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 28 March 2008

Written Answers to Questions

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

Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister

Victims' and Survivors' Commissioners

Dr S Farry asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what its assessment is of the impact upon the delivery of PSA Target 7(6), in relation to the publication of a new strategy for victims and survivors, of the decision to appoint multiple victims' commissioners on 28 January 2008.

(AQW 3556/08)

The First Minister and deputy First Minister (Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness): We do not anticipate that the decision to appoint multiple Commissioners designate, instead of making a single appointment, will have any significant impact upon the publication of a new strategy for Victims and Survivors. We aim to publish a new strategy as soon as possible.

Victims' and Survivors' Commissioners

Dr S Farry asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what its assessment is of the impact upon the delivery of PSA Target 7(6), in relation to the creation of a Victims and Survivors Forum, of the decision to appoint multiple victims' commissioners on 28 January 2008.

(AQW 3557/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: We do not anticipate that our decision to appoint four Commissioners designate will have any impact in relation to delivering this target.

Trip to Brussels

Mr A Easton asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to provide details about their recent trip to Brussels.

(AQO 1720/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: We travelled to Brussels on 9 January 2008, accompanied by the two Junior Ministers, at the invitation of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

During this trip, we met with Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner, and discussed some of the practical arrangements for the work that will take place after the Commission Task Force completes its report. Commissioner Hübner made it clear that she regards the publication of the report as the start of the Task Force’s work with us, and also the start of a process of long-term engagement in Europe for Northern Ireland. We need to learn how to get the most we can out of Europe, not just financially – though we thank Europe, and others, for their generosity – but also in terms of our policy interests.

We discussed the May Investment Conference and the possibility of the Commissioner’s involvement. It is important that the investors we hope to attract during the conference can see that we are fully engaged and have the support of our wider European partners.

We met with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. We had a useful discussion about the rapid development of relationships since his visit last year and President Barroso emphasised the need for Northern Ireland to seek out and build relationships with other European regions that share our policy interests.

President Barroso was also interested to hear about the investment conference in May, and hoped to be able to contribute in some way and finally, we discussed the ongoing implementation of the Task Force, and in particular the high level political co-ordination, where we see a specific role for the Junior Ministers.

Along with our colleague the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development we met the Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Fischer Boel to discuss a number of substantive issues including - the forthcoming CAP ‘Healthcheck’.

Following a lunch hosted by the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the EU, Kim Darroch, our final engagement was a meeting with Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Bobby McDonagh and his staff. He reiterated his Government’s full support for the work of the Taskforce and undertook to provide a single point of contact within the Irish administration for our officials in their dealings with Europe – this has now been done.

Finally, we should like to place on the record our appreciation for the support given to us by so many institutions within the EU and from the UK and Irish Governments.

Victims and Survivors

Mr S Hamilton asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to confirm whether or not sufficient funding has been made available for victims and survivors.

(AQO 1735/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: The needs of victims and survivors are one of the highest priorities for this Executive. In the recent budget announcement we committed more than £33 million over the next three years which will support and make a real difference to the lives of victims and survivors. This includes an additional amount of £6 million which we secured following the consultation on the draft budget. This represents an increase of more than 100% over that committed in the 3 years since 2005/2006.

We recognise the pressures that those involved in the sector have been facing and we hope that this increase in spending will go some way to facilitate continuing work and to demonstrate the commitment of this administration to the issues facing victims and survivors.

Review of Parades

Mrs D Kelly asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to confirm whether or not it supports the review of parades that was initiated under Direct Rule.

(AQO 1685/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Responsibility for the Strategic Review of Parading, which was announced on 18 April 2007, lies with the Northern Ireland Office. We have met with Lord Ashdown, Chair of the Strategic Review, on 22 May and a further presentation was provided to us by members of the Review Body on 15 October 2007.

We understand the Review Body has continued to hold consultations, with a wide range of interests, and we await the outcome of these.

Post-Primary Transfer

Mr M Storey asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the work it has undertaken with the Minister of Education further to her announcement to the Assembly on 4 December in relation to post-primary transfer.

(AQO 1662/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has not undertaken any work with the Minister of Education on the subject of post primary transfer. However, the Minister of Education has briefed Executive colleagues on her proposals on a number of occasions and the matter is the subject of ongoing discussion at the Executive.

Commissioner for Older People

Mr M Brady asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what plans it has to engage all relevant stakeholders when assessing the case for an independent Commissioner for Older People.

(AQO 1747/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: The review of the case for establishing an Older People’s Commissioner initially included plans for two consultation events with key stakeholders in Belfast and Londonderry at which interested parties could comment on the possible role/remit of a Commissioner.

The Committee of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister met with the consultants on 16 th January 2008 at which Committee members highlighted their concern that only two consultations had been organised at this stage. Arrangements are now being made to organise an additional event at a rural location to provide a further opportunity for interested parties to submit their views on the possible role and remit of a Commissioner.

EU Gender Goods and Services Directive

Mr A Attwood asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to confirm how and when it was advised of the decision by United Kingdom Ministers to implement the EU Gender Goods and Services Directive; and to outline the reasons that were advanced for this course of action.

(AQO 1686/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Once it had been confirmed that the First Minister had concerns about the content of the Regulations and, in particular, the explicit inclusion of reference to transgender or gender reassignment, we agreed that officials should inform the Government Equalities Office and the Northern Ireland Office that there was high risk that Northern Ireland would not be able to meet the Directive’s deadline for implementation by 21 December 2007. When UK Ministers were made aware of this, they decided to legislate to implement the Directive on a UK-wide basis. Barbara Follett, Parliamentary Under Secretary for GEO formally wrote to us on 17 December to confirm the decision to take the legislation forward on a UK-wide basis. The decision was taken to ensure compliance with the Directive in full, and to ensure that compliance took place as soon as possible in order to minimise the risk of infraction proceedings.

Child Poverty

Mrs C McGill asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what consideration it has given to emulating the strategy devised by the governments of Denmark and Finland in relation to reducing child poverty.

(AQO 1746/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Tackling child poverty is an urgent priority for us and the Junior Ministers, in line with their specific responsibility for children and young people. It is important to consider different approaches to tackling the problem and in particular to understand what has worked well in countries like Denmark and Finland where child poverty figures of around 3% are among the lowest in Europe.

Government policies on taxation, tax credits and family related benefits are some of the factors that affect child poverty rates and as these are set at a national level they are outside the competence of this administration. Nonetheless there are factors which we can influence at local level such as the quality of public services and the potential of people of working age to secure employment with a decent income.

During 2006, departmental officials worked closely with counterparts from other European countries studying the mainstreaming of social inclusion in public policies (www.europemsi.org). The lessons learned from this partnership approach will continue to inform the direction of future policy here.

Shared Future Policy

Mrs N Long asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the steps it has taken, since the Assembly debates on the draft Programme for Government and the draft Budget, in developing a policy on a Shared Future.

(AQO 1760/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: OFMDFM are fully committed to building a shared and better future. As previously stated we will bring forward proposals in the future for a programme of cohesion and integration for a shared and better future to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. Work is currently ongoing to fund a wide range of projects aimed at increasing cohesion and integration.

Departmental Functions

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what steps it is taking to divest itself of departmental responsibilities in order to develop the central co-ordinating functions of government.

(AQO 1683/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: The ranges of functions carried out by the Department are kept under constant scrutiny and the current efficiency review will ensure that the Department continues to be fit for purpose.

Asylum Cases

Ms A Lo asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail what steps it is taking to influence the outcome of asylum cases being dealt with by the United Kingdom Home Office, that directly affect people living in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 1757/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Immigration, including asylum, is an excepted matter under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and is the responsibility of the Home Office.

The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has made representations to the Home Office, and to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in respect of three asylum seeker families under threat of deportation. While we recognise the need to have rules governing the granting of asylum, we would wish to see the application of common sense and common humanity in the interpretation and enforcement of these rules.

Officials liaise on an ongoing basis with the Home Office on a variety of immigration related matters.

Dual Membership of the Assembly and Parliament at Westminster

Mr S Gardiner asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to provide a timescale for ending the practice of dual membership of the Assembly and Parliament at Westminster.

(AQO 1682/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Disqualification for membership of the Assembly is a reserved matter under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and therefore not one for which the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has any direct responsibility.

A Shared Future - Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland

Mr S Neeson asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the current status of the document 'A Shared Future - Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland'.

(AQO 1759/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: As we have stated on previous occasions, A Shared Future policy and strategic framework for good relations for Northern Ireland is an inherited policy from the previous administration.

OFMDFM is fully committed to building a shared and better future and a prosperous, peaceful and settled society.

Having considered progress made, we are currently working on detailed proposals for a programme of cohesion and integration, which we will bring forward to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister for consideration. Key objectives, actions and targets will be developed in the context of these proposals.

EU Gender Goods and Services Directive

Mr M Storey asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, pursuant to the answer to AQW 1825/08, to detail the advice that was (i) sought; and (ii) given, in relation to whether or not the degree of flexibility available to (a) member states; and (b) devolved assemblies, allows for a greater number of exemptions from harassment clauses than those detailed in the proposals issued for consultation in the European Union Gender Goods and Services Directive.

(AQW 4561/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness:

The exemption proposals outlined in the EU Gender Goods and Services consultation document were considered to be the best way of meeting our obligations under the Directive, and legal advice was taken into consideration in that process.

Further legal advice was sought, at the request of the First Minister, on the degree of flexibility available to member states, and devolved administrations, to create further exemptions from the harassment clauses. The advice confirmed that there was no scope available for flexibility on this matter.

Children’s Fund

Mrs N Long asked the Office of the First and deputy First Minister to detail if all existing services funded through the Children’s Fund should be placing staff on redundancy notice as of the beginning of March, as continuation funding has not been confirmed beyond 31 March 2008; what if any action has been taken to advise such programmes of the way forward and if the Department could outline by what mechanisms, if any, such programmes can access the budget line for children and young people, incorporating the previous Children’s Fund, recently announced by the junior Ministers, the main proportion of which appears to have now been mainstreamed within the various Departments?

(AQW 4778/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: As you are aware the Children’s Fund will no longer exist beyond March 2008. This decision was madeon the basis that if the individual projects supported are considered to be of significant value then the funding stream should be in the departments’ programmes, rather than continuing to be managed through central funds.

Whilst the allocation of Departmental budgets remains at the discretion of individual Ministers, Ministerial colleagues have been urged to mainstream and protect funding for children and young people within their departmental budgets.

Junior Ministers are continuing to have discussions with relevant Ministers on the issue of services currently funded through the Children’s Fund. Junior Ministers will respond to you in more detail when the way forward has been decided.

Should your query relate directly to specific programmes or projects, we would suggest that you should also contact the appropriate Minister.

Agriculture and Rural Development

Departmental Expenditure

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her department's underspend in relation to (i) current expenditure; (ii) capital expenditure, in each of the last ten years.

(AQW 4644/08)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): The table attached sets out the information requested. This is based on information contained within the published accounts of the Department and its predecessor and covers all areas of departmental expenditure included in Estimates (ie expenditure within the Departmental Expenditure Limit, Annually Managed Expenditure and Notional Charges). For the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 the information has been extracted from the Annual Appropriation Accounts which were prepared on a cash basis. For the years 2001-02 to 2006-07 for consistency purposes the information has been extracted from the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which is prepared on a resource basis. In both cases outturn has been compared with the Spring Supplementary Estimates position. Explanations for the variances are contained within the various Accounts.

You should also be aware that, where appropriate, a significant amount of the under-spends were carried forward to the next financial year under End Year Flexibility arrangements and were therefore not lost to Agriculture and rural areas.

Table 1: Level of DARD Under-spend for years 1997/98 to 2001/02 using Appropriation Accounts

Year	Current Under-spend (£’000)	Capital Under-spend (£’000)
1997/98	2,269	(1,426)
1998/99	3,528	(1,333)
1999/00	11,078	(2,450)
2000/01	9,485	(1,407)

Table 2: Level of DARD Under-spend for years 2001/02 to 2006/07 using Resource Accounts

Year	Current Under-spend (£’000)	Capital Under-spend (£’000)
2001/02	33,045	2,662
2002/03	7,047	8,833
2003/04	32,056	(1,250)
2004/05	40,311	4,469
2005/06	55,897	6,228
2006/07	21,006	3,506

Figures in brackets represent an over-spending.

Dogs Destroyed

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of dogs destroyed as a result of biting humans, in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 4723/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development does not have responsibility for these figures as these are collected and held by local Councils. Figures provided by Councils to DARD in relation to the number of incidents (attacks on humans) and destruction orders are set out in Table 1.

Table 1. Numbers of dog attacks on humans 2003-2007 (Figures provided to DARD by local Councils).

Year	Number of incidents	Destruction Orders
2003	697	13
2004	783	5
2005	772	8
2006	764	12
2007*	625	9
T0TAL	3641	47

* Figures from January – September 2007

Access to High Mournes

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the funds that will be made available to upgrade the main access to the high Mournes through Tollymore Forest Park.

(AQW 4731/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Access to the wider Mournes area from within Tollymore Forest Park is via the Ulster Way / Mourne Way. Overall responsibility for the Ulster Way and the provision of this type of wider access to the countryside falls to EHS and others who are largely funded by EHS.

The Ulster Way / Mourne Way entry / exit points, and their location within Tollymore Forest Park, have been agreed between Forest Service, EHS and local Councils. A small portion of poor quality Ulster Way trail within Tollymore was abandoned recently in favour of an alternative route. This now follows an existing high quality forest trail and provides a much improved section of the Ulster Way. The route is fully way-marked and upgrading is not regarded as necessary.

Forest Service is in discussions with N.I. Tourist Board on the role that Tollymore Forest Park can play in improving access to the wider Mournes area. This process is being led by N.I. Tourist Board under the Mournes Signature Project.

Dangerous Dogs

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide an update on the review of the legislation in relation to dangerous dogs; and if she will make a statement.

(AQW 4740/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Since I made my statement to the Assembly on 20 November 2007 on my plans to undertake a review of dangerous dogs and dog fighting legislation, my officials have been carrying out a scoping exercise on existing legislation with regard to all aspects of dog control, including dangerous dogs. This exercise has included examination of the wide range of comments made during the Assembly debate. It has also involved consideration of comments made in the past on the efficacy of current legislation.

My officials have also briefed the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on the Review, and I welcome the helpful comments that have been received from the Committee. I have also raised the issue with my counterpart in the South, Mary Coughlan TD and my officials have discussed the matter with their counterparts in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Dublin.

The review is ongoing. Once the scoping exercise is complete, I will consider a number of options, including what new legislation might be required and what it might cover.

Enforcement of the legislation is crucial to this review and many of the issues that have been raised prior to my announcement had been about public safety. I met senior PSNI representatives on Tuesday 22 January, when we discussed the role of the PSNI in enforcement of dog control and dangerous dogs legislation. This was a constructive and positive meeting in which a number of proposals were discussed that will form part of my considerations.

I also met local Council representatives, including dog wardens, on Monday 25 February. This gave me the opportunity to hear at first hand their concerns. Council representatives also provided me with written presentations highlighting key issues for my consideration.

Council representatives welcomed my proposal to establish a Working Group to take forward a Memorandum of Understanding between Councils and the PSNI on the enforcement of dangerous dogs legislation. Arrangements for the first meeting of this Working Group are well underway.

Plans are also underway for meetings with other stakeholders, including animal welfare representatives. I will consider the outcome of all my meetings, and the on-going review of existing legislation, as I seek to balance the need to examine the issues fully, with the requirement to complete the review as quickly as possible.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail, by date and duration, all visits she has made to each of the 18 constituencies since taking up her post.

(AQW 4783/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The visits I have made to each of the 18 constituencies since taking my post are set out in the attached table.

AQW 4783/2008 date, duration and Constituency up to 10/03/2008

Date	Duration	Constituency
30/01/2008	4 hours	Belfast East
16/11/2007	5 hours	Belfast North
24/04/2008	1 hour	Belfast North
17/05/2007	1.5 hours	Belfast South
16/05/2007	6.5 hours	Belfast South
31/01/2008	1.45 hours	Belfast South
17/05/2007	1.45 hours	Belfast South
16/05/2007	0.5 hours	Belfast South
12/06/2007	2 hours	Belfast South
30/11/2007	2.15 hours	Belfast South
04/03/2008	2.45 hours	Belfast West
02/04/2008	1 hour	East Antrim
24/01/2008	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
09/01/2008	2 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
11/10/2007	0.30 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
29/11/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
26/10/2007	1.30 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
21/06/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
08/08/2007	3.30 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
25/07/2007	3 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
21/10/2007	1.30 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
27/06/2007	2 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
09/01/2008	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
12/10/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
28/06/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
09/01/2008	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
27/06/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
09/05/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
14/11/2007	2 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
26/09/2008	2 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
04/04/2008	1.30 hours	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
06/12/2007	1 hour	Fermanagh & South Tyrone
01/05/2007	1 hour	Foyle
21/11/2007	4 hours	Foyle
14/11/2007	2 hours	Foyle
20/10/2007	4 hours	Foyle
20/09/2007	3 hours	Foyle
27/02/2008	1 hour	Lagan Valley
08/06/2007	2 hours	Lagan Valley
23/01/2008	2 hour	Londonderry East
07/11/2007	0.45 hours	Mid Ulster
19/09/2007	2 hours	Mid Ulster
05/03/2008	1.30 hours	Mid Ulster
25/07/2007	0.45 hours	Mid Ulster
26/07/2007	1.45 hours	Mid Ulster
Date	Duration	Constituency
03/10/2007	1.30 hours	Mid Ulster
23/01/2007	2 hours	Mid Ulster
23/08/2007	3 hours	Mid Ulster
03/10/2007	3 hours	Mid Ulster
23/04/2008	2 hours	Mid Ulster
28/06/2007	2 hours	Mid Ulster
05/03/2008	0.45 hours	Mid Ulster
22/08/2007	5 hours	Mid Ulster
12/12/2007	5.50 hours	Newry & Armagh
01/11/2007	1 hour	Newry & Armagh
15/11/2007	1.30 hours	North Antrim
28/02/2007	1 hour	North Antrim
18/04/2007	1.30 hours	North Antrim
04/10/2007	0.45 hour	North Antrim
21/06/2007	0.30 hour	North Antrim
21/11/2007	2 hours	North Antrim
17/04/2007	2 hours	South Antrim
19/04/2007	5 hours	South Antrim
24/07/2007	1 hour	South Antrim
04/10/2007	1 hour	South Antrim
26/04/2007	2.45 hours	South Down
31/05/2007	2.30 hours	South Down
26/04/2007	1.45 hours	South Down
05/12/2007	8.30 hours	Strangford
25/01/2007	1.30 hours	Strangford
21/02/2008	2 hours	Strangford
09/05/2007	1.15 hours	Strangford
16/07/2007	1 hour	Strangford
23/02/2008	4 hours	Upper Bann
13/06/2007	1 hour	Upper Bann
08/03/2008	2 hours	Upper Bann
30/04/2007	2 hours	Upper Bann
05/03/2008	2 hours	Upper Bann
13/06/2007	2.10 hours	Upper Bann
08/11/2007	2 hours	Upper Bann
14/11/2007	0.50 hours	West Tyrone
28/01/2008	2.30 hours	West Tyrone
20/09/2007	0.45 hours	West Tyrone
27/06/2007	1 hour	West Tyrone
14/11/2007	3.10 hours	West Tyrone
01/11/2007	1.30 hours	West Tyrone
06/12/2007	1 hour	West Tyrone
01/11/2007	1.30 hours	West Tyrone
16/01/2008	2 hours	West Tyrone
01/11/2007	1.30 hours	West Tyrone
28/09/2007	1.30 hours	West Tyrone

Newspaper Expenditure

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her department's expenditure on (i) newspapers; (ii) magazines; and (iii) periodicals, in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4796/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The following table details the amount spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and its Agencies in each of the last three financial years.

	Newspapers £	Magazines £	Periodicals £
2004/05	10,025.68	9,413.03	66,085.38
2005/06	11,338.65	9,027.54	75,301.62
2006/07	11,439.65	8,757.58	78,491.82

Note. These figures include the Departmental spend on publications used by staff and students for the delivery of education in the three College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise campuses. The above figures also include estimates for the Science Service which was formerly part of the core Department until April 2006 when it became a Non-Departmental Public Body (the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute).

Equine Training

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what action she is taking to continue the current range of equine training, given the high numbers of equine students at Enniskillen College of Agriculture, following the department's withdrawal from the Necarne campus.

(AQW 4834/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Department is currently undertaking an appraisal to consider options for the delivery of the current range of equine education programmes in Co Fermanagh. The outcome of this appraisal will inform the decision for withdrawal from Necarne and the need for investment in additional facilities.

Communications Course

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail what plans she has for discussions with Assembly Members in relation to the proposed withdrawal of the Communications course at Loughry College.

(AQW 4835/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I have already discussed issues in relation to the proposal to withdraw the Communications course at Loughry Campus in the Assembly.

I have also met with a delegation of Loughry students and have listened to their views on this proposal and have asked my officials to consult with key stakeholders. Firm decisions will only be taken when implications have been assessed.

Communications Course

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of requests for meetings, to discuss the proposed withdrawal of her department from the Communications course at Loughry, that she has received from Assembly Members.

(AQW 4836/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I have had one request from an MLA for a meeting to discuss the proposal to withdraw the Communications programmes at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus. This request has been to meet with the Member, in this case, Tom Elliott MLA and Loughry students.

Departmental Policies

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail what screening is undertaken on new departmental policies to ensure they are not overly bureaucratic.

(AQW 4837/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The undertaking of screening for both Equality and Regulatory Impact Assessments is common practice for all new Government policies. In addition to ensuring a particular policy or piece of legislation contains no adverse impact on the equality of opportunity for any of the nine groups recognised under Section 75, we are mindful of the costs and benefits it may contain.

The outworking of these processes is therefore to evaluate the likely equality considerations and economic implications on the introduction of proposals or policies and ensure that unnecessary bureaucracy is removed.

I recognise the significance of this issue to all farming families. Since becoming Minister, in association with Environment Minister, Arlene Foster, I established an independent review to examine all DARD/DOE regulations that impose an administrative burden on the agri-food sector, particularly farmers.

This Panel will review Departmental procedures in place to assess the administrative burden associated with new policies and make recommendations, if appropriate, for the strengthening of current procedures.

The aim of the review is “To improve the way in which DARD and DOE operate to meet their regulatory policy objectives and EU obligations, so that compliance by the agri-food sector is facilitated and the cost of compliance is reduced.”

Forest Area

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the amount of forest area in Northern Ireland, broken down by county.

(AQW 4838/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The forested area managed by my Department and the area of grant aided privately owned woodland in the North of Ireland is detailed below:

County	Combined state managed and grant aided privately owned forested area to nearest 500 Ha	% of land cover by County
Antrim	13,000	4
Armagh	3,500	3
Down	6,500	3
Fermanagh	19,000	10
Derry	13,500	6
Tyrone	20,500	6

Animal Carcases

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the responsibility her department has in relation to the removal of animal carcases from the sides of public roads.

(AQW 4894/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The EU Animal By-Products Regulation No. 1774/2002 banned the burial of fallen animal carcases throughout the EU. They must instead be incinerated, rendered, or used in hunt kennels for the feeding to dogs. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) made the Animal By-Products Regulations (NI) 2003 to implement the EU Regulation here. These provide enforcement powers for DARD, Department of the Environment and District Council inspectors.

Where illegal dumping of fallen stock occurs, and where the owner of the carcase cannot be traced, the land owner is responsible for disposal. The land owner could be the Road Service, Rivers Agency, Forest Service, or a private landowner, depending on the circumstances. Where land ownership is in question, or where an on-going health risk remains unresolved, District Councils have Environmental Health responsibilities.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (i) the number of people that have been appointed under public appointments by her department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 4964/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and its Agencies has appointed 12 people under public appointments since the restoration of devolution, 2 of whom were female and none of whom were elected councillors.

Integrated Animal Control System

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of Integrated Animal Control System applications had penalties imposed on them due to duplicate fields in 2005; 2006; and 2007.

(AQW 4965/08)

Ms M Gildernew: As at 13 March 2008, financial penalty has been applied in 1,168 cases for the 2005 scheme year, in 62 cases for the 2006 scheme year and in 58 cases for the 2007 scheme year.

New Entrants Scheme

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of applications to the New Entrants Scheme that have been approved to date.

(AQW 4966/08)

Ms M Gildernew: By 12 th March 2008, 143 applicants had been approved for financial assistance under the New Entrants Scheme. A further 82 applicants have been advised that they are eligible for the scheme on completion of a viable business plan and a personal development plan.

New Entrants Scheme

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the action she is taking, apart from the New Entrants Scheme, to encourage young farmers to remain in the industry.

(AQW 4968/08)

Ms M Gildernew: My Department, primarily through the Development Service of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) provides support and assistance to those farmers of all age groups who wish to develop their farm business and commit to a future in the industry.

CAFRE’s team of Development Advisers, who are located throughout NI, work with farmers through delivery of tailored Development Plans for their businesses. Through this process business objectives and development needs are identified and the appropriate support agreed. Development Advisers provide support to these farmers through delivery of: -

• Benchmarking which enables farmers to compare their business / farm enterprise performance with other similar businesses.
• Knowledge and Technology Transfer – through a diverse range of projects, CAFRE encourages farmers to adopt world-class, leading edge technology.
• Training – CAFRE has developed a wide portfolio of short courses and Challenge programmes to meet the competence development needs of those within the industry.

For those young people wishing to pursue a career in farming, CAFRE also provides Further and Higher education programmes in agriculture. Courses ranging from NVQ level 2 to Honours degree level, (which is delivered in partnership with Queen’s University, Belfast), are available at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus in Antrim. The NVQ part-time programmes are also available at CAFRE’s Enniskillen Campus.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the protocols she follows in informing MLAs that she will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 4990/08)

Ms M Gildernew: On the day before the event and e-mail is to be sent to all MLA's in the Constituency area that I will be visiting by my Private Office. This e-mail informs the MLA's that I will be in their constituency area am or pm and if they require more details to contact my Private Office.

Botulism in Cattle

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of botulism cases notified to her department in the last 10 years.

(AQW 4994/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The number of suspect botulism cases received through AFBI/VSD from 1998 to the present can be found below. The number of confirmed positive cases is also given. It should be noted that the samples received were tested using the mouse bioassay as set out by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. This is recognised as the gold standard test for diagnosis of this condition.

Year	Number of suspect botulism cases	Number of cases confirmed as positive using mouse bioassay
1998	5	0
1999	20	1
2000	17	0
2001	46	0
2002	101	14
2003	138	35
2004	59	12
2005	100	13
2006	73	11
2007	77	12
2008 to date	17	4
Total	653	102 (15.6%)

Botulism in Cattle

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her plans to categorise botulism as a notifiable disease.

(AQW 4996/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I have no plans to categorise botulism as a notifiable disease at this time. There are a number of reasons why this is so.

First, any risk of the type of botulism that affects cattle being transmitted to humans is minimal. Second, botulism is not an epizootic disease and does not spread from one animal to another. Therefore botulism cannot be controlled by livestock movement controls or eradication schemes.

The Department issued advisory leaflets on botulism to all farmers in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Posters are also on display at local DARD veterinary offices, agricultural offices, auction marts and UFU offices to alert farmers to the dangers of botulism to their animals and advise them of appropriate control measures.

There is now wider awareness amongst farmers of the disease, of the risk factors involved and of the benefit of vaccination as a control tool. An effective vaccine against botulism in cattle can be obtained through private veterinary practitioners. This vaccine has been very successful in helping to control botulism in cattle here.

Slurry Spreading Activities

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the action she is taking to ensure that all slurry tanks and slurry spreading activities are monitored, so that sensitive rivers are not at risk of pollution; and to confirm that her department is compliant with all European Union requirements to aid the protection of salmonid stocks.

(AQW 4998/08)

Ms M Gildernew: My Department is taking a series of actions to reduce the risk of river pollution from the storage and spreading of slurry. These include advice and training, grant support and regulation.

During the period 2001 – 2007, DARD Countryside Management Branch staff carried out over 14,500 pollution control and waste management advisory visits on farms. These are designed to increase farmer competence in handling slurry, manure and other farm wastes, thereby minimising the possibility of a pollution incident.

All applicants to DARD’s agri-environment schemes are given farm waste management advice. Further farm waste management workshops are provided for farmers by CAFRE.  Countryside Management Branch also provide pollution control advisory visits to farmers referred by The Department of the Environment’s (DOE) Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) following a pollution incident from a farm source.

Through the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme (FNMS), DARD is providing very significant capital grant support for improved slurry and manure storage facilities. Some 4500 projects are being progressed under the FNMS with an estimated total investment of approximately £200 million.

My Department has worked jointly with DOE to implement The Nitrates Action Programme Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2006. These set controls on farming practice to reduce the risk of water pollution. Controls include a closed period for the spreading of slurry and a minimum slurry storage requirement on farms.

The Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations (NI), introduced by DOE in 2003, aim to minimise the risk of water pollution from the storage of silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oils. These specify standards for the construction of slurry tanks.

EHS is responsible for the regulation of a range of agricultural activities that may impact on water quality. In 2007, EHS inspected over 1000 farms in relation to compliance with legislation and the investigation of pollution incidents.

EHS is responsible for designating rivers to protect their salmon stocks. To date, EHS has designated three Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) in rivers that have salmonid interests. Three Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) that are coincident with these ASSI have been designated under the EU Habitats Directive for their Atlantic Salmon interests .

Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of farmers who have completed their 10 year Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme and have been accepted into a new Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme in (i) Antrims Coast, Glens and Rathlin Island; (ii) Sperrins; (iii) Mournes and Slieve Croob; (iv) Slieve Gullion; and (v) Fermanagh and Erne Lakelands.

(AQW 5026/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The numbers of farmers who have completed their 10 year Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme and have been accepted into a new Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme in the five Environmentally Sensitive Areas are:

1. Antrim Coast, Glens and Rathlin Island – 393
2. Sperrins – 576
3. Mournes and Slieve Croob – 378
4. Slieve Gullion – 70
5. Fermanagh and Erne Lakelands - 521

Biodiversity Action Plan

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of whether or not she will achieve the targets within the 2010 Biodiversity Action Plan, in particular maintaining the extent of 8380 hectares of native woodland, restoration of 180 hectares of planted ancient woodland, and expansion of woodland by 460 hectares.

(AQW 5033/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I would refer you to my previous answer to AQW 2801/08 to Mr John McCallister, the Member for South Down, published in the Official Record on Friday 25 January 2008, where I clearly set out the position.

Aid for Energy Crops

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail, for each of the last three years, (i) the number of farm businesses in receipt of Aid for Energy crops; and (ii) the total area of energy crops grown.

(AQW 5039/08)

Ms M Gildernew: In the 2005 scheme year, 19 applications were made to the Aid for Energy Crop Scheme and a total of 239.82 hectares were eligible for payment.

In 2006, 43 applications were received and a total of 418.48 hectares were eligible for payment.

In 2007, 54 applications were made and a total of 736.12 hectares were eligible for payment. As the European Union ceiling of 2 million hectares for energy crops was exceeded this required a coefficient reduction of 0.70337 to be applied and this reduced the total area eligible for payment to 517.76 hectares.

Countryside Management Scheme

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the progress made towards the introduction of the Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme.

(AQW 5040/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Considerable progress is being made with the development of the new and improved Countryside Management Scheme (NICMS).

Draft legislation is at an advanced stage and it is proposed to be considered by the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on the 8 April. Development of scheme options and literature are currently being finalised and work on associated computer programmes is ongoing. A programme of promoting the scheme to prospective applicants is also being prepared. The anticipated opening date is late spring/early summer 2008

Land Grants

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the amount of land that has been set aside for grants purposes in (i) 2006; (ii) 2007; and (iii) 2008.

(AQW 5043/08)

Ms M Gildernew: For 2006, 573 applicants to the Single Farm Payment Scheme, declared land which was in set aside. A total of 1,923.58 hectares was determined as eligible for payment.

For 2007, 595 applicants declared land which was in set aside. By 18 March 2008, a total of 1,911.53 hectares had been determined as eligible for payment in respect of 2007.

The figures for 2008 will be similar but will not be known exactly until 2008 applications have been received. Declarations by farmers in respect of the 2008 scheme year are due to be made on the 2008 Single Application Form. The application window, for 2008 applications to be accepted without penalty, closes on 15 May 2008.

Farm Nutrients Management Scheme

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail who set the upper limits on items in the Farm Nutrients Management Scheme of (i) cost of tank, pounds per cubic metre; and (ii) cost of slats, pounds per square metre, and how these costs were formulated.

(AQW 5081/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Reasonable costs for a range of actual cost items were determined by a Chartered Quantity Surveyor.

For above and below ground tanks the reasonable costs are formulated on

the basis of the total volume of the tank.

For slats, reasonable costs are determined per square metre.

Single Farm Payment

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of officials required to process a single farm payment application.

(AQW 5105/08)

Ms M Gildernew: A total of 39,041 applications were submitted under the 2007 Single Farm Payment Scheme. Single Farm Payment (SFP) Branch in Orchard House is responsible for the administration of the SFP scheme. To comply with European Council regulations, SFP Branch is required to carry out a range of validation checks to verify the eligibility claims before a payment can be released. During February 2008, a total of 51 staff within Single Farm Payment Branch were involved specifically in validation and payment processing activity of Single Payment claims.

Single Farm Payment

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the average length of time it takes for a single farm payment application to be processed, from the date the application is received to the date the payment is made.

