce separate water and sewerage charges for households. The Budget recently agreed by the Executive is based on that position.

The amount of revenue that could be raised annually by the introduction of any domestic water and sewerage charges would depend on what basis the Executive agreed to introduce them. A number of factors including an assessment of any existing contributions consumers were deemed to make, the level of Executive support for low income households and the period over which any charges might be phased in would have a significant impact. It is also the case that it would take some time to implement any billing system.

Adopting an approach based on the Independent Water Review Panel’s recommendations could, roughly, result in additional annual revenue of something over £100 million but not for a number of years.

Social Clause Requirements

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the social clause requirements in his Department's capital or current spend projects, including (a) the creation of apprenticeships; and (b) the employment of long-term unemployed persons; and (ii) any proposals his Department has to expand such opportunities.

(AQW 4985/11)

Minister for Regional Development: (i) RECRUITMENT OF APPRENTICES AND LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED

My Department, and its Arms Length Bodies, Northern Ireland Water (NIW) and the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) include the following clauses in construction contracts on (a) the creation of apprenticeships; and (b) the employment of long-term unemployed persons.

(a) Creation of Apprenticeships

NIW and NITHC / Translink construction contracts include the following clause “The Contractor agrees to recruit one apprentice, either directly or through the supply chain, for each £2m of project construction value”.

Roads Service contracts include the following clause “ Five percent of the main contractor’s workforce and the workforce of its first tier subcontractors (with 20 or more employees) will be employed on formally recognised paid apprenticeship”.

(b) Employment of Long Term Unemployed Persons

NIW and NITHC / Translink include the following clause “The Contractor agrees to secure the creation of employment opportunities for one long-term unemployed person, either directly or through the supply chain, for each £5m of project construction value”.

Roads Service contracts include the following clause “ For every £0.5m of contract labour value, the main contractor will be required to provide 26 person weeks of employment opportunities through the DEL Steps to Work or Kick Start 2 Work initiatives”.

ii. PROPOSALS TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES

Due to the current economic climate some construction companies have undergone restructuring and this has in some instances led to company redundancies. There are difficulties in encouraging the recruitment of apprentices and the long-term unemployed against this backdrop. However, my department will continue to work with our colleagues in other departments, the Central Procurement Directorate and the Construction Employers’ Federation on promoting this important aspect of social inclusion in our construction contracts.

Portadown Railway Station

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development whether he has had any further communications with Translink over disabled access to Portadown Railway Station since February 2010 as part of his process with Translink to agree capital spending plans.

(AQW 5037/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My officials are liaising with Translink regarding this project and an Economic Apprisal for DDA work to be carried out at Portadown Station is currently being prepared. It is envisaged that the work will start later this year.

Legal Services

Mr P McGlone asked Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 1509/11, to provide a breakdown of the payments on legal services in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5080/11)

Minister for Regional Development: A breakdown of the payments on legal services for the Department and its agencies in each of the last five years is as follows.

* In July 2009 DRD migrated to a new Financial Accounting System. This redefined a number of the descriptions against which expenditure is recorded.

Decentralisation of Public Sector Jobs

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the implementation of the plan to decentralise public sector jobs within his Department, and its agencies, since the publication of the Bain Report.

(AQW 5088/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Given the spending pressures facing all Departments, there is currently no centralised programme for the location or relocation of public sector or civil service jobs. DRD is, however, one of the Departments with the highest proportions of staff already based at work locations outside Belfast. Most are attached to Roads Service, where the need to manage and maintain the regional road network and to deliver effective local services means that the bulk of the Agency’s staff are based in well-dispersed regional offices outside its Belfast headquarters.

My Department will continue to explore opportunities for the relocation of public sector jobs as they arise. This will, of course, be subject to the normal requirements of business need, value for money and affordability.

Broken Down Buses

Mr P Frew asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the number of buses in the Ballymena, Ballymoney and Moyles area that have broken down whilst in service, in the last year; and (ii) the number of these buses that went on fire.

(AQW 5141/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Translink has advised me that in response to (i) 13 buses have broken down while in service and (ii) one vehicle developed a mechanical failure which resulted in an engine compartment fire.

Belfast-Derry Railway Track

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) when work on the upgrade of the Derry-Coleraine section of the Belfast-Derry Railway track will commence; and (ii) what steps he has taken to ensure that a future Minster is bound by his decision.

(AQW 5166/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The budget proposals make provision for the commencement of the Coleraine to Derry Track relay in 2014. This reflects estimated capital availability over the period as well as the practicalities of trying to complete this project before the start of the City of Culture year in January 2013.

Translink are currently identifying interim measures to be undertaken to ensure the continued running and safety of the line up until 2014. Funding has been provided for this purpose.

The budget has been agreed by the Executive but it is for departmental Ministers to decide upon the break down of that budget, subject to normal approvals. An economic appraisal for this project has been approved. It would not be appropriate to comment any further.

Coleraine to Londonderry Track Relay

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development on what date the Coleraine to Londonderry track relay will commence; and whether this date will be brought forward if the budget permits.

