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

Friday 14 September 2007
Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Agriculture and Rural Development
Culture, Arts and Leisure
Environment
Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Regional Development
Social Development

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

Historic Crimes Investigation

Mr David Burnside asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if all Ministers, officials and policy advisers within the department are fully committed to co-operate with the Police Service of Northern Ireland in any historic crimes investigation, now and in the future.

(AQW 86/08)

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister (Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness): All Ministers have affirmed the Pledge of Office as set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, as amended by the Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006. One of the terms of that Pledge is a commitment "to uphold the rule of law based as it is on the fundamental principles of fairness, impartiality and democratic accountability, including support for policing and the courts, as set out in paragraph 6 of the St Andrews Agreement."

All Northern Ireland Civil Servants, including policy advisers, are required to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Northern Ireland Civil Service Code of

Ethics, which forms part of the contractual relationship between civil servants and Departments. The Code of Ethics states that civil servants must "comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice".

Smithsonian Festival

Mr Nelson McCausland asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, in light of the recent Smithsonian Festival, what plans are in place to promote Northern Ireland in the United States of America.

(AQO 73/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: During the Smithsonian Festival Ministers had a very successful visit attending over 100 meetings and events. The support of the US Administration has provided a real window of opportunity which we must maximise. In the United States the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington, DC promotes our interests and is engaged in a number of activities to promote our economy, science and research, skills, culture, education and our knowledge.

The Bureau is working with other Departments and organisations on economic initiatives with corporate America, networking with Irish and Scots-Irish communities, education and research partnerships with universities and schools, cultural and sporting activities and promoting our expertise and best practice at federal and state levels .

Invest NI which is the responsibility of our ministerial colleague Nigel Dodds, also has an important role to market Northern Ireland in the United States and has invested considerable resources in this.

An important outcome of the Executive’s visit in the summer is the US Government’s support for an investment conference next spring.

The First Minister intends to visit the United States later this year with colleagues to continue to promote Northern Ireland’s interests and in particular to focus on this very important economic work.

Junior Ministers

Rev Dr Robert Coulter asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if any of the Junior Ministers have attended, or will be attending, meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive.

(AQO 41/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: Junior Ministers were appointed in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister on 8 May under the determination of 8 December 1999 which provided for two Junior Ministers whose function would be; "Assisting the First Minister and deputy First Minister in the exercise of their functions in relation to the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister."

The Junior Ministers assist in all functions and have particular responsibility for:

• liaison with the Assembly in relation to Executive business;
• co-ordination of policy in relation to Children and young people’s issues; and
• co-ordination of policy in relation to Older people’s issues.

Given their roles both Junior Ministers have attended, and will continue to attend, meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Junior Ministers

Mr Danny Kennedy asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail what representations were made to the present Secretary of State, and his predecessor, in respect of the appointment of special advisers to the Junior Ministers.

(AQO 38/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: We wrote to the former Secretary of State, Peter Hain, on 18 May asking him to bring forward an amendment to the Civil Service Commissioners Order to allow the appointment of special advisers to the Junior Ministers.

Efficiency Review Panel

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

(AQO 2/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister was first established as a Department on 1 December 1999 but has changed significantly over the last 8 years as its role and responsibilities have continued to develop.

As additional roles have been added so the Department has had to grow to accommodate these. On 1 September 2000 the Department had approval for 283 staff. Figures published in September 2002, just before devolution was suspended, indicate that there were 417 staff in post.

Current staffing levels are broadly similar to the previous devolved administration. As at 1 September this year, there were 408 staff working in the Department.

It should be recognised that the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister is a fully functioning Department of the Northern Ireland Administration. Its work can be summarised into a number of separate but interrelated roles.

It provides administrative support and facilitates the operation of the institutions of government, specifically the Executive, the British Irish Council and the North South Ministerial Council.

It undertakes a wide range of policy responsibilities, some of which are conferred by statute. It has a policy making remit in relation to economic policy, taking in the reinvestment and reform initiative and also works with the Department of Finance and Personnel and the Strategic Investment Board to assist in the implementation of an effective investment strategy for Northern Ireland and the development of a comprehensive programme for government.

The Department also has significant policy responsibilities in the areas of rights, equality and good relations. This includes legislative and non legislative programmes covering anti discrimination and equality matters and cross cutting policy in areas such as race, disability, gender, children and young people, victims and survivors and community relations.

The Department provides a range of central services for the whole of the Northern Ireland administration through the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington and the Brussels office and by taking a lead role on cross cutting issues such as providing advice and guidance on the machinery of government, drafting legislation, civil contingencies planning, sustainable development, the review of public administration freedom of information and public appointments.

It also serves the needs of its Ministers. For this purpose the Department maintains a small private office that supports the business needs of 4 Ministers.

In order to carry out these roles effectively, it is essential that our staff work closely with colleagues in other departments, with those working in public bodies and in organisations in the private and voluntary sector. In short OFMDFM is a unique department which plays a central role at the heart of the Northern Ireland Administration.

Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

Mr Gerry McHugh asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister what interventions it has made in respect of the trade of local produce in the aftermath of the recent Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak.

(AQO 96/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: The recent Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak clearly demonstrated the advantages of a devolved Government in protecting Northern Ireland’s interests.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the support of the Executive, and the co-operation of the industry took swift and decisive action to protect our farming industry from the threat posed and in securing an early exemption from an export ban.

Following international trading difficulties, we made contact with the Taoiseach, the Japanese Ambassador to the UK and several senior representatives within the US Administration to resolve export difficulties relating to our meat and dairy products.

We are delighted that we were able to secure their support and following our interventions the export restrictions were removed. This ensured that Northern Ireland could continue to export to the EU and world markets.

Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

Mr William Irwin asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister what steps it has taken to assist in the recent Foot and Mouth crisis.

(AQO 83/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: The recent Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak clearly demonstrated the advantages of a devolved Government in protecting Northern Ireland’s interests.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the support of the Executive, and the co-operation of the industry took swift and decisive action to protect our farming industry from the threat posed and in securing an early exemption from an export ban.

Following international trading difficulties, we made contact with the Taoiseach, the Japanese Ambassador to the UK and several senior representatives within the US Administration to resolve export difficulties relating to our meat and dairy products.

We are delighted that we were able to secure their support and following our interventions the export restrictions were removed. This ensured that Northern Ireland could continue to export to the EU and world markets.

North-South Ministerial Council

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail any discussions it has had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland, aimed at identifying and developing additional bodies and areas of co-operation within the North-South Ministerial Council.

(AQO 117/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: At the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Plenary meeting held on 17 July in Armagh the Council agreed to take forward the Review, provided for in the St Andrews Agreement, of the North/South Implementation Bodies and Areas for Co-operation. The Review will commence later this month and a final report will be presented to the first North South Ministerial Council Plenary meeting in 2008.

A full report on the most recent Plenary meeting will be made to the Executive and to the Assembly in the near future.

Victims' Commissioner

Mr Seán Neeson asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to report on the appointment of a Victims' Commissioner.

(AQO 58/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: Victims and survivors needs are a high priority for us and we want to get the decision on an appointment right. We will take the necessary time to do this, not least for those who have suffered so much during the Troubles. We would ask everyone to be patient; the appointment of a Victims’ Commissioner is under active, detailed and careful consideration and we hope to make an early decision on this important appointment.

North-South Ministerial Council

Mr Willie Clarke asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if it will outline the benefits of the North-South Ministerial Council meeting, held in Armagh on 17 July 2007.

(AQO 108/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: The fifth Plenary meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) took place in Armagh on Tuesday 17 July 2007. This meeting was significant in that it was the first meeting of the NSMC since 2002.

Ministers welcomed the opportunity to meet in the Council to consult, promote mutually beneficial co-operation and take a number of decisions on a range of issues within the Council’s work programme. These are outlined in the Joint Communiqué from the Plenary which is available on the NSMC website at www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org.

A full report on the most recent NSMC Plenary will be made to the Executive Committee and the Assembly in the near future.