(AQW 5108/08)

Ms M Gildernew: European Council Regulations rules permit full Single Farm Payments to commence from 1 December in the year of application and require 96.15% of the annual budget to be paid by 30 June of the following year, if the Department is to avoid late payment penalties.

Payments may be made only on fully verified claims. Administrative checks are required on all claims, and on-farm checks are required on at least 5% of claims, to verify eligibility and claim details. On-farm checks, on at least 1% of applications, verify compliance with statutory requirements on issues such as the environment and animal identification and welfare

Validation checks can identify a variety of queries which have to be fully reconciled before a payment can be authorised. Payments on individual claims are released as soon as verification checks and any necessary recalculations to take account of the findings have been completed. The time required to finalise a particular claim depends on the issues, if any, involved in the individual case.

For the 2007 scheme year, 80.9% of applications were paid by the end of December 2007, 85.7% by the end of January 2008 and 90.9% by the end February 2008. It is anticipated that at least 94% of applications will be finalised by 31 March 2008.

Bluetounge Disease

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the steps she has taken to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of vaccinations to tackle a possible outbreak of Bluetounge disease.

(AQW 5109/08)

Ms M Gildernew:

As you will be aware, under EU rules vaccination for Bluetongue is only permitted once the disease is confirmed to be circulating in a country, and then only within the protection zone. Thankfully we are not in that position.

You will also be aware that no vaccine is currently authorised for use against BTV8, the strain of Bluetongue currently affecting Northern Europe and England. Vaccine will become available later this year and we are currently carefully assessing the benefits or otherwise of ordering vaccine. Until the products have received authorisation for use there are many uncertainties including how many doses will be required, the effectiveness of the vaccine and the shelf life of the product.

Defra have ordered 22.5 m doses of vaccine for use in England and Wales. Scotland are considering ordering vaccine. The North, however, as a separate epidemiological unit has different priorities and at the minute my priority is to keep the disease out.

If and when the veterinary risk assessment indicated that it would be prudent to order vaccine we will seek to do so. We have been part of detailed negotiations with Britain that have led to the production of a UK vaccination strategy. While setting out general principles, the strategy allows the North to consider the specific needs we may have given our geographical separation from Britain. My staff and I are also in dialogue with counterparts in the Department of Fisheries and Food (DAFF) in Dublin on this issue.

Industry stakeholders, through the Bluetongue strategy Group, have been assisting veterinary and policy staff in the formulation of policy in this area.

Culture, Arts and Leisure

Newspaper Spending

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the amount his department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4850/08)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr E Poots): The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure incurred the following expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in the last three years:

2004-05: £3,413.88

2005-06: £3,474.85

2006-07: £3,355.92

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail (i) the number of people that have been appointed under public appointments by his department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 4962/08)

Mr E Poots: Since devolution DCAL has made fifty one public appointments. Appointments have been made in line with guidance set out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland (OCPA NI). Fifteen of these appointments have been female and one has been an elected councillor.

Intermediate Football

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the finance available for Health and Safety improvements for first and second division and intermediate football.

(AQW 5059/08)

Mr E Poots: Responsibility for financing health and safety improvements at first and second division and intermediate football grounds rests, in the first instance, with the owners of the grounds. Sport Northern Ireland (SNI), however, is currently considering how it will allocate its recently announced capital budget across sport. Decisions on the finance available for health and safety improvements will be taken by SNI once this process is completed.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the protocols he follows in informing MLAs that he will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 5078/08)

Mr E Poots: MLAs and MPs are informed of any visit to their respective constituency by my Private Office not less than 24 hours in advance of the visit.

Education

Future Capital Projects

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Education to detail what guidance is being given to schools wishing to advance future capital projects.

(AQW 4220/08)

The Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane): To be considered eligible for major works funding requires an assessment that the condition and suitability of the school building is such as to require investment, and that an economic appraisal which assesses the options for meeting the accommodation needs has been approved by the department.

As we implement an area-based planning approach, it will also be necessary to clearly identify how proposed provision will fit with the anticipated future needs of an area.  My statement to the Assembly on 4 March set out my proposals for local groups to take forward area-based planning in the post-primary sector this year.  The Executive’s Investment Strategy published in January stated that from 2012, we would commence a broader programme of schools modernisation, based firmly on cross-sector area plans. 

Thug mé cuntas imlíne i mo ráiteas deireanach faoi na príomheilimintí a bheidh ann sna míonna atá amach romhainn sa chur chuige pleanála maidir le soláthar iar-bhunoideachais bunaithe ar limistéir. Rachfar i mbun comhairliúcháin ag deireadh na bliana faoi na pleananna limistéar críochnaithe.

I outlined in my recent statement the main elements of the approach to area-based planning for post primary provision in the coming months, with a consultation on the completed area plans at the end of the year.

Irish Language Schools

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education whether or not she will (i) carry out an urgent review into substandard and cramped temporary classrooms in Irish language schools; and (ii) take steps to address problems such as dampness, leaking roofs, and disrepair in mobile classrooms.

(AQW 4257/08)

Ms C Ruane: The conditions in many Irish medium schools are unacceptable. I have visited many of them and am very concerned at the current state of the accommodation in many cases. My officials have been liaising with Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta on the accommodation issues at the Irish medium schools. I also had a meeting on 5 March with representatives from the Comhairle Na Gaelscolaíochta

where the accommodation issues were discussed.

Tá ceist na cóiríochta do Ghaelscoileanna á breithniú i gcomhthéacs an Athbhreithnithe ar Bheartas ar Ghaelscolaíocht.

The issue of accommodation for Irish medium schools is being considered in the context of the Irish Medium Policy Review.

Suicide Awareness Programmes

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Education to outline the strategies her department has in place to raise awareness of the issue of suicide among young people; and to detail (i) the suicide awareness programmes supported by her department; and (ii) the amount of funding allocated to each programme.

(AQW 4410/08)

Ms C Ruane: The revised curriculum, being phased in from September 2007, will better equip young people to deal with the challenges they face in life. It includes a new area of Personal Development & Mutual Understanding (PDMU) at primary and Learning for Life and Work (LLW) at post-primary, which provides opportunities to promote positive mental and emotional health among young people. As part of this development, schools can include awareness raising around the issue of suicide and prevention through work to enhance self esteem and manage emotions.

In September 2007, work began on a pupils emotional health and well being programme in post primary schools. The agreed Programme will be expected to address how a pupil’s emotional health and wellbeing is promoted by the school, what support systems are available to support a pupil under stress and what support is available to a school in the event of a crisis. The focus will be on positive prevention by building coping skills in children and young people and will complement the personal development strand of the curriculum. Although the initial focus is on post-primary schools, it is expected that the outcomes can be adapted through time for the primary and special sectors and that the resulting programme will have more general application in developing and supporting pastoral care systems in schools. In the recent budget announcement an additional £2.5 million over the next three years has been made available to make a start on a programme to promote pupils’ emotional health and well being in the primary and special education sectors including £100,000 in 08/09 to build on the learning and outcomes from the post primary programme.

The Department has been actively encouraging schools to improve pupil behaviour and, among other things, to address the problem of bullying. In recent years the Department has issued a range of guidance to schools on bullying which offers advice on the problem and how to develop a whole school approach to tackling the issue.

School authorities must ensure their discipline policies specifically include measures to prevent bullying among pupils; and any changes that school authorities make to their discipline policies must be the subject of consultation with registered pupils and their parents.

The effectiveness of an individual school’s discipline policy is monitored through the regular cycle of school inspections undertaken by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI). If deficiencies are identified, these should be corrected as part of follow up from the inspection. As part of this exercise the Education and Training Inspectorate seek the views of a number of parents, via a questionnaire, on their perceptions of various aspects of pastoral care, including how effectively the school staff deal with bullying.

The Department works with the Anti Bullying Forum to promote best practice across schools in tackling all aspects of bullying and to provide appropriate advice and guidance and funds a Regional Co-ordinator post and programme activities.

Tá straitéis Frith-Bhulaíochta forbartha ag Fóram Frith-Bhulaíochta. Áirítear ar phríomheilimintí phlean straitéiseach an Fhóraim forbairt, forfheidhmiú agus chur chun cinn samhlacha dea-chleachtais, comhpháirtíochtaí tuismitheoirí agus láithreán gréasáin a fhorbairt, agus seachtain bhliantúil frithbhulaíochta.

The NIABF has developed a 3-year Anti-Bullying strategy. The main elements of the Forum’s strategic plan includes development, implementation and promotion of models of good practice, developing parental partnerships, website development and an annual anti-bullying week.

Vulnerable Children

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Education to detail the steps she is taking to ensure that vulnerable children are given education and employment opportunities.

(AQW 4454/08)

Ms C Ruane: My vision is that each and every child will realise their full potential and leave school with appropriate qualifications and be equipped to succeed in adulthood.

We are seeking to achieve this through measures such as the revised curriculum, our new school improvement policy and a revised literacy and numeracy policy. Related policies are being developed to support children with barriers to learning including those with special educational needs, English as an additional language and alternative education provision. It will be important that when these policies are in place, they provide a basis for action at school level.

Within school, support for pupils is provided through the Independent Schools Counselling Service, anti-bullying measures and the development of a Pupil’s Emotional Health and Well-being Programme to develop coping skills in children and young people. Life Skills Training Programmes are provided to young people with statements of special education need to improve self help and independent living and Education Transition Co-ordinators work with statutory and other agencies to support the transition process from school to adult life.

Chuaigh mo Roinnse agus an Roinn Fostaíochta agus Foghlama i gcomhairle le déanaí faoi chomhstraitéis maidir le comhstraitéis faoi Oideachas Gairme, Comhairle agus Treorú dar teideal 'Ullmhú don Rath'.

My Department and the Department for Employment and Learning have recently consulted on a joint strategy for Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance e ntitled ‘Preparing for Success’. This strategy aims to support better informed decision-making, leading to more effective career planning and through this to increased participation in education, training and employment and includes proposals to address the needs of young people and adults vulnerable to social exclusion.

Teachers Moving

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education to provide an update on the progress made in relation to removing obstacles that prevent teachers moving between education sectors.

(AQW 4492/08)

Ms C Ruane: Since the inception of fair employment legislation in 1976, teachers have been exempt from protection against discrimination on the grounds of religious belief. This exemption originated from the desire to protect the diversity of ethos in the education sectors.

Tá Oifig an Chead-Aire agus an Leas-Chéad-Aire (OFMDFM) ag obair faoi láthair ar Bhille Singil um Chomhionannas chun nua-shonrú agus comhchuibhiú a dhéanamh ar an reachtaíocht in aghaidh leithcheala agus um chomhionannas i dTuaisceart Éireann agus iad a leathnú más gá é sin.

The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) is working currently on a Single Equality Bill to harmonise, update and extend, where appropriate, anti-discrimination and equality legislation in the North of Ireland. Once the proposals in this Bill are published, the Department of Education will consult stakeholders and interest groups to assess their views on this exemption.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of pupils with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in (i) special schools - severe learning difficulty; (ii) mainstream primary and post-primary schools; and (iii) other forms of educational provision, broken down by Education and Library Board.

(AQW 4555/08)

Ms C Ruane: Is mar seo a leanas atá an fhaisnéis a hiarradh.

The information requested is as follows.

Pupils 1 with Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 2007/08

	Education and Library Board
School type	BELB	WELB	NEELB	SEELB	SELB	TOTAL
Primary schools 2,3	208	102	185	260	206	961
Post primary schools 3	207	107	112	278	287	991
SLD Special schools 4	*	#	23	12	14	61
Other 5 - MLD Special schools	67	21	15	53	0	156
Pre-schools	*	0	*	*	*	8
Nursery schools	6	0	*	*	*	13

Source: NI school census.

Note:

1. It is a possibility that some pupils at SEN Stages 1 and 2 with this condition may not have been recorded.
2. Includes children in nursery, reception and Year 1 – 7 classes.
3. Includes pupils in mainstream classes and special units.
4. Includes pupils who attend schools that cater for both MLD and SLD.
5. Excludes Alternative Education Providers, Independent schools and hospital schools.

* Relates to less than 5 pupils.
# Means figure has been treated under rules of disclosure.

Middletown Centre of Excellence for Autism

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) the membership of the board of the Middletown Autism Centre; (ii) the expertise of each member of the board, in relation to Autistic Spectrum Disorder; (iii) how the board was appointed; and (iv) who made the appointments.

(AQW 4616/08)

Ms C Ruane: The Board of Directors of the Middletown Centre for Autism Ltd comprises the following 10 members:

Chairperson - appointed by Department of Education and Science (DES) is Laurence Crowley a former Governor of the Bank of Ireland and a Director of a number of Irish companies.

The four DES Directors are:

• Dermot Ryan, Principal Officer, Office for Disability and Mental Health, Department for Health and Children.
• Breandán Ó Murchú, a retired Divisional Inspector of Schools with the Department of Education and Science. He was a member of the DES Task Force on Autism, which produced its report in 2001 and was also a member of the Department of Education’s (DE) Task Group on Autism, which produced its report in 2002.  
• Leo Kinsella, the Local Health Manager with the Health Service Executive for the Cavan/Monaghan area, and is responsible for all primary, community and continuing care services in the two counties.  He has held a number of senior managerial appointments in the Health Sector.
• Goretti Newell, the former principal of St Patrick's Boys National School, Hollypark, Co. Dublin, Schools Programme manager with Special Olympics Ireland and a Board member of Ballyowen Meadows Special School, which is under the auspices of Beechpark Services for children with Autism.

These members were appointed by the Minister for Education and Science under their procedures.

Vice-chairperson – appointed by Department of Education is Donal Flanagan OBE, Chief Executive of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. He has experience of special educational needs during his employment as Education Officer with SEELB.

The four DE Directors are:

• Professor Mary Hanratty CBE, a recently retired Director of Nursing and Midwifery Education for the Southern and Eastern Health and Social Services Boards where she was involved in developing education programmes for children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
• Harry Mullan is retired. He has experience of addressing the needs of children with special needs through his work on education and health boards.
• Ethel Ruddock has a background in education and she was responsible for training and support for new Principals, Vice-Principals, School Senior Management Teams and Boards of Governors and Beginning Teachers in the South Eastern Education and Library Board area. Through this work she developed a considerable understanding of the needs of children with ASDs and their teachers.
• Daphne O’Kane, a retired Principal has extensive experience of working with children with ASDs including when she was Head of pre-school services for children with special education needs in Bromley Education Department and through her membership of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.

These members were appointed in 2007 by the then Minister for Education following a public appointments exercise carried out by the Department of Education and monitored by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (NI).

Ba iad an dá Roinn a cheap baill an Bhoird agus rinneadar é sin ar an mbunús go mbeadh daoine éagsúla air a bheadh taithí acu ar na réimsí seo a leanas: uathachas, oideachas speisialta, cúram sláinte, airgeadas, acmhainní daonna agus bainistiú agus pleanáil gnó.

The Board members were appointed by both Departments on the basis that the Board comprised a range of individuals with experience in the following areas: autism, special education, health care, finance, human resources, business management and planning. This was to ensure that the Board had the breadth of experience to meet the many challenges involved in establishing a new north/south educational organisation.

Middletown Centre of Excellence for Autism

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Education to detail, for each year since 2002, the amount of money spent on (i) capital costs; (ii) revenue funding; and (iii) other costs, in relation to the Middletown Autism Project; and to further detail the staff currently employed and their salaries.

(AQW 4618/08)

Ms C Ruane: Féach ar an tábla thíos ar a bhfuil an fhaisnéis atá ag teastáil chun codanna i, ii agus iii de do cheist a fhreagairt.

Please see the table below with the information required for parts i, ii and iii of your question.

For the final part of your question regarding salaries of staff employed at the Centre, I cannot divulge actual salaries as these are personal information covered under the Data Protection Act.

The salary bands for the current posts are:

Chief Executive Officer – SCP* 68-73 £54,534-£59,040 ;

Head of Research and Development - SCP 64-67 £51,189-£53,673;

Head of Learning Support and Assessment - SCP 64-67 £51,189-£53,673;

Head of Corporate Services - SCP 64-67 £51,189-£53,673;

Caretaker/Maintenance Officer – SCP 22-25  £18,450-£20,235 ;

and a Grounds Operative (part-time) – SCP 9-11 £13062--£14197.

The Centre also employs 2 temporary Administration Staff employed through a recruitment agency and a part-time Cleaner however as these posts do not have an applicable scale their wages cannot be divulged.

* SCP – Spinal Column Point

Table

Year	Type	Amount
2002/03	Revenue	£25,615.00
	Capital	£0.00
	Other	£29,454.19
	Total	£55,069.19
2003/04	Revenue	£141,098.79
	Capital	£0.00
	Other	£40,477.59
	Total	£181,576.38
2004/05	Revenue	£176,272.68
	Capital - Purchase	£1,500,000.00
	Other	£52,922.49
	Total	£1,729,195.17
2005/06	Revenue	£56,303.86
	Capital	£0.00
	Other	£47,658.58
	Total	£103,962.44
2006/07	Revenue	£84,277.19
	Capital	£0.00
	Other	£54,945.97
	Total	£139,223.16
2007/08	Revenue	£355,452.78
To date	Capital	£74,831.25
	Other	£51,534.88
	Total	£481,818.91

Middletown Centre of Excellence for Autism

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail the consultations that were carried out by the Middletown Centre of Excellence for Autism, to assess the needs among the community in (i) Northern Ireland; and (ii) the Republic of Ireland.

(AQW 4713/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The Chief Executive of the Middletown Centre for Autism has provided me with the following information:

A consultation exercise was carried out in December 2007 and January 2008. The purpose of this consultation was both to inform and invite comments regarding how the proposed services could best be delivered by the Centre. The outturn of the consultation exercise will ultimately be the production of the corporate plan and annual business plans for the Centre and the development of service provision that meets the needs of stakeholders and the objectives Department of Education and The Department of Education and Science.

Rinneadh 15 léiriúchán san iomlán (5 cinn sa Tuaisceart - ceann i gach limistéar Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne - 8 i nDeisceart na hÉireann agus 2 cheann ag Coillidh Chanannáin), agus bhí 296 dhuine i láthair ag na léiriúcháin.

In total 15 presentations were made (5 in the North – one in each Education & Library Board area - 8 in the South of Ireland and 2 at Middletown), a total of 296 individuals attended the presentations.

Newspaper Expenditure

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Education to detail her department's expenditure on (i) newspapers; (ii) magazines; and (iii) periodicals, in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4795/08)

Ms C Ruane: Is mar seo a leanas atá an fhaisnéis a hiarradh:

The information requested is as follows:

Actual Spend (Financial Years)

April 2005- March 2006

Newspapers - £4,372.95

Periodicals - £408.15

April 2006 – March 2007

Newspapers - £3,882.29

Periodicals - £1,213.70

April 2007- March 2008

Newspapers - £3,325.68

Periodicals - £2,818.71

No expenditure on magazines.

Employment and Learning

Job Categories

Mr R Newton asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline the forecasted numbers and job categories of skilled/ qualified professional and technical employees, including apprentices, that will be required in each of the next five years in order to successfully underpin the local economy.

(AQW 4637/08)

The Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey):

The most recent forecasts of annual demand for each occupation in Northern Ireland to 2015 are set out in the table below.

The Executive has established a responsive system to ensure that the skill needs of the economy are met. My Department has established a Skills Expert Group to consider how best to respond to changing skills demands at the regional level. At a local level, six employer-led Workforce Development Forums (WDF) have been established. The WDFs ensure that local labour and skills needs are taken into account when planning for training provision. This framework is underpinned by the work of the 25 employer-led Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Each SSC is developing a sector Skills Agreement which provides an evidence base for training needs in its sector and outlines how these are to be met.

Table: Annual Average Replacement and Expansion Demand by Occupation, 2005-1015

	Employed 2005	Expansion Demand	Replacement Demand	Total Requirement
Corporate managers	57,920	710	4,100	4,810
Managers & proprietors in agriculture & services	20,830	280	1,920	2,200
Science & technology professionals	17,480	160	1,220	1,380
Health professionals	9,450	150	360	510
Teaching & research professionals	37,790	290	2,070	2,360
Business & public service professionals	26,470	810	1,650	2,450
Science & technology associate professionals	9,410	90	830	920
Health & social welfare associate professionals	31,990	70	1,660	1,730
Protective service occupations	2,640	0	130	140
Culture, media & sports occupations	9,050	100	700	800
Business & public service associate professionals	28,840	290	2,760	3,040
Administrative occupations	70,640	100	6,610	6,710
Secretarial & related occupations	23,870	310	2,350	2,660
Skilled agricultural trades	25,950	-410	1,480	1,070
Skilled metal & electrical trades	31,630	-560	1,930	1,370
Skilled construction & building trades	36,220	270	2,180	2,450
Textiles, printing & other skilled trades	17,280	-50	1,660	1,600
Caring personal service occupations	43,180	970	4,310	5,280
Leisure & other personal service occupations	13,700	100	1,370	1,470
Sales & customer service occupations	57,640	390	8,050	8,450
Customer service occupations	2,580	50	390	440
Process, plant & machine operatives	29,550	-400	3,020	2,620
Transport & mobile machine drivers & operatives	29,620	20	2,330	2,350
Elementary trades, plant & storage related occupations	22,970	-440	2,740	2,300
Elementary administration & service occupations	56,050	700	7,720	8,420

Notes: Numbers may not add due to rounding

Source: Regional Forecasts (2006) Occupation Forecasts and Replacement Demand Analysis for Northern Ireland, 2005-2015. (Department for Employment and Learning)

Press Officers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of press officers that are employed by his department.

(AQW 4758/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Department for Employment and Learning currently employs four Press Officers (Information Officers) who provide support to the Minister and officials on core press office activity and work directly with the media on a regular basis. A further three Information Officers are employed in a marketing and administrative role.

Young People in Fermanagh

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of people in Co Fermanagh, aged between 16 and 18 years, who are not in education, employment or training.

(AQW 4893/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Estimates of the number of people in Northern Ireland not in education, employment, or training are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Due to sample size constraints within LFS, it is not possible to produce estimates at the level requested. At a Northern Ireland level, the latest figures for October-December 2007 estimate that there were 9,000 persons aged 16-18 in Northern Ireland who were not in employment, participating in government training schemes or in full-time education. It is not possible to separately identify those in part-time education or non-government sponsored training.

Qualifications Regulator

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline his plans for supporting the new policy of the qualifications regulator (QCA) of assisting employers to gain national recognition as awarding bodies; and to identify which of QCA's 4 models of employer engagement he favours to promote the skills agenda for the local economy.

(AQW 4902/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority was commissioned by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to investigate how to recognise demand-led training and qualifications from employers and providers, for inclusion on the Qualifications and Credit Framework. At present a pilot is being run in England only, to test the models which have been referred to in the question. The pilot will run until the end of March 2008, when a report will be produced for English Ministers with recommendations on how the national qualifications system can meet the training needs of employers.

My Department has been maintaining a watching brief on developments, in collaboration with the Council for Curriculum Examination and Assessment, which is fully involved in the pilot. When I receive the final report, I will then decide which model, or models, will be best suited to promote the Northern Ireland skills agenda and also meet the demands of the local economy.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mrs C McGill asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail, in addition to his department's mainstream responsibilities, the resources that have been allocated to (i) Neighbourhood Renewal Areas; and (ii) the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area, in each of the last 2 years.

(AQW 4909/08)

Sir Reg Empey: (i) The Department for Employment and Learning has allocated the following resources to Neighbourhood Renewal areas in addition to its mainstream responsibilities.

Targeted Initiatives

Under Targeted Initiatives, resources allocated to West Belfast, Greater Shankill, Londonderry and Strabane (all Neighbourhood Renewal Areas) for each of the last 2 years are as follows:

2005/06 - £4,330,314

2006/07 - £2, 003,147

Labour Market Intermediaries

Resources allocated to North, South and East Belfast under Labour Market Intermediaries (LMIs) for the last 2 years are as follows:

2005/06 - £767,708

2006/07 - £702,320

Since April 2008, a new programme, the Local Employment Intermediary Service, has been available across Belfast and in Londonderry and Strabane.

TOTAL 2005/6 £5,098,022

2006/7 £2,705,467

(ii) The data above is not disaggregated to individual areas, hence information for Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area is not available

Learning Disabilities

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, pursuant to his answer to AQW 4686/08, to detail the range of programmes and services that are funded by his department, to assist people with learning disabilities in finding and maintaining employment.

(AQW 4969/08)

Sir Reg Empey:

The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) provides funding for a number of programmes that offer assistance to people with a wide range of disabilities, including those with learning disabilities, to find and maintain employment and vocational training. Programmes which are mainly available through DEL’s Disablement Advisory Service (DAS) are: Workable (NI), New Deal for Disabled People, Access to Work, the Job Introduction Scheme, residential training; a Condition Management Programme and Work Preparation Programme available through the Pathways to Work initiative; and public match funding to assist organisations that receive European Social Fund (ESF) funding. DAS also offers job capability assessment to people with learning disabilities through its Occupational Psychology Service. Employment opportunities for people with disabilities are also provided by Ulster Supported Employment Ltd, which is a non-Departmental Public Body funded by the Department

DEL ’s new professional and technical training provision Training for Successis available to 16 to 24 year olds.This provision comprises two main strands, Apprenticeships and Job-Ready. The latter is designed for 16 to 18 year olds (or up to the day before their 22 nd birthday for those with a learning disability) and covers personal development, skills for work, employability skills and pre-apprenticeships.

Contracted training organisations can draw on specialist support for participants who have additional physical, learning, or sociological needs.

Programmes funded by the Department, with the exception of some of those that are match funded, are generic in nature and not targeted at any particular disability category such as people with a learning disability. The programmes are demand led and the disability category of participants is dependent on those who are recruited. The Department provides match funding for projects under the ESF and historically these have included projects of benefit to people with disabilities. The current ESF assessment process is not yet complete but results should be known in April.

Racial Discrimination

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the number of reported racial discrimination cases brought against statutory bodies in the past three years; and (ii) the number of these cases upheld.

(AQW 5018/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Office of the Industrial Tribunals and The Fair Employment Tribunal (OITFET) does not categorise respondent details into employment sectors such as statutory bodies, private businesses and departments of the Executive.

OITFET maintains a public register of tribunal claims and decisions. However, given the manual nature of these registers, the information requested could only be extrapolated through an extensive manual exercise and at a disproportionate cost.

However the following data is the information that OITFET can provide from its Management Information Systems.

The number of complaints included in claims brought to an industrial tribunal under the Race Relations ( Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and subsequently registered by OITFET in each of the last 3 years as a % of all complaints to industrial tribunals.

Race Relations complaints registered by OITFET
2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08 (to date)
88	79	108	112
1.75%	2.77%	2.49%	2.6%

The number of Race Relations complaints promulgated by way of a decision of an industrial tribunal in each of the last 3 years and the outcome recorded were:-

Race Relations complaints promulgated by an Industrial Tribunal
Year	Allowed	Dismissed	Dismissed/ Struck Out	Withdrawn	Conciliated	Settled	Stayed	Total
2004/05	1	10	6	108	16	9	0	150
2005/06	5	8	6	48	14	14	1	96
2006/07	3	4	9	29	25	30	0	100
2007/08 (To date)	2	11	4	39	33	29	0	118

Racial Discrimination

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the number of reported racial discrimination cases brought against private businesses in the past three years; and (ii) the number of these cases upheld.

(AQW 5019/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Office of the Industrial Tribunals and The Fair Employment Tribunal (OITFET) does not categorise respondent details into employment sectors such as statutory bodies, private businesses and departments of the Executive.

OITFET maintains a public register of tribunal claims and decisions. However, given the manual nature of these registers, the information requested could only be extrapolated through an extensive manual exercise and at a disproportionate cost.

However the following data is the information that OITFET can provide from its Management Information Systems.

The number of complaints included in claims brought to an industrial tribunal under the Race Relations ( Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and subsequently registered by OITFET in each of the last 3 years as a % of all complaints to industrial tribunals.

Race Relations complaints registered by OITFET
2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08 (to date)
88	79	108	112
1.75%	2.77%	2.49%	2.6%

The number of Race Relations complaints promulgated by way of a decision of an industrial tribunal in each of the last 3 years and the outcome recorded were:-

Race Relations complaints promulgated by an Industrial Tribunal
Year	Allowed	Dismissed	Dismissed/Struck Out	Withdrawn	Conciliated	Settled	Stayed	Total
2004/05	1	10	6	108	16	9	0	150
2005/06	5	8	6	48	14	14	1	96
2006/07	3	4	9	29	25	30	0	100
2007/08 (To date)	2	11	4	39	33	29	0	118

Racial Discrimination

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the number of reported racial discrimination cases brought against the departments of the Executive in the past three years; and (ii) the number of these cases upheld.

(AQW 5020/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Office of the Industrial Tribunals and The Fair Employment Tribunal (OITFET) does not categorise respondent details into employment sectors such as statutory bodies, private businesses and departments of the Executive.

OITFET maintains a public register of tribunal claims and decisions. However, given the manual nature of these registers, the information requested could only be extrapolated through an extensive manual exercise and at a disproportionate cost.

However the following data is the information that OITFET can provide from its Management Information Systems.

The number of complaints included in claims brought to an industrial tribunal under the Race Relations ( Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and subsequently registered by OITFET in each of the last 3 years as a % of all complaints to industrial tribunals.

Race Relations complaints registered by OITFET
2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08 (to date)
88	79	108	112
1.75%	2.77%	2.49%	2.6%

The number of Race Relations complaints promulgated by way of a decision of an industrial tribunal in each of the last 3 years and the outcome recorded were:-

Race Relations complaints promulgated by an Industrial Tribunal
Year	Allowed	Dismissed	Dismissed/ Struck Out	Withdrawn	Conciliated	Settled	Stayed	Total
2004/05	1	10	6	108	16	9	0	150
2005/06	5	8	6	48	14	14	1	96
2006/07	3	4	9	29	25	30	0	100
2007/08 (To date)	2	11	4	39	33	29	0	118

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the protocols he follows in informing MLAs that he will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 5077/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Department for Employment and Learning’s Private Office contacts the relevant MLAs by telephone at their constituency offices at least 24 hours in advance of a Ministerial visit. Details of the reason for the visit are given, as well as the time and location. A contact number is also provided for MLAs to request further information if required. In compliance with new procedures agreed by the Junior Ministers, MLAs will now receive notification of Ministerial visits in writing.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the number of public appointments that have been made by his department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 5099/08)

Sir Reg Empey: In the period between the restoration of Devolution and 14 March 2008, the Department for Employment and Learning made 169 public appointments.

Of these, 49 were female and 3 were elected councillors.

Modern Apprenticeships

Mr M Storey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail his strategy for supporting sector skills councils in order to assist in the take-up of modern apprenticeships.

(AQW 5125/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Whilst my Department provides assistance to the Sector Skills Councils in general terms, it has no specific strategy to support them on the take-up of apprenticeships. It is the responsibility of the Sector Skills Councils to identify the skills needs of their sector and to develop the appropriate approach to address these needs. This work is undertaken in conjunction with a variety of stakeholders and includes Government.

Frameworks for individual apprenticeships are developed by the relevant Sector Skills Council and these specify entry requirements for participants, as well as the required outcomes. Training for these frameworks is funded by the Department under the apprenticeship strand of Training for Success.

The Department is also carrying out an initial review of Training for Success. Departmental officials intend to meet a number of Sector Skills Councils, to discuss the content of and structures supporting the provision, as well as how Sector Skills Councils might contribute further to ensuring it best meets the needs of the sectors they represent.

Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Departmental Funding

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the funding that his department has allocated to the Armagh City and District Council area, for each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 4443/08)

The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mr N Dodds): The funding allocated to the Armagh City and District Council area by my Department in each of the last 5 years is detailed in the attached table.

FUNDING ALLOCATED	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07*	2007/08 (1/4/07 - 29/2/08)
INTERREG 111A (Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency)	__	__	£31,000	__	£34,000 £7,000 (expected by 31 March 2008)
Armagh/Monaghan Digital Corridor Project	__	__	__	£328,360 (Apr 06 to Oct 07)	__
EU Programme for Peace & Reconciliation	__	£568,000 (Letter of Offer)	__	__	£1,059,350 (Letters of Offer)
ERDF (Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme)	£84,699	£66,361	£225,610	£93,184	£98,066
N.I. Tourist Board Grant Assistance Paid	£34,356	__	__	__	__
N.I. Tourist Board Offers of Grant – No payments made yet	__	£220,776	__	£40,000	£374,839
Invest NI Assistance to Clients within Armagh City and District Council	£1,400,000	£1,300,000	£600,000	£4,100,000	**£1,400,000
TOTALS	£1,519,055	£2,155,137	£856,610	£4,561,544	£2,973,255

*Under Reconnect (Household Renewable Energy Grant Scheme) £450,000 offers of grant have been made since July 2006.

** These are in-year provisional figures, which are subject to change

Departmental Funding

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the plans his department has in relation to funding initiatives in the Armagh City and District Council area for the next 3 years.

(AQW 4444/08)

Mr N Dodds: The planned funding to be allocated by DETI to the Armagh City and District Council Area, for each of the next 3 years, is £3.56m.

The majority of this figure relates to the £3.5m allocated under the Programme for Government to develop the St. Patrick’s/Christian Heritage Signature Project. Whilst this project spans Northern Ireland, the key tourist centres that will benefit from this support are Downpatrick and Armagh City.

The remaining £60,000 is for a DETI sponsored ‘High Speed Broadband Trial’ commencing in March 2008 in Middletown, Co Armagh.