(AQW 5177/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The budget proposals make provision for the commencement of the Coleraine to Derry Track relay in 2014. This reflects estimated capital availability over the new four year budget period.

Translink are currently identifying interim measures to be undertaken to ensure the continued running and safety of the line up until 2014. Funding has been provided for this purpose.

Translink advise that the opportunity for construction works to be brought forward is now extremely limited due to potential restrictions imposed by the award of City of Culture status to Derry in 2013.

Shankill Estate, Lurgan

Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the sewage flooding incident in the Shankill Estate, Lurgan during the Christmas period; and to detail what action his Department is taking to upgrade the sewerage system in the north Lurgan area.

(AQW 5196/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that their investigations indicate that rapidly thawing snow together with heavy rainfall allowed surface water to collect in the rear yards. As there is no provision for surface water drainage in the rear of the properties, this contributed to the flooding.

The report concluded that there were some minor defects in the sewer and that these, together with inappropriate materials that had been deposited in the sewers, may have contributed to the blockages which occurred in August, September and October of 2010. All repairs of these minor defects were completed by the end of January 2011.

The Deputy First Minister and I visited the properties affected on the 28 December 2010 and talked with the residents. As a result I have brought a paper to the Executive asking it to consider making hardship payments to those whose homes suffered flood damage as a result of the freeze-thaw event.

L.E.D Lights in Traffic Lights

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the potential savings from fitting L.E.D lights in traffic lights.

(AQW 5216/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it currently manages and maintains 343 signalised junctions throughout the North.

An initial investigation has revealed that approx 50% of these signalised junctions are fitted with traffic signal heads that could be relatively easily retrofitted with LED signals. It is estimated that retrofitting would cost approximately £1.2 million and would provide an estimated saving of £86,000 per annum.

The remaining 50% of the signalised junctions would require more extensive work to adapt them for LED technology, and further investigation would be required before an accurate estimate of costs and saving could be determined.

Replacement of Street Lights in Springhill Road, Bangor

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost of the proposed replacement of street lights in Springhill Road, Bangor.

(AQW 5225/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it is estimated the street lighting works currently being carried out in Springhill Road, Bangor will cost £27,000.

On-Street Parking Charges

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) if he intends to introduce on-street parking charges in all towns; and (ii) whether an assessment has been carried out of the impact this would have on town centre retail trade.

(AQW 5233/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I can advise that a commitment has been made within my Department’s current Budget 2011-15 Savings Delivery Plans to extend on-street parking charges beyond the three cities where on-street charging is already in place, namely Belfast, Lisburn and Newry. It is initially proposed that the extension of on-street charging will apply to all towns and cities covered by the Sub Regional Transport Plan (SRTP) and the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP). However, some towns not included in the SRTP and BMTP will also be assessed to gauge the viability of implementing on-street parking charges.

As a result, on-street parking charges will be extended to all major towns in the North to provide a fair and equitable system that charges a reasonable fee for prime parking locations in all towns. This will also generate a turnover of spaces and therefore allow more vehicles and people to use town centres.

This is a challenging project, which will take time to roll out to all towns, given the legislative changes required and the provision of operational infrastructure. Implementation of on-street parking charges in all towns is planned for 2012/13.

The specific detail on how on-street parking charges will be further extended to all major towns in the North will be considered in detail by my Department, in a Review of On-Street Parking, as part of the extension project.

As part of the review, my Department envisages a high level of consultation on this aspect of parking policy including the impact on retail trade prior to implementation. There will also be an opportunity for consultation on individual schemes at the legislation stage.

Public Accounts Committee's Report: Measuring the Performance of NI Water and Procurement and Governance in NI Water

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development in relation to the Public Accounts Committee's report 'Measuring the Performance of NI Water and Procurement and Governance in NI Water', for his assessment of (i) the procurement failings of his Department identified in the report; (ii) the role of his Department's former Permanent Secretary; and (iii) the independence of the review team.

(AQW 5234/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I refer to the answer I gave in the Assembly on 14 March in response to oral questions AQO1256/11 and AQO1259/11.

Magee Campus, Derry

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Regional Development what consideration he has given to introducing a residents' parking scheme in the area surrounding the Magee Campus, Derry, similar to the scheme that has been taken forward near to Queen's University, Belfast.

(AQW 5272/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that a working group was set up last year to consider options for dealing with parking in the area surrounding the Magee Campus in Derry. The group is expected to report its findings by summer 2011 and it is anticipated that a residents’ parking scheme will be included as an option for some of the area. However, the progression of any Residents' Parking Scheme will be dependent upon those areas identified meeting the necessary criteria and achieving the required level of support from residents.

Car Parking at Foyle Street. Bishop Street and Shipquay Street, Derry

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) what consideration Roads Service has given to introducing a pay and display parking management scheme at Foyle Street car park and at Bishop Street car park, Derry; and (ii) when consultation will commence on an on-street parking scheme for Shipquay Street, Derry.

(AQW 5279/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it has considered and intends to proceed with the conversion of the car parks at Foyle Street and Bishop Street to pay and display operation, as resources permit.