Victims' Strategy

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if it will provide a timeframe for the publication of a Victims' Strategy; and to detail the plans for consultation with the Assembly on this issue.

(AQO 1/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: It is hoped to publish a draft strategy for Victims and Survivors shortly. We are committed to engagement with the Committee of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister at the earliest opportunity to discuss this important document.

NSMC and BIC Meetings

Mr Peter Weir asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail what actions were agreed at the recent meetings of both the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council.

(AQO 3/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: A British Irish Council (BIC) Summit and a North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Plenary meeting took place on Monday 16 July and Tuesday 17 July respectively.

Ministers agreed a number of decisions on a range of issues within the BIC and the NMSC work programmes. These are outlined in the Communiqués which are available on the BIC and NSMC websites at www.britishirishcouncil.org/ and www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org.

A full report on the most recent BIC Summit and NSMC Plenary will be made to the Executive Committee and the Assembly in the near future.

Commissioner for Older People

Mr Mickey Brady asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister if it will detail the current position on the appointment of a Commissioner for Older People.

(AQO 112/08)

Rt Hon Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness: The matter of an Older People’s Commissioner was debated by the Assembly on Tuesday 5^th June when an undertaking was given by the deputy First Minister to review the case for establishing such an office.

We have agreed however that such a review should be conducted, recognising the need to consult with the age sector, older people and the Departmental Committee. We aim to have the review completed by the end of 2007.

Agriculture and Rural Development

Land Inspections

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the total number of land inspections associated with Single Farm Payments that were carried out during (i) June 2007; (ii) July 2007; and (iii) August 2007.

(AQW 31/08)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms Gildernew): In total 620 land inspections associated with Single Farm Payment were carried out during June, July and August 2007. The breakdown is as follows:

1. June 2007 89
2. July 2007 - 282
3. August 2007 249

Animals Rejected from Food Chain

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of animals presented for slaughter at Northern Ireland meat plants in the first six months of 2007, that were prevented by her department's personnel from entering the food chain due to lack of proper identification, perceived or otherwise.

(AQW 33/08)

Ms Gildernew: During the first six months of 2007

44 cattle, 40 sheep and 8 deer were rejected from the food chain, due to lack of proper identification.

Over Thirty Months Rule

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will make a statement on the Over Thirty Months Rule that continues to operate at Northern Ireland meat plants.

(AQW 35/08)

Ms Gildernew: The Over Thirty Month (OTM) Rule which was introduced across the UK in March 1996 prohibited animals over thirty months entering the food chain.

On 7 November 2005, the Over Thirty Month (OTM) Rule was replaced throughout the UK with a BSE testing regime for all cattle over thirty months of age born on or after 1 August 1996.

Since that date these cattle have been eligible for entry into the food chain subject to a negative BSE test.

Farmers

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of farmers in Northern Ireland, (i) in total; (ii) broken down by district council area; and (iii) broken down by parliamentary constituency, for each of the last five years.

(AQW 85/08)

Ms Gildernew: Information on the number of farmers recorded in the Northern Ireland Agriculture and Horticultural Census over the last five years is presented in Table 1 by district council area, and in Table 2 by parliamentary constituency.

Table 1. Number of Farmers in Northern Ireland, by District Council, 2002 – 2006.

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
District council
Antrim	956	939	910	878	878
Ards	971	928	905	850	795
Armagh	2577	2504	2434	2380	2317
Ballymena	1665	1619	1561	1561	1528
Ballymoney	968	946	913	907	925
Banbridge	1530	1500	1444	1419	1400
Belfast	36	38	38	35	36
Carrickfergus	134	129	125	121	118
Castlereagh	158	152	149	141	151
Coleraine	996	956	949	923	855
Cookstown	1710	1704	1697	1664	1576
Craigavon	878	870	832	799	777
Derry	662	651	625	618	585
Down	1588	1562	1546	1482	1478
Dungannon	2394	2401	2347	2285	2308
Fermanagh	3933	3897	3836	3750	3844
Larne	698	695	686	678	670
Limavady	860	843	841	814	790
Lisburn	1189	1150	1122	1063	1072
Magherafelt	1724	1713	1674	1634	1625
Moyle	767	766	748	750	731
Newry and Mourne	3321	3283	3220	3193	3219
Newtownabbey	343	318	311	288	285
North Down	106	104	98	89	93
Omagh	2737	2700	2646	2633	2617
Strabane	1631	1625	1606	1571	1321
Total	34532	33993	33263	32526	31994

Table 2. Number of Farmers in Northern Ireland, by Parliamentary Constituency, 2002 – 2006.

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Parliamentary constituency
Belfast East	22	23	23	22	18
Belfast North	10	9	9	9	11
Belfast South	15	9	10	9	13
Belfast West	14	15	16	13	9
East Antrim	841	830	816	809	798
East Londonderry	1855	1797	1788	1728	1642
Fermanagh & South Tyrone	5745	5728	5621	5483	5596
Foyle	662	651	625	621	582
Lagan Valley	1573	1540	1503	1441	1446
Mid Ulster	4013	3989	3935	3843	3760
Newry & Armagh	4306	4229	4115	4070	4027
North Antrim	3412	3331	3222	3222	3188
North Down	190	180	172	161	166
South Antrim	1297	1250	1216	1157	1159
South Down	3793	3721	3640	3543	3519
Strangford	1226	1184	1165	1099	1046
Upper Bann	1198	1182	1135	1087	1078
West Tyrone	4360	4325	4252	4209	3936
Total	34532	33993	33263	32526	31994

Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak

Mr David Ford asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what further actions are being taken as a result of the recent outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Surrey.

(AQO 79/08)

Ms Gildernew: I would refer the Member to the Statement which I made to the Assembly at Noon today.

Once the Commission Decision which is currently in place is revoked, it is my intention to review our certification requirements for product coming from Britain and product being exported from the North, with a view to reverting back to certification requirements that were in place before 3 August 2007 as soon as possible.

My aim has always been to return to normal trading practices as soon as it was safe to do so.

As exports to countries outside the EU remain an issue it is my intention to engage with the UK Government to support negotiations with the World Organisation for Animal Health, the OIE, which is the internationally recognised standard setting body for animal health to regain country-wide officially FMD Free status for the UK.

North South co-operation will continue on animal disease control and trading practices, given the interest we share in preventing the introduction of a serious animal disease to the Island of Ireland.

Farm Safety

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will detail how her department is addressing the issue of improving safety, and preventing accidents, on farms.

(AQO 131/08)

Ms Gildernew: I would like to extend my sincere sympathy to families who have had a loved one killed in a farm accident.

Improving safety and preventing accidents on farm is included as an integral component of all further and higher education programmes delivered by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, (CAFRE). Students enrolled on these programmes receive training in the safe use and operation of farm machinery, safe movement and handling of livestock, safe use of pesticides, emergency first aid procedures and safe lifting techniques.

CAFRE also offers a similar range of health and safety related training courses for farmers and family farm members. These courses are delivered at the CAFRE Campuses and at local out centres.

Single Farm Payment Applications

Mr Allan Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to make a statement on farmers who made an unintentional error on their 2005 Single Farm Payment Application (IACS) Form.

(AQO 50/08)

Ms Gildernew: 2005 was the first year of the Single Farm Payment Scheme and I accept that some applicants were unfamiliar with the Scheme rules and may have made genuine mistakes when completing their forms. These mistakes included overdeclaring land for example, land which may not have been eligible or where the farmer had not used the correct farm map. In some of these cases no further action was taken as the over declaration was less than 3% or 2 hectares but in all other instances these mistakes meant that, in accordance with EU rules, my Department had to apply penalties.

Unfortunately, there is little scope within these EU rules to waive such penalties, even when the mistakes were made unintentionally. Indeed, if my Department had considered these mistakes to have been intentional, more stringent penalties would have been applied in line with EU rules on intentional errors.

As previously announced to Assembly colleagues, I have given farmers an additional opportunity in 2007 to correct their maps and 2007 application forms. Hopefully, this will mean that farmers will have picked up many of these ineligible areas before my Department identifies them as irregularities.