Further funding for the Armagh City and District Council can be accessed from the New ERDF Competitiveness Programme. This will provide Councils with the opportunity to seek support for economic based projects which meet the Lisbon criteria of innovation, R&D and entrepreneurship. Councils will be invited to bid for support from the Programme which has a value of £50m over its lifetime.

In addition, the NITB recently opened the Tourism Development Scheme 2008-2011 which offers financial assistance of up to £500,000 to capital projects for the development of tourism amenities and attractions. This scheme operates as an open call and all areas of Northern Ireland are eligible to apply.

Invest NI does not allocate funding to particular geographical locations, rather the assistance provided by Invest NI is demand-led by businesses which can demonstrate the potential for growth, primarily through the development of markets outside Northern Ireland.

In August 2005, Invest NI agreed an Acquisition and Disposal Strategy for industrial land to serve the needs of its client companies over the medium to long term. One of the four priority areas included in this strategy was Armagh and Invest NI launched a project to acquire land. The agency is currently completing a scoping study and a decision on the way forward will be taken as soon as possible.

Scotch Irish/ Ulster-Scots Heritage

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to confirm that he will make it policy to develop Scotch Irish/ Ulster-Scots heritage as a Northern Ireland Tourist Board signature project.

(AQW 4592/08)

Mr N Dodds: The Tourism Strategic Framework for Action 2004-2008 (SFA) identified five Signature Projects with the potential to deliver world class excellence, drawing visitors from home and overseas. Development continues, and significant funding has been identified in the Programme for Government for their delivery.

An independent evaluation of the SFA recently endorsed the five Signature Project approach, and DETI, in consultation with NITB, is currently considering the next phase of the SFA. No decisions will be taken on the possibility of more Signature Projects before this work is complete.

The Ulster Scots heritage is a vital part of Northern Ireland’s tourism offering, and the influence of the Ulster Scots on the history of Northern Ireland will be reflected as a theme within the existing Signature Projects. For example, the Causeway Coast and Glens Signature Project will feature the Ulster Scots culture in the Glens of Antrim and the Andrew Jackson Centre, and the Ulster Scots contribution will also form an important element of the “ Walled City” project in Londonderry.

NITB is currently working with the Ulster Scots Agency and Ulster-Scots Heritage Council to define an Ulster Scots product that can be marketed to the travel trade and Ulster Scots groups in the target markets for the 2009 season. In addition, the Ulster Scots element of the food, craft, ‘tracing your roots’ product currently being developed for market will be identified and highlighted.

Textiles Industry

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (i) the number of jobs lost in the textiles industry in each of the last 3 years; and (ii) the actions he is taking to protect the industry from further job losses.

(AQW 4619/08)

Mr N Dodds: It is not possible to provide an exact measure of the number of jobs lost in the textiles industry in each of the last 3 years as companies are only legally required to notify the Department of impending redundancies of 20 or more employees. However, Table 1 below shows the number of employee jobs in the manufacture of textiles and textile products sector, and the net change each year, between September 2004 and September 2007.

Table 1. NI Employee jobs in the Manufacture of Textiles and Textile Products between September 2004 and September 2007

Period	Total Jobs in Manufacture of Textiles and Textile products	Annual Net Change
2004	6,210	-
2005	4,770	-1,440
2006	3,520	-1,250
2007	3,070	-450

Figures relate to the September quarter each year and are rounded to the nearest 10 as a result differences between levels may not match those in the final column.

Source: Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey

The textiles and clothing industry in Northern Ireland must continue to respond to the challenges arising from globalisation and from the restructuring of the Northern Ireland economy. Government support to the sector is designed to help companies improve capabilities in the higher value-added areas of design and marketing, the use of IT, supply chain management and the development of strategic alliances and exporting capacity.

In spite of the difficulties associated with restructuring on this scale, successful business development initiatives have emerged based on innovation and design and the targeting of high value added niche markets. For example, companies such as O’Neill’s Sportswear, Cooneen Textiles and Cooneen Watts and Stone have shown an ability to adapt and diversify in the face of intense competition and Invest NI will continue to play a key role in supporting and encouraging these developments.

Trivirax

Mr A Attwood asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the amount of state funding that (i) has been recovered; and (ii) is planned to be recovered, by Invest NI in relation to the collapse of Trivirax in 2005.

(AQW 4624/08)

Mr N Dodds: At the Adjournment Debate on 22 January 2008, I informed the House that owing to delays in agreeing creditor claims, dividend payments had, in turn, been delayed. The Joint Administrators are continuing the process of reviewing and confirming creditor claims. Until this process is complete to their satisfaction, they are not in a position to distribute available funds to the creditors. Accordingly, none of the unsecured creditors have recovered any funds at this time.

Invest NI is in regular contact with the Joint Administrators and is providing clarification on specific aspects of its claim. The Joint Administrators have indicated it is their intention to complete the Administration over the coming months. Until the process is complete, I am not in a position to confirm the amount of funds to be recovered. Invest NI remains confident it can maximise the recovery of public funds in this case.

I will keep the House fully informed as to the recovery of public funds in this case

Press Officers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the number of press officers employed by his department.

(AQW 4646/08)

Mr N Dodds: My Department employs three Press Officers and one Assistant Press Officer.

In addition, DETI has engaged a temporary Press Officer to handle specific projects.

Titanic Signature Project

Mr A Attwood asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to provide an update on the progress made to identify the necessary funds to construct and complete the proposed Titanic Signature Project; and to confirm if the project will be completed by the 2012 Olympic year.

(AQW 4701/08)

Mr N Dodds: My Department is continuing to work with Titanic Quarter Limited and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners to identify potential funding sources for the construction and completion of the Titanic Signature Project by 2012.

In light of the elapse of time, the project will be the subject of an updated economic appraisal

Renewable Energy

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to confirm if Invest NI will fund smaller scale production facilities to manufacture (i) wood pellets from waste wood; and (ii) bio-crops from sustainable forests, to promote the renewable energy market.

(AQW 4790/08)

Mr N Dodds: Invest NI actively supports the emerging renewable energy sector and has invested in several new renewable energy projects in recent years. It currently has projects active in the Wind, Marine and Biomass sub-sectors ranging from manufacturing of domestic and commercial wind turbines to research and development of wave turbines and conversion of waste wood into wood pellet fuel.

For ideas at an early stage, the Start a Business Programme can provide a package of support that encompasses the assessment of the business idea, training, financial and business planning, access to financial support and a subsidised web package.

For businesses in the sector that are not established Invest NI clients, the agency's Technical Development Incentive (TDI) Scheme can provide smaller companies (typically those with fewer than 20 full-time employees) with technical support to resolve development problems and accelerate them towards Invest NI’s larger product and process development R&D schemes. Up to £2,000 of assistance can be provided to resolve specific technical issues such as investigating new technologies/processes and product compliance. The manufacture of wood pellets from waste wood and bio-crops from sustainable forests could potentially be assisted by this scheme.

More varied assistance is available to those companies in the renewable energy sector that qualify as Invest NI clients. To qualify as a client, businesses must be able to demonstrate that they currently, or over the next three years, will have total sales of over £100,000 per annum and have sales outside Northern Ireland greater than 25 per cent of turnover, or greater than £250,000 per annum.

Although the agency cannot support its clients to import and install existing global technologies for the manufacture of wood pellets from waste wood or bio-crops from sustainable forests, it will consider assistance for those projects involving the creation or development of new technology in the sector. Such projects should be capable of becoming saleable products or services that can be packaged and replicated and have the potential to be sold in export markets. As a general rule, the Intellectual Property for such developments should also reside with the client in Northern Ireland. In the case of manufacturing wood pellets from waste wood, Invest NI must also be satisfied that sufficient raw material exists to supply the market without causing displacement.

Invest NI can also provide support to help businesses develop, research and commercialise new products and processes and encourages its clients to undertake more research in these areas and to bring existing research to commercialisation stage through linkages with the Universities. Important elements of the agency's Business Development Solutions are also focused on R&D and Sustainable Development. These tools enable Invest NI to provide support and assistance to client companies to develop products and processes which generate, exploit or use alternative energy sources.

Newspaper Spending

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the amount his department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4851/08)

Mr N Dodds: The amount spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last 3 years is

2004/05 - £26,917.68

2005/06 - £30,624.93

2006/07 - £26,129.70

Tourism Campaign

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, in light of the allocation of £500,000 to a tourism campaign to attract visitors from Scotland and the North of England, to detail (i) the number of new jobs that will be created; and (ii) the expected revenue that will be generated from the campaign over the next 3 years.

(AQW 4887/08)

Mr N Dodds: It is not readily possible to identify the number of jobs created or revenue generated as a result of a single tourism marketing campaign. The campaign to which the question refers is part of a wider marketing strategy to maximise the number of visitors from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland.

Tourism Ireland Limited’s overall target for Great Britain is to achieve a 5% increase over last year’s figures in the number of visitors from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. This would result in additional 52,000 visitors and an estimated additional revenue of circa £15m. The Tourism Satellite Accounts, developed by DETI and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, suggest that approximately 29 jobs are supported by every £1 million of tourism expenditure

Tourism Publicity Campaign

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to provide a detailed breakdown of the tourism publicity campaign that will target Scotland and the North of England for the period March to June 2008.

(AQW 4889/08)

Mr N Dodds: A new marketing campaign, run jointly by Tourism Ireland Limited (TIL) and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB), is aimed at increasing visitor numbers to Northern Ireland this year from Scotland and the north of England.

This new campaign will include an extensive publicity effort with coverage in top newspaper titles including the Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo, Yorkshire Evening Post, The Scotsman, The Herald, Glasgow Evening Times and the Edinburgh Evening Times. A series of radio promotions will focus on events and weekend or short breaks including Belfast and the Londonderry Jazz Festival will run from March to May on a number of stations including Capital Gold Manchester, Century FM NW, Smooth FM NW, Real Radio Yorkshire, Classic FM (Scotland), Radio Clyde and Radio Forth. These will be complemented by advertising and co-operative marketing activity with Northern Ireland ferry operators. The campaign will provide persuasive reasons to visit Northern Ireland highlight the ease of access by sea and air and will showcase good value fares and compelling offers from local industry partners.

A special St Patrick’s Celebration holiday fair, involving Northern Ireland tourism industry partners, is being staged at Merchant Court in Glasgow. This event is being hosted by Eamonn Holmes. Northern Ireland will also be promoted at the three-week long Celtic Connections music festival in Glasgow.

Familiarisation visits for influential group travel organisers from Scotland and the north of England will be organised to allow them to sample the Northern Ireland holiday experience for themselves.

The marketing programme will build on the Northern Ireland-specific promotion carried out in Scotland and north of England by TIL last autumn. This will be additional activity over and above TIL’s core marketing programme in Great Britain for 2008.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (i) the number of people that have been appointed under public appointments by his department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 4963/08)

Mr N Dodds: The Information sought is set out in the table below:

Total Number of Appointments made from 8 May 2007 to 12 March 2008	Number That Were Female	Number That Were Elected Councillors
3	1	None

Draft Regional Innovation Strategy

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail his plans to use the Economic Development Departments in district councils to promote the Draft Regional Innovation Strategy.

(AQW 4988/08)

Mr N Dodds: There is a range of activities within the draft Regional Innovation Strategic Action Plan (RISAP) which highlight the role that the Economic Development Departments in District Councils are playing to promote innovation in Northern Ireland. These include working in partnership with the universities, the Department for Employment and Learning and Invest NI in delivering seminars aimed at enhancing the absorptive capacity of businesses; working with the Institute of Directors and local Business Angel networks to help businesses access private equity finance; and Belfast City Council working with the Northern Ireland Science Park to help the creation of new knowledge intensive business start-ups.

A number of initiatives being led by the Federation of Small Business, the Centre for Competitiveness and Association of Northern Ireland Colleges (ANIC), which are being delivered at a local level to small and micro businesses, also provide the opportunity for District Councils to promote the RISAP and contribute to the Programme for Government goal of a dynamic, innovative economy.

Tourism Signature Projects

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to provide a timescale within which the Northern Ireland Tourist Board will review the potential to expand the number of tourism signature projects.

(AQW 5001/08)

Mr N Dodds: The Tourism Strategic Framework for Action 2004-2008 (SFA) identified five Signature Projects with the potential to deliver world class excellence, drawing visitors from home and overseas. Development continues, and significant funding has been identified in the Programme for Government for their delivery.

An independent evaluation of the SFA recently endorsed the five Signature Project approach, and DETI, in consultation with NITB, is currently considering the next phase of the SFA. The aim is to introduce this within the next twelve months. No decisions will be taken on the possibility of more Signature Projects before this work is complete.

Support for Tourism Businesses

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to confirm if Invest NI intends to review the restriction, contained within the Support for Tourism Businesses policy document, on financial assistance for hotel development within a 10 mile radius of Belfast.

(AQW 5003/08)

Mr N Dodds: A moratorium on capital support for the development of new hotels and the extension or upgrading of existing hotels within a ten mile radius of Belfast city centre was introduced by NITB in 1997 and remains in place at this time.

It was considered that the market in Belfast was sufficiently buoyant to encourage the private sector to make the investment necessary to meet demand. As such no market failure was deemed to exist.

The rationale for the moratorium was revisited in 2006 and it was concluded that Belfast achieves high occupancy rates and that there are many significant developments in the pipeline – suggesting that the private sector is fully engaged in meeting increasing market demand. As such the review group saw no reason to lift the moratorium.

While there are no plans for a specific review of the moratorium, Invest NI and NITB with assistance from DETI Tourism Policy Branch are however beginning a process to review future tourism accommodation needs across Northern Ireland. It is intended that the review will inform any change to Invest NI policy for support of the tourism accommodation sector.

Strangford Lough

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for his assessment of the potential of Strangford Lough as a future tourism signature project.

(AQW 5004/08)

Mr N Dodds: An independent evaluation of the Strategic Framework for Action 2004 – 2008 (SFA) recently endorsed the five Signature Project approach and DETI, in consultation with NITB, is currently considering the next phase of the SFA. Any assessment of potential signature projects will be undertaken as part of that work and no decisions will be taken on the possibility of more signature projects before it is complete. In the meantime the Strangford Lough area will benefit from its relationship with the existing signature projects.

In addition, the area is rich in cultural heritage and has a well established tourist trail, which links into several of the main cultural tourism themes - excellent crafts, houses and gardens, food, Christian Heritage and myths and legends. Development of these products can continue to increase the amount of time visitors spend in the area

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the protocols he follows in informing MLAs that he will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 5076/08)

Mr N Dodds: As agreed by the Executive, the Minister’s Private Office informs MLAs of a Ministerial visit to their constituency at least 24 hours in advance of the visit and provides relevant details.

Broadband Access

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, pursuant to his answer to AQO 2499/08, to detail the range of alternative technical solutions that may be used where broadband cannot be delivered by telephone wires.

(AQW 5098/08)

Mr N Dodds: Current solutions suggested by the industry include extending the reach of existing services using Local Loop Unbundling, Sub-Loop unbundling, channel bonding and Fibre to the Cabinet. In addition there are a number of wireless technologies available including 3G, WiMax and WiFi which can offer the flexibility of mobile broadband services. There are of course satellite technologies that can be used to deliver broadband services. All of these technologies have strengths and weaknesses and it is not DETI’s aim to mandate any one technology over another. The technologies used to deliver commercial broadband services will ultimately be decided by the private sector.

Environment

Planning Service

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of occasions that, as a result of representations made to her, she instructed the Planning Service to withdraw applications presented to councils, either as (i) approvals; or (ii) refusals, for further detail.

(AQW 4102/08)

The Minister of the Environment (Mrs A Foster): As part of the normal procedures for handling planning applications, any application can be removed from a Council schedule and/or decisions may be held following Council consultation as a result of late representations. This is to allow for further consideration of the late issues raised in order to comply with the requirements of the Human Rights Act. No records are kept of such cases which can arise for a number of reasons through both verbal and written representations to Ministers, MLAs and Councillors.

Pomeroy Community Development Project

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of the Environment, given the urgency associated with the funding deadlines for the Pomeroy Community Development Project, and the related planning application (I/2007/0435/RM), to detail the reasons why she requested the removal of the application, a matter of hours before the planning schedule was due to be presented to Cookstown District Council on Tuesday 12 February 2008, given that Planning Service had recommended this application for approval.

(AQW 4123/08)

Mrs A Foster: This application was withdrawn from the Cookstown Council Schedule to allow for the consideration of late representations in line with normal procedures.

I can confirm that, following this further consideration, the Department’s decision granting planning permission has now been issued.

Planning Applications

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of the Environment whether or not she requested the withdrawal of a planning application which was due to be presented to Cookstown District Council on Tuesday 12 February 2008.

(AQW 4278/08)

Mrs A Foster: I can confirm that an application was removed from the planning schedule presented at Cookstown District Council on Tuesday 12 February 2008 following receipt of late representations through my office. This withdrawal followed normal procedures which allow for the further consideration of late issues raised and ensures that the planning process complies with the requirements of the Human Rights Act.

You will wish to be aware that, following this further consideration, the Department’s decision to grant planning permission has now been issued.

Novelty Cars

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the legislation that is currently in place in relation to 'novelty cars', such as limousines.

(AQW 4465/08)

Mrs A Foster: Any private car, whether it is a “novelty” or conventional vehicle, must be registered and licensed under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 before it can be used on the road. If the vehicle has eight passenger seats or fewer and has not been previously registered, such licensing will depend on it having an EC certificate of conformity or national approval certificate in accordance with the Motor Vehicles (EC Type Approval) Regulations 1998.

If four years or more have elapsed from first registration of such a vehicle, licensing will be subject to it having an “MOT” certificate in accordance with the Motor Vehicles (Testing) Regulations (NI) 2003. Larger vehicles such as minibuses or heavy goods vehicles are subject to annual testing at one year old.

Use of the vehicle for hire and reward will require it to have a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence. In such a case the vehicle must comply with the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations (NI) 1995, the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (NI) 1999, the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (NI) 2000 and the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002.

An operator who intends to carry passengers and their luggage for reward in a vehicle with nine or more passenger seats must also obtain a road service licence under the Transport Act (NI) 1967.

Conflict Transformation Centre

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of the Environment to confirm if a planning application has been received by her department for a conflict transformation centre at the proposed Maze stadium site; and if so to detail (i) the nature and functions of the proposed development; and (ii) the prior usage of existing buildings to be included in the proposed centre, including any notable historical events associated with those buildings.

(AQW 4542/08)

Mrs A Foster: No planning application has been submitted to Planning Service for a Conflict Transformation Centre at the Maze Stadium site.

Building Preservation Trusts

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the funding her department offers to Northern Ireland's Building Preservation Trusts and those charitable organisations who act to remove historic buildings from the 'Buildings at Risk' register.

(AQW 4556/08)

Mrs A Foster: My Department is empowered, subject to DFP approval, to provide funding to Building Preservations Trusts (BPTs) and other charitable organisations with similar aims. A list of those organisations that have benefited from this type of funding in the 2007/08 financial year is attached to this Answer.

Under proposals resulting from the review of historic buildings grant-aid, which are now the subject of public consultation, an amount of up to £500,000 would be set aside each year, initially for a three-year period, to assist such organisations, particularly in relation to the cost of acquisition of Buildings at Risk. This would be in addition to any other grant-aid to which such trusts and other organisations might be entitled, under the normal Historic Buildings Grant-Aid scheme, for repair and maintenance.

My Department also has a long-standing partnership agreement with the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS);funding is currently provided at £60,000 per year. The UAHS compiles the ‘Buildings at Risk’ register, amongst other things, as part of this agreement.

Historic Buildings

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of the Environment to (i) confirm that the review of the grant aid system for historic buildings has been completed; (ii) explain the outcome of the review; and (iii) state when this information will be made public.

(AQW 4557/08)

Mrs A Foster: I can confirm that the review of historic buildings grant-aid has been completed.

The proposals arising from the review are currently out to public consultation; the final outcome will be known after all comments have been considered. The deadline for comments is 21 April 2008. A copy of the document detailing all of the proposals is attached for information.

It is hoped to make the final outcome known before the end of May 2008.

Buildings Delisted

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the number of buildings that have been delisted during second survey; and (ii) the principles for de-listing.

(AQW 4558/08)

Mrs A Foster: 423 buildings have been delisted since the second survey commenced in 1997; by comparison, 444 new listings have been made during the same period.

Every listed building is re-visited when the Second Survey is being undertaken in any District Council area. Records are much more detailed now than during the First Survey, when, in many instances, only one photograph of the building’s exterior was taken and no information was recorded on the interior. During the evaluation of the records received, each building is assessed according to the criteria for listing, such as age, style, historical association and scarcity. The Second Survey provides a full record of each building, as well as researching a detailed history. These records are evaluated by the Forum of Conservation Architects. At this stage consideration is also given to any potential enforcement action. Following that, if it is considered that a building does not meet the statutory test of having ‘special architectural or historic interest’, then it is proposed for delisting. Consultation then takes place with the Historic Buildings Council and the relevant district council before a final decision is made.

Wildcats in Northern Ireland

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of wildcats in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 4602/08)

Mrs A Foster: The Wildcat (Felis sylvestris) is a native species of the British Isles but is restricted in its range to the North of Scotland. The Wildcat does not therefore occur in Northern Ireland.

Planning Applications

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to outline the action she is taking in response to community opposition to the planning application for an incinerator to burn chicken waste on the banks of Lough Neagh Glenavy.

(AQW 4605/08)

Mrs A Foster: The consortium promoting this proposal has not yet submitted a planning application. I am aware of the public reaction to the proposal but it would be inappropriate for me to offer any response since to do so would potentially prejudice the process of determining a planning application.

Overhanging Trees

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the current legislation and policy dealing with overhanging and tall trees in neighbouring properties.

(AQW 4607/08)

Mrs A Foster: There is currently no legislation in place dealing with overhanging branches or tall trees growing on neighbouring property.

As stated in an earlier response to the Member (AQW 279/08) I am keen to introduce legislation to deal with nuisance high hedges similar to that currently in force in England and Wales starting with a policy consultation on the detailed operation of the legislation, however, the timing will be subject to the consideration of other competing priorities.

Water Pollution

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the resources available to address incidents of pollution.

(AQW 4620/08)

Mrs A Foster: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), an Executive Agency of the Department of the Environment, is responsible for investigating water pollution throughout Northern Ireland. EHS operates on a 24-hour, 365 days-a-year basis, to co-ordinate the Agency’s response to incidents of water pollution affecting either the freshwater or marine aquatic environment in Northern Ireland.

EHS maintains the Water Pollution Hotline - 0800 80 70 60 to encourage the reporting of incidents which is available to the public at all times.

EHS employs 18 Headquarters Staff and 52 regionally based Field Staff to undertake a wide range of duties ranging from receiving and investigating reports of pollution to effluent sampling at locations consented to discharge under the Water ( Northern Ireland) Order 1999.

The EHS laboratory at Lisburn, is open for the receipt of samples on a 24 hour basis. A ‘Duty Scientist’ rota is operated to co-ordinate the receipt of samples and arrange analysis and, on occasions, to provide field staff with technical guidance outside of normal office hours.

EHS also has the following material resources at its disposal to aid pollution response and these include:-

(a) Three 4x4 vehicles;
(b) Ten box trailers containing pollution response equipment located throughout Northern Ireland to aid quick response;
(c) Assets located on a pollution risk basis specifically for both inland and coastal pollution response; and
(d) A range of specific pollution response equipment and consumables stored at the offices in Lisburn.

Seatbelts on Public Transport

Mr F Molloy asked the Minister of the Environment if she has any plans to extend the compulsory use of seatbelts to the public bus service.

(AQW 4634/08)

Mrs A Foster: The Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) (Amendment No 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007, which commenced on 27 February 2007, require adults and children aged 14 years and over to wear seat belts, where available, in the rear of all motor vehicles, including all passenger seats in buses and coaches. However, the requirement does not apply where a large or small bus is being used to provide a local service where the entire route consists of restricted roads (roads where street lighting is not more than 185 metres apart) or where the bus is constructed or adapted for the carriage of standing passengers and standing is permitted.

Even if a bus being used to provide a local service in a built-up area had seat belts fitted, it would be impractical to require or enforce the wearing of seat belts where passengers were boarding or alighting at frequent intervals. Similarly it would be unreasonable to require passengers in such buses to wear seat belts if others were being permitted to stand.

Where seat belts are required to be worn in buses and coaches, there is also a requirement for the operator to inform passengers by means of public announcements and/or the display of a pictogram at every seat.

Planning Policy Statement

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of the Environment, to detail the Ministers that were informed of the extra paragraph '16', that was inserted in the final draft of the Emerging Findings of Planning Policy Statement 14 presented to the Committee for the Environment, after the original publication was debated in the Assembly.

(AQW 4635/08)

Mrs A Foster: I circulated the proposed emerging findings paper to the Ministers who are members of the Executive Sub-committee, and to FM, dFM and other Ministers on Thursday February 7 th seeking their agreement to issue it to stakeholders. Responses were required by 10am on Monday 11 th.

Amendments were made on the Monday 11 th to reflect the views expressed by Ministers; I agreed the final version around lunchtime.

Planning Policy Statement

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of the Environment to detail which Ministers raised concerns that 'it would be difficult to cater for non-farming rural dwellers without leading to overdevelopment', as outlined in paragraph 16 of the final Emerging Findings on Planning Policy Statement 14, that was presented to the Committee for the Environment.

(AQW 4638/08)

Mrs A Foster: At this stage of the process of developing a new PPS 14 I do not believe it would be helpful to indicate the views of individual Ministers.

Sewerage Systems

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to her answer to AQW 3154/08, to identify the 16 sewerage systems that (i) have been upgraded; and (ii) are currently being upgraded.

(AQW 4656/08)

Mrs A Foster: (i) The sewerage systems that have been upgraded serve the following locations: Cushendall, Cushendun, Glenarm, Helen’s Bay, Larne, Newry and Portstewart.

(ii) The sewerage systems that are currently being upgraded serve the following locations: Antrim, Ballyclare, Ballymoney, Banbridge, West Belfast, Downpatrick, Enniskillen, Portrush, and Rostrevor.

Ruddy Ducks

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to confirm if she has any plans to cull ruddy ducks.

(AQW 4662/08)

Mrs A Foster: In 2005 the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the EU LIFE-Nature programme agreed to fund a UK-wide eradication scheme for Ruddy Ducks to be undertaken by the Central Science Laboratory (CSL). My department has met with CSL and agreed to extend the cull taking place in Great Britain to Northern Ireland. A meeting has been arranged with CSL on 14 th March 2008 to discuss various topics relating to the cull, including a start date for Northern Ireland.

Planning Applications

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the recourse available to applicants to the Planning Appeals Commission, whose applications were decided upon prior to the implementation of changes to Planning Policy Statement 14.

(AQW 4663/08)

Mrs A Foster: Applicants refused planning permission under the original draft of Planning Policy Statement 14 may exercise their right of appeal to the Planning Appeals Commission in the normal manner i.e. within 6 months of the date of refusal. Any revised policy which is in place at the time of the appeal is an important material consideration in the appeal process. However as in all appeal cases the final decision rests solely with the Commission.

Planning Applications

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of the Environment to detail, for each month in the last 5 years, the number of planning applications received by each divisional planning office.

(AQW 4672/08)

Mrs A Foster: You will recall I wrote to all Members in December 2007 advising that from 14 December, statistics provided by Planning Service were no longer based on data extracted from a “live” database which was subject to continuous change. The approach, now being adopted by Planning Service, is to report from an off-line database of static, cleansed planning application records, which will bring the Agency into line with standards for reporting government statistics.

At present, I am able to provide figures in the attached table for the 2006/07 financial year only. Planning Service is currently in the process of preparing the data for the years prior to 2006/07. The target date for the release of this cleansed data is October 2008.

Planning Applications 2006/07 by month received and division

Divisions	Apr-06	May-06	Jun-06	Jul-06	Aug-06	Sep-06
Ballymena	209	219	262	179	240	183
Belfast	275	311	321	242	230	220
Craigavon	260	283	382	262	265	268
Downpatrick	246	312	345	279	326	291
Headquarters	19	12	21	23	32	17
Londonderry	172	221	292	188	189	195
Omagh	294	309	281	256	254	249
All divisions	1475	1667	1904	1429	1536	1423
Divisions	Oct-06	Nov-06	Dec-06	Jan-07	Feb-07	Mar-07
Ballymena	202	214	158	217	218	266
Belfast	264	335	222	272	284	332
Craigavon	331	293	272	231	241	303
Downpatrick	304	306	288	284	320	377
Headquarters	16	25	21	15	22	18
Londonderry	254	243	155	205	211	267
Omagh	213	273	246	293	271	300
All divisions	1584	1689	1362	1517	1567	1863

Press Officers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of press officers employed by her department.

(AQW 4677/08)

Mrs A Foster: The department currently employs 2 Press Officers.

Planning Staff Training

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to outline the action she is taking to train planning staff for the introduction of the new Planning Policy Statement 14 legislation.

(AQW 4688/08)

Mrs A Foster: When the revised draft of Planning Policy Statement 14 is published Planning Service Headquarters will provide initial advice and guidance on implementing the new policy and will provide further advice as necessary. Draft PPS 14 is also a standing item on the internal Development Control Working Group where all Divisional Offices are represented and particular issues can be discussed and clarified.

More formal training can be taken forward by Planning Service’s Training Unit where a specific need is identified by the internal working group.

Planning Process

Mr A Attwood asked the Minister of the Environment to provide an update on the proposals to accelerate the planning process in relation to major projects; to provide a timescale within which the proposals will be implemented; and to detail the categories of project that may benefit from the proposals.

(AQW 4702/08)

Mrs A Foster: The Programme for Government refers to a six month target being applied to large scale planning proposals. These are proposals which are considered to have significant economic or social implications for the whole or a substantial part of Northern Ireland. They will be handled by the Strategic Projects Division of Planning Service and the six month target is now being applied provided there have been pre-application discussions with an agreed outcome.

Within the Strategic Projects Division I have recently agreed to the creation of two multi-disciplinary teams – teams which are comprised of planning staff as well as professionals from other relevant disciplines – to help to further enhance the efficiency of the service that is provided. I am hopeful these multi-disciplinary teams will be in place over the next couple of months.

My officials have also published guidance for prospective developers/applicants on pre-application discussions. This will assist in the development of procedures for meaningful pre-application engagement between the Planning Service, our key consultees – some of whom will be represented in our multi-disciplinary teams – and applicants. As part of the pre-application discussions, an indicative timescale for processing the application will be provided. Clearly, if this is to be a success in terms of speeding up the process there will be obligations on everyone involved in the planning process, including agents, through a mutual commitment to improve the quality of applications and maximise the prospects of getting through the statutory process quickly.

Planning Regulations

Mr A McFarland asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the planning regulations that are in place to identify the ownership of development sites; and (ii) the timescale within which a developer is required to inform the Planning Service that ownership of a site has changed.

(AQW 4704/08)

Mrs A Foster: All planning applications must be accompanied by a certificate which identifies the owner of the land to which the application relates. The information provided to Planning Service is a statement of ownership and does not constitute proof of ownership. It is required to ensure that anyone with an interest in the land is aware that a planning application has been submitted.

There are no requirements in the planning legislation for developers to notify of changes in land ownership during the processing of a planning application.

MOT Test

Mr A McFarland asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the waiting times for an MOT test at each of the Vehicle Testing Centres, at 1 March 2008.

(AQW 4705/08)

Mrs A Foster: Details of the average waiting times, at 1 March, for all test centres are included in the following table:

Test Centre	For week ending 1 March 2008	From 1 April 2007 – 1 March 2008
	Average weekly waiting times in days	Average year to date waiting times in days
Armagh	15	14
Ballymena	23	20
Belfast	18	17
Coleraine	19	16
Cookstown	33	20
Craigavon	22	16
Downpatrick	27	18
Enniskillen	19	22
Larne	20	18
Lisburn	19	16
Londonderry	21	16
Mallusk	14	15
Newry	21	21
Newtownards	23	16
Omagh	13	16

Housing Development Projects

Mr A McFarland asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the housing development projects in the North Down constituency, that have been given retrospective planning permission in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 4706/08)

Mrs A Foster: The Planning Service’s current IT system does not record applications in sufficient detail to provide the information requested. Accurate figures for the years in question could only be provided through a manual exercise at disproportionate cost.

Planning Applications

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning applications that were in the backlog in each divisional planning office, for each month in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4722/08)

Mrs A Foster: Details of the outstanding applications in each Divisional Planning Office for each month of each of the last 3 years are shown in the attached table.