Consultation on the introduction of on-street parking at Shipquay Street will be included in the consultation process for on-street charging proposals in the city that is expected to take place within the next six months.

Office Of National Statistics

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) on what date did Executive Ministers become aware of the Office Of National Statistics (ONS)consideration that NI Water should be reclassified to a non-departmental public body; (ii) in what form was this information conveyed to Ministers and officials; (iii) what representations were made by the ONS; and (iv) whether he will publish these representations.

(AQW 5282/11)

Minister for Regional Development: (i) & (ii) Executive Ministers became aware of the Office of National Statistics (ONS) consideration that NI Water should be reclassified to a non-departmental public body on 1 October 2008 in a paper from the then Minister of Finance and Personnel, Nigel Dodds, seeking the Executive’s agreement to his recommendations in respect of the 2008-09 September Monitoring Round. (iii) & (iv) The Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) has advised that there were no representations from ONS . ONS advised the Treasury of the change in status and the Treasury subsequently advised DFP in line with agreed protocols. DFP in turn advised my Department.

Street Lighting Schemes

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the financial savings which could be made by providing LED light fittings for Street Lighting Schemes; and to detail the costs and outcomes of any pilot schemes that have been undertaken on LED retrofit lighting.

(AQW 5291/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that there is the potential for substantial financial savings to be made in the future by using LED street lights. LED technology is developing rapidly and is expected to result in reduced energy consumption, longer life and reduced maintenance costs for street lighting. However, on the basis of comparable light outputs, LED lighting does not yet currently offer guaranteed energy savings over conventional street lights.

Roads Service has retrofitted ten street lights with LED street lighting lanterns, to allow the lighting performance, reliability and reaction of the public to be assessed. The cost of the various LED lanterns used in the trials has typically been three to five times the cost of conventional street lights. On the other criteria, the outcome of these pilot schemes, to date, has been successful.

Roads Service will continue to monitor developments in LED technology and seek to adopt the use of LED equipment more widely, when the benefits and costs justify such action.

NI Water

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development what action he has taken to investigate possible breaches of the appointment procedures to director and executive positions in NI Water in the last three years.

(AQW 5299/11)

Minister for Regional Development: No actions have been taken by me to investigate such matters as I have not been advised of any possible breaches by Northern Ireland Water.

Information Commissioner's Office

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) if he is aware of an investigation being carried out by the Information Commissioner's Office into his Department and NI Water; and (ii) what direction he has issued to departmental staff, NI Water staff, and all others carrying out work on behalf of his Department, in relation to co-operating with this investigation.

(AQW 5300/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I am aware that the Information Commissioner’s Office is investigating four complaints under section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of requests for information received by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) and one complaint in respect of requests for information received directly by my Department (not related to NIW).

I have not issued any direction to staff in my Department, staff in NIW nor anyone else with regards to co-operating with these investigations as there is no need given the clear statutory requirement to co-operate.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister for Regional Development if he would consider granting a free bus pass to people in receipt of the higher rate of the care component and the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance.

(AQW 5307/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have no plans at present to change the terms of the Concessionary Fares Scheme. However, were resources to become available in future to do so, I would favour extending the scheme to include free travel for those categories of disabled people currently in receipt of a half fare. This would include persons in receipt of either the higher or lower rate mobility component of DLA, but not those who receive the care component only of that benefit.

Derry-Dungiven A6 Upgrade

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Regional Development if he can confirm that funding will be allocated for the construction of the entire Derry-Dungiven A6 upgrade in the 2011-15 budget period.

(AQW 5311/11)

Minister for Regional Development: You will be aware that the overall reduction of 40% in the Executive’s capital funding from Treasury, has had a significant impact on my Department’s 2011-2015 budget for infrastructure investment.

Although significantly constrained by the overall budget allocation, I remain committed to rebalancing infrastructure investment across the North and I have continued to make the case for infrastructure and transport with the Executive.

An additional £107 million allocated to my Department over the budget period, will allow for the start of road improvements on the A6 and I believe the Dungiven Bypass will be the priority.

Beyond that, the extent of further improvements on the A6, will be dependent on the availability of capital funding in the next budget period (i.e. beyond 2011-15).

Speed Reduction Measures in Straid, Antrim

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister for Regional Development what action his Department is taking to introduce speed bumps or other speed reduction measures in Straid, Antrim.

(AQW 5314/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that traffic calming features, comprising road markings and village gateway signage have already been provided within Straid.

However, Roads Service will arrange for a traffic survey to be carried out within the next few months in order to assess if further physical measures, such as road humps or speed cushions, would be merited.

Freedom of Information Requests

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the number of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department in relation to correspondence between his Department, the Permanent Secretary and Mr Peter Dixon during the period 1 July- 6 July 2010; and (ii) how many of these requests were met.