Equality Agenda in Rural Communities

Ms Martina Anderson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will outline how her department intends to address the equality agenda in relation to rural communities.

(AQO 132/08)

Ms Gildernew: I refer my colleague to the equality impact assessment paper on the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007- 2013 which is currently out for public consultation. In this paper DARD has clearly outlined how it has been engaging with a wide spectrum of equality groups in recent months, to help gain a better understanding of the specific issues affecting rural communities.

This positive engagement will continue in the future too. I am keen to ensure that people who work and live in rural areas are treated every bit as fairly as their urban counterparts, and are made fully aware of the scope of the new Programme, and how it has the potential to bring positive benefits to disadvantaged groups in rural communities.

The consultation period runs until 2 November and during this time we will host a series of consultation events to discuss the new Programme with various interested groups. We want to hear their views and suggestions that will help us ensure that equality is mainstreamed into all aspects of delivery of the Programme.

Rural Childcare Strategy

Mrs Claire McGill asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will give an update on progress on the Rural Childcare Strategy.

(AQO 190/08)

Ms Gildernew: The Rural Childcare Stakeholders Committee has now met twice and is due to bring forward a report on Rural Childcare issues in January 2008. Membership of the group is wide and includes childcare specialists, community groups, women’s interests and government representatives.

Inspections for Farmers

Mr Francis Brolly asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail what progress has been made on reducing inspections for farmers.

(AQO 125/08)

Ms Gildernew: I am able to report that good progress has been made. This year, DARD has put in place arrangements whereby all the Cross-Compliance animal requirements are inspected as part of one on-farm inspection. This has reduced the number of separate on-farm inspection visits required by 800 when compared the figures for 2006. Also, it has been agreed in principle that, from 2008, DARD inspectors will undertake the health and safety related Cross-Compliance inspections (currently undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive), which will remove a further 400 separate farm visits.

I would also advise that recent legislative amendments introduced by the European Commission will enable eligibility and Cross-Compliance inspections for the 2008 scheme onwards to begin before the closing date for applications. This will enable us to spread inspections throughout the year and avoid unnecessary pressure at the end of the year.

All-Ireland Approach to Rural Development

Mr Mitchel McLaughlin asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the progress that has been made in relation to an all-Ireland approach to rural development.

(AQO 127/08)

Ms Gildernew: All Ireland co-operation on rural development is vital to ensure the sustainability of all our rural communities.

There have already been many positive examples of my Department working together with our colleagues in the South. This cross border co-operation has supported the creation of new industries and jobs and reinvigorated our Border areas.

I am very keen that this co-operation continues. Rural people face the same challenges across the whole island of Ireland, and a partnership approach pays dividends. To develop this further, I met with Ministers O’Cuív and Devins on 7 September to discuss a range of rural development issues including rural childcare and their Rural White Paper, to share experiences and to look to opportunities for further co-operation in the future.

Support for Farmers

Rev Dr Robert Coulter asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what support she is giving to farmers in negotiating more favourable terms with supermarket chains for the sale of their produce.

(AQO 36/08)

Ms Gildernew: The multiple retailers are major markets for food and drink produced in the North and as such I have made it a priority to engage with them to discuss their policies for local sourcing and promotion of local produce.

I have already met with senior representatives of two of the major retailers in June and plan to meet others in the coming months. During these meetings I encouraged the retailers to support the sustainability of local supply chains and to take account of rising input costs faced by producers and processors. I also encouraged them to increase the amount of produce sourced from NI for their stores, both locally and in GB.

I have also just issued a letter to all the supermarkets locally seeking their view on the increase in price of feed and expressing my concern about the potential knock-on effects on producer margins.

I am committed to helping farmers develop strong and profitable relationships with their supply chain partners and my Department has been proactively facilitating such communication through the Supply Chain Awareness Programme for the past four years. I am also pleased to say that we are also currently providing facilitation support to groups of producers exploring market focused initiatives.

Delay in Single Farm Payments

Mr Sammy Wilson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to give an assurance that Northern Ireland farmers will not be put at a disadvantage, compared to farmers in the Republic of Ireland, through delays in paying out the 2007 Single Farm Payment.

(AQO 52/08)

Ms Gildernew: While I am not in a position to compare the 2007 payment position between here and the south, I can provide an assurance that there will be no unjustified delays in the issue of our 2007 Single Farm Payments. However, as payments can only be made on fully validated claims, if there is a query on a case this cannot be paid until the query is sorted out. Around 38,800 applications were received this year and good progress is being made in processing these with a sizeable percentage being query free. A timetable setting out payment targets will be published in November.

Biosecurity

Mr Cathal Boylan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her plans for ensuring that bio security is as effective as possible in ensuring freedom from future outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth and other diseases.

(AQO 116/08)

Ms Gildernew: I will continue to ensure that everything possible is done to keep us free from animal diseases that would have serious economic implications.

My Department has a system in place at ports to ensure that "dirty" vehicles are not permitted to enter the North. There are also systems in place that can easily be introduced at times of increased risk, for example, disinfection at ports as we have seen in the past month.

Our procedures for cattle traceability are excellent and this forms the basis for ensuring that animals are monitored closely and can be easily traced. During the recent Foot and Mouth outbreak, as an example, within 48 hours my Department had traced all 128 consignments of animals that had come from or through Britain since the beginning of July. This was fundamental to ensuring that if the disease had spread here we would have picked it up quickly.

As well as traceability my Department also has a long term commitment to education which includes biosecurity messages being issued in a timely manner and in response to heightened risk. This takes the form of leaflets, advertising and posters.

There is very close, on-going co-operation between my Department and the Department of Agriculture and Food in Dublin on the prevention, surveillance and control of a range of epizootic diseases, such as FMD, Bluetongue and Avian Influenza.

This co-operation has included discussions about the assessment of risk, the preventive actions that would be taken in the respective jurisdictions and the importance of these being co-ordinated, the alignment of contingency planning, and the movement controls which would be necessary in the event of an outbreak.

This close level of North/South co-operation will continue, given the interest we all share in preventing the introduction of serious animal disease to the Island of Ireland.

Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

Mr Gerry McHugh asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what is her assessment of the 'Fortress Ireland' approach adopted following the Foot-and-Mouth outbreak in England, and its role in Northern Ireland's exclusion from the European Union ban on produce from Britain.

(AQO 114/08)

Ms Gildernew: In my opinion, the "Fortress Ireland" approach was crucial in minimising the risk to the Island of Ireland during the recent Foot and Mouth outbreak. I, together with my officials, worked closely with counterparts in Dublin to ensure a consistent approach was adopted throughout the Island which was proportionate to the risk. The Department already has close links with colleagues in Dublin and this close level of North/South co-operation will continue in the future.

Indeed the European Commission has recognised the unique position of the North which means that we were excluded from the EU ban and therefore allowed to continue to trade with other Member States.

Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

Mr John O'Dowd asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will outline the diplomatic efforts that were involved in ensuring that other countries understood and respected that Northern Ireland's exports were free of Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

(AQO 120/08)

Ms Gildernew: The First Minister contacted the Japanese Ambassador in London and the deputy First Minister and I worked very closely with the US Administration.

At my request, the UK Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) wrote to all EU CVOs advising each of them that the North was free from FMD and had been since 2001. My officials then rang and spoke to a number of Member States to re-inforce the message.

We also spoke to countries such as Turkey where there were initial difficulties concerning hides and skins.

DETI and Invest NI were also very supportive and will continue to promote our produce at international exhibitions, Meet-The-Buyer events and by increasing the number of trade development visits to overseas exhibitions.

My CVO attended the Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) in Brussels on two occasions.

Letters of comfort were also provided to exporters who were experiencing difficulties with importing countries.

Culture, Arts and Leisure

Bailiffs

Mr Daithí McKay asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the number of bailiffs to service (i) Killylane Reservoir; (ii) Altnahinch Reservoir; and (iii) Dungonnell Reservoir; and to give his assessment of whether this number is sufficient.