OUTSTANDING APPLICATIONS AT 31st OF EACH MONTH FOR 2005
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ballymena	3384	3252	3343	3416	3541	3528	3389	3268	3327	3174	2876	2830
Belfast	1635	1625	1647	1697	1840	1872	1845	1723	1607	1624	1628	1561
Craigavon	5403	5452	5560	5656	6040	5988	5884	5718	5701	5646	5349	5441
Downpatrick	3594	3641	3779	3917	4026	4032	4024	4042	4046	4007	3786	3732
HQ	345	344	347	350	373	382	389	403	392	417	420	430
Londonderry	2937	2993	3119	3300	3487	3409	3325	3288	3225	2857	2682	2681
Omagh	3840	4000	4350	5030	5768	5540	5225	5274	5162	5061	4934	4991
OUTSTANDING APPLICATIONS AT 31st OF EACH MONTH FOR 2006
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ballymena	2756	2687	2717	2768	2656	2584	2468	2371	2285	2209	2192	2095
Belfast	1549	1517	1595	1703	1722	1788	1826	1702	1666	1720	1758	1758
Craigavon	5345	5413	5358	5510	5531	5578	5548	5502	5604	5818	5831	5877
Downpatrick	3401	3250	2985	2894	2822	2830	2851	2913	2837	2639	2627	2579
HQ	419	403	396	393	371	366	369	361	353	357	357	360
Londonderry	2659	2651	2817	2697	2674	2604	2558	2447	2375	2445	2455	2409
Omagh	4894	5509	6962	7167	7067	6678	6495	6349	6170	5789	5510	5274
OUTSTANDING APPLICATIONS AT 31st OF EACH MONTH FOR 2007
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ballymena	2078	2074	2094	2130	2037	2046	2030	2087	2215	2359	2401	2244
Belfast	1785	1859	1944	1989	2057	2077	2214	2156	2123	2151	2122	2137
Craigavon	5823	5753	5728	5689	5559	5511	5347	5149	5037	5045	4784	4503
Downpatrick	2667	2669	2763	2808	2936	3027	3123	3150	3171	3236	3290	3324
HQ	362	368	381	370	367	370	366	367	377	380	391	397
Londonderry	2371	2364	2402	2440	2530	2524	2554	2571	2587	2660	2611	2503
Omagh	4959	4713	4315	4082	3793	3724	3633	3541	4103	3940	3736	3385

Red Grouse

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of red grouse in the high Mournes.

(AQW 4727/08)

Mrs A Foster: EHS commissioned a Grouse survey of Northern Ireland in 2004. The results indicated a population of 3 pairs of Red Grouse in the high Mournes.

Management of the High Mournes

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of the Environment for her assessment of the management of the high Mournes, particularly in relation to the (i) flora; (ii) fauna; and (iii) wildlife.

(AQW 4730/08)

Mrs A Foster: In recognition of its importance for nature conservation, Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has designated the Eastern Mournes Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) under the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (the Order), and as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in accordance with the EC Habitats Directive. The ASSI embraces approximately 7500 hectares of upland habitat within the High Mournes.

The Order places a statutory duty on EHS to ensure that lands within an ASSI are managed in a manner that will secure the special scientific interests. In pursuit of this, EHS monitored the conditions of this area in 2003 as part of a six year monitoring cycle and evidence from this pointed to past land management practices, primarily overgrazing by sheep, as having a detrimental effect on the habitat, which was assessed as being in unfavourable condition.

EHS is presently seeking to secure appropriate land management practices to restore this ASSI habitat to favourable condition through its Management of Sensitive Sites (MOSS) scheme. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development agri-environment schemes also help promote sustainable land management practices.

As regards fauna, EHS is presently assessing the invertebrate assemblage of the High Mournes but results are not yet available. In relation to wildlife, a survey commissioned by EHS in 2004 on the status of red grouse in Northern Ireland demonstrated that there were three pairs in the Mournes area, which is not actively managed for this species.

Illegal Waste

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of the Environment to provide details of the most recent statistics in relation to the number of incidents of illegal dumping, broken down by local council area, for each month in the past five years.

(AQW 4748/08)

Mrs A Foster:

The Environment & Heritage Service (EHS) does not hold this information prior to 2004 and has only maintained it on a month by month basis since 2007.

Annex 1 contains a breakdown by District Council area for the years 2004 – 2006 and Annex 2 for 2007 on a monthly basis.

My officials are working with District Councils to encourage the use of the fly-tipping database (Flycapture) which would generate more reliable statistics on fly-tipping across Northern Ireland and inform policy decisions for tackling the problem. To date, uptake by District Councils has been slow.

Annex 1

Council	2004	2005	2006
Antrim	76	60	65
Ards	93	92	99
Armagh	124	74	65
Ballymena	23	32	64
Ballymoney	13	18	8
Banbridge	24	42	41
Belfast	83	58	67
Carrickfergus	7	10	26
Castlereagh	7	24	31
Coleraine	21	29	33
Cookstown	22	44	45
Craigavon	50	83	106
Derry City	61	34	43
Down	124	75	98
Dungannon	68	76	93
Fermanagh	66	51	91
Larne	29	24	31
Limavady	18	46	36
Lisburn	66	96	68
Magherafelt	33	30	39
Moyle	14	19	26
Newry & Mourne	62	90	72
Newtownabbey	50	50	51
North Down	16	34	16
Omagh	51	57	58
Strabane	25	80	39
TOTALS	1226	1328	1411

 

COUNCIL	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUNE	JULY	AUG	SEPT	OCT	NOV	DEC	TOTALS
ANTRIM	5	5	4	8	5	8	8	6	7	5	4	1	66
ARDS	7	0	5	9	4	9	6	3	2	9	3	3	60
ARMAGH	9	5	4	2	4	5	0	5	3	5	3	4	49
BALLYMENA	4	6	9	5	7	6	3	2	1	9	0	4	56
BALLYMONEY	2	0	2	1	0	2	3	1	0	1	1	1	14
BANBRIDGE	7	0	1	3	2	2	0	3	0	1	4	1	24
BELFAST	4	12	8	8	8	4	15	5	1	8	6	4	83
CARRICKFERGUS	0	0	1	1	4	1	2	0	1	1	0	1	12
CASTLEREAGH	1	1	1	0	3	1	1	4	5	0	1	1	19
COLERAINE	6	2	8	2	3	2	3	2	2	3	0	0	33
COOKSTOWN	2	1	3	5	7	2	4	3	1	1	4	1	34
CRAIGAVON	12	4	10	11	3	6	6	6	6	6	0	3	73
DERRY CITY	4	1	4	6	3	2	1	1	3	5	2	1	33
DOWN	17	5	11	12	8	7	7	4	5	3	3	5	87
DUNGANNON	12	3	18	9	11	13	12	10	4	9	10	5	116
FERMANAGH	3	1	13	3	5	6	5	3	8	10	5	2	64
LARNE	3	3	0	2	1	3	5	1	3	1	2	1	25
LIMAVADY	2	6	2	0	6	1	2	4	1	4	2	3	33
LISBURN	10	4	22	7	8	6	3	8	1	5	10	6	90
MAGHERAFELT	10	3	7	2	3	5	4	1	3	4	3	1	46
MOYLE	1	1	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	5	0	0	13
NEWRY MOURNE	8	6	10	2	8	7	8	4	6	5	11	4	79
NEWTOWNABBEY	16	2	6	0	5	4	12	3	2	0	5	0	55
NORTH DOWN	1	0	1	1	2	1	1	1	0	2	1	1	12
OMAGH	3	2	6	4	3	3	2	0	0	5	7	2	37
STRABANE	2	2	4	9	6	1	6	1	5	5	7	4	52
Totals	151	75	163	113	120	107	120	81	70	112	94	59	1265

Driving Offences

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of the Environment for her assessment of a Europe-wide penalty points scheme for driving offences.

(AQW 4749/08)

Mrs A Foster: There are wide-ranging constitutional, legal and practical differences throughout Europe in terms of the application of penalty points. In some Member States penalty points are, for example, limited to relatively few offences while in others, as in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the list is more comprehensive.

Given this variation of offences and penalties across Member States, and the fact that there is no international legal framework for providing robustness against challenge, there is little scope, at present, for the introduction of a Europe-wide penalty points scheme for driving offences.

In the wider mutual recognition context, you may be interested to note that the 1998 European Convention on Driving Disqualifications provides for drivers, who are disqualified from driving in a Member State other than that in which they normally reside, to have that disqualification enforced against them in their State of residence and all other Member States. The Convention does not fully come into force across all Member States until the original 15 signatories have adopted it. However, it allows Member States to bring in bilateral arrangements early and the UK and Ireland are the first to take this initiative. Subject to completion of the legislative process, it is expected that mutual recognition of driving disqualifications between the two jurisdictions will be achieved by the end of 2008.

There is no mutual recognition of penalty points provided for in the 1998 Convention. However, I understand that the European Commission is considering a possible Directive to harmonise aspects of enforcement related to road traffic offences.

Tree Preservation Orders

Mr A McFarland asked the Minister of the Environment to detail, since the introduction of Tree Preservation Orders, the companies and individuals that have been prosecuted for violations of these orders.

(AQW 4752/08)

Mrs A Foster: The City of Derry Golf Club was convicted on 20 March 2003 of contravening a Tree Preservation Order by cutting and wilfully destroying trees. The Club was fined £200.

George Best Belfast City Airport

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of the Environment to confirm that any proposals to extend the runway at the George Best Belfast City Airport, which raise environmental issues, will be subject to a full planning inquiry.

(AQW 4755/08)

Mrs A Foster: Planning Service has not yet received an application for an extension to the runway at George Best Belfast City Airport although Pre-Application Discussions have been requested by the Airport’s agents. An application is expected to be made although I am not aware of the timeframe. Any such application is likely to be dealt with under Article 31 of the Planning Order (NI) 1991. This allows the Department, if necessary, to cause a public local inquiry to be held by the planning appeals commission. A decision on whether or not to hold a public local inquiry can only be taken after consideration of the details of any application, the views of consultees and issues raised in any representations received.

George Best Belfast City Airport

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of the Environment to confirm when a draft of proposed changes to the planning agreement governing the operation of the George Best Belfast City Airport will be submitted for consideration to (i) North Down Borough Council; and (ii) Belfast City Council.

(AQW 4757/08)

Mrs A Foster: My officials hope to consult with both Belfast City Council and North Down Borough Council, plus the Airport Forum Group, during April 2008.

It is expected that the revised draft Planning Agreement will be forwarded to the councils for consideration and comment before the end of March 2008.

Nuisance Hedges

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the consultations that are still ongoing in relation to the introduction of legislation on nuisance hedges.

(AQW 4764/08)

Mrs A Foster: There are no consultations underway at present. In 2005 my Department undertook a consultation to assess the scale and geographical spread of problems with nuisance high hedges with a view to determining whether legislation was required. On the basis of the findings of that consultation I made a commitment to introduce legislation to address this problem as soon as possible, starting with a policy consultation on the detailed operation of the legislation. However, the timing will be subject to consideration of the other competing priorities facing my Department.

Nuisance Hedges

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to provide (i) an update on the progress of proposed legislation in relation to nuisance hedges; and (ii) a timescale within which the legislation will be introduced.

(AQW 4765/08)

Mrs A Foster: I intend to bring forward legislation to address nuisance high hedges, starting with a policy consultation on the detailed operation of the legislation. However, the timing will be subject to consideration of the other competing priorities facing my Department.

Newspaper Expenditure

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of the Environment to detail her department's expenditure on (i) newspapers; (ii) magazines; and (iii) periodicals, in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4797/08)

Mrs A Foster: The table below sets out the total cost of newspapers, magazines and periodicals in my Department in each of the last three years.

Department	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
DOE	£18,250	£19,563	£23,363

Helicopter Pad

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the planning permission that is needed in order to provide a helicopter pad adjacent to homes.

(AQW 4819/08)

Mrs A Foster: Homeowners have permitted development rights to provide a hard surface area within the curtilage of their dwelling for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of that dwelling house. Therefore a helicopter pad laid out in the garden area of a large dwelling would be permitted development not requiring planning permission as long it was used solely by the occupiers of the dwelling and for no commercial purpose.

In other instances not involving the garden area of a domestic dwelling, the laying out of a helicopter pad may require planning permission but it might be the case that a helicopter could land on existing hard standing areas such as a car park or indeed on a grassed area. Whether this would constitute a change of use of the land would very much depend on the frequency of use.

Illegal Waste

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to her answer to AQW 4518/08, to detail (i) the number; and (ii) the location, of sites where illegal waste originating in the Republic of Ireland has been dumped.

(AQW 4914/08)

Mrs A Foster: Illegally deposited waste from the Republic of Ireland (RoI) has been discovered in 78 sites within Northern Ireland. The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is currently engaging with the competent authorities in RoI in respect of 20 sites containing waste exclusively from RoI. Most of the remaining sites contain either small amounts of RoI waste or RoI waste mixed with other waste or inert material. EHS is unable to disclose the location of these sites as to do so could prejudice ongoing investigations, or cases that have been heard in Court but are still subject to confiscation proceedings.

Planning System

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of the Environment to provide an update of her comprehensive review of the planning system.

(AQW 4936/08)

Mrs A Foster: In November 2007 I announced that I intended to bring forward proposals for reform of the planning system.

A number of short term reform measures, which are currently underway, are focused on helping to tackle current workload pressures and producing early improvements in efficiency and effectiveness in the handling of planning applications.

In relation to the medium to longer term, my officials are working alongside Independent Expert on planning, Professor Greg Lloyd of the University of Liverpool, to develop proposals to be included in a public Consultation Paper due to be published this summer. My officials and Professor Lloyd are due to engage with the Environment Committee on these issues at their meeting on 10 th April.

Medium to longer term reform measures will focus on more comprehensive changes to the planning system and involve research and policy development, public and stakeholder engagement, formal consultation on the emerging proposals, and legislative change. Those changes that do not require legislative provision will be rolled out on an ongoing basis, while, for those requiring legislative change, our PSA commitment is to bring forward the relevant legislation by March 2011.

Irish Hare Protection

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment, to detail her plans to introduce legislation to provide permanent protection for the Irish hare.

(AQW 4951/08)

Mrs A Foster: My Department recently published a public consultation document on the Review of the Wildlife (NI) Order 1985. The consultation seeks views on a number of issues, including the issue of future statutory protection for the Irish Hare. The consultation closes on 6 th June and I would encourage all interests to provide their views in order to inform future decisions about the Irish Hare.

Salmonid Rivers

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the penalties that will be levied upon (i) her department; (ii) other government departments; (iii) commercial establishments; and (iv) private individuals, should they be deemed culpable as a result of a pollution incident on a feeder stream or main river system that has been classified as salmonid.

(AQW 4980/08)

Mrs A Foster: Where it has been proven that the Department of the Environment or any another Government Department has caused pollution to a waterway, Crown immunity to prosecution can be invoked. However Environment & Heritage Service will seek to recover any and all costs incurred in carrying out works or operations to prevent water pollution or in undertaking remedial action following a water pollution incident.

Where it has been proven that a commercial establishment or private individual has caused pollution to a waterway, Environment & Heritage Service will seek to recover any and all costs incurred in carrying out works or operations to prevent water pollution or in undertaking remedial action following a water pollution incident.

Where Crown Immunity cannot be invoked and when the circumstances warrant it, a file containing all the evidence gathered in investigating a pollution incident will be forwarded to the Public Prosecution Service to consider whether or not it is appropriate to progress a prosecution through the courts.

Under legislation a person found guilty of an offence shall be liable –

• On conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to a fine or to both.
• On summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to a fine not exceeding £20,000 or to both.

Salmonid Rivers

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the penalties the European Union can level at (i) her department; or (ii) other government departments/agencies, if they fail to protect a salmonid river or feeder stream.

(AQW 4981/08)

Mrs A Foster: Failure to protect European protected sites can lead to infraction proceedings instigated by the European Commission. The infraction process involves a number of key stages which give a Member State the opportunity to respond to and address the alleged failings.

In the event that Competent Authorities in Northern Ireland were ever found to have failed to adequately protect Special Areas of Conservation designated under the Habitats Directive or take corrective action to satisfy any concerns raised by the European Commission, the European Court of Justice could impose fines. Fines can take the form of penalty payments (e.g. on a daily basis) or lump sums, either separately or together. There are no standard fixed amounts; the type and level of fine are decided by the European Court of Justice (which can take into account recommendations by the European Commission) depending on the merits of each individual case such as the seriousness and duration of the breach of European law.

Urban Feeder Streams

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail, in light of the recent pollution incident on an urban feeder stream of the Sixmilewater River, the additional action her department is taking to increase the protection of urban feeder streams, particularly the vulnerable Threemilewater catchment area.

(AQW 4982/08)

Mrs A Foster: Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), an agency within DOE, administers a system of discharge consents which lay down conditions relating to the quality and quantity of effluent that may be discharged to waterways.

The conditions are formulated using scientific protocols which ensure that the discharge can be sustained by the receiving water without damage to the aquatic environment and without breaching national or EC Directive standards.

EHS is aware that there are water quality issues in the Sixmilewater / Threemilewater catchment and it has indicated to stakeholders that it will develop plans via a stakeholder partnership (particularly in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) River Basin Management Plans) to try and resolve them. A catchment stakeholders meeting was held on 13 March 2008.

EHS also has a small proactive team which visits industrial sites, conducts environmental audits and gives pollution prevention advice –and, if necessary, serves notices. This team has been active in the Sixmilewater and Threemilewater corridors.

EHS is also working closely with Northern Ireland Water Ltd (NIW) to ensure that sewer systems in the area are upgraded to minimise environmental impact and take into account the needs of future development.

Salmonid Rivers

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the action she is taking to heighten the protection levels afforded to salmonid rivers.

(AQW 4997/08)

Mrs A Foster: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has a statutory duty under the Environment ( Northern Ireland) Order 2002 to designate and protect rivers as Areas of Special Scientific Interest ( ASSIs) if they are considered to be of special interest by reason of their flora, fauna, geological, physiographical or other features, which would include Atlantic Salmon. It is also required to designate and protect rivers as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), if they merit such designation under EC Habitats Directive for their Atlantic salmon interests.

To date EHS has designated three ASSIs that have salmonoid interests and three SACs that are coincident with these ASSIs. One additional ASSI, and a coincident SAC, that embrace this interest will be designated by September 2008.

The EC Freshwater Fish Directive (FFD) (78/659/EEC), aims to protect or improve the quality of those running or standing freshwaters which support or which, if pollution were reduced or eliminated, would become capable of supporting fish life.

4,500 km of river length have been designated under this legislation. In addition, the Newry, Lagan and Coalisland canals along with 17 reservoirs and lakes have also been designated. These designations assist in maintaining and improving water quality, reducing pollution in rivers and creating the right habitat to encourage healthy fish populations.

The Water Framework Directive also requires the monitoring and classification of fish in terms of species, age and abundance in freshwaters. This will be undertaken at WFD surveillance monitoring stations comprising around 90 river stations and 27 lakes throughout the Province.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the number of public appointments that have been made by her department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 5023/08)

Mrs A Foster: My department has made a total of 12 public appointments since the restoration of devolution; one was female and none were elected councillors. This total includes appointments and re-appointments to public bodies listed in the Public Appointments Annual Report. It does not include extensions.

Illegal Waste

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of the Environment to provide an update of the progress made in the most recent discussions with authorities in the Republic of Ireland in relation to the arrangements for the removal of illegal waste at (i) Slattinagh; (ii) Garrison; and (iii) Trillick; and to detail the resource implications of this work.

(AQW 5130/08)

Mrs A Foster: My Department is currently in negotiations with DOEHLG and the relevant Irish Competent Authorities to deal with the repatriation of waste from two sites in Northern Ireland at Slattinagh (which is the same as the Garrison site) and Trillick with a view to progressing to other priority sites as soon as possible. While we are indeed making progress these are complex negotiations both legally and technically; further meetings will be required before we can determine the resource implications of having the waste removed from these sites in an environmentally sound manner.

Operations are still at the planning stage, but EHS estimates that four of its staff will need to be on the sites, for approximately 3 weeks per site, while the waste is removed.

Finance and Personnel

Investigated Complaints

Mr D Simpson asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of (i) sexual harassment; and (ii) bullying, complaints that have been investigated by each department, in each of the last 5 years; and to further detail the number of complaints that have been upheld.

(AQW 4176/08)

The Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr P Robinson): The information requested is set out in the attached tables.

2007

Department	Sexual harassment	Upheld	Bullying	Upheld
OFMDFM	0	N/A	1	1
DARD	0	N/A	1	0
DCAL	1	0	1	0
DE	0	N/A	0	N/A
DEL	0	N/A	0	N/A
DETI	0	N/A	2	2 on-going
DOE	0	N/A	1	1 on-going
DFP	0	N/A	2	1 +1 on-going
DHSSPS	1	0	1	0
DRD	0	N/A	0	N/A
DSD	2	2 on-going	9	2 on-going

2006

Department	Sexual harassment	Upheld	Bullying	Upheld
OFMDFM	0	N/A	0	N/A
DARD	0	N/A	0	N/A
DCAL	0	N/A	1	1
DE	0	N/A	0	N/A
DEL	0	N/A	1	0
DETI	0	N/A	0	N/A
DOE	0	N/A	0	N/A
DFP	0	N/A	8	1 + 1 partly upheld
DHSSPS	1	0	2	1
DRD	0	N/A	2	1 partly upheld
DSD	5	3 + 1 on-going	28	5 + 5 on-going

2005

Department	Sexual harassment	Upheld	Bullying	Upheld
OFMDFM	0	N/A	1	0
DARD	0	N/A	0	N/A
DCAL	0	N/A	0	N/A
DE	1(1)	1 partly upheld	2(1)	1 + 1 partly upheld
DEL	0	N/A	1	1 partly upheld
DETI	1(1)	1	3(1)	3
DOE	1(1)	1 partly upheld	2(1)	1 partly upheld
DFP	0	N/A	4	0
DHSSPS	0	N/A	0	N/A
DRD	0	N/A	2	1 partly upheld
DSD	3	1	28	4

(1) 1 complaint involved allegations of both sexual harassment and bullying

2004

Department	Sexual harassment	Upheld	Bullying	Upheld
OFMDFM	0	N/A	0	N/A
DARD	0	N/A	0	N/A
DCAL	0	N/A	0	N/A
DE	1	0	0	N/A
DEL	0	N/A	1	0
DETI	1	1	0	N/A
DOE	1	0	1	0
DFP	0	N/A	2	1 partly upheld
DHSSPS	0	N/A	1	0
DRD	0	N/A	0	N/A
DSD	3	0	11	3

2003

Department	Sexual harassment	Upheld	Bullying	Upheld
OFMDFM	0	N/A	0	N/A
DARD	0	N/A	0	N/A
DCAL	0	N/A	2	0
DE	0	N/A	3	1
DEL	0	N/A	0	N/A
DETI	0	N/A	0	N/A
DOE	1	1	2	1 partly upheld
DFP	0	N/A	2	0
DHSSPS	0	N/A	0	N/A
DRD	0	N/A	4	1 + 1 partly upheld
DSD	0	N/A	10	1

Staff Sick Leave

Mr S Moutray asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to his answer to AQW 1629/08, to detail the number of staff in each department, who have had two or more periods of sick leave of less than 5 days, in 2 or more of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4206/08)

Mr P Robinson: The details requested are set out in the attached table. They include the number of staff in each department who have had 2 or more periods of sick absence of less than 5 days in each period, in each of 2 or more of the last 3 financial years (04/05, 05/06 and 06/07).

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) produce a comprehensive annual analysis of sickness absence covering non-industrial staff in the 11 NI Departments. It also contains analyses of annual trends and progression towards targets. The following is an electronic link to the annual reports back to 2000/01 for your information:
http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/pub-res-sick-absence

TABLE A 

Department (including their Executive Agencies & NDPBs where available)	Number of staff who have had 2 or more periods of sick absence of less than 5 days in each period, in each of 2 or more of the last 3 financial years (04/05, 05/06 and 06/07)
* DOE	Not readily available
DCAL	36
DE	82
* DRD	104 excludes Roads Service non-industrial staff as this is not readily available
* DHSSPS	Not readily available
DETI	172
DEL	203
DARD	227
OFMDFM	54
* DSD	Not readily available
DFP	387
Total	1265

 

* These Departments have confirmed that the information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

Civil Service Job Vacancies

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of Northern Ireland Civil Service job vacancies in the Belfast area.

(AQW 4322/08)

Mr P Robinson: The number of vacancies in permanent posts in the Belfast area, within the eleven Northern Ireland Departments and their Agencies, is set out in the attached table.

Vacancies in Permanent Posts located in the Belfast area, in the 11 Northern Ireland Departments and their Agencies, at 1 February 2008*  

Department	Number of vacant posts
DARD	79
DCAL	45.5
DE	0
DEL	79
DETI	49
DFP	165
DHSSPS	100
DOE	211
DRD*	147
DSD	611.5
OFMDFM	28
TOTAL	1515

 * latest figures available at 1 January 2008

Rates Bills

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of cases currently awaiting the issuing of rates bills following new or revised valuations, broken down by local government district.

(AQW 4478/08)

Mr P Robinson: The number of cases where the property has had a new or revised valuation and a bill has not yet been issued is shown by local government district in the table attached.

However, for a number of reasons, not all of these cases will result in rate bills. For example, reductions in valuations will result in refunds, while some ratepayers may be on full housing benefit or rate relief.

District Council	Cases
Antrim	296
Ards	811
Armagh	368
Ballymena	577
Ballymoney	299
Banbridge	240
Belfast	2,649
Carrickfergus	88
Castlereagh	221
Coleraine	1,244
Cookstown	397
Craigavon	1,116
Derry	1,252
Down	625
Dungannon & S.Tyrone	654
Fermanagh	731
Larne	657
Limavady	538
Lisburn	717
Magherafelt	929
Moyle	268
Newry & Mourne	628
Newtownabbey	301
North Down	389
Omagh	676
Strabane	952
Total	17,623

 

Rates Arrears

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the amount of rates arrears, broken down by local government district.

(AQW 4479/08)

Mr P Robinson: The total amount of rate arrears, broken down by local government district, is shown in the table attached. The table sets out both the arrears carried forward from 2006/07 rating year and the total arrears as at 5 March 2008. The final arrears position for 2007/08 will be available in May 2008, when the Statement of Rate Levy and Collection has been completed.

 

District	2006/2007 Arrears	Total Arrears(5/3/08)
Antrim	842,384	3,200,807
Ards	1,582,448	4,880,176
Armagh City & District	1,276,548	3,852,359
Ballymena	566,658	3,751,232
Ballymoney	415,135	1,314,787
Banbridge	685,847	2,653,148
Belfast	13,380,008	46,275,711
Carrickfergus	654,115	1,870,146
Castlereagh	1,017,715	5,043,009
Coleraine	914,931	4,279,013
Cookstown	502,026	1,796,605
Craigavon	2,009,725	8,179,936
Derry	3,113,923	9,457,003
Downpatrick	1,515,903	4,374,571
Dungannon & South Tyrone	830,662	3,027,697
Fermanagh	843,207	3,224,436
Larne	417,213	1,450,675
Limavady	511,014	1,588,820
Lisburn	2,255,729	8,810,540
Magherafelt	398,811	1,949,228
Moyle	183,530	718,681
Newry	2,175,130	8,873,753
Newtownabbey	1,810,699	7,033,233
North Down	1,434,160	5,228,314
Omagh	786,907	3,100,132
Strabane	836,237	2,387,841
Total	40,960,663	148,321,855

 Killeen Avenue, Bangor

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail who owns the land that runs between 4 Killeen Avenue and the doctor's surgery in Killeen Avenue in Bangor.

(AQW 4517/08)

Mr P Robinson: Without sight of a map indicating the area in question, an assumption has been made that the query relates to the land to the East of 4 Killeen Avenue and to the rear of the car park in Killeen Avenue.

If this assumption is correct then I would confirm that the lands are registered in Folio 14214 County Down – Registered Owners James Alan McMillan of Heathcoat, 86 Hawthornden Road, Belfast and Marian Joan McMillan of 86 Hawthornden Way, Belfast BT4 3LA.

Conflict Transformation Centre

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to confirm if he has received any details of (i) set-up costings; (ii) function; (iii) recurrent costs; (iv) material purchase costs, and (v) the overall end cost, for the proposed conflict transformation centre at the Maze stadium site; and to detail the how the public owned buildings, that will incorporated into this conflict transformation centre, will be refurbished and redesigned.

(AQW 4529/08)

Mr P Robinson: The Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Maze/Long Kesh Programme has been passed by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Finance and Personnel for assessment. As a key component of the Programme the proposals for the International Centre for Conflict Transformation (ICCT) project are included within this. The content of the OBC has not been published by OFMDFM and I am therefore unable to provide details.

The responsibility for design of the ICCT lies with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

European Funding Programmes

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline the measures that are in place, within European Funding Programmes 2007-2013, to develop links between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

(AQW 4585/08)

Mr P Robinson: European Funding Programmes are normally aimed at promoting the development of the regions in most need within the same member state rather that developing links between regions within the same member state. Northern Ireland’s Competitiveness and Employment Programmes do not therefore contain specific objectives to develop links between UK regions.

European Funding Programmes are also available to promote cooperation between regions in different member states. The eligible area for the INTERREG IVA cross border programme comprises Northern Ireland, the Border Counties of the Republic and Western Scotland. It can support projects involving either Northern Ireland and the Border Region of the Republic of Ireland or projects involving all three regions and to this extent Northern Ireland can develop links with Western Scotland. The Programme has a total budget of €256 million.

Northern Ireland is one of the UK regions eligible for the 2007-13 INTERREG IVB Atlantic Area, Northern Periphery and North West Europe Transnational programmes and is also eligible for the EU-wide INTERREG IVC Programme. These programmes offer scope for Northern Ireland to work in partnership with other UK regions although eligible projects must involve partners from more than one member state.

In matters relating to INTERREG IVB and IVC, Northern Ireland liaises closely with other devolved administrations, central government and English regional government via structures managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Northern Ireland Direct Project

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline what progress has been made in relation to the Northern Ireland Direct Project.

(AQW 4655/08)

Mr P Robinson: Good progress has been made with the Northern Ireland Direct programme. The programme team has been established and the procurement for the first phase of NI Direct was initiated in January 2008 with a view to awarding the contract in summer 2008. The programme is on track to introduce the single telephone number point of contact for a small number of NICS organisations by December 2008.

Subject to receiving the necessary approvals, the intention would be to then move into a second phase of the programme to roll out the single telephone number point of contact to all remaining NICS Departments and Agencies on a phased basis.

As part of NI Direct, progress is also being made on developing an incident line capability, initially focusing on flooding. We plan to have this facility available by the end of the year.

Press Officers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of press officers employed by his department.

(AQW 4678/08)

Mr P Robinson: The number of Press Officers working in the Department is 5.

Benefits of Devolution

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail how the estimate that the average householder is £1000 better off under devolution than direct rule, was calculated.

(AQW 4691/08)

Mr P Robinson: The estimate that the average householder will be £1,000 better off under devolution was based upon comparisons with the approach under Direct Rule, in terms of historic levels of domestic regional rate bills and planned level of water and sewerage charges over the period 2007-08 to 2010-11.

This calculation includes the following:

• Under Direct Rule:
• Ministers had intended to phase in water and sewerage charges from 2007-08 without adjusting regional rate bills.
• Increases in the domestic regional rate were, on average, 9.8% per annum over the period 2002-03 to 2007-08 - this was assumed likely to continue over the budget period.

• Under the Executive:
• It is planned that water and sewerage charges will be phased in from 2009-10, and in parallel there will be a one off reduction to the average regional rate bill of £160.

• The domestic regional rate is to be frozen between 2008-09 to 2010-11.

In summary, this comparison highlights that the average household will benefit by some £1,000 over the period. The impact on individual households will, of course, depend on a range of variables including capital valuation, rate relief and reductions to water and sewerage bills, which will affect the bills and charges experienced by individual householders.

In addition, future decisions made by the Executive in terms of how water and sewerage charges are introduced may also affect this calculation.

Deprived Wards

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the 20 most deprived wards according to the index of multiple deprivation.

(AQW 4725/08)

Mr P Robinson: The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measures were published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency in May 2005.

Based on the overall multiple deprivation measure, the twenty most deprived electoral wards in Northern Ireland are:

Ardoyne, Ballymacarrett, Brandywell, Clonard, Creggan Central, Creggan South, Crumlin, Duncairn, the East ward in Strabane, Falls, New Lodge, Shankill, The Diamond, The Mount, Twinbrook, Upper Springfield, Water Works, Westland, Whiterock and Woodvale.

EU Peace Programme Funding

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the amount of EU Peace Programme funding that has been distributed in each of the last 5 years, broken down by local government district.

(AQW 4753/08)

Mr P Robinson: The table below details the amounts of EU PEACE II funding awarded in each of the last five years, broken down by local government district. Projects in receipt of total awards greater than £250,000 and assessed as likely to have a regional impact, have been excluded from the breakdown by local government district.

 

Local Government District	Total Amount Awarded (£m)
	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
ANTRIM	2.4	14.1	1.0	0.0	0.7
ARDS	1.3	1.9	1.1	0.2	2.1
ARMAGH	3.5	3.9	2.6	0.6	4.5
BALLYMENA	2.4	2.8	1.8	0.0	0.9
BALLYMONEY	1.0	1.4	0.7	0.0	0.7
BANBRIDGE	0.3	0.4	1.1	0.3	1.0
BELFAST	48.9	52.3	22.9	4.2	27.3
CARRICKFERGUS	0.8	1.6	0.2	0.1	0.9
CASTLEREAGH	1.6	1.2	1.4	0.0	1.2
COLERAINE	4.1	14.2	2.0	0.1	1.3
COOKSTOWN	2.0	1.8	1.2	0.4	1.2
CRAIGAVON	5.6	3.1	2.5	0.1	2.1
DERRY	9.1	13.2	6.1	2.2	7.4
DOWN	3.8	2.5	2.1	0.1	1.2
DUNGANNON	3.6	2.7	1.6	0.4	2.7
FERMANAGH	6.2	7.4	4.0	1.1	2.1
LARNE	1.3	2.6	1.1	0.1	0.6
LIMAVADY	2.3	1.2	0.9	0.2	0.9
LISBURN	4.2	5.0	2.2	0.3	3.1
MAGHERAFELT	1.6	4.8	1.0	0.7	1.1
MOYLE	0.6	1.5	1.0	0.1	0.7
NEWRY & MOURNE	3.5	7.9	3.1	0.7	3.3
NEWTOWNABBEY	4.8	2.0	0.6	0.2	0.6
NORTH DOWN	1.0	17.4	1.2	0.0	0.9
OMAGH	5.0	5.6	2.1	1.3	2.5
STRABANE	3.2	8.6	1.7	0.1	2.4
REGIONAL	23.8	55.4	4.2	2.1	0.9
TOTAL	147.8	236.6	71.6	15.7	74.6

Pleural Plaques

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the criteria used to determine if sufferers of pleural plaques are entitled to compensation for asbestos exposure.