(AQW 5315/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Five Freedom of Information requests have been received by my Department which requested (though not necessarily exclusively) information in relation to correspondence between the Permanent Secretary of the Department and Mr Peter Dixon during the period 1 July to 6 July 2010. All of these requests were answered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Frosses Road, County Antrim

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Regional Development what improvements are planned for the Frosses Road, County Antrim over the next four years.

(AQW 5318/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service is currently progressing plans for the provision of a 7km stretch of dual carriageway on the A26, between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Road. This is one of the major projects included in the ten-year Investment Delivery Plan for Roads.

Unfortunately, the funding levels envisaged in Budget 2010 will not enable construction to commence in the next four year period. The timing of delivery will be dependent on the allocation of finances beyond the current budget period. However, in the meantime, Roads Service will continue to develop the scheme through the normal statutory processes.

Roads Service has also identified two other possible resurfacing schemes on the Frosses Road, one at Knockahollet (1.3km in length), and one at Burnquarter (1.15km in length). In addition, a right turning lane at the junction of the Crosstagherty Road with the A26 Frosses Road is also under consideration. However, implementation of these schemes over the next four years will be dependent upon the availability of finance and the priority afforded to each scheme, when compared to other schemes.

Trust Ports

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister for Regional Development when he will bring forward legislation which will give statutory effect to Trust Ports to allow them more freedom to compete commercially.

(AQW 5322/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Primary legislation (a Harbours Bill) has been drafted which includes provision for enhanced commercial powers.

As there is insufficient time available to bring forward this legislation during the current Assembly, it is a matter which will have to be taken forward under the next Assembly.

Reservoir Storage Capacity and Pipe Replacement in Private Properties

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister for Regional Development whether he has considered the introduction of measures to increase reservoir storage capacity and pipe replacement in private properties.

(AQW 5327/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it plans to carry out a comprehensive review of the capacity of all of its service reservoirs in order to identify any areas where additional capacity is needed to reduce the risk of service failure to acceptable levels. The review is scheduled to commence in May 2011.

In addition, the ongoing Water Resource Management Plan will consider a critical period assessment covering peak winter demands to determine whether such events will influence the long term plan for the provision of water resources.

In respect of pipe replacement in private properties it is important to remember that such pipes are themselves private property and are not the property or the responsibility of the water undertaker. Homeowners have responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of their own pipes as they have for other fixtures and fittings.

However, both the PAC, in its report on measuring the performance of NIW and procurement and governance in NIW, and the Utility Regulator, in its investigation of the freeze / thaw incident, have recommended that an economic assessment or review of a free or subsidised repair service should be carried out. These recommendations are currently under consideration.

DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Fuel Poverty

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Social Development, given his commitment in his draft budget proposals to protecting vulnerable households and capital programmes to address fuel poverty, why the budget for the Warm Homes Scheme is being reduced in each of the four years of the Budget period.

(AQW 3676/11)

Minister for Social Development (Mr A Attwood): I have now published a new fuel poverty strategy which shall develop strategies on energy efficiency and new initiatives on energy brokering in a renewed campaign on this growing issue. The Warm Homes Scheme will continue to be a very important tool in tackling fuel poverty in the future. Over the four year budget period, funding allocations have not been reduced instead I have increased allocations to £15 million for Warm Homes in 2011/12, £15.5 million in 2012/13, £16 million in 2013/14 and £16.5 million in 2014/15. This has been achieved in the context of general budget cuts.

£12 million will be spent on the Warm Homes Scheme in 2010/2011 and the Public Service Agreement target to assist 9,000 vulnerable households will be met. The £15 million allocated in my draft budget to the Warm Homes Scheme in 2011/2012 will allow the Warm Homes Scheme Managers to assist more vulnerable householders to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. In addition, I have advised the Housing Executive that fuel poverty and energy efficiency measures should be a priority within their maintenance investment plan and when this expenditure is added to the Warm Homes budget there will be in the region of £35 million spent in 2011/12 and subject to monitoring rounds every effort will be made to maintain this level of expenditure on fuel poverty interventions over each of the remaining three years of the budget period.

I continue to look at mechanisms to increase spend and warm home interventions including brokering with the oil importers and energy suppliers to get the best deal possible for Housing Executive and Housing Association tenants.

Spend on Electricity

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister for Social Development how much his Department and its arms-length bodies have spent on electricity in each of the last three available financial years.

(AQW 4432/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Department for Social Development and its arms-length bodies have spent the following amounts on electricity in the last three available financial years –

This total does not include those premises occupied by staff from the Department for Social Development for which the Department of Finance and Personnel, Properties Division have responsibility for payment of the electricity costs.

The total does not include that portion of the Department’s electricity spend which is attributable and therefore recouped from the Department of Works and Pensions for work carried out in this Department on their behalf.

I have advised officials that, within government and within arms-length bodies, given the more open electricity market every opportunity to negotiate prices (energy brokering) should be availed of. I have made it clear that be it Government, NIHE, Ilex or the Charities Commission every effort to broker prices should be exploited.

Social Clause Requirements

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Development to detail (i) the social clause requirements in his Department's capital or current spend projects, including (a) the creation of apprenticeships; and (b) the employment of long-term unemployed persons; and (ii) any proposals his Department has to expand such opportunities.