(AQW 67/08)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr Poots): The Department employs the Fisheries Conservancy Board on an agency basis to provide the bailiffing for these 3 fisheries which form part of the Department’s Public Angling Estate. There are 64 fisheries in the Estate including Lough Erne.

There is no set number of bailiffs attending these fisheries rather the Department allocates a specific number of hours per season for each fishery. Bailiffing is undertaken by "blitzes" (several bailiffs at weekends or evenings) and single bailiffs at any time. The hours allocated are shown below.

Fishery	Evening and weekend visits	No of bailiffs	Blitz hours	Individual hours	Total hours
Killylane	4	2	30	33	63
Altnahinch	3	2	18	12	30
Dungonnell	1	2	6	12	18

Additional hours may be added if specific problems are identified.

The amount of bailiffing is based on the revenue available to the Department for this purpose. The level of bailiffing at the 64 fisheries is determined by the investment in each fishery (value of fish stocked) or its importance as a wild fishery. This is the most cost effective way to bailiff these fisheries at this time.

Eel Fishing Community on Lough Neagh

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail his strategy for assisting the eel fishing community on Lough Neagh.

(AQO 123/08)

Mr Poots: My Department already implements a number of operational measures to assist the eel fishing community on Lough Neagh. This includes:-

• the funding of a scientist to work specifically with the eel fishing community on Lough Neagh on eel research work: and
• the Freshwater Fishing Vessels Grant Scheme provides financial assistance primarily to the Lough Neagh commercial eel fishing community towards the cost of fishing vessels or a new engine for a fishing vessel.

The Department is currently developing an eel management plan for the Neagh/Bann catchment which includes Lough Neagh. This is required by an EU Eel Conservation regulation to address the current decline in European eel stocks. Whilst this is primarily a conservation measure it should also assist the continued viability of the local eel fishing industry.

For the first time the European Fisheries Fund includes a grant provision for the specific purpose of elver restocking. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is the lead NI department for delivery of the Fund. The provision of grant for elver restocking is currently under discussion between my Department and DARD.

Funding of GAA Clubs

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps he has taken to ensure that funding to local Gaelic Athletic Clubs is awarded fairly and in accordance with need, and that district councils that fail to comply are informed accordingly.

(AQO 13/08)

Mr Poots: Sport Northern Ireland is responsible for the development of sport in Northern including the distribution of funding to sport. All Sport Northern Ireland investment programmes are subject to open competition and have clearly documented procedures to ensure they address need, are transparent and that there is consistency in the assessment of applications for all sports including Gaelic Games. These procedures are also subject to independent internal and external audit in accordance with accountability requirements of public funding. In addition, all Sport Northern Ireland programmes are assessed to ensure that they take account of the need to promote equality of opportunity in line with the equality requirements imposed upon public bodies under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. District Councils are also subject to the same accountability and equality obligations.

Maritime Heritage

Mr Seán Neeson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps are being taken to preserve the maritime heritage of Northern Ireland.

(AQO 59/08)

Mr Poots: My Department’s responsibilities on maritime heritage are outworked through our sponsorship of the National Museums of Northern Ireland. National Museums have significant and extensive maritime collections. Those collections include a photographic archive containing tens of thousands of images, hundreds of thousands of drawings from the Harland and Wolff shipyards and a number of full sized vessels. All are adequately being cared for and preserved.

Mobile Library Service

Mr Gerry McHugh asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps he is taking to ensure that the mobile library service is expanded.

(AQO 128/08)

Mr Poots: I appreciate that mobile libraries provide a greatly valued service, especially in rural areas. ‘Delivering Tomorrow’s Libraries’, the DCAL Framework Policy for Libraries, encourages the use of mobile libraries to provide access to library services in rural areas.

Operational decisions regarding the most effective and efficient way to provide library services in any particular area are made by Education and Library Boards.

Public Records Online

Mr Danny Kennedy asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, following the announcement of a relocation of the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland to Belfast's Titanic Quarter, what plans he has for, and what resources he intends to commit to, increasing the accessibility of public records online.

(AQO 40/08)

Mr Poots: A major project - with government funding to date of £740,000 - to make the extensive and detailed catalogues to the archives held in PRONI, available and searchable on-line will be completed before the end of 2007. This will open up PRONI’s archives to both a local and world-wide audience, enable the public to be much better prepared in advance of a visit to PRONI and speed up the research time actually spent in PRONI. The public will be able to access PRONI’s catalogues through the public library service and Electronic Libraries for Northern Ireland (ELFNI) thereby providing a more joined approach to information retrieval.

Alongside this major project, PRONI has completed 2 significant digitisation projects that are available on-line, and is currently completing 3 further projects to get the 1858-1900 wills, the early street directories and the historical Ordnance Survey maps for Northern Ireland ( the latter in partnership with Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland) available on-line.

Electronic educational resources based on PRONI’s rich archives have also been created to support the Northern Ireland curriculum, and are either available through LearningNI to all schools in Northern Ireland or directly on the Internet. Plans are well advanced to create an on-line exhibition in partnership with the Linen Hall Library and the Ulster Museum on the Ulster connections to the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The exhibition will draw extensively on PRONI’s archives and will be of value to schools, universities and the life-long learner.

In addition PRONI is currently re-designing its website that will provide more information to customers using the archives with plans to include databases to particular series of archives.

Both present and future initiatives in regard to the enhancement of online access to the unique holdings of PRONI are considered within the overall context of DCAL resource priorities and the priorities of PRONI as a division of the Department. Those priorities will take full account of the need for PRONI to encourage the wider use of unique archive resources that are ‘the documented community memory’.

All-Sports Stadium at the Maze

Mr David Ford asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline the timescale for presentation of a full business plan for an all-sports stadium at the Maze site.

(AQO 80/08)

Mr Poots: A draft business plan has been passed to the 3 sports governing bodies – Soccer, Rugby and Gaelic Games – for their consideration. The independent consultants appointed to complete the business plan will then review and finalise the plan in light of the comments received from the 3 sports bodies. This process will hopefully be completed in the next few weeks. In parallel with this, but on a slightly longer timescale, work is in hand to address the governance and management arrangements for the Stadium. This work will also be taken forward in conjunction with the preferred developer for the Maze site.

Development of Recreational Sea Angling

Mr Daithí McKay asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps he is taking to ensure adequate investment is made into developing recreational sea angling in coastal areas.

(AQO 121/08)

Mr Poots: My Department has no direct remit under the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 to develop recreational sea angling. Currently there is no funding allocated for this purpose.

However as the implementing body for a Peace II Water Based Tourism Measure we allocated funding totalling over £116, 000 to four commercial recreational sea angling projects. This funding was primarily to provide new or upgrade existing charter boat vessels for recreational coastal angling for the benefit of both local communities and tourists.

My department has commissioned a report into the social and economic impact of recreational fisheries, angling and angling resources. The report includes sea angling. It is due to be published in the near future. I will be considering the recommendations contained in the Report.

I am also currently in discussion with Ards and Down Sea trout Enhancement Association regarding the feasibility of coastal sea trout angling on Strangford Lough.

Joint Projects

Ms Carál Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the joint projects currently being undertaken by his department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the Republic of Ireland.

(AQO 124/08)

Mr Poots: Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, an Agency of DCAL, is working with a number of other organisations including the Department for Regional Development, NI Planning Service, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the University of Ulster Jordanstown and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the Republic of Ireland, on a Spatial Indicators project. This project covers Northern Ireland and the Border counties. It is funded through the EU INTERREG IIIA programme.

The Spatial Indicators project is based on work developed in an EU project named MOLAND (Monitoring Land Cover/Use Dynamics). MOLAND uses a modelling tool to predict the impact of spatial planning decisions, and to monitor and assess where development is likely to take place. The results enable organisations to proceed with planning decisions with a view of their likely consequences. The model also contains a set of indicators of urban and regional sustainability that can be used to compare between areas.