(AQW 4763/08)

Mr P Robinson: In October 2007 the House of Lords ruled, in the case of Rothwell v. Chemical and Insulating Company [2007] UKHL 39 and three other related cases. It determined that damages are no longer payable for symptomless pleural plaques caused by negligent exposure to asbestos.

The House of Lords did, however, leave open the option of a claim in contract, which would not require proof of damage, and the possibility of a claim where the pleural plaques is accompanied by physical symptoms (although that is considered rare).

Infant Deaths

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail, for each year since 1995, the number of (i) stillbirths; and (ii) neonatal deaths, that occurred at each hospital.

(AQW 4803/08)

Mr P Robinson: The tables attached give the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths that occurred in each hospital in Northern Ireland, registered in each year since 1997. Prior to 1997 place of death/stillbirth from the civil register is not held electronically so overall figures have been provided.

Table: Number of stillbirths in Northern Ireland, by place of stillbirth and registration year, 1995-2006

Place of Stillbirth	1995 1	1996 1	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Altnagelvin Area Hospital			14	19	15	7	12	13	17	18	11	9
Antrim Area Hospital			21	14	11	9	9	9	15	10	13	3
Ards Hospital			2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Belfast City Hospital			7	13	18	6	1	0	0	0	0	0
Causeway Hospital			0	0	0	0	1	6	4	4	2	3
Craigavon Area Hospital			14	7	14	9	7	9	16	8	13	11
Daisy Hill Hospital			9	11	9	9	9	11	5	5	5	4
Downpatrick Hospital			0	3	3	2	1	3	0	0	0	0
Erne Hospital			6	8	5	2	3	7	5	3	3	6
Lagan Valley Hospital			2	2	2	0	7	5	8	10	4	5
Mater Maternity Hospital			6	8	4	2	5	4	5	3	3	5
Mid-Ulster Hospital			4	2	2	0	2	4	0	3	4	3
Route Hospital			7	7	6	5	7	0	0	0	0	0
Royal Maternity Hospital			25	17	31	29	37	37	21	37	19	24
South Tyrone Hospital			5	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ulster Hospital			8	7	10	13	11	11	8	11	12	16
All Other Places			1	0	1	0	0	3	4	1	0	0
Total	145	153	131	122	132	93	112	122	108	113	89	89

 

1 Information on place of stillbirth is only available electronically from 1997.

Table: Number of neonatal deaths in Northern Ireland, by place of death and registration year, 1995-2006

Place of Death	1995 1	1996 1	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Altnagelvin Area Hospital			8	14	7	7	7	9	6	6	17	4
Antrim Area Hospital			11	14	8	4	3	5	7	1	3	10
Ards Hospital			1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Belfast City Hospital			4	3	10	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Causeway Hospital			0	0	0	0	1	3	2	0	4	0
County Hospital			0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Craigavon Area Hospital			9	6	6	7	16	5	16	13	6	9
Daisy Hill Hospital			4	4	4	1	5	2	2	3	5	6
Downpatrick Hospital			1	1	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0
Erne Hospital			4	4	3	1	0	2	3	1	3	3
Lagan Valley Hospital			1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Mater Maternity Hospital			1	1	4	2	2	0	0	0	0
Mid-Ulster Hospital			1	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	1
Route Hospital			1	1	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0
Royal Hospital Group			48	37	58	50	54	43	42	50	65	45
South Tyrone Hospital			1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ulster Hospital			4	3	7	4	3	0	7	3	5	8
All Other Places			3	3	3	2	4	0	1	5	3	3
Total	131	92	102	93	112	82	98	73	87	83	111	90

1 Information on place of death is only available electronically from 1997.

Rates Relief

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the estimated liability of rates relief if it were to be taken up in full by those who are entitled to it.

(AQW 4875/08)

Mr P Robinson: The cost of rate relief if it were to be taken up in full by all those who are entitled to it is estimated to be in the region of £12m. This figure relates solely to the low income rate relief scheme which was introduced in April 2007.

Rates Relief

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the estimated number of people entitled to rates relief, broken down by district council area.

(AQW 4876/08)

Mr P Robinson: It is estimated that there are approximately 40,000 ratepayers who are eligible for support through the low income rate relief scheme in Northern Ireland as a whole, compared to an estimated 19,000 who are currently in receipt of the relief. The information is not available to provide a reliable estimate of the number of people entitled within each district council area.

Pleural Plaques

Mr S Wilson asked the the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether or not the Executive plans to legislate to reverse the House of Lords judgement of 17 October 2007 in relation to Pleural Plaques.

(AQW 4925/08)

Mr P Robinson: In October 2007 the House of Lords ruled, in the case of Rothwell v. Chemical and Insulating Company [2007] UKHL 39 and three other related cases, that damages are no longer payable for symptomless pleural plaques caused by negligent exposure to asbestos.

The House of Lords did, however, leave open the option of a claim in contract, which would not require proof of damage, and the possibility of a claim where the pleural plaques is accompanied by physical symptoms (although that is considered rare).

The ruling has generated significant controversy and the UK Government and the Scottish Government have expressed different views on how it should be handled.

I am carefully considering the implications of the ruling for those in Northern Ireland who have been exposed to asbestos and have subsequently developed or been diagnosed with pleural plaques.

Before making any decision on the preferred way forward, I would wish to carefully consider all of the available options. I have, therefore, asked my officials to examine in more detail the ruling in Rothwell and its impact on people in Northern Ireland who have been diagnosed with pleural plaques.

Government Decentralisation

Mr F Molloy asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail his intentions to promote decentralisation of Government departments.

(AQO 2593/08)

Mr P Robinson: An independent review of policy on the location of public sector jobs, including civil service jobs, was established in December 2007. The review and the terms of reference were approved by the Executive as a means of helping Ministers to come to an agreed approach on the whole issue of dispersal of jobs. The review team has been asked to put forward a set of practical recommendations for the longer term approach to location in Northern Ireland and to propose an agenda for action. The terms of reference and membership of the review team can be accessed at

http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/review_of_policy_on_the_location_of_public_sector_jobs_in_ni.pdf

At this stage it is too early to speculate on the outcome. However, it is an opportune time to consider the distribution of public sector jobs generally in light of the Executive’s clearly stated priority of encouraging private sector investment and growing the economy.

The review is due to report in Summer 2008 when the Executive will consider the team’s findings and recommendations.

Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Prison Service Health Services

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the financial impact of the transfer of health services from the Northern Ireland Prison Service to his department over the next three years, as a figure and also as a proportion of his department's budget.

(AQW 4587/08)

The Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey): The table below shows the funding allocated to prison healthcare services for the next three years:

	£	% of DHSSPS Budget
2008/2009	6,238,640	0.16
2009/2010	6,266,280	0.15
2010/2011	6,251,920	0.15

The total sum includes the funding which the NI Prison Service has transferred permanently to the DHSSPS baseline, and this includes an additional investment of £225k in additional mental health services, which my Department is matching from funds ring-fenced for prison healthcare in 2006/07. There will be no detrimental effect on existing Health and Social Care services.

Mental Health Services

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount and proportion of the mental health services Budget, that has been spent on children and young people in the past five years.

(AQW 4588/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The amount and proportion of the mental health budget spent on children and young people in the last five years is set out below:

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
CAHMS	6,195,000	6,660,000	7,092,000	7,601,000	8,032,000
MH Budget	139,226,000	153,618,000	164,254,000	167,555,000	175,217,000
% of Total	4.45%	4.34%	4.32%	4.54%	4.58%

Prison Service Health Services

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to accommodate the transfer of responsibility for the health of prisoners from the Northern Ireland Prison Service to his department.

(AQW 4595/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The table below shows the funding allocated to prison healthcare services for the next three years:

	£	% of DHSSPS Budget
2008/2009	6,238,640	0.16
2009/2010	6,266,280	0.15
2010/2011	6,251,920	0.15

The total sum includes the funding which the NI Prison Service has transferred permanently to the DHSSPS baseline, and this includes an additional investment of £225k in additional mental health services, which my Department is matching from funds ring-fenced for prison healthcare in 2006/07. There will be no detrimental effect on existing Health and Social Care services.

Prison Service Health Services

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount that will be expended in preparation for the transfer of responsibility for the health of prisoners from the Northern Ireland Prison Service to his department.

(AQW 4597/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The table below shows the funding allocated to prison healthcare services for the next three years:

	£	% of DHSSPS Budget
2008/2009	6,238,640	0.16
2009/2010	6,266,280	0.15
2010/2011	6,251,920	0.15

The total sum includes the funding which the NI Prison Service has transferred permanently to the DHSSPS baseline, and this includes an additional investment of £225k in additional mental health services, which my Department is matching from funds ring-fenced for prison healthcare in 2006/07. There will be no detrimental effect on existing Health and Social Care services.

Clostridium Difficile

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for each Health and Social Care Trust area, (i) the number of patients currently being treated for clostridium difficile; and (ii) the number of cases in which clostridium difficile was (a) a primary; and (b) a contributory, cause of death; and if figures are unavailable, to detail the reasons why this is the case.

(AQW 4610/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: (i) Current figures: on the morning of Friday 07 March 2008 the number of patients currently being treated for Clostridium Difficile for each Trust was:

Northern Trust, 23

Western Trust, 1

Belfast Trust, 12

Southern Trust, 6

South Eastern Trust, 6

(ii) Details of death certificate mentions of Clostridium difficile are in the tables below.

Table (a)

Number of deaths with Clostridium difficile mentioned and recorded as the underlying cause on the death certificate by registration year 2001 – 2006 and place of death.

Note: In the table below A = Mention Only (contributary), B = Underlying (primary)

	2001 A B	2002 A B	2003 A B	2004 A B	2005 A B	2006 A B
Northern Trust	3 1	3 1	3 3	2 0	5 5	8 3
Belfast Trust	0 1	6 5	6 4	9 7	3 3	6 5
Southern Trust	2 3	1 0	4 4	9 5	5 3	4 5
South Eastern Trust	1 2	3 3	2 3	2 7	4 6	10 3
Western Trust	0 1	1 1	2 2	2 1	0 0	7 2
Places of death Other than Hospitals	1 0	0 2	0 1	0 0	0 1	6 0
TOTALS	7 8	14 12	17 17	24 20	17 18	41 22

Table (b)

Deaths Registered where Clostridium difficile was mentioned on the Death Certificate, 2007.

	Quarter			2007p
	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern Trust	6	4	6	16	32
Belfast Trust	4	2	3	5	14
Southern Trust	2	2	1	2	7
South Eastern Trust	3	3	5	3	14
Western Trust	0	3	0	1	4
Places of death Other than Hospitals	0	1	2	3	6
TOTALS	15	15	17	30	77

Table (c)

Deaths Registered where Clostridium difficile was the underlying cause of death, 2007.

	Quarter
	1	2	3
Northern Trust	4	1	3
Belfast Trust	3	1	1
Southern Trust	1	1	1
South Eastern Trust	1	1	1
Western Trust	0	2	0
Places of death Other than Hospitals	0	0	2
TOTALS	9	6	8

*Data for the final quarter of 2007 will be available in April 2008.

Breast Screening Programme

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to provide an update on the Eastern Health and Social Services Board’s breast screening programme this year to date; and to detail the backlog in the programme from previous years.

(AQW 4611/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Eastern Health and Social Services Board expects that in the year 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, it will have screened over 16,200 women. Between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007 the Eastern Board screened 8,694 women in their screening unit.

The number currently waiting for screening in the Eastern Board area is approximately 7,400. The Board is now inviting 605 women per week to be screened, and 2,000 women in the Newcastle/Castlewellan area have recently been screened by arrangement with the Southern Board. It is expected that the backlog will be cleared by September 2008.

Clostridium Difficile

Mr F Molloy asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of cases of clostridium difficile; and (ii) the number of deaths from clostridium difficile, for each hospital in the Northern Health and Social Services Board area.

(AQW 4633/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: (i) Number of cases of Clostridium Difficile for each hospital in the Northern Health and Social Services Board area:

Data published on 13 March by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (NI) show the following numbers of Clostridium difficile patient episodes, in patients 65 years and over, by hospital in the Northern Health and Social Services Board area, in 2007:

Antrim Area Hospital : 149;

Braid Valley Hospital : 0;

Causeway Hospital : 38;

Dalriada Hospital 2;

Mid-Ulster Hospital : 27;

Moyle Hospital : 0;

Robinson Memorial Hospital : 1, and

Whiteabbey Hospital : 30.

(ii) Number of deaths from Clostridium Difficile for each hospital in the Northern Health and Social Services Board area:

Provisional data for the Northern Health and Social Services area, provided by the General Registers Office show:

(a) Deaths registered where Clostridium difficile was mentioned on the Death Certificate, by place of death, in 2007, were as follows:

Antrim Area Hospital : 18;

Braid Valley Hospital : 3;

Causeway Hospital : 2;

Dalriada Hospital 0;

Mid- Ulster Hospital: 1;

Moyle Hospital : 0;

Robinson Memorial Hospital : 2, and

Whiteabbey Hospital : 6.

(b) Deaths registered where Clostridium difficile was the underlying cause of death, by place of death, for the first three quarters of 2007 were as follows:

Antrim Area Hospital : 4;

Braid Valley Hospital : 3;

Causeway Hospital : 0;

Dalriada Hospital 0;

Mid-Ulster Hospital : 1;

Moyle Hospital : 0;

Robinson Memorial Hospital : 0, and

Whiteabbey Hospital : 0.

Data for the final quarter of 2007 will be available in April 2008.

Clostridium Difficile

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the action he is taking to ensure that front line staff have access to innovative technology to improve patient care in the management and containment of Clostridium difficile.

(AQW 4657/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: In January I announced an additional £9 million for the fight against healthcare-associated infections. Some of this funding will contribute to the introduction of innovative technology to improve patient care in the management and containment of Clostridium difficile.

Control of Clostridium difficile requires a combined approach of control of antibiotic use, high standards of infection control and environmental cleanliness. New technologies do not remove the need for this combined approach. In February 2008 my Department issued to Trusts a summary list of available regional and national guidance and best practice on prevention and control of C. difficile infection.

A Safety Forum was set up in summer 2007 to help frontline staff to improve patient safety, drawing from internationally-proven best practice. Prevention of infection is a major part of the Safety Forum programme. This includes the promotion of the use of evidence based care bundles (high impact interventions) which include daily audits on each patient to ascertain if recommended guidelines have been adhered to. The audits include checking the standard of hand hygiene/antibiotic prescribing, decontamination, use of personal protective equipment and environmental cleanliness.

HSC Innovations was officially launched on Wednesday 17 October 2007. Its aim is to identify new technologies and services arising from research and clinical practice, and ensure they are properly developed to improve patient care. £1.5 million of funding has been secured to create HSCInnovations. The additional funding was obtained through a bid to the Public Sector Research Exploitation Fund (£750,000), £550,000 from Invest Northern Ireland and £300,000 from the R&D Office.

Each of the Health and Social Care Trusts currently uses a range of measures involving innovative technologies to improve patient care in the management and containment of C. difficile. These include:

• use of sporicidal agents for decontamination of patient care equipment and for environmental cleaning;
• use of hydrogen peroxide technology for environmental decontamination,
• use of laboratory testing kits for the detection of cell wall antigen of the bacterium C. difficile and for C. difficile toxins

Tonsillectomy Procedures

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the hospitals which carry out children's tonsillectomy procedures (i) with; and (ii) without, a resident paediatrician.

(AQW 4659/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: For the purposes of this Assembly Question the definition of a child has been taken as 14 and below but it should be noted that between the ages of 13 and 16 the individual needs of a patient may be taken into account in deciding whether to designate them as adult or paediatric.

 Children’s tonsillectomies are carried out on an inpatient or day case basis at the following hospitals:

Belfast City Hospital

Royal Victoria Hospital

Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

Ulster Hospital

Craigavon Hospital

Daisy Hill Hospital

Altnagelvin Hospital

Tyrone County Hospital

Antrim Hospital .

With the exception of Tyrone County each of all these hospitals has paediatric cover. Belfast City Hospital does not have resident paediatricians, however cover is provided by paediatricians based at the Royal Group of Hospitals which is within a mile

Tonsillectomy Procedures

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to compare the cost of a child's tonsillectomy procedure, now being provided at a private clinic, with the cost before the service was withdrawn from Tyrone County Hospital.

(AQW 4660/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The average cost of a paediatric tonsillectomy commissioned from the private sector in 2007/08 ranges from £1030 to £2400.

It is not possible to distinguish between the cost of an adult tonsillectomy and the cost of a paediatric tonsillectomy performed at the Tyrone County Hospital.

Based on the most recent costs available it is estimated that the average cost of a tonsillectomy at Tyrone County Hospital was £1991 in 2007/08. This is the average of all tonsillectomies carried out at Tyrone County Hospital.

Ards Hospital

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the cost of running the minor injury unit at Ards Hospital, in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4665/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The table below shows the net revenue cost of the unit for the last three complete financial years.

Year	Net Revenue Cost
	£
2004/05	449,130
2005/06	522,085
2006/07	451,255

National Hip Fracture Database

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm if the National Hip Fracture Database will be implemented by all Health and Social Care Trusts.

(AQW 4673/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: All Trusts that provide fracture services have plans in place to participate in the National Hip Fracture Database. I have been advised that the introduction of the database in Northern Ireland will take effect during the 2008/09 year.

Branches Medical Facility

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm that a public consultation exercise will be carried out before a decision is taken to close the Branches medical facility, Ballykelly.

(AQW 4682/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The branch surgeries operated in Ballykelly by two GP practices based in Limavady, namely Dr McKenny & Partners (Scroggy Road Health Centre) and Dr McCleery & Partners (Bovally Medical Practice), closed with effect from 1 March 2008.

When considering the request from the GP practices to close these branch surgeries, the Western Health and Social Services Board held a public meeting on 27 October 2005, as well as conducting a survey amongst 9,751 patients registered with the two practices. 413 (4%) replied, the majority of whom wished the facility to remain open. In addition, meetings were also held with the Western Health and Social Services Council and the Western Local Medical Committee.

In considering the request to close the branch surgeries by the two GP practices, the Western Health and Social Services Board took account of the following factors:

• The physical accommodation and facilities within Ballykelly were poor;
• No chaperone facilities, receptionist cover or IT connections were available on site;
• Only a small number of people were attending the branch surgeries on a weekly basis, and did so mainly for repeat prescribing or minor ailments;
• Those patients requiring further or follow-up care had to attend the main surgeries in Limavady, subsequent to attendance at the branch surgeries.

Consequently, the Board decided to approve the practices’ request. In so doing, however, it has imposed a number of conditions on the two GP practices designed to alleviate any inconvenience to the residents of Ballykelly, including that they should offer to patients from the Ballykelly area flexible appointments that coincide as far as possible with public transport availability. Arrangements are also being put in place so that patients can avail of repeat prescribing/dispensing and collection services from Community Pharmacies in Ballykelly.

The Board have no plans to invest in General Medical Services facilities in Ballykelly, which is less than four miles from Limavady, in the future.

As outlined above, the number of patients attending the branch surgeries were small; however, as these surgeries had no IT connections/facilities, the practices do not have a record of the number of attendances on a monthly basis.

Branches Medical Facility

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to make a statement on the future of the Branches medical facility, Ballykelly; and to detail the funding that will be allocated to the facility over the next 5 years.

(AQW 4683/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The branch surgeries operated in Ballykelly by two GP practices based in Limavady, namely Dr McKenny & Partners (Scroggy Road Health Centre) and Dr McCleery & Partners (Bovally Medical Practice), closed with effect from 1 March 2008.

When considering the request from the GP practices to close these branch surgeries, the Western Health and Social Services Board held a public meeting on 27 October 2005, as well as conducting a survey amongst 9,751 patients registered with the two practices. 413 (4%) replied, the majority of whom wished the facility to remain open. In addition, meetings were also held with the Western Health and Social Services Council and the Western Local Medical Committee.

In considering the request to close the branch surgeries by the two GP practices, the Western Health and Social Services Board took account of the following factors:

• The physical accommodation and facilities within Ballykelly were poor;
• No chaperone facilities, receptionist cover or IT connections were available on site;
• Only a small number of people were attending the branch surgeries on a weekly basis, and did so mainly for repeat prescribing or minor ailments;
• Those patients requiring further or follow-up care had to attend the main surgeries in Limavady, subsequent to attendance at the branch surgeries.

Consequently, the Board decided to approve the practices’ request. In so doing, however, it has imposed a number of conditions on the two GP practices designed to alleviate any inconvenience to the residents of Ballykelly, including that they should offer to patients from the Ballykelly area flexible appointments that coincide as far as possible with public transport availability. Arrangements are also being put in place so that patients can avail of repeat prescribing/dispensing and collection services from Community Pharmacies in Ballykelly.

The Board have no plans to invest in General Medical Services facilities in Ballykelly, which is less than four miles from Limavady, in the future.

As outlined above, the number of patients attending the branch surgeries were small; however, as these surgeries had no IT connections/facilities, the practices do not have a record of the number of attendances on a monthly basis.

Branches Medical Facility

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of patient consultations that have taken place at the Branches medical centre, Ballykelly, in each month of the last year.

(AQW 4684/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The branch surgeries operated in Ballykelly by two GP practices based in Limavady, namely Dr McKenny & Partners (Scroggy Road Health Centre) and Dr McCleery & Partners (Bovally Medical Practice), closed with effect from 1 March 2008.

When considering the request from the GP practices to close these branch surgeries, the Western Health and Social Services Board held a public meeting on 27 October 2005, as well as conducting a survey amongst 9,751 patients registered with the two practices. 413 (4%) replied, the majority of whom wished the facility to remain open. In addition, meetings were also held with the Western Health and Social Services Council and the Western Local Medical Committee.

In considering the request to close the branch surgeries by the two GP practices, the Western Health and Social Services Board took account of the following factors:

• The physical accommodation and facilities within Ballykelly were poor;
• No chaperone facilities, receptionist cover or IT connections were available on site;
• Only a small number of people were attending the branch surgeries on a weekly basis, and did so mainly for repeat prescribing or minor ailments;
• Those patients requiring further or follow-up care had to attend the main surgeries in Limavady, subsequent to attendance at the branch surgeries.

Consequently, the Board decided to approve the practices’ request. In so doing, however, it has imposed a number of conditions on the two GP practices designed to alleviate any inconvenience to the residents of Ballykelly, including that they should offer to patients from the Ballykelly area flexible appointments that coincide as far as possible with public transport availability. Arrangements are also being put in place so that patients can avail of repeat prescribing/dispensing and collection services from Community Pharmacies in Ballykelly.

The Board have no plans to invest in General Medical Services facilities in Ballykelly, which is less than four miles from Limavady, in the future.

As outlined above, the number of patients attending the branch surgeries were small; however, as these surgeries had no IT connections/facilities, the practices do not have a record of the number of attendances on a monthly basis.

Self-Harm Service

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what plans he has to provide services to deal with self-harm in all areas of Northern Ireland, given the success of the North and West Belfast self-harm service.

(AQW 4693/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I am very concerned about the level of services for individuals at risk of self harm.

Responsibility for the assessment of the need for these services rests with the Health and Social Services Boards, who would commission such provision from the Health and Social Care Trusts or the independent sector. I am encouraging the Boards and Trusts to use some of the additional funds allocated for mental health through the increased budget settlement for the development of self-harm services over the next 3 years, where such need has been identified.

Mental Health Wards

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the advice from the Royal College of Psychiatrists that a bed occupancy rate of 85% is necessary in mental health wards to provide appropriate care locally, for vulnerable and at risk patients.

(AQW 4695/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I am aware of the Royal College’s advice, which represents a “gold standard” approach to provision. This is not always attainable, because, for example, for some individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis, an emergency placement in hospital is the only and the most appropriate option.

The proposed investment in community mental health services over the next 3 years as a result of the additional funds allocated to mental health through the Comprehensive Spending Review will enable a further shift in the focus of provision away from in-patient care to care in the community.

Mental Health Patients

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for each of the last 3 years, the number of mental health patients admitted as 'out of catchment' cases, broken down by (i) Health and Social Service Board area; and (ii) Health and Social Care Trust area.

(AQW 4696/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: (i) The number of mental health patients 1 admitted as ‘out of catchment cases’ 2 in each of the last three financial years, broken down by Health and Social Services Board area is outlined in the table below.

Health and Social Service Board Area	Number of patients admitted as ‘out of catchment’ cases
	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Eastern	92	67	86
Northern	55	33	29
Southern	35	61	64
Western	22	20	21
Total	204	181	200

 

1. This is defined as patients admitted into an acute psychiatric bed/unit.

2. This relates to patients admitted to a provider Trust within each Health and Social Board who resided in another Health and Social Services Board area.

(ii) The number of mental health patients 1, admitted as ‘out of catchment cases’ 2 , in each of the last three financial years, broken down for each Trust 3 that provides this service, is outlined in the table below:

Health and Social Service Trust	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Armagh & Dungannon	12	7	4
Belfast City Hospitals	124	96	82
Causeway	22	24	11
Craigavon & Banbridge Community	23	58	63
Down Lisburn	166	97	93
Homefirst	81	53	52
Mater Infirmorum	80	59	97
South & East Belfast	43	24	16
Sperrin Lakeland	104	94	78
Ulster Hospitals	10	15	1
Total	665	527	497

1. This is defined as patients admitted into an acute psychiatric bed/unit.

2. This is defined as patients admitted from outside the catchment population of each legacy Trust.

3. Prior to April 2007, hospitals in Northern Ireland were organised into 18 Provider Trusts. The information in this answer relates to financial years 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2006/07 and is thus provided on the basis each applicable ‘legacy’ Trust.

Breast Screening Programme

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) when the recently announced breast screening extension for all women aged 50-70 years will start; and (ii) when there will be full implementation of the extension; and to make a statement on this issue.

(AQW 4716/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The extension to the breast screening programme for all women aged 50-70 years will start during 2008/09.

The breast screening programme is a rolling one which invites women from GP practices in turn on a three year cycle. The full implementation of the extension will be complete by March 2012.

Autism Facilities

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what plans he has (i) to provide necessary facilities for people with autism; and (ii) to address the regional imbalance that currently exists within this sector.

(AQW 4726/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I launched an independent review of autism health and social care services in September 2007. The review team is due to report to me by the end of March 2008. The information provided in that report will inform the development of policies for improved health and social care services for people with autism.

Mental Health Services

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to respond to the gap in elderly mental health (Psychiatry of Old Age) services, in relation to the provision of service, training and support to (i) Accident and Emergency departments; and (ii) Medical and Surgical wards, within acute hospitals.

(AQW 4739/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I recognise that creating psychiatric liaison services in our acute hospitals can be an important means of improving the health outcomes for older people who have been admitted to A&E or Medical or Surgical wards, and who have co-existent mental health problems.

I have accepted the Bamford recommendations on this issue. Having acquired additional funding for their implementation following the budget negotiations, I will be expecting commissioners and providers of mental health services to use this increased settlement to prioritise the creation of psychiatric liaison services, as part of the overall development of mental health services for older people.

Respite Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to improve respite services for people with learning difficulties.

(AQW 4802/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: As a result of the funding secured under the Comprehensive Spending Review, additional resources have been earmarked to ensure improved access to learning disability care for children and adults by providing 200 new or enhanced respite packages by 2011.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the action he is taking to improve services for people with autistic spectrum disorder and their families.

(AQW 4805/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I launched an Independent Review of autism health and social care services in September 2007. The review team are due to report to me by the end of March 2008. The information provided in that report will inform the development of policies for improved health and social care services to those people with autism.

Nurses Employed

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of nurses currently employed in the Belfast City Hospital; and (ii) the changes in numbers over the last 5 years.

(AQW 4812/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information requested is provided in the tables below.

Table 1: Headcount of nurses within Belfast City Hospital at December 2003-2007

	Dec-03	Dec-04	Dec-05	Dec-06	Dec-07	Change 2003-2007
Qualified Nurses	1363	1326	1387	1424	1393	2.2%
Unqualified Nurses	354	369	349	344	340	-4.0%

Table 2: Whole-time equivalent of nurses within Belfast City Hospital at December 2003-2007

	Dec-03	Dec-04	Dec-05	Dec-06	Dec-07	Change 2003-2007
Qualified Nurses	1145.79	1118.64	1180.47	1229.29	1202.12	4.9%
Unqualified Nurses	295.81	309.98	297.71	289.24	290.07	-1.9%

Source: Human Resources Management System

Notes:

1. Figures exclude nurse bank and agency staff.

2. WTE = whole time equivalent of staff. The whole time equivalent of staff is calculated by aggregating the total number of hours that staff in a grade are contracted to work, and dividing by the standard hours for that grade. In this way, part-time staff are converted into an equivalent number of ‘whole-time’ staff.

Smoking Order 2006

Dr A McDonnell asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) to confirm if the Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 applies outside the doors of hospitals; (ii) if the Order applies outside hospital, to what distance outside the doors it extends; and (iii) if the Order does not apply outside the doors of hospitals, to explain the reasons.

(AQW 4827/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Smoking ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006 is designed to protect the public and employees from exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces. The legislation therefore extends to hospital entrances/exits only where they are enclosed or substantially enclosed.

Regulation 2 of the Smoke-free (Premises, Vehicle Operators and Penalty Notices) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007 specifies what “enclosed” and “substantially enclosed” mean. A copy of the regulations was placed in the Assembly Library. District Councils’ Environmental Health Departments can also offer advice on the meaning of enclosed and substantially enclosed.

Smoking at hospital entrances/exits not covered by smoke-free legislation is a matter for Trusts to address through their policies on smoking.

Smoking Order 2006

Dr A McDonnell asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail how the Smoking ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006 is enforced, and whether city and district council enforcement officials have access to hospital sites to enforce the Smoking ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

(AQW 4828/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Smoking ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006 is designed to protect the public and employees from exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces. The legislation therefore extends to hospital entrances/exits only where they are enclosed or substantially enclosed.

Regulation 2 of the Smoke-free (Premises, Vehicle Operators and Penalty Notices) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007 specifies what “enclosed” and “substantially enclosed” mean. A copy of the regulations was placed in the Assembly Library. District Councils’ Environmental Health Departments can also offer advice on the meaning of enclosed and substantially enclosed.

Smoking at hospital entrances/exits not covered by smoke-free legislation is a matter for Trusts to address through their policies on smoking.

Giant Team Brief

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the costs involved in the 'Giant Team Brief' training day run by the department for its staff last year; and (ii) how the outcomes of this day were evaluated.

(AQW 4829/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: There have been four Giant Team Briefs held between January and October 2007. These have been held for staff in the Department’s Social Policy Group. The total cost of staging these events was £6,400 (exc VAT).

The events were evaluated by attendees completing feedback forms which were subsequently analysed.

Opioid Use

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm that statements made by Board Pharmacists to General Practitioners, in relation to opioid use in persistent non-cancer pain, are consistent with the guidelines produced by the British Pain Society.

(AQW 4830/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I am not aware that Board Pharmacy Advisers have made “statements” to General Practitioners about the use of opioids for non-cancer pain. Board Pharmacy Advisers will discuss prescribing issues with GPs and help them make appropriate decisions, but responsibility for determining the appropriate treatment to be provided to an individual patient remains a matter for the clinical judgement of the GP concerned, taking into account the patient’s presenting condition(s), medical history and wishes.

Any advice given by Board Pharmacy Advisers, whether generally to all GPs for example in Newsletters, or to specific GPs as part of particular discussions, will be based on the best practice and best available evidence, which may be drawn from several sources. These sources may include, for example, the British National Formulary, NICE, CREST or the National Prescribing Centre, which itself collates guidance from other sources or other groups.

Teenage Births

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) data available on teenage (under 20) births for 2006/2007; and (ii) the number of teenage women who travelled to England to have an abortion in 2006/2007.

(AQW 4832/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Information is only available by the latest calendar year for which information is available.

• In 2006 there were 1,432 births registered to teenage mothers in Northern Ireland.

• In 2006, 213 teenage women travelled to England from Northern Ireland to have an abortion.

Psychiatric Liaison Service

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the steps taken in Health and Social Care Trusts, to involve the appropriate specialist services within liaison psychiatric services, to develop a coordinated psychiatric liaison service for acute hospitals.

(AQW 4833/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Health and Social Care Trusts have arrangements in place to provide psychiatric liaison services to their acute hospitals, to help ensure that patients who also have psychological or psychiatric problems, are properly diagnosed and provided with appropriate treatment and support. I expect all Trusts, as part of their overall programme for improving mental health services, to build on local experience to date and on best practice elsewhere.

North West Independent Clinic

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to his answer to AQW 4560/08, if he will undertake a review of the number of continuing care beds at the North West Independent Clinic with a view to reinstating the 15 beds originally located there.

(AQW 4839/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Over the last 12 months the Western Health and Social Care Trust has invested in the development of intensive intermediate care services and rehabilitation services for residents of the Western Board area. The aim of this investment is to support people in their own homes and local communities so that the need to rely on hospital based care is reduced.