(AQW 4982/11)

Minister for Social Development: Procurement is a key driver for delivering sustainable development and I am committed to ensuring that my Department’s spending on procurement will contribute to the social, economic and environmental well-being of all. I am, therefore, writing to advise you that I instructed my Department and its Arms Length Bodies, that from 1 January 2011 those who are awarded contracts to build social housing or undertake major urban regeneration projects will be required to provide a work placement opportunity for an unemployed person through the Department for Employment and Learning’s Steps to Work Programme or equivalent.

This new social clause provides that for every £0.5m of labour value, the main contractor will be required to provide a work placement opportunity for an unemployed person through the Department for Employment and Learning’s Steps to Work Programme or equivalent. This new requirement will apply both to all new contracts and to existing contracts being renewed. Up to January 2011, all new construction works contracts arranged by Centres of Procurement Expertise have included minimum requirements to recruit one apprentice per £2m of capital value and to recruit one long term unemployed person per £5m of capital value. Lowering the threshold and doing so significantly as I have instructed, will increase the opportunities for the unemployed to get back to work.

There are 3 ways this can be achieved through the Steps to Work Programme:-

- By two 3 week placements of practical work experience;

- By a 26 week placement of work experience which includes working towards a level 2/3 vocationally related qualification; or

- By a 26 week placement of work experience which includes working towards an essential skills qualification.

I am aware that the Derry City Council area does not currently operate the Steps to Work Programme. However, I have ensured that the same work experience opportunities will be made available to unemployed people in the Derry City Council area as a result of Social Housing and Urban Regeneration contracts through utilising the Department for Employment and Learning’s New Deal Programme.

Government needs to push on with the social inclusion agenda and there is clear potential for the public sector in Northern Ireland to make a difference through their procurement processes. Indeed, based on the figures available to me, the total number of work placements that could have been accommodated if the above ‘unemployment’ social clause had been applied to 2009/10 social housing construction works contracts, under the Social Housing Development Programme, is approximately 73 26 week work placements or 146 13 week work placements.

Whilst the Construction Industry Forum NI is considering the potential of including this sort of clause across all Government contracts, I moved forward unilaterally as of 1 January 2011, so that immediately we can extend the potential of social benefits for all communities.

My instruction is impacting on the projects being delivered in my Department.

In Housing, local company T & A Kernoghan, undertaking work for Clanmill Housing Association at the Bass Brewery site on the Glen Road in West Belfast have taken on four placements from the local area. Three of the placements are 13 week work experience placements with a 52 week placement for an unemployed person who is working towards a NVQ Level 2 in joinery. The Bass Brewery scheme is an existing contract and pre-dated the 1 January 2011 target date. The 4 work placements are the result of a voluntary arrangement between Clanmil Housing Association and T & A Kernoghan.

In Urban Regeneration, a voluntary arrangement was reached with the contractor of the recently completed Derry City Centre Public Realm project whereby he and one of his sub-contractors provided employment for 2 long-term unemployed people as well as an electrical apprenticeship for one young person. In a number of projects such as the Colin Gateway, Andersonstown Road scheme and the Dungannon Public Realm requests have been made to include voluntary agreements with the contractors to provide work experience for the unemployed.

I have also instructed that a similar social clause be taken forward for all other contracts such as maintenance; warm homes; and consultancy contracts. Five NIHE Egan-type contracts being tendered this year will have social clauses built into its terms and I welcome the endorsement of the NIHE to this approach.

Clearly major potential exists through this initiative to improve employment opportunities for unemployed people or to assist them gaining vital work experience they need to complete a vocational qualification. For example, in 2009/10 the total value of procurement expenditure for Northern Ireland Departments, Agencies, NDPBs and Public Corporations totalled £2.3bn.

Of that figure, Construction Contracts awarded by Centres of Procurement Expertise for NI Departments amounted to £925m. Under the arrangements that have previously applied new construction works arranged by Centres of Procurement Expertise have included minimum requirements to recruit one apprentice per £2m of capital value and one long term unemployed per £5m of capital value. This potentially could be translated as 462 apprentices and 185 long term unemployed (647). If the new arrangement put in place by my Department were in place across government, there is the potential for 1850 work opportunities. The new arrangements potentially could mean a 65% increase.

Supplies and Services and Services awarded by Centres of Procurement Expertise for NI Departments amounted to £1.38bn. Under the new arrangements £0.5m of labour value the main contractor would be required to provide a work placement opportunity which could be translated as 2760 opportunities in consultancy; in cleaning, catering and security services; in utility services; in maintenance; and in other areas too. I met again with officials last week in relation to social clauses for supplies and services. I understand that this approach may be adopted in relation to current tenders for portering, security and cleaning provision.

I have also instructed officials to put a social clause into the conditions of funding, say of the larger regional infrastructure organisations.

This shows that by rolling out my initiative across the totality of Government spending, the outcomes could be even more impressive and at a time when we have rising unemployment, the opportunities for work placements is one we should comprehensively interrogate and implement.