Environment

Eco-Driving Campaign

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of the Environment what consideration she will give to the introduction of an "eco-driving campaign" similar to that launched by the Scottish Executive.

(AQW 3/08)

The Minister of the Environment (Mrs Foster): I have no plans to introduce such a campaign in Northern Ireland but changes to driver training and assessment should help to promote eco-friendly driving. From 3 September 2007 the Theory Test for car and motorcycles has introduced more questions on the effects of certain driving behaviours on the environment. From September 2008 for drivers of buses and September 2009 for drivers of large goods vehicles, it is proposed to introduce into the practical test an assessment to demonstrate understanding of ways to reduce fuel consumption and reduce noise and pollution.

Mourne National Park

Mr John McCallister asked the Minister of the Environment if she will confirm that she has no plans to include Carlingford Lough in any proposed Mourne National Park.

(AQW 8/08)

Mrs Foster: The Mourne National Park Working Party will be presenting me with its recommendations about the proposed Mourne National Park later this month. After I receive its recommendations I will seek the opinions of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside and the Environment and Agriculture and Rural Development Committees. The views of these bodies will help me decide how to proceed.

Ballycraigy Bonfire

Mr Thomas Burns asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the scientific tests that were performed on, or after, 12 July 2007, to assess the environmental impact of the Ballycraigy bonfire.

(AQW 115/08)

Mrs Foster: My Department does not regulate bonfire sites and has not carried out any scientific tests on or around the Ballycraigy bonfire site.

Planning Applications

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment if she will outline in detail the implications for all planning applications refused, or with an opinion to refuse, under Draft Planning Policy Statement 14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside, in light of Mr Justice Gillen's decision of 7 September 2007.

(AQW 122/08)

Mrs Foster: Following the Court’s decision that the Department for Regional Development did not have the power to prepare draft PPS 14, the Judicial Review parties have been given one week to consider possible remedies and a further hearing will take place, today 14^th September 2007. Planning Service is currently holding all applications that have been determined under draft PPS 14, including those where an opinion has already been presented to the District Council but no decision has been issued. Applications for single rural dwellings listed on Council schedules during the week beginning 10 September 2007 have been deferred. The implications for applications which have previously been refused will be considered further in light of the outcome of the further Court hearing on 14 September 2007.

Waste Offences

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of people who have been prosecuted for waste offences, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 125/08)

Mrs Foster: EHS does not hold records for these prosecutions prior to late December 2003, when it assumed responsibility for waste management from District Councils. Since then, EHS has overseen the following successful prosecutions for waste offences:

2003 – 3 

2004 – 24 

2005 – 61  

2006 – 126

2007 (to date) – 55

Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Art in Hospitals

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount spent by each hospital in Northern Ireland on art works, for each of the last five years.

(AQW 18/08)

The Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr McGimpsey): The information requested is not held centrally. The review, which I announced on 24 August 2007, will look at the pattern of spending on artwork in healthcare facilities. In particular, I have asked that clear guidance is produced on how resources should be found for works of art.

Gardening and Landscaping Expenditure

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount spent by each hospital in Northern Ireland on gardening and landscaping, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 19/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information requested is not held for each hospital.

Hospitality and Entertainment Expenditure

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount spent by each hospital in Northern Ireland on hospitality and entertainment, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 20/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information requested is not available by hospital.

Transfer of Patients

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for each of the last five years, the number of patients transferred to hospitals outside Northern Ireland owing to a lack of beds or personnel, broken down by hospital.

(AQW 21/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The information requested is not available by hospital but some high level information is available by Commissioning Board and this is shown in the table below.

Number of Patients Transferred to Hospitals outside Northern Ireland 2002/2003 – 2006/2007

Commissioning Board	Financial Year					Total
	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Northern	214	212	211	246	324	1,207
Southern	133	146	185	199	207	870
Eastern	328	345	363	366	346	1,748
Western	41	63	105	120	61	390
Total	716	766	864	931	938	4,215

Notes

The data include:

Patients transferred for a specialist service not available within Northern Ireland; Patients transferred to hospitals with which the Commissioning Board holds a Service Level Agreement (SLA) except for Western Board which was unable to separately identity these patients within the timeframe available.

The data exclude:

Patients admitted to hospitals outside Northern Ireland while on holiday or studying abroad;

Patients admitted to state secure hospitals;

Patients transferred to hospitals outside Northern Ireland due to waiting list initiatives.

The data represent the actual number of patients being seen or treated in each financial year but do not reflect the frequency of each patient’s visit to hospital. It should be noted that a patient may be counted in each of the financial years if their condition is kept under review.

Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Mrs Dolores Kelly asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of directors and assistant directors in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area; the cost of their salaries and that of the Chief Executive; and how these costs compare with previous costs before the new arrangements were implemented.

(AQW 37/08)

Mr McGimpsey: I have delegated the responsibility for answering this question to the Chief Executive of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. I understand that he has replied as follows:

With reference to the above question, please find detailed below the response:

Job Title	Salary Band	Salary Range
Chief Executive	Band 2	£88,125 - £117,498
Director of Acute Services	Band 4	£66,093 - £88,125
Director of Children & Young People’s Services	Band 4	£66,093 - £88,125
Director of Finance & Procurement	Band 4	£66,093 - £88,125
Director of Human Resources	Band 5	£56,650 - £75,534
Director of Mental Health & Disability	Band 4	£66,093 - £88,125
Director of Older People & Primary Care	Band 5	£56,650 - £75,534
Director of Performance & Reform	Band 4	£66,093 - £88,125

Bandings for the above posts have been set by the Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety.

Job Title	Salary Band	Salary Range
Assistant Directors (24)	8C	£46,900 – £68,880
Assistant Directors (7)	8B	£39,346 - £50,733

Bandings for the Assistant Directors posts were determined by a desk top banding exercise in accordance with the new Agenda for Change Pay Arrangements. This desk top banding was carried out by trained management side and staff side representatives.

The cost of Chief Executives, Directors and Assistant Directors in the old structures is estimated to be of the order of £6.4m (the figures have to be treated with some degree of caution owing to definitional issues around Assistant Directors in the old structures) compared to an estimated £2.6m in the new structure. This latter figure does not reflect the cost of some posts/structures currently being consulted upon but is not likely to exceed £3m.

Tackling Violence in the Home Strategy

Mrs Dolores Kelly asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he has established an inter-Ministerial group to deliver on the Tackling Violence in the Home Strategy; and to detail the number of meetings that have taken place to date.

(AQW 38/08)

Mr McGimpsey: I announced in the Assembly on 29 May 2007 my intention to establish an Inter-Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence, in order to ensure the implementation of the Tackling Violence at Home Strategy. Recognising Northern Ireland’s particular needs and planning to make best use of people’s time, I have decided to expand the remit of the Group to include sexual violence.

I have written to Ministers Peter Robinson, Margaret Ritchie and Caitriona Ruanne seeking their endorsement of the 2007/08 Domestic Violence Action Plan and informing them about the proposed Group. In order to establish the Group, I intend to seek the Executive’s formal approval in early November and follow with the first meeting as soon as possible thereafter.

Community Health Village in Banbridge

Mrs Dolores Kelly asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, following the commitment to the people of Banbridge after the closure of Banbridge Hospital, if he will provide a new community health village on the site; to give a timescale for completion of this work; and to give an indication of what plans currently exist for the site.

(AQW 39/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The Southern Health and Social Care Trust have produced a conceptual plan for a Community Health Village on the site of the former Banbridge Hospital. As part of this plan the new GP Group Surgery and the FOLD sheltered accommodation have already been developed at the location. The Health and Care Centre, and Day Centre projects proposed for this site are included in the Trust’s business case for their Primary and Community Care Infrastructure Programme, which was submitted to the Department in July 2007 for assessment. It is expected that this appraisal of the PCCI business case, including Banbridge, should be completed before the end of 2007, at which time a decision on approval could be taken. This would then enable the project to progress to the procurement stage. This will, of course, be subject to the availability of the requisite capital and revenue resources, which is yet to be confirmed in the current Comprehensive Spending Review and associated review of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland later this year. Other plans for the site include the development of a memorial garden and community park which is to be provided by Banbridge District Council.