The Western Trust continues to fund 15 beds at the North West Independent Clinic, however, the Trust’s assessment of the needs of the local population indicates that these would be best met by altering the profile of those beds from 15 continuing care beds to 12 continuing care beds and 3 nursing home beds. It is considered that this combination of service provision, allied with the investment in intermediate care services, will better meet the current needs of local people.

Waterside Facility

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to his answer to AQW 4560/08, to detail the number of Limavady residents admitted to the Waterside facility for continuing care.

(AQW 4840/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Western Trust has advised that during the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 there were 6 admissions to the North West Independent Clinic. 4 of these admissions were residents of the Limavady area.

North West Independent Clinic

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to his answer to AQW 4560/08, to outline the criteria used in the decision to reduce the number of continuing care beds at the North West Independent Clinic.

(AQW 4841/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: There is no reduction in the overall number of beds at the North West Independent Clinic currently funded by the Western Health and Social Care Trust.

It is the Department’s policy that people should be supported to remain for as long as possible in their own homes without the requirement to avail of hospital provision. The Western Trust has recently invested in the development of intensive intermediate care services and rehabilitation services for residents of the Western Board area in support of that objective. The Western Trust continues to review service provision to ensure the most appropriate mix of health and social care services is provided to meet the needs of its local population. The Trust’s assessment of those needs indicates that the resources available would be best utilised by adjusting the profile of the beds funded at the North West Clinic.

The current profile of beds funded at the North West Independent Clinic is 12 continuing care beds and 3 nursing home beds.

Acquired Brain Injuries

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount allocated to deal exclusively with acquired brain injuries, in the next three years.

(AQW 4842/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The estimated spending on acquired brain injuries over the next three years, together with the amount spent in 2007 – 2008 is summarised in the table below. However allocations for the next three years are still being finalised.

	2007/08 (£k)	2008/09 (£k)	2009/10 (£k)	2010/11 (£k)
Totals	7471	7934	8095	8385

Brain Injuries

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the of the work being carried out by Headway, the acquired brain injury association.

(AQW 4843/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Headway is a charity set up to give help and support to people affected by brain injury and has a network of local Groups and Branches throughout Northern Ireland. The voluntary sector, including Headway, has an important part to play in partnership with the statutory sector in providing a wide range of services to people with a brain injury. These services include rehabilitation programmes, carer support, social re-integration, community outreach and respite care.

Acquired Brain Injuries

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount allocated in 2007/08 and 2008/09 by each of the Health and Social Care Trusts, for the provision of services to people with acquired brain injuries and their carers.

(AQW 4844/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information requested on the amounts allocated for the provision of services to people with acquired brain injuries and their carers is not readily available as it is not possible to separately identify the amounts allocated to Trusts and for carers.

The estimated spending on acquired brain injuries for 2007/08 and 2008/09 is summarised in the table below. However allocations for 2008/09 are still being finalised.

	2007/08 (£k)	2008/09 (£k)
Totals	7471	7904

Brain Injuries

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people with acquired brain injuries that currently use the brain injury units in each of the Health and Social Care Trust areas.

(AQW 4845/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information is not available in the form requested.

Brain Injuries

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people employed solely to deal with acquired brain injuries in each of the Health and Social Care Trust areas.

(AQW 4846/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information requested is provided in Table 1 below. It is important to be aware that these staff represent only a small subset of the total staff in Trusts who treat patients with acquired brain injuries but who additionally provide care for patients with other conditions.

Table 1: Health and Social Care staff employed solely to deal with persons with acquired brain injuries by Trust

HSC Trust	Headcount 1	WTE 1, 2
Belfast 3	77	66.85
Northern	21	17.01
Southern	9	6.31
South Eastern	15	9.75
Western	12	N/A

Notes:

1. Includes staff such as consultants, allied health professional staff, nurses and social work staff. Administrative staff are excluded.

2. WTE = whole time equivalent of staff. The whole time equivalent of staff is calculated by aggregating the total number of hours that staff in a grade are contracted to work, and dividing by the standard hours for that grade. In this way, part-time staff are converted into an equivalent number of ‘whole-time’ staff.

3. Figures for the Belfast Trust include staff at the Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital.

4. The Western Trust figures include 6 contracted staff from Leonard Cheshire and the Cedar Foundation.

Bereavement Support

Mrs N Long asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the amount of money to provide counselling and support to families bereaved by suicide (i) expended in the last financial year; and (ii) allocated for the next financial year; and whether this money in each of the parliamentary constituencies was provided through (a) statutory provision; or (b) voluntary provision.

(AQW 4857/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The table below outlines the Community Support Package funding allocated in the 2007/08 year by Health and Social Services Boards in relation to counselling and support for bereaved families. This information shows voluntary and statutory provision and is only available by Board area. It is not possible at present to provide information on allocations for the next financial year as the Boards are currently finalising funding arrangements for 2008/09.

Board Area	Funding 07/08
	Voluntary	Statutory
Eastern Board	£20867	£25816
Northern Board	£57217	Nil
Southern Board	£69500	Nil
Western Board	£3500	£60000
N Ireland Total	£151084	£85816

Health and Social Services Boards also fund a range of organisations and projects delivering counselling and support services generally. These services can include counselling and support for families bereaved by suicide but are not targeted specifically at this group of people.

Breast Cancer

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of HER2 positive early stage breast cancers among women that have been diagnosed, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4858/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The use of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) is predicated on the HER2 status of the patient. Since Herceptin did not become available for use in early stage breast cancer until November 2005 the numbers of women tested before that time is small. Since early 2006 all women diagnosed with early stage invasive breast cancer are tested for HER2 status.

Because of variation in the method of recording patient information in Trusts It has not been possible to accurately determine the number of early stage breast cancers which tested positive for HER2 in each of the last five years. However, in Northern Ireland about 1000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year of which 15% to 25% are likely to be HER2 positive.

Breast Cancer

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of HER2 positive early stage breast cancers among women that have been treated with the drug Tratuzumab (Herceptin), in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4859/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Since trastuzumab did not become widely available for use in early stage breast cancer until November 2005 the numbers of women treated before that time is small. Since late 2005 all women diagnosed with early stage HER2 positive invasive breast cancer are eligible for treatment with trastuzumab, however for clinical reasons not all HER2 positive patients receive it.

Patients treated

2007 86

2006 101

2005 22

Breast Cancer

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of women diagnosed with cancer that have been tested for HER2 (i) from October 2005 to present; and (ii) over 2003-2004.

(AQW 4860/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Since trastuzumab did not become available for use in early stage breast cancer until November 2005 the numbers of women tested before that time is smaller. Since early 2006 all women diagnosed with early stage invasive breast cancer are tested for HER2 status.

October 2005 to present 3760

2003 and 2004 1126

Soya in Foods

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm if there is any medical evidence that foods containing soya could pose a health risk to women with high levels of HER2 protein.

(AQW 4861/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Food Standards Agency is not aware of any human epidemiological studies that have specifically examined the health effects of soya, or phytoestrogens found in soya, on women with high levels of HER2 protein. The very limited preliminary animal and in vitro studies published to date are suggestive of a possible beneficial effect, but the data are too limited to permit any firm conclusions to be drawn.

Soya in Foods

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm if he will carry out an investigation into the potential harmful effects that soya may have on the long-term health of society.

(AQW 4862/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Food Standards Agency has previously asked the independent advisory Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) to review all the available scientific and medical literature on potential risks and benefits of phytoestrogens, the biologically active chemicals contained in soya. The COT published its advice in 2003, including a number of recommendations for research to address uncertainties in the available data. In response the Food Standards Agency has funded several research projects which are currently ongoing. The COT will reassess the safety of phytoestrogens when these projects are complete.

Fire Stations

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to give a timescale within which new fire stations will be built in Limavady and Coleraine.

(AQW 4863/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I refer to the answer I gave during Oral Questions on 25 February to a supplementary question asked by David McClarty. I indicated that as far as Coleraine and Limavady were concerned they are on the list of stations for upgrade, but they are not listed for priority action for the next three years.

Elder Abuse

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of instances of elder abuse recorded in each of the past five years.

(AQW 4873/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information requested was not available centrally. Health and Social Services Boards were asked to provide numbers of allegations of abuse reported in their areas over the past 5 years. Information about allegations of abuse of older people is set out in the table below:

	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
NHSSB	39	28	41	49	51
SHSSB	35	41	42	68	76
EHSSB	60	105	76	94	217
WHSSB*	unavailable	unavailable	21	80	62

* Figures for the Western Health and Social Services Board are for adults of all ages. Numbers of older people are not available separately.

Childminder Start-Up Package

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his consideration of the Northern Ireland Childminding Association's proposed childminder start-up package; and what action he intends to take in relation to these proposals.

(AQW 4874/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Policy responsibility in respect of childminding transferred from my Department to DE in November 2006 with Early Years policy, including funding to support the Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NICMA). DHSSPS remain responsible for the regulation and inspection of childminders, which incorporates registration.

NICMA’s proposed childminder start-up package falls within DE policy responsibility and is currently being considered by DE in relation to the review of Early Years. My colleague, Caitriona Ruane, is meeting Bridget Nodder, Director of NICMA, on 12 March 2008 to discuss the work being undertaking by that organisation.

Prison Healthcare

Mrs N Long asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the plans his department has to take on the provision of healthcare in prisons.

(AQW 4905/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Eastern HSS Board will commission prison healthcare services on a regional basis in 2008/09. The Regional Health and Social Care Board will assume this responsibility once it is established. The South Eastern HSC Trust will assume responsibility for the delivery of healthcare services at Magilligan, Maghaberry and Hydebank Wood from 1 April 2008. The Trust is at an advanced stage of recruiting a new Assistant Director to lead on prison healthcare issues. There have been a series of meetings between the Trust, EHSSB and NI Prison Service to finalise arrangements for the transfer.

My Department is currently involved in negotiations with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Eastern HSS Board and NI Prison Service over a draft Partnership Agreement on prison healthcare services. This document will set out the roles and responsibilities of the respective partners in this service.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mrs C McGill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, in addition to his department's mainstream responsibilities, the resources that have been allocated to (i) Neighbourhood Renewal Areas; and (ii) the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area, in each of the last 2 years.

(AQW 4911/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Health and Social Care, as represented by Boards, Trusts and Investing for Health structures, works closely with DSD and the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships to support the development and implementation of Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plans.

While a wide variety of HSC activity is thus underway in Neighbourhood Renewal areas, it is difficult to quantify accurately the resources skewed towards Neighbourhood Renewal areas in addition to mainstream.

The best estimate of the additional funding allocated by Health over the past two years across Neighbourhood Renewal areas is £957k in 2006/07 and £1.83m in 2007/08. It is stressed that these figures are likely to significantly underestimate the true picture. For example it does not accurately reflect the investment in terms of staff time.

In the Western Board area much of the Neighbourhood Renewal activity spans across other Neighbourhood Renewal areas as well as Strabane. A broad estimate of the additional investment for the last two years, based on a proportionate amount depending on the total number of Neighbourhood Renewal areas covered by each initiative is £ 42,455 in 2006/07 and £ 102,246 in 2007/08.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm if the tender process for the new private finance initiative hospital at Enniskillen has been completed; and to provide details of the successful tender.

(AQW 4912/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Private Finance Initiative tender process for the South West Acute Hospital north of Enniskillen is not yet complete. The Competitive Dialogue procurement stage of this project has recently completed and the final bids from the 3 bidding consortia where received by the Western HSC Trust at the end of February 2008.  These bids are currently being evaluated and following selection of a Preferred Bidder, formal award of the tender is expected to be made in November 2008.  The new Acute Hospital is expected to be constructed by early 2012.

Road Traffic Accidents

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of road traffic accidents involving Fire Service and Ambulance vehicles on operational duty; and (ii) the number of injuries and fatalities which occurred as a result of these accidents, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4915/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information requested is displayed in the tables below:

ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS INVOLVING NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE (NIFRS) AND NORTHERN IRELAND AMBULANCE SERVICE (NIAS) VEHICLES ON OPERATIONAL DUTY.  

2003/4 to 2007/Present	03/04	04/05	05/06	06/07	2007-Present
Number of Collisions + Involving NIFRS Vehicles	76	54	69	71	69
Number of Collisions Involving NIAS Vehicles	60	55	72	61	39

 

NUMBER OF INJURIES AND FATALITIES ON OPERATIONAL DUTY REPORTED BY NIFRS

2003/04 to 2007/Present

	03/04	04/05	05/06	06/07	2007-Present
Injuries to public	4*	3*	9*	1*	1*
Injuries to NIFRS Personnel	11	5	6	11	1
Fatalities – public	0	0	0	0	0
Fatalities – NIFRS personnel	0	0	0	0	0

+ NIFRS figures include appliances, Officers’ cars and vans.

*The figures relate to injuries reported at the time of the incident and do not include injuries that may be reported at a later date.

The number of injuries and fatalities for ambulance service accidents could be produced by NIAS only at disproportionate cost

Mental Health Services

Ms C Hanna asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to give his assessment of whether adequate provision has been made for a step change in the quality of mental health services.

(AQO 2640/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Bamford Review sets out the vision for the reform and modernisation of mental health services over the next 10 to 15 years.

The additional funds allocated to mental health in the Comprehensive Spending Review represent an increase of over 12% on current spend over the next 3 years and will allow for a number of key developments to be taken forward, which will make a real and lasting difference to patients, their carers and families.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Funding

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm that he will provide more funding for fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E.

(AQW 4940/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Health and social care resources are normally allocated on a service or Programme of Care basis rather than by specific medical condition. It is a matter for commissioners to make decisions regarding the allocation of resources to specific services and proposals for service development.

No specific funding is therefore allocated for people who suffer from fIbromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME. The variability of symptoms in patients means that they will need to access different disciplines of the health service. A range of treatment and support options are available and will depend on the patients’ specific symptoms and their severity.

Liaison Psychiatry Faculty

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the steps he is taking to ensure that his department is working with the Liaison Psychiatry Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the effective delivery of mental health liaison services to emergency departments.

(AQW 4971/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Developing any aspect of our health services, including psychiatric liaison , is a partnership process between my Department, the Health and Social Care Boards and Trusts, and the relevant professional bodies. It is important that professionals working in this area have the appropriate competencies. To ensure this, there are a number of agencies involved in this process, for example, the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, which develops standards and requirements for postgraduate medical education and training in the UK, and the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, which funds and manages the agreed training programmes. Working with these agencies, the Liaison Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has a direct input into the standards and training programmes for their particular specialty.

Mental Health Services

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to address the gap in general adult mental health services, in relation to the provision of service, training and support to (i) Accident and Emergency departments; and (ii) Medical and Surgical wards, within acute hospitals.

(AQW 4972/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Psychiatric Liaison has only been recognised relatively recently as a separate speciality and psychiatric liaison services, while expanding, remain underdeveloped throughout the United Kingdom. However, the value and need for such services is now well recognised and I expect to see all our Trusts prioritise the development of psychiatric liaison services, as part of the overall Bamford reform programme, building on local experience to date and on best practice elsewhere.

Prescription Forms

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of prescription forms that have been lost in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 4978/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: There is no mechanism in place either within the Department or the Central Services Agency for identifying the number of prescription forms which have been issued by a General Practitioner, or other practitioner qualified to do so, and not presented to a pharmacist for dispensing.

Wind Turbines

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to explore the possibility of erecting wind turbines at hospitals, similar to the turbine located at Antrim Area Hospital.

(AQW 4983/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Health and Social Care Trusts, through their efforts to meet government targets on the reduction of carbon emissions within their estates, have been pro-active in seeking to evaluate the erection of wind turbines where appropriate, such as on the Causeway Hospital, Altnagelvin Hospital and Gransha Hospital sites.

Health and Social Care Trusts will be encouraged through the forthcoming publication of the Health Estates, Sustainable Development Design Brief, to show evidence of having considered the option of installing a wind turbine on all new health and social care developments.

Staff Salary Payments

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to follow the Scottish Executive's example of providing protection to staff salary payments resulting from them being assimilated to Agenda for Change.

(AQW 4986/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Health and Social Care staff are being given pay protection at the rate of pay in payment on 1 April 2005 regardless of the date on which they are moved to the new Agenda for Change rates of pay. This is in keeping with the arrangements set out in the Agenda for Change Agreement. I have no plans to follow the Scottish Executive’s example of providing protection. Under our local Government Accounting rules there is no flexibility to write off excess payments from public funding.

Botulism in Cattle

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the cases of infections of humans, as result of botulism in cattle, in the last 10 years.

(AQW 4995/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: There have been no laboratory reports in Northern Ireland of C botulinum in humans that may be associated with cattle.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of public appointments that have been made by his department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 5016/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: During the period 8 May 2007 to 13 March 2008, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety have made 20 public appointments, of which 8 were female and 4 were elected councillors.

Out of Hours Service

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to give assurances in relation to the future of the out of hours doctor service in Limavady.

(AQW 5025/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Currently all Out of Hours (OOH) services in Northern Ireland are subject to a review looking at their efficiency and effectiveness. As the review will not be published until May this year no decisions have been made regarding future provision of Out of Hours services.

Although, at this time, no commitment can be given that there will be no change to the OOH service in Limavady in the future, Western Health and Social Services Board officers have given undertakings that they will engage with key stakeholders if any changes are proposed.

Respite Care

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail his plans to provide a respite centre for children and adults with severe disabilities, in the Newtownards and Bangor areas.

(AQW 5034/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust currently provides a dedicated children’s respite unit at Conlig which supports families caring for young people with complex health needs up to 18 years of age. The Trust is currently working with EHSSB colleagues to explore options and to identify funding for the development of a dedicated new unit for young adults over 18 years of age in the greater Bangor area. This is at planning stage at present.

The Trust also contracts with a range of independent and voluntary sector providers to purchase respite beds in Nursing Home and Residential facilities and are seeking to increase this provision by one bed in the Bangor area. However not all families want overnight respite away from home and the Trust is working to extend the opening hours of Statutory Day Centres to offer families extended day and evening support as an alternative form of valued respite.

Respite Care

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of people in (i) the Ards District Council area; and (ii) the Strangford constituency; who required respite care in 2006 and 2007.

(AQW 5037/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information is not available in the form requested.

Car Parking Charges

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the action he is taking to abolish car parking charges at hospitals.

(AQW 5038/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I am reviewing existing arrangements and I will be making an announcement on car parking provision and management shortly.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the protocols he follows in informing MLAs that he will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 5074/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I can advise that my private office staff contact the relevant MLA’s constituency office at least 24 hours before visiting their respective constituency area on a given date. MLA’s are advised of the purpose, location and timing of the visit.

This is in line with the Assembly guidance of 12 February 2008 issued by the Speaker.

Brangam and Bagnall Case

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to indicate when he would expect to be in a position to report to the Assembly on the Brangam and Bagnall case.

(AQW 5080/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: As legal proceedings are currently ongoing in relation to this case it would be inappropriate to make a statement on when it may be resolved.

Visit to Ballybeen

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail when and how he informed the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of his visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

(AQW 5091/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I did not inform the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of my visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

Visit to Ballybeen

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail when and how he informed the East Belfast Partnership of his visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

(AQW 5092/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I did not inform the East Belfast Partnership of my visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

NHS Dental Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the action his department is taking to increase access to NHS dental services for patients.

(AQW 5094/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: I am totally committed to the aim of securing a robust and accessible health service dental service for everyone in Northern Ireland. Discussions are currently ongoing between my officials and representatives of the Dental Practice Committee of the British Dental Association on a new contract for Northern Ireland. This contract, when implemented, will give Health and Social Services Boards greater control over patient access to health service dentistry. The new contract will also deliver a revised remuneration system, which rewards dentists fairly for operating the new arrangements, thus addressing the dental profession’s current concerns on this issue.

• In the interim, and in an effort to stem the flow of dentists from Health Service dentistry into private work, I announced on the 17th September 2007 an injection of £4.4 million into health service dentistry aimed at addressing access problems reported in many parts of the province. £400k of this £4.4m has been made available to the four Boards to help to grow the salaried dental sector, although this process has been slow to date. If salaried dentists can be successfully recruited by each of the four Health Boards, the additional dentists provided will go some considerable way towards addressing dental access problems throughout Northern Ireland.

NHS Dental Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of dental practices in the North Down constituency; and (ii) the number of these that offer NHS treatment.

(AQW 5095/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: No information is available centrally with regard to the number of dental practices that exclusively provide private treatment. At December 2007, Central Services Agency figures show that there were 22 dental practices with registered NHS patients in the North Down constituency. It is not known how many of these currently offer NHS treatment, however all 22 practices registered new NHS patients during 2007.

NHS Dental Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of dental practices in the Northern Ireland; and (ii) the number of these that offer NHS treatment.

(AQW 5096/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: No information is available centrally with regard to the number of dental practices that exclusively provide private treatment. At December 2007, Central Services Agency figures show there were 358 dental practices with registered NHS patients in Northern Ireland. It is not known how many of these currently offer NHS treatment, however, 343 registered new NHS patients during 2007. Seven of the practices that did not register NHS patients during 2007 were orthodontic practices and did treat patients on the NHS on a referral basis for specialist treatments. The remaining eight practices did not register new NHS patients during the year.

Child Minders

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the plans he has to review, and where necessary reform, the registration process for child minders.

(AQW 5114/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: Policy responsibility in respect of childminding transferred from my Department to DE in November 2006 with Early Years policy, including funding to support the Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NICMA). DHSSPS remains responsible for the regulation and inspection of childminders, which incorporates registration.

NICMA’s proposed childminder start-up package falls within DE policy responsibility and is currently being considered by DE in relation to the review of Early Years.

My Department fully recognises the importance of registration to all those interested in becoming childminders. To ensure this is being carried out effectively, I have asked Senior Officials to meet with health and social care colleagues within the Boards to discuss the issue in full and establish what measures are being taken to address the concerns raised.

In addition Senior Officials will be meeting with the Director of the Northern Ireland Childminding Association to discuss the organisations recent survey and concerns raised.

Suicide Helpline

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the evaluation that was carried out on the pilot project which led to the decision to roll out the regional suicide helpline.

(AQW 5117/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The pilot telephone helpline in North and West Belfast was developed as part of the implementation of the Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy, and latterly it was receiving in the region of a 100 calls per day (approx 50% of the calls came from outside the N&W Belfast area).

I decided to establish a regional 24/7 crisis response helpline because of the high volume of calls made to the pilot helpline and because there was clear demand emerging from elsewhere in Northern Ireland. In reaching this decision, I took into account that it can take a long time for any service to be fully evaluated in terms of its impact on the suicide figures and also that, internationally, there is relatively sparse evidence available on what interventions are most effective in terms of suicide reduction.

This new regional service, which provides support to young people and adults, will be evaluated during the first year. The findings from the ongoing audit of the pilot scheme will also help shape the future operation of the regional helpline and its associated counselling and support services. While we continue the modernisation of our local mental health provision, the helpline will provide immediate and much needed help for vulnerable people across Northern Ireland at times of crisis in their lives.

Suicide Helpline

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the tendering process that led to the decision to award the contract to operate the regional suicide helpline to Contact Youth.

(AQW 5118/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Tender for the provision of the new Regional 24/7 Crisis Response Helpline for Northern Ireland was managed by the Department of Finance and Personnel’s Central Procurement Directorate, in accordance with the standard public service procurement procedures.

The criteria used to evaluate the tenders were as follows: -

• Proposed Approach for Service Provision: including capacity, emergency intervention arrangements, and ability to meet performance standards and all mandatory clinical and safety standards.
  
• Previous Relevant Experience: including experience of providing a helpline type service and experience in providing support to vulnerable/suicidal people.
  
• Cost.

Occupational Therapy Treatment

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the reasons why (i) the occupational therapy treatment at (a) Elmbrook Special School; and (b) Erne Special School, Enniskillen, was stopped on 25 January 2008; and (ii) each school was informed of the decision by telephone only.

(AQW 5129/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Western Health and Social Care Trust has confirmed that paediatric occupational therapy treatment has not been stopped at Elmbrook Special School or Erne Special School, Enniskillen. The Occupational Therapy Department at Enniskillen, in line with the whole Western Health and Social Care Trust, is currently redesigning its workload to make optimum use of the Occupational Therapists to provide a suitable and cost effective service to the schools and to the community.

Neurological Disorders

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the respite care available to people aged between 30 and 65, who have suffered from stroke or neurological disorders, broken down by Health and Social Services Board area.

(AQW 5131/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre in Ballycastle is a dedicated respite care facility for those suffering from MS and all four Health and Social services Boards contract respite bed days from this Centre. Apart from this, there are no dedicated respite care services available specifically for those aged between 30 and 65 who have suffered from stroke or neurological disorders.

However, all four Health and Social Services Boards secure respite provision for this client group in a range of ways. Such care takes many different forms and it is delivered in care settings ranging from people’s own homes, day facilities and residential ands nursing care homes. It may be provided to meet the user’s own needs or the needs of carers and families and take the form of a flexible short term response in the usual care setting or involve a stay in an alternative setting.

Direct payments are also offered as an option by which respite care can be availed of in a more flexible, supported and person centred manner.

Emergency Calls

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for (i) 2006; (ii) 2007; and (iii) 2008, the number of emergency calls for ambulances that were made in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area, broken down by district council area.

(AQW 5132/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The information requested is shown in the table below:

Council Area	2006	2007	2008 (Jan – Feb)
Antrim	3,002	3,462	623
Ballymena	3,539	3,886	683
Ballymoney	1,369	1,444	263
Carrickfergus	2,390	2,446	438
Coleraine	3,784	4,006	635
Cookstown	1,870	2,015	370
Larne	1,723	1,858	337
Magherafelt	1,879	2,165	391
Moyle	916	1,056	173
Newtownabbey	4,775	4,889	785

NOTE: The above information may be subject to amendment following Northern Ireland Ambulance Service’s routine data cleanse of its information management systems and databases.

Doctor On Call Service

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of calls that were made to the Dalriada 'Doctor On Call' service; and (ii) the action taken on those calls, over the last 6 months.

(AQW 5133/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The table below details the breakdown of calls made to the Dalriada Urgent Care Out of Hours service for the most recent 6 month period.

DALRIADA URGENT CARE
Call Volumes Sept 2007 - Feb 2008
	Adv	%	PCC	%	H/V	%	TOTAL
Sep-07	4640	50.4	3662	39.8	898	9.8	9200
Oct-07	4685	50.9	3701	40.2	817	8.9	9203
Nov-07	4794	51	3759	40	852	9.1	9405
Dec-07	7083	50.3	5824	41.4	1174	8.3	14081
Jan-08	5271	50.5	4201	40.3	958	9.2	10430
Feb-08	5066	50.6	4082	40.8	856	8.6	10004
TOTAL	31539	50.6	25229	40.5	5555	8.9	62323
Adv = Telephone Advice
PCC = Primary Care Centre attendances
H/V = Home Visits

Doctor On Call Service

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the criteria that is used by the Dalriada 'Doctor On Call' service to refer a case to the ambulance service or emergency services.

(AQW 5134/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: All emergency and urgent calls received in Dalriada Urgent Care are passed immediately to the triage nurses. The triage nurse will ring the patient back straight away and depending on the patients’ symptoms, will, with the help of computer assisted software, use their clinical judgement to decide whether referral to the ambulance service is required. If an ambulance is needed the nurse dealing with the case will telephone the ambulance service and make the referral themselves.

Registered Patients

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for the years (i) 1998; (ii) 2003; and (iii) 2008, the number of patients registered to medical practices in the (a) Mid Ulster constituency; (b) Magherafelt District Council area; and (c) Cookstown District Council area.

(AQW 5135/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The total number of patients registered to medical practices located in the requested areas for each year is shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Patients registered with medical practices by area 1  

	1999 2	2003	2008
(a) Mid Ulster Constituency	78,344	78,458	83,034
(b) Magherafelt District Council	37,808	38,720	39,580
(c) Cookstown District Council	30,723	31,889	34,944

1 Practices are assigned to an area based on the postcode of the practice using the 2007 central postcode directory

2 Data are not available at 1998. The earliest data available are for October 1999.

Source: Central Services Agency

Ambulance Service

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail, for the years (i) 2006; (ii) 2007; and (iii) 2008, (a) the percentage of calls in the Northern Health and Social Services Board area to the ambulance service that were responded to by a vehicle other than an ambulance; and (b) the criteria used to decide the type of vehicle to be dispatched.

(AQW 5136/08)

Mr M McGimpsey: The following table sets out the requested information for emergency 999 calls:

Type of Vehicle	2006	2007	2008 (Jan – Feb)
	% calls attended
Rapid Response Vehicle/Officer car	4.4%	7.3%	11.8%
Patient Care Service vehicle	0.2%	0.1%	0.2%
Voluntary Agency Vehicle*	0.0%	0.1%	0.0%

* St John Ambulance

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service will always dispatch the nearest available A&E resource to an incident. If the initial response is not an A&E ambulance, the subsequent clinical call categorisation by Ambulance Control will determine whether an A&E ambulance is also required.

Regional Development

Sewerage Systems

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail what plans his department has to upgrade the drainage and sewerage systems at Leestone Road, Kilkeel.

(AQW 4614/08)

The Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it has completed a Drainage Area Study for Kilkeel, which included an examination of the structural condition and capacity of the sewerage system serving Leestone Road. The Study recommended the upgrade of the sewer in Leestone Road to prevent out-of-sewer flooding. However, owing to competing priorities, work is unlikely to commence before 2011.

Although NIW is satisfied that the sewerage system in the Leestone Road area has adequate capacity to operate effectively under normal conditions, an anti-flood valve has recently been installed on the sewer to reduce the risk of flooding during periods of extreme rainfall.

My Department’s Roads Service has confirmed that there are six gullies over a 90 metre stretch of the adopted part of Leestone Road. These gullies and associated pipe work have recently been maintained and are operating effectively. It is considered that this section of road is adequately drained and at present there are no proposals to improve the road drainage system at this location. However,Roads Service is aware of an area, just beyond this section of the Leestone Road, where there have been instances of flooding, but this area has not been adopted as part of the road network.

Northern Ireland Water

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister for Regional Development to give an update on the progress of the improvement work being undertaken by Northern Ireland Water at Victoria Market, Derry/Londonderry, and to outline what consideration has been given to carrying out this work on a 24-hour basis.

(AQW 4625/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that work to upgrade the Victoria Market Pumping Station in Derry/Londonderry is currently on programme for completion by the end of 2008. The estimated cost of the scheme is £3.8 million.

Work to lay three large diameter sewers from the River Foyle to the pumping station is being completed in two phases. Phase one runs from the River Foyle to the Harbour Square Roundabout and has required the implementation of a traffic management arrangement. Work is ahead of programme and Northern Ireland Water has received positive feedback from my Department’s Roads Service about traffic flows.

Northern Ireland Water aims to keep the timescale of pipelaying to a minimum during both phases, but has not considered undertaking the work on a 24 hour basis because it would increase both the cost of the project and operatives exposure to health and safety risks.

Information Signage

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the plans he has to improve the signage and information to alert motorists when the Foyle Bridge in Derry/Londonderry is closed.

(AQW 4627/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has advised me that it intends to erect an additional Variable Message Sign on the Coshquin approach to the Skeoge Roundabout, to advise motorists entering the city from the Buncrana /Letterkenny direction, when the Foyle Bridge is closed or subject to restrictions.

On completion of the works, Variable Message Signs will be in place on all major approaches to the city. There are no plans to erect any further signs at this time.

Work in Mallusk

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the work being carried out by the Roads Service and Northern Ireland Water in Mallusk, and the surrounding areas, during March 2008.

(AQW 4629/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Departments Roads Service officials advise that during March work will continue on the M2 Improvements Scheme between Sandyknowes and Greencastle junctions.

Following demolition of the Hightown Bridge construction of the replacement structure will be progressed in March. This will involve excavation and construction work to the new bridge abutments on the northern and southern sides of the motorway.

Other elements of the M2 improvement scheme, that will be undertaken during March, include the erection of safety barrier on the motorway verge between Sandyknowes and Hightown Bridge, the erection of an anti-dazzle fence along Derry Road, and resurfacing at the Sandyknowes city–bound onslip .

During March there will be temporary traffic management arrangements on the M2 hard shoulder to facilitate the installation of an additional traffic sign for the bus lane. R outine maintenance work on the M2 will also continue during March . This will involve gully cleaning, emergency telephone and communications cabinet cleaning, and s mall scale carriageway patching.

Northern Ireland Water have advised that they have no work planned in Mallusk, or the surrounding areas, during March.

Sewerage Infrastructure

Mr A Attwood asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the investment in sewerage infrastructure in the Lisburn City Council area for (i) 2005-06; (ii) 2006-07; and (iii) 2007-08; and the planned investment in 2008-09.

(AQW 4630/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that over the three financial years to 2007/08 it has invested almost £8.5 million in the sewerage infrastructure for the Lisburn City Council area, with a further £11.4 million expenditure planned for 2008/09. The annual breakdown is as follows:-

Year	Investment £000’s
2005/06	3,216
2006/07	885
2007/08	4,332
2008/09	11,419

Work in Randalstown

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the work being carried out by the Roads Service and Northern Ireland Water in Randalstown, and the surrounding areas, during March 2008.

(AQW 4631/08)

Mr C Murphy: Roads Service officials and Northern Ireland Water have advised that no work is planned in Randalstown and the surrounding areas during March.

Work in Crumlin

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail any work being carried out by the Roads Service and Northern Ireland Water in Crumlin, and the surrounding areas, during March 2008.