I am determined to ensure that my Department’s spending on procurement incentivises training and work experience opportunities for the unemployed and regenerates communities. I also have written to Ministerial colleagues on the 28 February 2011 to inform them of my plans and to encourage them to consider the potential of bringing this forward in their own Departments’ as soon as possible. I believe that in the current economic climate there is a need for an even more profound focus on enhancing employment opportunities from public spending.

Social Development Housing Programme for North and West Belfast and Derry City

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development what data he used to inform his decision to remove the ring-fenced funding for the Social Development Housing Programme for (i) North Belfast; (ii) West Belfast; and (iii) Derry City.

(AQW 5070/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive revised the strategic guidelines and removed ring fencing when it became clear that the policy had become inflexible and was not providing for the huge growth of housing need both in ring fenced and non ring fenced areas of the North. This was evidenced by the increased levels of housing stress in all areas, as set out in the table below;

Increase in Housing Stress by NIHE Area 2004 - 2008

In determining the impact of the decision to remove ring fencing an Equality Impact Assessment was carried out, which found the removal of ring fencing and the revised methodology of apportioning the Social Housing Development Programme in line with an areas assessed level of housing need, weighted by waiting time, took full account of the Housing Executive’s duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

The current approach targets scarce resources to those in greatest need and is reviewed annually to ensure that it remains appropriate.

Consultations

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development to detail (i) the amount of money his Department has spent on consultations since 2007; (ii) the geographical area to which each consultation related; (iii) the number of multiple consultations which took place in relation to the same geographical area; and (iv) the outcome of each consultation.

(AQW 5072/11)

Minister for Social Development: Please see the attached table which details the information you have requested.

Shared Housing

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development (i) to outline what 'Shared Housing' means; and (ii) how he will tackle the growing housing waiting list for North Belfast, a list which, by 2012 it is estimated, will be made up of 95% of people from a Catholic background.

(AQW 5073/11)

Minister for Social Development: I am encouraged that the most recent NI Life and Times survey showed that 8 out of 10 people would now prefer to live in shared housing. That is why I have sought to bring forward more shared housing opportunities in both existing estates and through our new build programme. This shared housing is where people have said they want to live, they have chosen to live and the neighbourhood is safe, welcoming to all, and threatening to none.

An analysis of our new build provision over the last decade shows North Belfast has benefited from around 33% of all new social housing in Belfast and 15% of all social housing new build in Northern Ireland. This is largely due to the North Belfast Housing Strategy and future housing need will continue be met through a combination of of re-lets and new developments. For example, this year we will deliver our largest number of new homes for over a decade and North Belfast will get its full share of that increased provision with nearly 300 units due this year alone. I have also announced plans to deliver 200 new homes on the former military base at Girdwood and alongside other sites already identified in the community, this underlines my commitment to meeting housing need wherever it may be.

It is difficult to give an accurate breakdown of the waiting list by religion due to the large number of applicants choosing not to disclose their religious background; it would seem the proportion of Catholics to Protestants in housing stress is closer to 70/30.

A crucial factor in continuing to address housing need is an adequate housing budget. The new build budget, endorsed by the Assembly reduces new build by 500-600 per annum over the next budget period, when mortgage debt and general housing stress will be increasing. Addressing housing need in North Belfast will be predetermined by the Budget endorsed by the Assembly.

Royal Exchange Development

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development whether he has adopted a different approach from that of his predecessor to the proposed Royal Exchange development; and (ii) if so, to outline the difference in approach.

(AQW 5074/11)

Minister for Social Development: My Department has not adopted a different approach from that of my predecessor to the proposed Royal Exchange development. However, following the proposal in the draft budget to move the capital allocation from year 4 to a later year, my Department will explore other funding options to facilitate the delivery of the development once it obtains all statutory planning approvals and achieves viability. This will ensure that Royal Exchange can be brought forward within a timescale that will meet the need for additional retail capacity and market demand for a second major scheme in Belfast city centre.

It is simply wrong to claim any different approach has been adopted – if it had not been for my predecessor’s commitment to Belfast regeneration, plans for Westside, Northside, Cathedral Quarter, Streets Ahead and much besides would not have either happened or be happening. Moreover, my predecessor was fully committed to Royal Exchange, did argue for a different phase for spending, but never sent out the message that Belfast might be closed for business conveyed in the arbitrary decision to move Royal Exchange out of the 2011 – 2015 CSR

Mortgage Rescue Scheme

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development to confirm whether the Minister for Social Development prioritised the Mortgage Rescue Scheme in his departmental spending plans.

(AQO 1302/11)

Minister for Social Development: As members know there have been repeated attempts to secure funding in monitoring rounds for a mortgage rescue scheme, on the many occasions money has not been made available. I proposed a Hardship Fund last Autumn, which is now in the budget as a Social Protection Fund. I have forwarded a paper to the First Minister and deputy First Minister outlining how the budget line should be spent including a proposal for a mortgage rescue scheme. In addition, I have provided funding for the Mortgage Debt Advice Service which has increased the level of advice for people experiencing difficulty making mortgage payments. This specialised service is preventing where possible, people here from becoming homeless as a consequence of housing related debt.