Altnagelvin Hospital

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for the Altnagelvin Hospital Estate, (i) the number and location of inpatient beds; and (ii) the provision of professionals allied to medicine, allocated to people who have suffered a brain injury, spinal injury or who have a progressive neurological condition.

(AQW 47/08)

Mr McGimpsey: (i) There are 17 beds, located at Spruce House in Altnagelvin Hospital, that are allocated to patients who have suffered a brain injury, spinal injury or who have a progressive neurological condition.

Most patients are admitted to these beds directly from home but in some cases they may be transferred from an acute bed within the main Altnagelvin Hospital where they had been admitted through A&E.

(ii) One physiotherapist is allocated to Spruce House for 10 hours per week to provide a service for patients who have suffered a brain injury, spinal injury or who have a progressive neurological condition.

Physiotherapists are allocated as required to patients with these conditions, who occupy acute beds, within the main Altnagelvin hospital as required.

There is no formal Occupational Therapy or Speech and Language Therapy cover for Spruce House. However, the Head Occupational Therapist / Head Speech and Language Therapist will see patients with such conditions when required.

No other Allied Health Professionals provide an input to these services at Spruce House.

Regional Disabled Services Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps he intends to take to reduce the waiting list for special seating for wheelchairs at the Regional Disabled Services Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital.

(AQW 52/08)

Mr McGimpsey: My Department is working to bring about a significant programme of change in the delivery of the wheelchair service in Northern Ireland. The current review of the wheelchair service being carried out by the Regional Wheelchair Reform Group will ensure that service users can avail of a high quality, accessible, and responsive service. The Group’s remit covers the complete spectrum of wheelchair services, including the area of special seating. It will report its findings and recommendations by March 2008.

Breast Screening

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what measures have been put in place to tackle the breast-screening waiting lists and waiting times within the Northern Health and Social Services Board area.

(AQW 65/08)

Mr McGimpsey: A regional breast screening plan has been drawn up by the Chief Executives of the Health and Social Services Boards for the provision of an equitable breast screening service for Northern Ireland, and to address the backlog that has arisen as a result of suspension of the breast screening service in the Northern Board. The plan identified the need for a second mobile screening unit in the Northern Board. My Department has made funding available for this and the Northern Board has begun the procurement process.

Currently 370 Northern Board women are being screened every week compared with 250 women prior to October 2005. There is a 16 month backlog for mobile screening in the Ballymena area but this will fall to 8 months from October 2007 when screening in the Ballymena area is completed. The provision of the second mobile and use of unscheduled capacity at Antrim Hospital from October 2007 will increase the number screened and further help reduce the backlog. It is anticipated that the backlog will be fully cleared by 2009.

The breast screening programme is a rolling one which invites women from GP practices in turn on a three year cycle and any additional activity in one year would have to be replicated every third year or a backlog would develop again. The reduction in the backlog requires careful management to ensure that a backlog situation does not arise again and my Department is monitoring the situation closely.

Delayed Discharge of Patients

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people, broken down by Health and Social Services Board, who remain in hospital because an adequate care package is not available to facilitate their return home.

(AQW 66/08)

Mr McGimpsey: The number of people, broken down by Health and Social Services Board, who remain in hospital because an adequate care package is not available to facilitate their return home is not available. However, the number of patients who had their discharge delayed due to ‘no place or care package available’ is available and is shown in the table below broken down by Health and Social Services Board of residence. Figures shown represent the situation at the end of April 2007, the latest month for which information is available.

Health and Social Services Board of Residence	Number of Delayed Discharges1 due to ‘No Place or Care Package Available’ April 2007
EHSSB	35
NHSSB	25
SHSSB	<5
WHSSB	8

Source: Departmental Return, DD1.

Notes:

Figures are presented in respect of the position at the last day of April 2007.

¹ - Information is currently provisional and subject to change.

Please note that cell sizes that have a value of less than 5 have been masked in order to help protect confidentiality.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the anticipated financial savings that would be achieved as a result of withdrawing clinically effective drugs for the treatment of the early and late stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

(AQW 98/08)

Mr McGimpsey: In November 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance on four drugs used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This guidance was amended in September 2007. The Institute’s conclusion was that three of these drugs (donepezil, galantamine and rivasigmine) were recommended as treatment options for people with Alzheimer’s disease of moderate severity only. The other drug, memantine, was not recommended as a treatment option for people with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer’s disease.

Using a costing template produced by NICE, it is estimated that implementation of this guidance in Northern Ireland would realise annual savings in the region of £400,000.

Cost of Alzheimer's Drugs

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the cost per annum of prescribing the Alzheimer's drugs Aricept, Reminyl and Exelon.

(AQW 99/08)

Mr McGimpsey: During the 2006/2007 year the cost of prescribing these Alzheimer’s drugs was:

Drug	Cost
Aricept	£2,205,113
Reminyl	£1,186,528
Exelon	£116,636

Alzheimer's Disease

Mr George Savage asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people with Alzheimer's Disease, who are currently in receipt of community care services.

(AQW 100/08)

Mr McGimpsey: This information is not collected centrally.

Patient Complaints

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, broken down by hospital, the total number of complaints made by patients in each of the last five years; the number of these that related to (i) misdiagnosis; (ii) unacceptable standards of care; and (iii) unsuitable treatment; and the total number and percentage of these that were upheld.

(AQW 145/08)

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

HSS Trust	Total number of complaints received
	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06
Belfast City Hospital	163	120	195	153	163
Down Lisburn	274	289	282	299	373
Green Park Healthcare	188	132	138	203	222
Mater Infirmorum	119	136	92	98	91
North & West Belfast	130	150	110	143	153
Royal Group	657	490	415	621	839
South & East Belfast	205	271	282	252	294
Ulster Community & Hospitals	400	360	382	294	356
Causeway	420	506	455	456	531
Homefirst Community	148	185	286	327	264
United Hospitals	191	262	275	310	311
Armagh & Dungannon	86	85	77	69	99
Craigavon & Banbridge Community	106	82	90	128	100
Craigavon Area Hospital Group	225	193	168	220	194
Newry & Mourne	158	113	141	150	230
Altnagelvin Hospitals	234	200	229	213	333
Foyle	70	55	78	71	77
Sperrin Lakeland	82	95	54	64	136
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service	168	145	181	144	178
Northern Ireland Total	4,024	3,869	3,930	4,215	4,944

Regional Development

Sewerage System in Bangor

Mr Brian Wilson asked the Minister for Regional Development what plans he has to upgrade the sewerage system in Bangor; and if he will give a timescale for the work to be carried out.

(AQW 4/08)

The Minister for Regional Development (Mr Murphy): As Minister for Regional Development, I have policy responsibility for water and sewerage, but the Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006 introduced by the previous administration transferred responsibility for the operational delivery of water and sewerage services to Northern Ireland Water (NIW). As the issue raised is an operational matter, I have asked Katharine Bryan, Chief Executive of NIW, to write to you in response to this question.

Road and Rail Infrastructure

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister for Regional Development what steps he has taken to improve the contribution of Northern Ireland's road and rail infrastructure towards our ability to compete economically with the Republic of Ireland.

(AQW 43/08)

Mr Murphy: The Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) identifies strategic transportation investment priorities up to 2012. The strategic direction and underlying principles of the RTS were agreed by the Assembly in July 2002.

The RTS acknowledges that transportation is inextricably linked to the economy. The RTS was developed on the basis that enhancing the regional gateways identified in the Regional Development Strategy and creating an upgraded and integrated transport system, built around the Regional Strategic Transport Network incorporating the Key Transport Corridors, is essential for the future prosperity of the region.

Proposals to upgrade and improve these corridors were contained within the Regional Strategic Transportation Network Transport Plan (RSTNTP – 2005), which identified £1,567 million for major highway improvements and bus and rail services, up to the year 2015.