(AQW 4632/08)

Mr C Murphy: Roads Service officials advise that traffic calming schemes will be completed on Main Street, Crumlin and on Glenavy Road. Work will also be completed on Main Street, Crumlin during March to assist bus boarding. Northern Ireland Water advise that they have no work planned in Crumlin, or the surrounding areas, during March.

Road Signage

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the amount of money his department has spent on (i) new; and (ii) replacement, road signage in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 4690/08)

Mr C Murphy: The information the Member requests is not readily available, because my Department’s Roads Services does not maintain composite records of expenditure on road signs, which distinguishes between those which are new and those which are replacements.

Train Stations/Halts

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the number; (ii) the names; and (iii) the locations, of closed/disused train stations/halts, that are owned and maintained by his department; and to detail the dates on which the stations/halts were mothballed.

(AQW 4699/08)

Mr C Murphy:

The following stations/halts which are owned by Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company and maintained by NIR were 'mothballed' with effect from 29 June 2003.

Crumlin

Knockmore (branch platform)

Ballinderry

Glenavy

Sewerage Works

Mr A McFarland asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the housing growth figures that were used when the new sewage works at Fort Road, Helen's Bay, was constructed; and (ii) the catchment area for this sewage system.

(AQW 4714/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that the sewerage installation at Fort Road, Helen’s Bay is a pumping station, not a treatment works, which was provided as part of Helen’s Bay sewer improvement project completed in 2003. The pumping station transfers flows to Seahill Wastewater Treatment Works and is included in a catchment area covering Helen’s Bay and Crawfordsburn.

The Helen’s Bay Drainage Area Study completed in 2000 took into account the North Down and Ards Area Plan 1984 to 1995, which was subsequently reviewed in consultation with Planning Service, to assess population density and growth. Potential development at Bridge Road South and Chimera Wood was included in the assessment, which indicated that the population in the area was estimated to grow from 1,380 in 1997 to 2,366 in 2025.

Kinnegar Sewerage Works

Mr A McFarland asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the ongoing monitoring his department carries out to ensure that the Kinnegar Sewerage works is meeting the odour emission targets promised in the initial contract.

(AQW 4715/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that performance against the odour emission requirements for Kinnegar Wastewater Treatment Works, is measured by monitors that sample the air every 15 minutes. These monitors are positioned around the boundary of the Works and the sample results are used, on a monthly basis, to determine odour emission compliance with the contract.

Failure to meet the odour emission requirements of the contract for any particular month, will result in the contractor incurring financial penalties. In addition, NIW investigates all incidents of non-compliance to ensure they do not constitute further breaches of the contract

Road Lighting

Mr D Kennedy asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the number of miles of the A1, between the border at Newry and the junction at Lisburn Sprucefield, that has lighting; and (ii) the percentage of the overall length of that road that this represents.

(AQW 4718/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that 3.90 miles of the A1, between the border at Newry and the junction at Lisburn Sprucefield, has lighting. This represents 11.87% of the overall length of the road.

Speed Restrictions

Mr D Kennedy asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the number of miles of the A1, between the border at Newry and the junction at Lisburn Sprucefield, that has speed restrictions; and (ii) the percentage of the overall length of that road that this represents.

(AQW 4719/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that the number of miles of the A1, between the border at Newry and the junction at Lisburn Sprucefield, that has speed restrictions and the percentage of the overall length of the road that this represents, are as follows:-

• 23.66 miles with the National Speed Limit (72.01%);
• 7.64 miles with a 60 mph Speed Limit (23.24%);
• 1.13 miles with a 50 mph Speed Limit (3.43% ); and
• 0.43 miles with a 40 mph Speed Limit (1.32%).

Park and Ride Schemes

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will consider introducing a pilot park-and-ride scheme involving Translink in Newcastle, Co Down, to reduce the number of cars going into the town during the summer months.

(AQW 4728/08)

Mr C Murphy: I am aware that Newcastle can become congested during busy holiday periods as motorists search for parking spaces within the town centre. You will be aware that my Department’s Roads Service is not the only agency responsible for car parking in the town. In relation to tourist parking, a key role is played by Down District Council. Of the 500 off street car parking spaces within Newcastle some 400 of these are provided by the Council to facilitate the tourist industry.

I should explain that Park-and-Ride schemes are generally introduced for large cities, where the daily traffic queues caused by congestion are lengthy enough to persuade some travellers to park their car on the periphery of a town or city and make the remaining journey by bus or rail.

To provide new car parking facilities on the periphery of Newcastle would present very many difficulties such as land acquisition, planning permission, environmental considerations and cost. In addition, the success of a Park-and-Ride site is dependant upon the level of bus priority provided to allow buses to bypass traffic queues. As you will be aware, there is limited opportunity to provide bus priority on the main approaches to Newcastle, particularly on the Dundrum Road.

In the circumstances, there are no plans to introduce a pilot Park-and-Ride scheme for Newcastle.

Copper Pipes Erosion

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail, for each of the last 5 years, (i) the number of complaints that his department has received in relation to the erosion of copper pipes in the South Down constituency; and (ii) how this compares with other constituencies.

(AQW 4729/08)

Mr C Murphy:

I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that complaints are not recorded by Parliamentary constituency and it is not possible to provide the breakdown sought. However, the following details are based on records held by NIW of complaints about corrosion of copper pipes in the major population areas within the South Down constituency and across the North, for the five years to 2007.

 

Year	South Down Area	Northern Ireland
2003	2	13
2004	3	26
2005	3	23
2006	0	9
2007	0	5

Drumfad Road, Carrowdore

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the action he is taking to address the erosion of the edge of the Drumfad Road, Carrowdore.

(AQW 4750/08)

Mr C Murphy:

Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that Drumfad Road, Carrowdore is a rural unclassified road. As with many similar roads of this type, throughout the province, verges are overridden when two oncoming vehicles meet and this results in rutting in the verges and muddy conditions on the carriageway. This is particularly prevalent during the winter months.

With the onset of better weather conditions the Ards Section Office will inspect Drumfad Road and arrange for any repairs, deemed necessary, to be carried out.

Illegal Parking

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail, since the introduction of the NCP contract, the number of fixed penalty notices that have been issued to drivers parked illegally in disabled parking spaces in (i) the Ards Borough Council area; and (ii) the Down District Council area, broken down by town or village.

(AQW 4754/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service advises that the parking enforcement contract with NCP Services Ltd commenced at the end of October 2006. The numbers of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued to vehicles parked illegally in designated disabled person’s parking places in Ards Borough Council area and Down District Council area, broken down by town/village, to the end of February 2008 are as follows:-

 

Ards Borough Council Area (Town/Village)	PCNs Issued (to end Feb 2008)
Newtownards	133
Donaghadee	6
Comber	6
Millisle	1
Total	146

 

Down District Council Area (Town/Village)	PCNs Issued (to end Feb 2008)
Downpatrick	284
Ballynahinch	62
Newcastle	40
Saintfield	14
Killyleagh	7
Crossgar	6
Castlewellan	4
Total	417

A2 Bangor to Belfast Road

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the amount of money that has been allocated for the work being carried out on the A2 Bangor to Belfast Road; and to confirm when the work is expected to be complete.

(AQW 4759/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department's Roads Service has advised that the works on the A2 Belfast to Bangor Road, between Palace Barracks and Springhill, are largely to facilitate the installation of an average speed safety camera system (SPECS Scheme). This work is being carried out by the PSNI and you may wish to contact them to obtain details of the cost of the project.

Roads Service is also currently undertaking a scheme to upgrade traffic signals at the junction with Craigdarragh Road at an estimated cost of £50k.

Both schemes are due to be completed by the end of March 2008.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail, by date and duration, all visits he has made to each of the 18 constituencies since taking up his post.

(AQW 4770/08)

Mr C Murphy: For the period 8 May 2007 to 7 March 2008, diary records show that I have made visits to the following constituencies:

Constituency	Date	Approximate Duration
Belfast North	1 June 2007 28 September 2007 26 November 2007	3 hours 30 minutes 2 hour 30 minutes 1 hour
Belfast East	23 July 2007 1 August 2007 12 November 2007	1 hour 30 minutes 3 hours 1 hour
Belfast South	21 May 2007 31 May 2007 18 July 2007 12 September 2007 11 October 2007 18 October 2 November 2007 7 November 2007 17 December 2007	1 hour 4 hours 1 hour 2 hours 2 hours 3 hours 1 hour 30 minutes 15 minutes 30 minutes
Belfast West	10 May 2007 23 July 2007 28 November 2007 10 January 2008 28 January 2008 4 March 2008	1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 10 minutes 30 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes 1 hour 45 minutes
East Antrim	28 November 2007	1 hour 30 minutes
East Londonderry	7 November 2007	2 hours
Fermanagh & South Tyrone	29 August 2007 14 September 2007 14 November 2007 13 February 2008 5 March 2008	1 hour 30 minutes 3 hours 30 minutes 6 hours 45 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes 3 hours 45 minutes
Foyle	25 May 2007 15 June 2007 19 September 2007	1 hour 30 minutes 7 hours 15 minutes 5 hours 30 minutes
Lagan Valley	None
Mid Ulster	28 August 2007 30 August 2007	2 hours 2 hours
Newry & Armagh	17 May 2007 9 July 2007 17 July 2007 26 July 2007 2 August 2007 29 August 2007 7 September 2007 17 September 2007 26 September 2007 6 December 2007 19 December 2007 17 January 2007 27 February 2008	2 hours 30 minutes 1 hour 4 hours 15 minutes 1 hours 30 minutes 3 hours 2 hours 1 hour 1 hour 45 minutes 2 hours 30 minutes 2 hours 1 hour 30 minutes 2 hours 45 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes
North Antrim	30 July 2007 27 February 2008	4 hours 15 minutes 3 hours
North Down	31 October 2007	1 hour 30 minutes
South Antrim	25 July 2007 23 August 16 January 2008	1 hour 35 minutes 1 hour 1 hour 5 minutes
South Down	23 May 2007 26 September 2007 11 October 2007 5 December 2007 19 December 2007 17 January 2008 27 February 2008	1 hour 2 hours 3 hours 30 minutes 1 hour 2 hours 2 hours 15 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes
Strangford	5 July 2007	1 hour
Upper Bann	None
West Tyrone	29 August 2007 14 September 2007 14 November 2007 13 February 2008 5 March 2008	1 hour 30 minutes 3 hours 30 minutes 6 hours 45 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes 3 hours 45 minutes

For the purpose of this answer all diary engagements held outside Clarence Court or Stormont estate have been classified as a visit. Where a visit has spanned two constituencies it has been counted twice as it has not been possible to determine the exact amount of time spent in each constituency.

Larne West Suburbs

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the developments in the Larne West suburbs of Larne, as defined by the area study published in 1992, which have been adopted by his department; (ii) the date on which they were adopted.

(AQW 4772/08)

Mr C Murphy: I should firstly explain that the responsibility for bringing development roads to adoption standards rests with the developer. Since April 2007, the adoption of any new development has been dependant on a two stage process involving adoption of sewers within the development by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) (formerly Water Service) under the Water and Sewerage Services ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the adoption of the streets within the development by Roads Service, under the Private Streets Order. Prior to April 2007, Roads Service completed the adoption process as soon as both the development’s roads and sewers were properly constructed to the Department’s standards.

NIW and Roads Service work closely together to ensure that drainage systems and roads are constructed to the specified standards, before developments are adopted.

With regard to AQW 4772/08, the list of street names (within Larne West) and their adoption dates is as follows:

Street Name	Date of Adoption
Rowan Avenue	20/05/94
Linden Crescent	20/05/94, 30/11/94
Ashgrove	30/11/94
Chestnut Way	30/11/94, 03/06/97
The Beeches, Beech Grove (part)	15/07/05, 22/01/02
The Beeches(part)	12/04/99, 21/01/02
Gordonstown Avenue	09/11/00
Gordonvale Road/Drive	09/11/00, 08/05/02, 20/06/02, 09/11/03, 27/02/04
McGeagh Close	01/08/97
Ogilvie Court	09/12/97
Chism Court	31/12/97
Manse Field Park/Court	26/07/04
Alexandra Avenue	10/11/98
McFall Court	23/02/99
Graham Road	21/10/03, 27/02/04
Molyneaux Avenue	27/02/04, 09/02/07
Coey Close	21/10/03
Huntly Park	09/02/07
Shanks Park	27/02/04
Sandford Avenue (part)	09/02/07
Porter Crescent (part)	09/02/07

Larne West Suburbs

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the housing developments in the Larne West suburbs of Larne, as defined by the area study published in 1992, which have yet to be adopted by his department; and (ii) the date planning approval was granted for the developments.

(AQW 4773/08)

Mr C Murphy: I should firstly explain that the responsibility for bringing development roads to adoption standards rests with the developer. Since April 2007, the adoption of any new development has been dependant on a two stage process involving adoption of sewers within the development by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) (formerly Water Service) under the Water and Sewerage Services ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the adoption of the streets within the development by Roads Service, under the Private Streets Order. Prior to April 2007, Roads Service completed the adoption process as soon as both the development’s roads and sewers were properly constructed to the Department’s standards.

NIW and Roads Service work closely together to ensure that drainage systems and roads are constructed to the specified standards, before developments are adopted.

The list of street names (within Larne West) granted planning approval but not adopted by Roads Service is as follows:

Development Name	Date of Planning Approval
Walnut development – part distributor road, Walnut Road, Avenue, Park, and Drive	03/05/95
Walnut Park	14/08/97
Walnut Gardens , Green, Grove, and Close	06/11/02
Walnut Gardens , Green, Grove, and Close	04/02/04
Blackthorn development – part distributor road, Blackthorn Hollow	01/07/05
Blackthorn development – part distributor road, Blackthorn Hollow	25/01/05
Lindara development – part distributor road, Lindara	11/05/01
Lindara development – Lindara	03/06/05
Lindara development – Lindara	27/04/05
The Beeches – part distributor road	06/02/06
The Beeches – part distributor road	15/10/02
Oakdene	15/10/02
Oakdene	07/11/03
Oakdene	18/06/07
Oakdene	05/08/01
Development east of The Beeches distributor road	13/05/04
Hampton Manor – part Graham Road, part distributor road, adjoining roads	14/10/96
The Hamptons – part distributor road, adjoining roads	05/01/06
The Hamptons	09/10/07
North of Old Forge Manor and SW of 89 Ballyhampton Road	05/07/07

Traffic Congestion

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the action he is taking to address growing traffic congestion in South Belfast.

(AQW 4808/08)

Mr C Murphy: The Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) proposes a programme of up to 14 Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) focused on Belfast. In addition to those implemented to date, bus lanes are planned for the Lisburn Road, Malone Road and Saintfield Road corridors in South Belfast. The QBC network will be the backbone of the public transport system within Belfast and will feature improved bus frequencies, additional bus priority measures, better enforcement of bus lanes and improved access to bus stops. An additional 800 metres of bus lane on the Ormeau Road is planned for implementation by the end of March 2008 and Selective Vehicle Detection, which detects late buses and adjusts the signal timings to assist them, is being provided at all the traffic signals in South Belfast.

However, traffic levels are continuing to grow and the improved bus speeds associated with QBCs will be incremental and may not be fully delivered for some time.

The BMTP also includes proposals to encourage a modal shift from private car to public transport, walking and cycling. Over time, these initiatives are expected to contribute to a reduction in private car travel for journeys to the city centre, at peak times. Additional proposals, including a 700-space Park and Ride facility on the Saintfield Road at Cairnshill, effective car parking controls in the city centre and improvements to walking and cycling facilities are planned for implementation by 2015.

The improvement works to M1/Westlink, which is currently under construction, includes the widening of the roundabout and provision of traffic signals at Stockman’s Lane, the provision of underpasses at Broadway Junction and Grosvenor Road Junction, a dedicated bus lane from Broadway Junction to link to the bus lane into the Europa Bus Centre, the widening of the main carriageway between Stockman’s Lane and Grosvenor Road to provide three lanes in each direction and a controlled motorway system to control the speed and headway of traffic on the route using overhead gantries and signs. These significant improvements will provide additional capacity and reduce the pressure on associated routes into Belfast from the South.

My Department is also presently considering the case for a rapid transit network for Belfast, including the feasibility of a pilot route serving the Titanic Quarter to the city centre and onwards to Queen's University and the City Hospital.

As well as the above measures, Roads Service implements an ongoing programme of traffic management improvements throughout Belfast and this work will continue. The Roads Service Traffic Information and Control Centre monitors traffic movement at key junctions across Belfast, on an ongoing basis and adjusts signal timings to keep traffic moving as efficiently as possible.

Finally, the developers of the significant housing development on the Saintfield Road corridor will be required to deliver junction improvements at Primrose Hill, Knockbracken Road and Mealough Road to assist with traffic progression.

Roads Service Projects

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail, by parliamentary constituency, the amount of funding allocated to the Roads Service for projects in each of the next 3 years.

(AQW 4814/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service advises that its overall budget allocations for the 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 years have yet to be finalised. However, its capital allocation for the next three years is set out under the Investment Strategy as £612 million.

Roads Service does not budget on a parliamentary constituency basis, budget allocations are based on need rather than parliamentary boundary.

Comber By-Pass Project

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the action he has taken to address the objections of residents to the completion of the Comber by-pass project.

(AQW 4815/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that the current draft Ards and Down Area Plan includes a proposal to provide a link road from the Ballygowan Road to the Comber bypass. This proposed link road is known locally as Phase 3 of the Comber By-pass.

The scheme was the subject of a number of objections at the Area Plan Public Inquiry, which finished in January 2007. The Inspector’s report is expected by the end of March 2008 and Roads Service will consider any recommendations contained therein.

I would also point out that, should the scheme proceed further, additional opportunities will be afforded to all people affected to comment through the various statutory processes which may include Environmental Statement, Direction Order, Planning Application and Vesting Order. However, I have to add that the proposed road scheme is not considered a high priority and is not part of the Forward Planning Schedule of schemes being considered for construction within the next ten years.

Roads Service

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) in order of priority, the top 20 projects being dealt with by the Roads Service in the Strangford constituency; and (ii) the amount budgeted to be expended on them, in the financial year 2008-09.

(AQW 4816/08)

Mr C Murphy: The role of my Department’s Roads Service is to improve, manage and maintain the road network by delivering a programme of work across many different activities.

In spring each year, Roads Service presents an Annual Works Programme each District Council. This includes Capital Works which may vary from Major Highway and Minor Works Schemes to Traffic Management and Street Lighting Improvements.

As you will be aware, Strangford Constituency contains parts of the council districts of Ards, Castlereagh and Down. Roads Service is currently preparing the 2008/09 Annual Works Programme and presentations will be made to each council in the next few months.

In addition, maintenance activities are carried out by way of an annual programme of resurfacing work on many roads & footways and routine maintenance of the network including structures, signs, lines, grass cutting, etc.

Within this large spectrum of activity there are various types of improvement schemes and it is not possible to rank them into a prioritised list of 20 top schemes.

I can, however, advise that t here are two major road improvement schemes planned for the Strangford Constituency within the next three years:

• A20 Newtownards Southern Distributor: A 2km scheme being taken forward in conjunction with Castlebawn Development, to link the Blair Mayne Road South to the Comber Road and the Portaferry Road. Construction is estimated to cost £7.3 million.
• A20 Newtownards Frederick Street Link: Scheme to provide 0.3km of single carriageway link road. Construction is estimated to cost £1.2 million.

While some site preparatory work has commenced, work proper on both schemes will begin in April 2008.

In relation to minor improvements, I am advised that schemes for 2010/11 have not yet been identified. The table below contains a list of the indicative schemes for the next two years within the Strangford Constituency. However, I should point out that progress on these schemes will be subject to successful land acquisition and the availability of funding at that time.

	Scheme name	Description of works	Approximate costs
2008/09	U310 Quarter Road, Cloughey.	Footway provision	£100,000
	U126 Old Shore Road , Newtownards.	Footway provision	£80,000
	U126 at 88 Bowtown Road, Newtownards.	Provision of improved forward sight distance	£70,000
	Rowreagh Road/Rubane Road , Kircubbin.	Sightline improvement	£60,000
	Enler Park East, Dundonald	Footway reconstruction	45,000
	Wanstead Road , Dundonald	Do	30,000
	Park Drive , Dundonald	Do	10,000
	Saintfield Road	Cycle Route	70,000
	Comber Greenway		150,000
		Total Spend	£615,000
2009/10	A2 Ballyvester Road/Millisle Road , Donaghadee.	Sightline improvements.	£55,000
	C272 Carrickmannon Road/Bog Road , Ballygowan.	Sightline improvements.	£95,000
	C266 at 60 Ballyrainey Road, Newtownards.	Provision of improved forward sight distance.	£105.000
		Total Spend	£255,000

Pollution Incident

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to provide details of the pollution incident that occurred at Sixmilewater river, Antrim, on February 25; and to confirm whether departmental officials were responsible for this incident.

(AQW 4820/08)

Mr C Murphy: I understand that at approximately 23.30 on Monday 25 February 2008, the Police alerted my Department’s Roads Service to a fuel spillage at the Junction of Dublin Road/Castle Way, Antrim. Roads Service responded promptly and sprayed the roadway between the subject junction and the Ballymena Road with dispersant, in order to make the road safe for traffic. It was not possible for Roads Service to ascertain the amount of fuel spilt onto the road, as the offending vehicle had already departed the scene.

Officials from the Department of the Environment have advised that at 19.10 on Wednesday 27 February 2008 the Environment Heritage Service (EHS) received a report of an oil pollution incident affecting the Sixmilewater river downstream of Clotworthy House in Antrim.

EHS staff inspected the river and surrounding area from the point where the Sixmilewater discharges to Lough Neagh to a point upstream of the bridge on the Dublin Road. The investigations carried out on both Thursday 28 February and Friday 29 February were inconclusive and whilst a sheen of oil was observed on the river surface, no source of the oil was identified. The river tributaries and the watercourses in grounds around Clotworthy House were checked in order to determine if there was a requirement for the deployment of absorbent booms as a clean-up measure. However, nothing was found where this would have been of benefit.

On Friday 29 February, EHS were advised by Roads Service of the fuel spillage on the evening of Monday 25 February and that this had been dealt with, at the time, following Road Service’s incident response procedures.

Unadopted Roads

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to his answer to AQW 909/08, to detail (i) the roads in South Antrim constituency that are unadopted; and to confirm which of these roads are unadopted due to a developer defaulting on a bond.

(AQW 4821/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has compiled the following list of roads in the South Antrim area that remain unadopted and are subject to Private Streets Order Legislation.

The Oaks, Church Road, Randalstown

Bramblewood, Ballytromery Road, Crumlin

Glenoak Grange Close, Nutts Corner Road, Crumlin

Millmount, Bridge Street, Randalstown

Old Mill, Dunadry Road, Dunadry

The Brambles, Craigstown Road, Randalstown

Spire Way, Moneyglass

Castle Lodge, Castle Road, Randalstown

Between Castle Drive and Ashdale, Castle Road, Randalstown

Edgewood , Moylena Road, Antrim

St James Meadow, Cidercourt Road, Crumlin

Millhouse Village , Stiles Way, Antrim

Greenvale, Belmont Road, Antrim

Birchdale, Portglenone Road, Randalstown

The Mews, Cidercourt Road, Crumlin

Ballytromery Avenue , Ballytromery Road, Crumlin

Riveroaks, Mill Road, Crumlin

Carnbeg, Kilbegs Road, Antrim

Millwater Lodge, Mill Street, Crumlin

Grangers Mill, Seven Mile Straight, Muckamore

Junction One, Ballymena Road, Antrim

Cherrygrove, Belfast Road, Antrim

Millview, Clonboy Walk, Randalstown

Castle Avenue , Castle Road, Randalstown

Bushforde, Steeple Road, Antrim – Phase 1

Bushforde, Steeple Road, Antrim – Phase 2

Maple Park , Lurgan Road, Crumlin

Glencraig Manor, Springfarm Road, Antrim

The Cedars, Cunningham Way, Antrim

Bleach Green, Islandreagh Drive, Dunadry

Main Street , Crumlin

Dublin Road , Antrim

Fox Lodge, Dunadry

Niblock Oaks, Niblock Road, Antrim

Lamonts Mill, Riverside, Antrim

Moylena Court , Cunningham Way, Antrim

Ballymena Road (south dualling), Antrim

Internal Roads, Junction One, Antrim

Main Street , Toomebridge

Bush Road , Antrim

Main Street , Glenavy

Glebecoole Park , Carnmoney

Fernridge, Ballycraigy

Sally Gardens , Ballyclare Road

Ashford Lodge, Ballyclare Road

The Beeches, Mallusk

Huntingdale, Ballyclare

Lodge Row, Mallusk

Michelin Road , Mallusk

Milewater Way , Mossle y

Plantation Avenue , Ballyclare

Hawthorn Way, Ballyclare

Green Road , Ballyclare

Village Green, Ballyclare

Of the above, only one site at Main Street, Glenavy remains unadopted due to the developer defaulting on the road building bond.

In my previous reply to AQW 909/08, the Bramblewood development was listed as the developer having defaulted on the road bond. The circumstances in this case have now changed and the developer is carrying out remedial work on site.

As stated in my previous reply, no road bond was put in place for the Glenoak Grange Close development before the developer went into liquidation.

If the Member requires any further information for a particular development, he should feel free to contact my officials in Roads Service.

Park and Ride Schemes

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the locations of all park and ride, or park and share, facilities in South Antrim constituency.

(AQW 4824/08)

Mr C Murphy:

• I can advise that Park and Ride/Share facilities within the South Antrim Constituency, are provided by my Department’s Roads Service and by Translink at the following locations:
• Dunsilly Roundabout near Antrim.
• Ballygrooby Roundabout near Randalstown.
• Toome village.
• Templepatrick village.
• Antrim.
• Mossley West.

Comber By-Pass

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the amount expended on the final phase of the Comber by-pass to date; and to account for this figure.

(AQW 4825/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the current draft Ards and Down Area Plan includes a proposal to provide a link road from the Ballygowan Road to the Comber bypass. This proposed road is known locally as Phase 3 of the Comber bypass and would form the final link.

Comber By-Pass

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the contents of the Planning Appeals Commission inspector's report into the final phase of the Comber by-pass that he was due to receive at the end of 2007.

(AQW 4826/08)

Mr C Murphy: I can advise that the Planning Appeals Commission Inspector’s report into the final phase of the Comber by-pass , which was originally due at the end of 2007, is now expected before the end of March 2008. Roads Service will consider any recommendations the inspector makes in relation to Phase 3.

Street Lighting

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to make the street lighting scheme for the Coolessan Walk area of Limavady a priority undertaking in the upcoming financial year, in light of the recent arson attacks in the area.

(AQW 4847/08)

Mr C Murphy:

Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have confirmed that Phase 2 of the street lighting upgrade for Colessan Walk, Limavady has been programmed for the 2008/2009 financial year. It is likely that the work will take place during the summer of 2008 and should be fully operational for September 2008.

Newspaper Expenditure

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the amount his department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4848/08)

Mr C Murphy: The following table sets out the amounts spent by the Department for Regional Development on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last three years.  

Financial Year	Expenditure £
2004/05	28,893
2005/06	30,508
2006/07	28,609

The amounts include expenditure by Roads Service and also Water Service, which in the period up to 31 March 2007, was an Agency of the Department.

Head Cameras

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development if he has any plans to introduce head cameras for traffic attendants.

(AQW 4853/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service and NCP Services Ltd are considering the possibility of introducing head cameras for Traffic Attendants carrying out parking enforcement duties. When the necessary investigations have been completed, head cameras may be used in a pilot scheme to test the potential benefits of their use.

Light Rail System

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail any plans he has to include South Belfast in a proposed light rail system for Belfast.

(AQW 4896/08)

Mr C Murphy: In 2007 my Department commissioned a study to examine the feasibility of a pilot Rapid Transit system for Belfast. This study examined the potential for a number of Rapid Transit routes (both bus based and light rail) including connecting Queens University and Belfast City Hospital to Belfast City centre.

I am currently reviewing the study findings and will be discussing it with the Regional Development Committee and Executive shortly.

Staff Callouts

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the steps he is taking to reduce the high level of call-outs of his department's staff over the Christmas and New Year period and what steps have been taken to put a new strategy in place.

(AQW 4898/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has call-out arrangements in place to ensure a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week response to roads related emergency incidents. Call-outs, involving Roads Service personnel, who are on standby every night throughout the winter season, are made in response to road conditions. Call outs can be prompted by members of the public, the emergency services, other organisations requiring assistance or as part of our winter service arrangements. The number of call-outs, over any given period, cannot be anticipated.

Roads Service has no plans to put a new strategy in place that would change its existing call-out arrangements.

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has advised me that it responds to customer calls with regard to water or sewerage incidents in line with its Customer Charter. This is on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis, including public holidays. The level of call-outs over the Christmas/New Year period was broadly in line with other times of the year, taking into account their dependence on the impact of weather conditions, etc.

NIW plans to invest £647 million in its water and wastewater infrastructure by 2011 and £1.4 billion by 2014. This investment aims to improve drinking water quality, safeguard public health, protect the environment and improve services to customers.

NIW envisages that this will reduce key contributors to call-outs relating to problems with water quality, low pressure, unplanned interruptions, incidents of pollution and sewer flooding.

Traffic Calming Measures

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the reasons for delay in assessing traffic calming measures in Olympia Drive, Belfast.

(AQW 4904/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that the traffic survey on Olympia Drive, originally planned for January 2008, has been delayed due to technical difficulties encountered with the automatic survey equipment on other sites.

These include:-

• vandalism of equipment leading to the need to resurvey;
• erroneous data collected, mostly likely due to parked cars, again resulting in the need to carry out additional surveys; and
• teething problems associated with a new software data analysis package.

I understand that the survey has been re-scheduled to be completed before the end of May 2008.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mrs C McGill asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail, in addition to his department's mainstream responsibilities, the resources that have been allocated to (i) Neighbourhood Renewal Areas; and (ii) the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area, in each of the last 2 years.

(AQW 4910/08)

Mr C Murphy:

Officials from my Department’s Road Service have advised that no other resources, in addition to its mainstream responsibilities, were allocated to Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (NRAs) in 2006. In 2007/08 it will contribute £30,000 to a scheme in Coalisland NRA and £40,000 to a scheme in O’Kane Park, Omagh.

No resources, in addition to Roads Service’s mainstream responsibilities, have been specifically allocated to the Strabane NRA.

Roads Service

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) in order of priority, the top 20 projects being dealt with by the Roads Service in the Strangford constituency; and (ii) the amount budgeted to be expended on them, in the financial year 2009-10.

(AQW 4916/08)

Mr C Murphy: The role of my Department’s Roads Service is to improve, manage and maintain the road network by delivering a programme of work across many different activities.

In spring each year, Roads Service presents an Annual Works Programme each District Council. This includes Capital Works which may vary from Major Highway and Minor Works Schemes to Traffic Management and Street Lighting Improvements.

As you will be aware, Strangford Constituency contains parts of the council districts of Ards, Castlereagh and Down. Roads Service is currently preparing the 2008/09 Annual Works Programme and presentations will be made to each council in the next few months.

In addition, maintenance activities are carried out by way of an annual programme of resurfacing work on many roads & footways and routine maintenance of the network including structures, signs, lines, grass cutting, etc.

Within this large spectrum of activity there are various types of improvement schemes and it is not possible to rank them into a prioritised list of 20 top schemes.

I can, however, advise that t here are two major road improvement schemes planned for the Strangford Constituency within the next three years:

• A20 Newtownards Southern Distributor: A 2km scheme being taken forward in conjunction with Castlebawn Development, to link the Blair Mayne Road South to the Comber Road and the Portaferry Road. Construction is estimated to cost £7.3 million.
• A20 Newtownards Frederick Street Link: Scheme to provide 0.3km of single carriageway link road. Construction is estimated to cost £1.2 million.

While some site preparatory work has commenced, work proper on both schemes will begin in April 2008.

In relation to minor improvements, I am advised that schemes for 2010/11 have not yet been identified. The table below contains a list of the indicative schemes for the next two years within the Strangford Constituency. However, I should point out that progress on these schemes will be subject to successful land acquisition and the availability of funding at that time.

	Scheme name	Description of works	Approximate costs
2008/09	U310 Quarter Road, Cloughey.	Footway provision	£100,000
	U126 Old Shore Road , Newtownards.	Footway provision	£80,000
	U126 at 88 Bowtown Road, Newtownards.	Provision of improved forward sight distance	£70,000
	Rowreagh Road/Rubane Road , Kircubbin.	Sightline improvement	£60,000
	Enler Park East, Dundonald	Footway reconstruction	45,000
	Wanstead Road , Dundonald	Do	30,000
	Park Drive , Dundonald	Do	10,000
	Saintfield Road	Cycle Route	70,000
	Comber Greenway		150,000
		Total Spend	£615,000
2009/10	A2 Ballyvester Road/Millisle Road , Donaghadee.	Sightline improvements.	£55,000
	C272 Carrickmannon Road/Bog Road , Ballygowan.	Sightline improvements.	£95,000
	C266 at 60 Ballyrainey Road, Newtownards.	Provision of improved forward sight distance.	£105.000
		Total Spend	£255,000

 

Roads Service

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) in order of priority, the top 20 projects being dealt with by the Roads Service in the Strangford constituency; and (ii) the amount budgeted to be expended on them, in the financial year 2010-11.

(AQW 4917/08)

Mr C Murphy: The role of my Department’s Roads Service is to improve, manage and maintain the road network by delivering a programme of work across many different activities.

In spring each year, Roads Service presents an Annual Works Programme each District Council. This includes Capital Works which may vary from Major Highway and Minor Works Schemes to Traffic Management and Street Lighting Improvements.