Fuel Poverty

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the strategies he intends to adopt to address fuel poverty, given that 46.3% of households in the Upper Bann and Armagh area are in fuel poverty.

(AQW 5108/11)

Minister for Social Development: I have announced ‘Warmer Healthier Homes - a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland’.

The new strategy takes forward energy brokering, calls for action on the price of oil imports, plans a boiler replacement scheme, seeks an increase in the budget for a Hardship Fund for those in need, confirms Warm Homes monies and develops a range of other initiatives. The strategy will now be implemented, including a spend of £127 million over 4 years on private and public warm homes/fuel poverty interventions.

Charity Commission

Lord Morrow asked the Minister for Social Development to detail (i) the powers that the Charity Commission has in relation to groups or trusts purporting to be of a charitable status but are not registered with HM Revenue and Customs; and (ii) the scrutiny that can be carried out in respect of such groups to ensure that they are operating within the law.

(AQW 5124/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) has currently no regulatory powers in relation to bodies which are not registered with HM Revenue and Customs for Charitable tax status. All local charities will however be required to register and will fall within the Commission's remit once the current legal issue with the Charities Act (NI) 2008 is rectified.

My Department retains powers under the Charities Act (NI) 1964 to intervene in respect of other charities which currently fall outside CCNI’s remit. Any charity or trust operating outside the law is of course also open to PSNI intervention.

The registration function of the Commission is not yet in place due to a legal issue in relation to the 2008 Act. This issue has become more complex due to a decision of the Executive to re-introduce the presumption of public benefit for certain categories of charities.

Single Glazing

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4709/11, to detail the (i) number; and (ii) percentage of Housing Executive properties in each council area which have single glazed windows.

(AQW 5131/11)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested as the Housing Executive does not hold detailed records on its properties in each Council area which still have single glazed windows. To gather such information would be a manual exercise across the entire Housing Executive stock and would incur a high cost which is deemed disproportionate.

However, the table below details Housing Executive schemes over the last ten years from 2001/02 – 2010/11 which included an element of double glazing. These figures represent dwellings where some double glazing has taken place but does not confirm that all windows in individual dwellings have been replaced with double glazing.

* This figure is not related to the same figure in AQW 4709/11 in relation to properties within Coleraine District with single glazed windows.

Housing Executive Homes: Renovations

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Social Development for an estimate of the number of homes to which the Housing Executive will be able to carry out extensive renovations in 2011/12 financial year.

(AQW 5132/11)

Minister for Social Development: The capital budget for 2011/12 has not yet been finalised. However, it is estimated that work will be carried out in 2011/12 as shown in the table below. It is anticipated that a small number of capital schemes will include major renovations.

Boiler Replacement Pilot Scheme

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on the introduction of a boiler replacement pilot scheme.

(AQW 5133/11)

Minister for Social Development: I have announced ‘Warmer Healthier Homes - a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland’ which includes a new pilot boiler replacement scheme targeted at households where:

- the owner or tenant is aged 60 years or more;

- has an older inefficient boiler, i.e. 15 years or older; and,

- receives state pension with rates relief award.

Thirteen hundred homes across Northern Ireland will get their boilers replaced in a £2 million pilot scheme. The scheme will be launched in summer 2011.

Work Carried Out On A Property

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Social Development to detail (i) all work carried out on 11, Glasvey Walk, Twinbrook, Belfast in each of the last five years, including work carried out as a result of the health requirements of the residents; and (ii) if there is any work outstanding, and if so, when this work will be completed.

(AQW 5144/11)

Minister for Social Development: It is not possible to provide the information requested in relation to a specific address as to do so would be deemed as unwarranted disclosure to a third party of personal information about a person and could facilitate an unwarranted invasion of privacy.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of Disability Living Allowance applications that were (i) rejected; and (ii) then overturned on appeal, in each of the last four years.

(AQW 5173/11)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested. Appeals are received both from applicants who were unsuccessful (rejected / nil award) and also those awarded one of the eleven different rates of DLA but were not satisfied with the particular rate awarded. DLA appeals are recorded on an overall number basis and not by different categories which distinguish an individual’s benefit history. The table below details the number of appeals received in the Appeals Service and the overall number appeals of where the decision of the Tribunal was to award or increase entitlement to benefit.

Disability Living Allowance

Window Replacement Scheme in the Kilwilkie Estate in Lurgan

Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister for Social Development whether his Department has any plans to provide a window replacement scheme in the Kilwilkie Estate in Lurgan.

(AQW 5193/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive currently has no plans to carry out a window replacement scheme in the Kilwilkie Estate in Lurgan over the next two years. It is too early at this stage to advise which schemes will be included in the 2012/13 programme. The Housing Executive will however continue to monitor the condition of the windows in its properties on this estate and any necessary repairs will be carried out promptly.