The composition and delivery of the major works programme of my Department’s Roads Service is consistent with the level of investment proposed under the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland (ISNI), published in December 2005. The ISNI sets out a high level view of planned investment up to 2015 with proposals for up to £1.4 billion of strategic road improvement schemes. Around £1 billion of these schemes have already been identified in the RSTN TP and Roads Service is currently considering responses to a consultation exercise on a further £400million of major works proposals.

The National Development Plan 2007-2013, launched in January 2007, contains proposals for Irish Government investment in North/South projects. At the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meeting in July, the Irish Government indicated its intention to make available £400million to help fund major roads programmes, providing dual carriageway standard on routes within Northern Ireland on the Western Corridor and the Eastern Seaboard Corridor (Belfast to Larne). The Northern Ireland Executive has confirmed its acceptance, in principle, to taking forward these two major road projects. Roads Service is now engaged in developing a process for the governance, delivery, and funding of these projects including the early commencement of a route corridor study for the A5.

An interdepartmental working group led by my Department has now undertaken an assessment of investment, and considered options for future investment for the rail network. As a result, a bid for additional funding to purchase further new trains and to upgrade the Derry line has been submitted for consideration in drawing up the second Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland.

The RTS contains a commitment to carry out a mid-term review which will include examining the progress of implementation to date, budgets secured and relevant developments since 2002.

Rail Link to Dublin

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the number of meetings he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, regarding the security of the rail link to Dublin.

(AQW 44/08)

Mr Murphy:

I have not met with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to discuss the security of the rail link to Dublin. However, Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) liaises closely with the PSNI on matters concerning the security of the line. In the past six months senior operational managers from NIR have met with senior divisional PSNI officers on six occasions regarding security assessments / security incidents on the Belfast – Dublin line. In addition there have been numerous telephone communications at other operational levels between the two organisations.

Rail Link to Dublin

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister for Regional Development what is his assessment of the security threat against the Dublin rail link; and what steps he has taken to ensure that it remains free from disruption.

(AQW 45/08)

Mr Murphy: Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) liaises closely with the PSNI in terms of its response to reported security issues on the rail line. Where closure is considered necessary, this is done and the necessary contingency plans are implemented with co-operation from Iarnrod Eireann. NIR, under the guidance and advice of the PSNI, works to ensure the earliest practical inspection, clearance and re-opening of the line, while at all times ensuring the safety of passengers and staff.

Assessing the level of threat is an issue for the PSNI rather than NIR or the Department for Regional Development. However, NIR has worked hard to achieve effective community relations on the route. Efforts have been made to raise awareness of the economic, environmental and social benefits that reliable access to public transport offers as well as the risks to safety, inconvenience and frustration to passengers that security alerts entail.

Road and Rail Infrastructure

Mr Mervyn Storey asked the Minister for Regional Development what is his assessment of the contribution of Northern Ireland's road and rail infrastructure in determining its ability to compete economically with the Republic of Ireland.

(AQW 46/08)

Mr Murphy: Transport is a key driver of economic development. It provides the means for all citizens to access employment, social and educational services as well as leisure activities and for the efficient and timely movement of goods. A modern infrastructure is crucial to economic growth and competitiveness. We need high quality ports and airports to trade internationally and also high quality road and public transport linkages.

The Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, published in December 2005, sets out a high level view of planned investment up to 2015 with proposals for up to £1.4 billion of strategic road improvement schemes. Around £1 billion of these schemes have already been identified in the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan and Roads Service is currently considering responses to a consultation exercise on a further £400million of major works proposals. The Regional Strategic Transport Network connects the major hubs and gateways here, including the air and seaports. The proposed strategic road improvements will improve the flow of traffic, including public transport and freight, across the region and contribute to competitiveness and economic growth here.

In addition all Ireland cooperation to develop a more integrated transport network can significantly contribute to the development of both the local economy and the economy of the island as a whole. Work is well advanced in upgrading the Belfast – Dublin road corridor as well as the Belfast – Dublin Enterprise service. There are also plans for improved roads provision for the Derry – Letterkenny North – West Gateway.

Modern Rolling Stock on the Belfast to Larne Line

Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister for Regional Development to advise of the estimated costs of providing modern rolling stock on the Belfast to Larne line, to a similar standard as that introduced to other rail services throughout Northern Ireland.

(AQW 58/08)

Mr Murphy: Services on the Larne line are provided by a fleet of 9 x 3-car class 450 trains. Whilst these are older than the new C3K trains used elsewhere on the railway network, they are currently being refurbished at a cost of £3.5 million to provide a better standard of passenger comfort. To date 8 of the 9 class 450 trains have been refurbished, with the last one due to be completed by the end of November 2007.

The estimated cost of replacing the class 450 trains on the Larne line is £41.8 million. A further 2 new trains would be needed if passenger numbers on the Larne line increased at a similar rate as on other lines since the introduction of the new C3K trains, bringing the total estimated cost to £54.4 million.

The Department for Regional Development has bid for additional funding for new trains as part of the second Investment Strategy.

Impact of New Train Sets

Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister for Regional Development what is his assessment of the impact of introducing the 23 new train sets to Northern Ireland, in terms of increased passenger numbers on the (i) Belfast to Bangor line; (ii) Belfast to Portadown line; and (iii) Belfast to Derry/Londonderry line.

(AQW 59/08)

Mr Murphy: The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company is in the process of producing a project benefit evaluation of the introduction of the 23 new train sets and, within this evaluation, an attempt will be made to isolate the passenger journey increases attributable to the new trains. It may, however, be difficult to make an accurate estimate of the increases due to the introduction of the new trains as there are many factors that influence passenger demand (economic conditions, fares, disruption through maintenance, road congestion).

Total passenger journey increases since the new trains were introduced are as follows:

(i) Belfast to Bangor line – new trains were introduced between February and April 2005. Between 2004/05 and 2006/07 total passenger journeys increased from 1,517,000 to 1,957,000, an increase of 29%. Passenger journeys in 2004/05 were, however, depressed due to track relay on the line.

(ii) Belfast to Portadown line - new trains were introduced between February and April 2005. Between 2004/05 and 2006/07 total passenger journeys increased from 1,941,000 to 2,505,000, an increase of 29%; and

(iii) Belfast to Derry/Londonderry line – new trains were introduced between January and September 2005. Between 2004/05 and 2006/07 total passenger journeys increased from 850,000 to 1,020,000, an increase of 20%.

Planning Policy

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development what progress has been made on the review of Planning Policy Statement 14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside; and to detail the number of meetings of the Executive Sub-Committee that have been held to date.

(AQW 62/08)

Mr Murphy: The 5 July meeting of the Executive Committee agreed to undertake a review of rural planning policy. The review is being taken forward by an Inter-Departmental Group of Ministers. As a first step meetings with key stakeholders were held on 29 and 30 August. The first meeting of the Inter-Departmental Group is due to be held shortly.

Irish on Road Signs

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development what progress his department has made in facilitating the legal use of Irish on road signs.

(AQW 63/08)

Mr Murphy: Road signs are authorised or prescribed by my Department under the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, but the legislation does not make provision for signs in languages other than English. My Department’s Roads Service officials are currently developing policy proposals to enable the authorisation of road signs in other languages, with a view to introducing amending legislation in line with the normal procedures and timetable for an Assembly bill.

I should point out that the Department had been in the process of working towards legislative change on this issue in 2005. However, the decisions arising out of the Review of Public Administration (RPA) meant that the relevant staff were directed to work on the legislative changes necessary to achieve the transfer of responsibility for local roads to the proposed new councils. The review of the local government aspects of RPA which is now underway has created a period of opportunity for Departmental officials to resume work on the detailed policy proposals for legislative change to allow the introduction of bilingual signage.

A draft operational policy has been prepared for the inclusion of Irish or Ulster Scots on certain road signs, as part of the Department’s response to the European Charter on Regional and Minority languages. This policy will be consulted upon as part of the wider legislative development process and implemented once the necessary primary powers are in place.

Northern Ireland Water

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will detail to which Northern Ireland Government department the government-owned company, Northern Ireland Water, is accountable.