Small Pockets of Deprivation Funding

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development when he will announce his intentions for the Small Pockets of Deprivation funding for the next financial year for the Rathgill Estate in Bangor.

(AQW 5199/11)

Minister for Social Development: I have repeatedly signalled my intention to maintain and, if possible, enhance the budget for Neighbourhood Renewal, SPODs and Areas at Risk as I am strongly committed to the principle that people in areas of need should be protected going forward. To this end I will be making an announcement about the Small Pockets of Deprivation programme which includes the Rathgill estate within the next few days.

Devenagh Way Flats in the Rectory Estate, Ballymena

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister for Social Development, in light of the proliferation of drug dealers in the area and the level of antisocial behaviour and associated PSNI activity causing distress to the residents, for his assessment of the Housing Executive housing allocations in the Devenagh Way flats in the Rectory Estate, Ballymena; and whether he will take action to address this situation.

(AQW 5201/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive allocates properties in accordance with the Housing Selection Scheme under Article 22 of the Housing (NI) Order 1981. There are 18 flats at Devenagh Way, one is sold, five are currently vacant and twelve are tenanted. Of these twelve properties, ten have long term tenants and there have therefore only been two new allocations within the past year. The Housing Executive’s Ballymena District Office has not received nor recorded any reports of anti-social behaviour associated with the flats since 2009. However, should any such reports be received and there is sufficient evidence to proceed, they will be referred to the local Anti-social Behaviour Forum which comprises of the Ballymena Borough Council, the PSNI and the Housing Executive; and will subsequently be actioned by the appropriate agency if necessary.

Moyraferty Flats Retail Complex

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister for Social Development when the Housing Executive intends to demolish the derelict section of Moyraverty flats retail complex.

(AQW 5260/11)

Minister for Social Development: There are still some outstanding legal issues to be resolved but subject to the successful resolution of those and re-tendering of the demolition contract, I expect the demolition of these units to be completed as soon as practicably possible in the coming financial year 2011/12.

Neighbourhood Renewal: Funding

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development whether funding contracts for Neighbourhood Renewal Schemes will be issued by 1 April 2011.

(AQW 5288/11)

Minister for Social Development: Where applications have been received it is the Department’s aim to have contracts issued by 1 April 2011. On an individual basis the award of new contracts will be determined by the outcome of economic appraisal. These are currently being carried out in line with the Northern Ireland Guide to Expenditure Appraisal and Evaluation issued by the Department of Finance and Personnel. My officials are working closely throughout this process with the groups and where necessary are updating them on progress.

Benefit Changes

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister for Social Development what measures he intends to introduce to mitigate the effect of the benefit changes of 1 March 2011, on low-income families.

(AQO 1280/11)

Minister for Social Development: I am not aware of any specific benefit changes that took place on the 1 March 2011 however, the reassessment of Incapacity Benefits ( which includes Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Income Support paid because of an illness or disability) began on 28 February 2011 and will continue to March 2014. About 76,000 customers are expected to go through the process and current estimates are that most will move to Employment and Support Allowance, where they will continue to get the same level of payment as they did on Incapacity Benefits, as their rate of benefit will be protected.

The reassessment process will, however, result in some customers being disallowed and, depending on circumstances, may mean some will be on a lower rate of benefit as a result. I am gravely concerned about the impact of this and for this reason my officials have developed comprehensive, pro-active advice and support measures which will focus on this group of customers. First, before a decision is made to disallow benefit, the Decision Maker will call the customer to ensure that the Agency has all the relevant information to hand and to offer the customer the opportunity to provide any new information which may mean the case is not disallowed. Secondly, a dedicated team has been set up whereby customers will receive a telephone call a number of weeks before their incapacity benefit is due to stop, to carry out a detailed assessment of their individual and family income and circumstances. This will allow Agency officials to provide specific advice and support, which will enable these customers to make an informed decision about whether to claim another benefit such as Jobseekers Allowance, Housing Benefit, Tax Credits etc, or make an appeal (and which benefit to claim when they appeal).

Whilst we cannot ensure there is no reduction in income, the overall aim is to ensure customers are aware of all their options and have the necessary advice and support to make claims for all benefits appropriate to their circumstances, before their Incapacity Benefits payments stop, so to avoid a disruption in their income. The migration process will be closely monitored to ensure that every affected customer is supported and that none fall out of the protections offered by the benefit system.

Finally, I am the only Minister from the devolved administrations who has met the relevant London Ministers on a number of occasions to voice my deep concerns about this measure and the wider package of welfare reforms proposals. I have argued strenuously (and will continue to do so) that all welfare reforms need to be significantly modified to take account of Northern Ireland’s unique challenges arising from levels of deprivation and the legacy from the conflict here.

Common Selection Scheme

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development how many people are currently on the Common Selection Scheme housing waiting list in each district office area.

(AQW 5302/11)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested as the Housing Executive collates the data on a quarterly basis. However, the table below details the number of applicants on the Common Selection Scheme Waiting List in each Housing Executive District Office area as at 31 December 2010, which is the latest information available.

Applicants on waiting list at 31 December 2010:-