(AQW 90/08)

Mr Murphy: Northern Ireland Water (NIW) was appointed as the water and sewerage undertaker by the Department for Regional Development under Article 13 of the Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006. NIW has direct responsibility for the delivery of water and sewerage services and is subject to regulation by the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation. My Department and DOE’s Environment and Heritage Service also have some regulatory roles. These matters are set out in the Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006. My Department is also NIW’s sole shareholder.

Parking Fines

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the number of motorists who have been financially penalised to date, since the introduction of a one-hour parking time limit at Church Street, Warrenpoint.

(AQW 94/08)

Mr Murphy: Since October 2006, when my Department assumed responsibility for on-street parking enforcement, a total of 71 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued at Church Street, Warrenpoint for limited waiting contraventions. Details prior to this date are unavailable as this function was undertaken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Belfast to Derry/Londonderry Train

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development to give the timetabled, and average actual, arrival times of morning trains arriving in Derry/Londonderry, that are designed for people commuting to work; and to outline any proposals by Northern Ireland Railways to encourage people to use the Belfast to Derry/Londonderry train for commuting to work.

(AQW 108/08)

Mr Murphy: The first train departure from Great Victoria Street, Belfast is at 06:50, arriving in Derry at 09:10. This is currently operated as an intercity service as opposed to a commuter train. In the last three months this train has had a punctuality of arrival of 84% on time or within 10 minutes, as allowed for by the Passenger Charter. In the same period overall punctuality on the Derry line stood at 90%.

Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) has immediate plans to improve running times by carrying out repair work to the track between Ballymena and Coleraine, with work already having commenced at a number of locations. It also has detailed plans to carry out comprehensive track life extension work between Ballymena and Coleraine and track repairs between Coleraine and Londonderry. These are due to be undertaken from late 2007 to 2009 subject to funding approval.

For the longer term NIR has outline plans to procure additional train sets and upgrade infrastructure in order to facilitate hourly departure frequencies between Belfast and Derry. This would include two commuter services scheduled to arrive into Derry before 08:00 and 09:00 respectively. However these plans are dependant upon funding being made available and could not, in any case, be implemented before 2012.

Importance of Rail Transport

Mr Pat Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development what is his assessment of the role and importance of rail transport in promoting sustainable development.

(AQW 109/08)

Mr Murphy: It is widely accepted that the increased use of public transport helps reduce harmful emissions and reduces the carbon footprint per passenger journey. The Regional Transportation Strategy seeks to encourage greater use of public transport and other sustainable ways of travelling such as walking and cycling. My Department is working with transport providers to make public transport more attractive and a real alternative to the private car. Rail transport has an important role to play within the public transport sector. Whilst rail transport requires significant investment in infrastructure and rolling stock, and thus has to compete for resources with other transport modes, it has still been possible to make significant investment in rail in recent years. For example, the procurement of 23 new train sets has helped to achieve an increase in rail patronage of 31% between 2002 and 2007. For the future, my Department has submitted bids within the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) exercise for additional funding to allow for an upgrade of to the Derry line and to enhance rail services generally with the purchase of more new trains.

Planning Policy

Mr Patsy McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline, in light of Mr Justice Gillen's decision of 7 September 2007, in relation to Draft Planning Policy Statement 14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside, what policy will now apply from 16 March 2006 onwards.

(AQW 123/08)

Mr Murphy: The recent Judgement by the Courts of the Judicial Review of PPS14 found in favour of Omagh District Council on the grounds that DRD did not have the statutory authority to promote PPS14. I shall consider fully all aspects of this Judgement in conjunction with other Ministerial colleagues. The Court has however given both parties one week (from Friday 7 September) to consider if they wish to provide evidence on the issue of remedies before finalising the judgement. Draft PPS14 will continue to be taken into account in the decision making process until the final outcome of the legal proceedings.

Parking Fines

Mr Tommy Gallagher asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline whether Roads Service (i) recently granted approval to National Car Parks to impose penalties for off-street parking at Head Street, Enniskillen, at the rear entrances to the Darling Street properties; and (ii) consulted with the property owners and businesses affected by this decision, prior to granting any approval for the imposition of fines for off-street parking and business usage.

(AQW 126/08)

Mr Murphy:

As you will be aware NCP Services Ltd is contracted by my Department to enforce the parking and waiting restrictions placed on public roads. The location to which you refer consists of a carriageway marked by a double yellow line and a footway area to the side of the carriageway. A double yellow line restriction means "no waiting at any time" and it applies not only to the carriageway but also to the adjacent footway or verge. Therefore vehicles are not permitted to park on the footway at this location.

NCP Services Ltd was instructed by Roads Service to carry out normal enforcement in this area because it is believed to form part of the public road. No consultation took place with adjacent property owners or local businesses due to the fact that this is not a new restriction and has been in place for some time.

However, business owners in this street have recently claimed that the footway area to the side of Head Street is privately owned and does not form part of the public road network, therefore the waiting restriction does not apply.

Roads Service officials are currently trying to establish the exact boundary between the public road and private ground to clarify the situation. Until this is complete Traffic Attendants will only enforce against vehicles parked on the carriageway.

I have asked Roads Service to write to you when a boundary has been established and to inform you of the impact it will have to parking in this area.

Social Development

Child Support Payments

Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister for Social Development to advise on what time limit exists within which the Child Support Agency must pursue additional payments, when the Agency has admitted that it has been responsible for the error.

(AQW 57/08)

The Minister for Social Development (Ms Ritchie): There are no time limits within which the Child Support Agency must pursue additional payments, regardless of who is responsible for the error.

Where arrears are due to a parent with care, the Child Support Agency will always try to negotiate the best possible arrears agreement between the non-resident parent and the parent with care. Any agreement will aim to ensure a reasonable payment is made towards outstanding arrears, taking into account the financial circumstances of both parties, and, at the same time, not creating hardship for either party. Where the arrears are due to the Department, the Agency will negotiate a reasonable agreement with the non-resident parent. When agreement cannot be reached, the Agency will continue to pursue arrears using the full range of legislative powers available to it.

Benefit Fraud

Mr Stephen Moutray asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the total cost of, (i) benefit fraud; (ii) housing benefit fraud; and (iii) the total percentage of monies paid out in benefits that this represented, in each year since 2001.

(AQW 72/08)

Ms Ritchie: The information requested is set out in the attached tables. Table 1 shows the estimated cost, since 2001, of fraud in benefits administered by the Social Security Agency. Table 2 shows the estimated cost of Housing Benefit fraud for the years where figures are available. Costs are expressed as a percentage of the relevant benefit expenditure. The data quoted in Tables 1 and 2 was produced on a financial year basis until 2004/2005. The survey period moved to a calendar year from 2005.

Table 1

Social Security Benefits (SSA): – estimated cost of Benefit Fraud.

2001/02			2002/03			2003/04			2004/05			2005			2006
Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend(m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost
£60.9	£3239	1.88	£34.5	£3347	1.03	38.8	£3179	1.22	£28.8	£3320	0.87	£28.6	£3406	0.84	£18.1	£3501	0.5

Table 2

Housing Benefit: - estimated cost of Benefit Fraud

2001/02			2002/03			2003/04			2004/05			2005			2006
Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost	Est Ben Fraud (m)	Ben Expend (m)	% lost
n/a	n/a	n/a	£6.7	£352.6	2.2	£0.0*	£365	0	£2.3	£392.2	0.6	£4.0	£403	1.0	£3.3	£438.9	0.8

* In this year while error was detected none was attributable to fraud

Ballycraigy Bonfire

Mr Thomas Burns asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the total cost of cleaning up and securing the site of the Ballycraigy bonfire; and how exactly this money was spent.

(AQW 114/08)

Ms Ritchie: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has spent £9800 following the bonfire at Ballycraigy, Antrim. The required works involved clearing the site, renewing top soil and levelling the area.

Clearances of bonfires identified are dealt with as part of the NIHE Grounds Maintenance contract.