As you will be aware, Strangford Constituency contains parts of the council districts of Ards, Castlereagh and Down. Roads Service is currently preparing the 2008/09 Annual Works Programme and presentations will be made to each council in the next few months.

In addition, maintenance activities are carried out by way of an annual programme of resurfacing work on many roads & footways and routine maintenance of the network including structures, signs, lines, grass cutting, etc.

Within this large spectrum of activity there are various types of improvement schemes and it is not possible to rank them into a prioritised list of 20 top schemes.

I can, however, advise that t here are two major road improvement schemes planned for the Strangford Constituency within the next three years:

• A20 Newtownards Southern Distributor: A 2km scheme being taken forward in conjunction with Castlebawn Development, to link the Blair Mayne Road South to the Comber Road and the Portaferry Road. Construction is estimated to cost £7.3 million.
• A20 Newtownards Frederick Street Link: Scheme to provide 0.3km of single carriageway link road. Construction is estimated to cost £1.2 million.

While some site preparatory work has commenced, work proper on both schemes will begin in April 2008.

In relation to minor improvements, I am advised that schemes for 2010/11 have not yet been identified. The table below contains a list of the indicative schemes for the next two years within the Strangford Constituency. However, I should point out that progress on these schemes will be subject to successful land acquisition and the availability of funding at that time.

 

	Scheme name	Description of works	Approximate costs
2008/09	U310 Quarter Road, Cloughey.	Footway provision	£100,000
	U126 Old Shore Road , Newtownards.	Footway provision	£80,000
	U126 at 88 Bowtown Road, Newtownards.	Provision of improved forward sight distance	£70,000
	Rowreagh Road/Rubane Road , Kircubbin.	Sightline improvement	£60,000
	Enler Park East, Dundonald	Footway reconstruction	45,000
	Wanstead Road , Dundonald	Do	30,000
	Park Drive , Dundonald	Do	10,000
	Saintfield Road	Cycle Route	70,000
	Comber Greenway		150,000
		Total Spend	£615,000
2009/10	A2 Ballyvester Road/Millisle Road , Donaghadee.	Sightline improvements.	£55,000
	C272 Carrickmannon Road/Bog Road , Ballygowan.	Sightline improvements.	£95,000
	C266 at 60 Ballyrainey Road, Newtownards.	Provision of improved forward sight distance.	£105.000
		Total Spend	£255,000

Water Connections

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail, for each of the last 6 months, (i) the number; and (ii) the cost, of call outs by Northern Ireland Water to the Ballygowan Road, Comber area to repair water connections.

(AQW 4918/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that there was a total of eight call outs during the past six months, to repair burst water mains at Ballygowan Road, Comber. The monthly breakdown is as follows:-

 

Month	Call Outs
September 2007	2
October 2007	1
November 2007	1
December 2007	2
January 2008	1
February 2008	1

Northern Ireland Water has assessed the average cost of each call out to be £500.00.

Car Share Scheme

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the number of people that have participated in the Travelwise Northern Ireland Car Share Scheme since it was launched in June 2005.

(AQW 4932/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that since its launch in June 2005, there have been 2458 participants in the Travelwise Car Share Scheme, with 1345(55%) of those participants having secured a matching journey.

Complaints Procedure

Mr F Cobain asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the extent to which the Roads Service has met its target of (i) responding to all verbal complaints by the end of the next working day; and (ii) issuing substantive replies to 95% of written complaints within 15 working days.

(AQW 4933/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that the 2007/08 performance to 31 December 2007 concerning complaints received is as follows:-

(i) responded to 95% of all verbal complaints by the end of the next working day; and

(ii) substantive replies issued to 95% of written complaints within 15 working days.

Park and Ride Schemes

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail his plans to upgrade park and ride schemes along the Larne to Belfast railway line in the 2008-09 financial year.

(AQW 4939/08)

Mr C Murphy: Plans are in place to upgrade the Whitehead Park and Ride facility by providing an additional 20 spaces. The scheme is scheduled for completion by October 2008.

Other schemes, providing a total of 164 additional places, are planned for Greenisland, Jordanstown and Whiteabbey. It is anticipated that these schemes will be complete by the summer of 2009.

Farmhill Road

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) to detail the extent and nature of works planned for Farmhill Road; (ii) to provide a timescale within which works are scheduled to commence on the culvert replacement scheme at the Cookstown Road end of the Farmhill Road; and (iii) if the Roads Service is committed to providing a footpath along the entire stretch of Farmhill Road.

(AQW 4941/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service has plans to realign a 200 metre length of the Farmhill Road in the vicinity of its junction with the Ballynamullan Road. The work will include the replacement of Ballynamullan Bridge, which is narrow and of poor alignment, and the provision of visibility sight splays at the Farmhill Road / Ballynamullan Road junction. Consultation with the relevant landowners is ongoing.

There are also plans to replace a culvert adjacent to house number 17 at the Cookstown Road end of Farmhill Road, and provide a short 20 metre length of link footway. Design work for the culvert replacement is nearing completion and it is anticipated that a work instruction will be issued to the contractor in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Roads Service has no plans to provide a footway along the full length of Farmhill Road.

Disability Access

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline his plans to provide disability access between platforms at train stations, including Lisburn.

(AQW 4942/08)

Mr C Murphy: Translink, in consultation with Disability Action, is undertaking a programme of works to improve access at its railway halts and stations at a total cost of £10.9 million. These works, which are expected to be completed in August this year, aim to make the main railway stations fully accessible and to improve access to all railway halts.

Regarding Lisburn Station, lifts are being installed to enable access to all platforms, and are scheduled to be operational by May 2008.

Parking Regulations

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development to confirm if he plans to implement new parking regulations similar to those implemented in England under the Traffic Management Act 2004.

(AQW 4949/08)

Mr C Murphy: The Traffic Management ( Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (the 2005 Order) introduced arrangements for civil enforcement of certain traffic offences in the North. Some of the new powers in The Traffic Management Act 2004 are already included in the 2005 Order. I have no plans, at present, to amend the 2005 Order.

External Consultancy

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail his department's policy in relation to external consultancy.

(AQW 4950/08)

Mr C Murphy: The use of external consultants by Government Departments here in the North, including my Department, is governed by DAO (DFP) 03/05, which sets out the operational parameters within which external consultancy services are procured and managed.

DRD supplemented this DAO with a detailed guidance manual, which sets out specific requirements and procedures relating to the procurement and use of consultants in my Department.

In addition, the procurement of consultancy services is subject to the same general principles that apply to any other area of public expenditure i.e. regularity, propriety and value for money.

Donemana Wastewater Treatment Works

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the current capacity of Donemana Wastewater Treatment Works.

(AQW 4958/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it is currently undertaking a comprehensive exercise to assess the treatment capability of wastewater treatment works across the North, based on the most up to date demographic information and planning projections. This work is scheduled for completion during 2008.

The Chief Executive of NIW will write to you when the full assessment of Donemana Wastewater Treatment Works is complete.

Donemana Wastewater Treatment Works

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail his plans to upgrade the wastewater treatment works at (i) Donemana; and (ii) Douglas Bridge.

(AQW 4959/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it is currently undertaking a comprehensive exercise to assess the treatment capability of wastewater treatment works across the North, based on the most up to date demographic information and planning projections. This work is scheduled for completion during 2008. The results of this exercise will determine whether or not Donemana Wastewater Treatment Works will need to be upgraded to cater for future development in the area. The Chief Executive of NIW will write to you when the full assessment of the Works is complete.

NIW plans to upgrade Douglas Bridge Wastewater Treatment Works, in conjunction with Victoria Bridge Wastewater Treatment Works, at a cost of £2 million. However, due to competing priorities, work is not scheduled to commence until 2011/12 subject to funding being available following the regulatory periodic review in 2009. The work will take approximately one year to complete.

Rail Passengers

Mr B Armstrong asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the number of passengers travelling by rail on (i) the Belfast to Derry/Londonderry line; (ii) the Larne line; (iii) the Bangor line; (iv) the Portadown line and (v) the cross-border line, in each of the last 10 years.

(AQW 4970/08)

Mr C Murphy: The following table provides Northern Ireland Railways passenger journey numbers on (i) the Belfast to Derry line; (ii) the Larne line; (iii) the Bangor line; (iv) the Portadown line and (v) the cross-border line, in each of the last 10 years. For completeness, the passenger journey information is also provided for the Portrush line.

	1998/99	1999/00	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03
Derry	560,997	561,411	582,643	631,029	454,468
Larne	1,467,440	1,473,570	1,636,591	1,769,808	1,794,757
Bangor	1,454,722	1,378,236	1,335,489	1,316,928	1,571,457
Portadown	1,258,926	1,370,513	1,579,785	1,698,199	1,769,503
Portrush	223,372	209,145	280,831	345,190	276,195
Cross Border	846,997	934,423	976,658	953,122	1,164,676

 

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08 Forecast
Derry	652,262	850,056	874,954	1,020,685	1,160,944
Larne	1,811,187	1,827,617	1,477,979	1,720,190	1,904,798
Bangor	1,544,386	1,517,315	1,860,752	1,956,801	2,050,351
Portadown	1,855,165	1,940,826	2,171,165	2,505,059	3,006,324
Portrush	370,939	465,682	508,486	518,160	466,000
Cross Border	1,000,830	836,983	819,630	809,157	899,162

 

In 2004/05 the method of counting passenger journeys changed. The 2000/01 to 2002/03 journeys are original estimates revised to be comparable with the new method. Figures prior to this have not been revised.

In 2003/04 there were problems with the Translink ticketing system. Consequently the 2003/04 figure is a mid point estimate of the years 2002/03 and 2004/05.

Culmore Wastewater Treatment Works

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the current level of raw sewage passing through the Culmore Wastewater Treatment Works each day; (ii) the projections that have been made of future increases in daily flows through the works; and (iii) how these projections compare with the current capacity of the works.

(AQW 4977/08)

Mr C Murphy: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it is currently undertaking a comprehensive exercise to assess the treatment capability of wastewater treatment works across the North, based on the most up to date demographic information and planning projections. This work is scheduled for completion during 2008.

Early indications are that Culmore Wastewater Treatment Works is currently operating at approximately 80% of capacity and could further accommodate approximately 6,800 properties. However, this initial assessment will need to be confirmed as part of the review. The Chief Executive of NIW will write to you when the full assessment of the Works is complete.

Traffic Survey

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the purpose of the traffic survey currently being carried out on the A8; and (ii) the methodology being used.

(AQW 4979/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service advise that the purpose of the traffic survey being carried out is to establish existing traffic movement along the A8 corridor and inform the traffic model used to predict further levels. This information is used to advise on the economic appraisal of route options.

The methodology being used includes:-

• road side interviews - these select a sample of vehicles and ask specific questions to ascertain details such as origin/destination and purpose of trip;
• automatic traffic counters - which record the volume of traffic using the route;
• classified junction turning counts - which ascertain the movement of vehicles at junctions;
• journey time surveys; and
• pedestrian and cyclist usage surveys along the route.

Roundabout Scheme

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the potential schemes that the proposed A23 Moneyreagh Road/B178 Hillsborough Road 4 leg roundabout was compared against; and (ii) the criteria used when deciding it did not compare favourably to those schemes.

(AQW 4989/08)

Mr C Murphy:

When considering any potential Minor Works Improvement scheme, my Department’s Roads Service carries out an assessment to prioritise schemes according to need and value for money, ensuring the best use of limited resources.

The assessment process takes account of a number of factors, including the recorded injury collision history, volumes of traffic using the route and value for money. Implementation of any scheme is then subject to the availability of the necessary land and finance.

Examples of schemes which are included in Eastern Division’s programme for the 2008-09 financial year are:-

• a signalised junction at Wilmar Road/McKinstry Road, Lisburn;
• slip lane extension at A49 Ballynahinch Road/Saintfield Road;
• provision of new footway at Ballyeaston Road and Lower Ballyboley Road, Ballyeaston; and
• bridge widening and new footway at Park Road, Newtownabbey.

Schemes provisionally programmed for the 2009-10 financial year include a junction improvement on the B170 at Craigantlet Crossroads.

In the case of the A23 Moneyreagh Road scheme, the cost of the land required is significantly higher than had been included in previous estimates. This means that the scheme would not rank highly compared to other potential Minor Works schemes within Eastern Division.

A major road improvement scheme at this location could also have implications for the development potential of adjoining land. In view of these and the increase in the estimated cost of the scheme, Roads Service considers that it would be prudent to await the findings of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan before deciding on whether to commit to funding a possible scheme at this location.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the protocols he follows in informing MLAs that he will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 4993/08)

Mr C Murphy:

My Private Office notifies MLAs in the respective constituency, via e-mail, at least 24 hours in advance of a visit.

This is in line with current guidance which issued on 12 February 2008 from the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the number of public appointments that have been made by his department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 5021/08)

Mr C Murphy: Since the restoration of devolution my Department has made 24 public appointments, including 15 reappointments. Of these appointments three were female and eight were councillors (including one female).

Unadopted Housing

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail any assessment made in relation to the need to update the Private Streets Order ( Northern Ireland 1980) in order to address the growing problems associated with unadopted housing estates.

(AQW 5029/08)

Mr C Murphy: I am pleased to advise that officials from my Department’s Roads Service have established a team to determine whether the Private Streets Order remains fit for purpose. The team will consider a wide range of issues which may require revisions to the order. They intend to conclude this phase of their work with the next 3 months.

Unadopted Housing

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister for Regional Development what action will be taken to address the serious problems associated with the backlog of unadopted private housing estates in the South Antrim area.

(AQW 5030/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that the responsibility for bringing new development roads to adoption standards rests with developers. To secure the provision of a road layout to the Department’s standards, development sites are normally covered by a Bond under the Private Streets (NI) Order 1980.

The purpose of this bond is to ensure that the developer constructs the roads and sewers to the required standard as detailed on the Private Streets determination plan, approved at planning approval stage. If the developer defaults Roads Service can take enforcement action under the Private Streets (NI) Order 1980 and use this bond money to make good the roads and sewers. However, before this action is taken, Roads Service, in conjunction with Northern Ireland Water, will attempt to work with developers to resolve any problems. If that approach fails then the Department will move to enforcement action under the Private Streets (NI) Order 1980.

Roads Service has an ongoing commitment to tackle the problem of unadopted housing development estate roads. These backlog Private Streets Developments in the South Antrim area have been listed and brought forward on an ‘individual site’ basis to effectively tackle specific problems.

Parking Bays

Mr D Simpson asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to his answer to AQW 4054/08, to confirm if he will consider increasing the financial penalty for motorists who park in a disabled parking bay.

(AQW 5071/08)

Mr C Murphy: Officials from my Department’s Roads Service have advised that the current amount of a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) issued to a vehicle parked in a disabled persons parking space, without displaying a valid badge, is £60. I consider this to be a reasonable charge which provides a sufficient deterrent in relation to the contravention.

Roads Service, through its parking enforcement contract with NCP Services Ltd, will continue to provide enforcement against this contravention, as a priority.

Road Improvements

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the spend on road safety and road improvement in each of the Belfast electoral areas over each of the last three years.

(AQW 5085/08)

Mr C Murphy: My Department’s Roads Service does not hold detail of spend, relating to road safety and road improvement, at electoral area level.

However, it can provide relevant information at Council area level. The total level of spend on road safety and road improvement in the Belfast City Council area in 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2006/07 is summarised in the table below:

	Expenditure (£k)
	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
TOTAL	4,620	4,281	24,106

Free Travel

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to provide a definitive date for the introduction of free travel for people aged 60 and over.

(AQW 5111/08)

Mr C Murphy: I am planning that the first journeys under the proposed scheme will be made in October 2008. Until final consultation on the policy and the Equality Impact Assessment has been completed, I am unable to set a firm date.

Social Development

Housing Executive Land

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to confirm whether the proceeds of any future sale of Northern Ireland Housing Executive land will be reinvested in the district in which the land was located.

(AQW 4591/08)

The Minister for Social Development (Ms M Ritchie): The proceeds of any sales are treated as capital receipts and the extent to which these can be retained is subject to budget allocation by the Department of Finance and Personnel.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mrs C McGill asked the Minister for Social Development to detail, in addition to her department's mainstream responsibilities, the resources that have been allocated to (i) Neighbourhood Renewal Areas; and (ii) the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area, in each of the last 2 years.

(AQW 4700/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The information below provides details of the specific allocations to Neighbourhood Renewal areas generally and specifically to the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal area for the years in question. Other departmental resources are available to Neighbourhood Renewal areas however information on amounts spent in these areas is not collected.

Resources Allocated to the 36 Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

	2006/2007 £	2007/2008 £
Neighbourhood Renewal allocation	£20,861,000	£23,457,000
Integrated Development Fund	£10,000,000	£4,000,000
Public Realm	£4,357,000	£3,507,000
Urban Development Grant	£2,416,000	£2,547,000

Resources Allocated to Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area

	2006/2007 £	2007/2008 £
Neighbourhood Renewal allocation	£347,361	£323,162
Integrated Development Fund	£390,628	£316,000
Public Realm	£116,359	£271,290
Urban Development Grant	£0	£38,000

 

Houses of Non-Occupation

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Social Development if an assessment has been carried in relation to public housing being used as 'giro drop' houses (houses of non-occupation); and to detail the findings of this assessment.

(AQW 4720/08)

Ms M Ritchie: In January 2008, the Housing Executive initiated a programme of visits to some 18,000 public-sector properties in areas where the risk of non-occupation is deemed to be the highest. These properties will be checked to verify that they are occupied by the legitimate tenants.

By the end of February just over 11,500 Executive properties had been checked.  Nine have been recovered after being found unoccupied and 13 Housing Benefit claims have been terminated as a result.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), or acceptable behaviour contracts, issued by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 4760/08)

Ms M Ritchie: Anti Social Behaviour Orders were introduced into Northern Ireland in 2004. The number of Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) are detailed below.

	2005	2006	2007	Jan/Feb 2008
ASBOs	1	1	0	0
ABCs	6	18	23	4

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Social Development to detail, by date and duration, all visits she has made to each of the 18 constituencies since taking up her post.

(AQW 4769/08)

Ms M Ritchie: I have set out in the table below the dates of my visits in each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland from 08 May 2007 to 10 March inclusive. Information on the duration of each visit is not held. Some visits involved more than one venue visited in the constituency on the date provided.

Constituency	Dates
Belfast East	3, 10 September 2007 22 October 2007 14 November 2007
Belfast North	3 July 2007 6, 8 August 2007 12, 17 September 2007 16 October 2007 1 November 2007 7, 19 December 2007 22, 23, 30 January 2008
Belfast South	4, 11, 18, 20, 21 June 2007 13 August 2007 6 September 2007 12 February 2008 4, 5 March 2008
Belfast West	6, 20, 21 June 2007 19 July 2007 8 August 2007 3 October 2007 19 December 2007 6 February 2008 6 March 2008
East Antrim	15 August 2007 5 December 2007 30 January 2008
East Londonderry	17 October 2007
Fermanagh/South Tyrone	23 August 2007 20 September 2007 3, 26 October 2007 14 December 2007
Foyle	29 August 2007 19 October 2007 6, 13 December 2007 20 February 2008
Lagan Valley	8, 13 August 2007 17 December 2007
Mid Ulster	4 October 2007
Newry & Armagh	6 June 2007 30 August 2007 5, 19 September 2007 29 November 2007 20 December 2007 18 January 2008 6, 7 March 2008
Newry & Armagh	6 June 2007 30 August 2007 5, 19 September 2007 29 November 2007 20 December 2007 18 January 2008 6, 7 March 2008
North Antrim	9 July 2007 21 August 2007 12, 26 September 2007
North Down	19 September 2007
South Antrim	26 September 2007 21 November 2007 12 December 2007
South Down	15, 20 June 2007 30 August 2007 28 September 2007 19 October 2007 16, 30 November 2007 17 January 2008 8 February 2008
Strangford	21 November 2007 5 December 2007 10 March 2008
Upper Bann	28 August 2007 29 November 2007 6, 7 March 2008
West Tyrone	13 June 2007 14 December 2007 23 January 2008

 

Housing Executive Properties

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail, for each of the last 5 years, the number of Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties that have been allocated to foreign nationals, broken down by district office.

(AQW 4771/08)

Ms M Ritchie: This information is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost

Warm Homes Scheme

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to her answer to AQW 3574/08, to detail the reasons for the large variation in the average length of time taken between application and instruction to install under the Warm Homes Scheme, for each district council area.

(AQW 4780/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Warm Homes Scheme is oversubscribed and variations are primarily due to the popularity of the Scheme. The number of referrals received for each area varies and applications for only insulation measures are completed more quickly than those for both heating and insulation for reasons of cost and the complex nature of the work involved.

Warm Homes Scheme

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to her answer to AQW 3545/08, to detail the reasons for the large variation in the numbers of outstanding applications for heating between each of the 5 areas indicated.

(AQW 4781/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The number of applications for assistance from the Warm Homes Scheme can vary from area to area which means the number of outstanding applications will inevitably be different. The cost of carrying out an oil upgrade or repair has also risen considerably in recent times. The costs of converting to gas heating is cheaper, however, many applicants are reluctant to convert to gas where available, preferring to wait considerably longer for an oil repair or upgrade.

Private Sector Grant Scheme

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for a £40m private sector grant scheme to promote sustainability.

(AQW 4792/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The funding which I announced is for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s Private Sector Grants Scheme which covers a broad range of assistance.

Grant aid performs three main functions.

• It helps vulnerable people, particularly elderly people and people on very low incomes, to live comfortably and safely in their own homes.
• It supports a wide range of housing strategies including the Rural Housing strategy, urban regeneration, housing and health and the empty homes strategy.
• It offers a very cost effective way of providing affordable housing both for first time buyers and private tenants.

Grant aid therefore makes an important contribution to sustainability within the housing stock. Most importantly, it helps low income and more vulnerable households improve their existing housing to a good standard.

Code for Sustainable Homes

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her department's plans has to adopt the UK Government's 'Code for Sustainable Homes' as the future template for the building of social housing.

(AQW 4793/08)

Ms M Ritchie: I refer to the answer that I gave to Mr Willie Clarke in response to AQW 32238/08.

All social new build self-contained homes are already required, as a condition of Housing Association Grant funding, to achieve the Eco Homes very good standard which is broadly equivalent to the three star rating of the “Code for Sustainable Homes” standard.

From 1 April 2008 it will be made mandatory for all new build self-contained social housing schemes to achieve the Code for Sustainable Homes minimum three star rating.

Newspaper Expenditure

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her department's expenditure on (i) newspapers; (ii) magazines; and (iii) periodicals, in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 4798/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The money spent by the Department for Social Development in the last three years is detailed in the table below.

Department for Social Development	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Expenditure	£22,432.69	£19,118.65	£23,138.60

The financial information requested is not recorded within the Department in the categories stipulated; therefore, the figures quoted include payments in respect of books, newspapers and library journals.

Home Improvement Grants

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister for Social Development to detail, for each of the last 3 years, the number of applicants for Northern Ireland Housing Executive Home Improvement Grants, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

(AQW 4809/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The information requested is not readily available in the format requested. However, t he following table details, for each of the last 3 years, the number of preliminary enquiry forms received for Home Improvement Grants, broken down by District Council area:

District Council	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	Totals
Antrim	165	147	158	470
Ards	406	331	240	977
Armagh	386	423	441	1,250
Ballymena	208	165	191	564
Ballymoney	119	88	129	336
Banbridge	210	196	243	649
Belfast	2,345	2,201	1,951	6,497
Carrickfergus	191	171	223	585
Castlereagh	371	278	262	911
Coleraine	343	256	203	802
Cookstown	393	326	448	1,167
Craigavon	567	581	561	1,709
Derry	796	801	785	2,382
Down	415	380	508	1,303
Dungannon	597	512	486	1,595
Fermanagh	759	684	913	2,356
Larne	207	233	201	641
Limavady	189	199	199	587
Lisburn	460	475	546	1,481
Magherafelt	241	260	272	773
Moyle	96	46	76	218
Newry and Mourne	877	1,124	1,229	3,230
Newtownabbey	470	400	444	1,314
North Down	325	269	253	847
Omagh	481	398	401	1,280
Strabane	440	417	432	1,289
Total	12,057	11,361	11,795	35,213

 

*The submission of a Preliminary Enquiry form represents an initial expression of interest in the Home Improvement Grant scheme. Not all Preliminary Enquiries however result in formal applications for grant aid.

Private Tenancies Order

Mr F Cobain asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of private landlords against whom enforcement action has been taken under The Private Tenancies ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006, broken down by district council area.

(AQW 4818/08)

Ms M Ritchie: District Councils are very proactive in carrying out their responsibilities under the Private Tenancies ( Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and in many cases are working to resolve issues without the need for enforcement action. I am unable to provide the information on the number of landlords; however, the t able below details the number of cases where enforcement action against landlords has been taken, broken down by district council area.

 

Council	No of Cases
Ards	1
Ballymoney	2
Banbridge	13
Belfast	42
Carrick	14
Castlereagh	5
Craigavon	3
Down	1
Dungannon	1
Newtownabbey	3

Housing Benefit Claimants

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of housing benefit claimants in the South Antrim constituency, who receive partial payment towards their privately rented accommodation fees because their rented accommodation is larger than the recipient is entitled to claim under existing housing benefit eligibility criteria.

(AQW 4822/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The information requested is not available. The Housing Executive does not specifically record information on Housing Benefit claims in relation to size of accommodation.

Housing Benefit Claimants

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of housing benefit claimants who reside in South Antrim constituency.

(AQW 4823/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The total number of Housing Benefit claimants in the South Antrim constituency is 7549.

These include tenants in:

NIHE Properties	4785
Housing Association properties	568
Private rented properties	2196

The South Antrim Constituency includes Housing Executive Districts Newtownabbey 1 and 2 and Antrim.

Replacement Grants

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development what consideration she will give to increasing the amount of the replacement grant, given the impact of rising building costs and inflation.

(AQW 4864/08)

Ms M Ritchie: Renovation Grant is the normal grant for dealing with unfitness. It is only where it is economically or technically advantageous to replace a property that a Replacement Grant is offered. An increase in the level of grant aid is not considered appropriate. Indeed there may be a case for bringing the grant to the same level as the maximum Renovation Grant so that there is no incentive in grant terms for an applicant to pursue replacement over renovation.

Hostel Accommodation

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of applicants for public housing in the Ards council area that were offered hostel accommodation, due to appropriate housing not being available, in 2005-2006; 2006-2007; and 2007-2008.

(AQW 4867/08)

Ms M Ritchie: Temporary accommodation is provided to homeless households under the duties set out in the Housing ( Northern Ireland) Order 1988. Where someone presents as homeless, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has reason to believe that is the case, he or she is placed in temporary accommodation. This service is provided to households while their homelessness assessment is undertaken and to households who are accepted as statutory homeless and awarded Full Duty Homeless Status pending permanent re housing. The number of households presenting as homeless to the Housing Executive’s Newtownards District Office and requiring temporary accommodation for each of the last three years is as follows:

 

Year	Housing Executive hostel placements	Voluntary Sector hostel placements	Private Sector temporary accommodation placements	Totals
2005/2006	27	17	32	76
2006/2007	19	13	27	59
2007/2008 (to February)	15	18	12	45

 

Housing Benefit

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development, in the light of the large increases in the cost of private rental accommodation, to outline her plans to increase the amount of housing benefit that can be offered by the Housing Executive.

(AQW 4868/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive does take account of the cost of private rental accommodation when calculating a private sector claimant’s entitlement to Housing Benefit. In addition, the amount of the claimants weekly income, the number and circumstances of other people residing with the claimant and any special circumstances that may exist are taken into consideration,

Beyond the annual benefit up-rating which takes place in April each year and applies to both the social and private rented sector I have no plans to increase the amount of Housing Benefit payable.

I consider that the future of housing provision within Northern Ireland is best served by the social and private sectors working together to promote more opportunity and choice for tenants.

Registered Carers

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of registered carers who are over 60 years of age.

(AQW 4871/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The information requested is not available as my Department does not hold a list of registered carers.

Registered Properties

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of (i) Housing Association properties; (ii) Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties; and (iii) privately owned properties, in (a) Ballymoney; (b) Dunloy; (c) Rasharkin; and (d) Stranocum.

(AQW 4882/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The social housing stock at 31 March 2007 was as follows:

	Ballymoney Town	Dunloy	Rasharkin	Stranocum
Housing Executive	721	79	138	28
Housing Associations	158	0	2	0

Information on private sector stock is not available in the form requested. Rates Collection Agency figures show that there are 7086 privately owned dwellings in the Moyle District Council area

Registered Properties

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of (i) Housing Association properties; (ii) Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties; and (iii) privately owned properties, in the Ballymena area.

(AQW 4883/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The t able below details the social housing stock and the number of privately owned dwellings in the Ballymena Borough Council area, at 31 March 2007.  

Housing Associations	554
Northern Ireland Housing Executive	2,898
*Private Sector	21,925

* These figures are sourced from Rates Collection Agency data.

Fuel Poverty

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the steps she is taking to ensure that measurements in relation to the level of fuel poverty takes into account the increased cost of fuel prices for home heating oil.

(AQW 4900/08)

M Ritchie: Three factors are taken into account in the measurement of fuel poverty: income, fuel prices and house conditions. While Government can influence house conditions and, to a certain extent, incomes, fuel prices are wholly beyond its control and are determined by world markets.

Planning System

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the discussions she has had with the Minister of the Environment in relation to the review of the planning system.

(AQW 4920/08)

Ms M Ritchie: I have not had discussions with the Minister of the Environment in relation to the review of the planning system.

Socially Deprived Areas

Mr F Cobain asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the consultation she has had with the Minister for Regional Development to reduce the physical isolation of people within socially deprived areas, in relation to access to employment opportunities.

(AQW 4922/08)

Ms M Ritchie: Access to employment opportunity is the responsibility of the Minister for Employment and Learning. I have not undertaken any specific consultation with the Minister for Regional Development on this issue.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Mr S Wilson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), or acceptable behaviour contracts, issued by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4927/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The number of ASBOs issued by the courts on foot of applications from the Housing Executive, and acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) agreed with the Housing Executive, during the last three years are detailed below.

	2005	2006	2007	Jan/Feb 2008
ASBOs	1	1	0	0
ABCs	6	18	23	4

Child Support Agency

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the average number of days absent for female Administrative Assistants and Administrative Officers in the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

(AQO 2528/08)

Ms M Ritchie: Details of the information requested are contained in the table below;

Average Number of Days absent for Female AO’s and AA’s in the Child Support Agency

Grade	YEAR
	02 - 03	03 – 04	04 – 05	05 – 06	06 - 07
Administrative Officers	28.2	32.9	32.0	28.3	29.4
Administrative Assistances	11.0	10.9	19.0	14.0	18.1

Community Development Work

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Social Development to list the groups, arms-length bodies and limited companies which received funding from her department for community development work from May 2007.

(AQW 4943/08)

Ms M Ritchie: My Department supports community development through our range of housing, regeneration, neighbourhood renewal, voluntary sector and community development programmes, which target disadvantaged communities and vulnerable groups. The information requested by Mr Craig, for a list of organisations which have received funding since 1 May 2007, has been prepared. A copy of this list has been placed in the Library.

Economy 7 Heating

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of Northern Ireland Housing Executive tenants using Economy 7 heating in the North Antrim constituency, broken down by District Office Area.

(AQW 4945/08)

Ms M Ritchie: This information is not readily available in the format requested as the Housing Executive’s district office boundaries do not precisely coincide with the constituency boundary. However the number of tenants using Economy 7 heating in each Housing Executive district office area is as follows:

Ballymoney district office 94

Moyle district office 21

Ballymena district office 609

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for neighbourhood renewal in the Loughview Estate, Holywood, over the next 3 years.

(AQW 4952/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Neighbourhood Renewal programme is targeted at the 10% most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland. There are 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas and 17 smaller deprived areas at Enumeration District level which benefit from funding.  None of the areas listedin the question is targeted for support from the Neighbourhood Renewal programme because they are not located in the 10% most deprived areas. They are therefore not included in my Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal expenditure plans for the next three years.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for neighbourhood renewal in the Breezemount Estate, Bangor, in each of the next 3 years.

(AQW 4953/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Neighbourhood Renewal programme is targeted at the 10% most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland. There are 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas and 17 smaller deprived areas at Enumeration District level which benefit from funding.  None of the areas listedin the question is targeted for support from the Neighbourhood Renewal programme because they are not located in the 10% most deprived areas. They are therefore not included in my Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal expenditure plans for the next three years.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for neighbourhood renewal in Conlig Village, in each of the next 3 years.

(AQW 4954/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Neighbourhood Renewal programme is targeted at the 10% most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland. There are 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas and 17 smaller deprived areas at Enumeration District level which benefit from funding.  None of the areas listedin the question is targeted for support from the Neighbourhood Renewal programme because they are not located in the 10% most deprived areas. They are therefore not included in my Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal expenditure plans for the next three years.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for neighbourhood renewal in the Beechfield Estate, Donaghdee, in each of the next 3 years.

(AQW 4955/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Neighbourhood Renewal programme is targeted at the 10% most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland. There are 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas and 17 smaller deprived areas at Enumeration District level which benefit from funding.  None of the areas listedin the question is targeted for support from the Neighbourhood Renewal programme because they are not located in the 10% most deprived areas. They are therefore not included in my Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal expenditure plans for the next three years.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for neighbourhood renewal in Millisle Village, Holywood, in each of the next 3 years.

(AQW 4956/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Neighbourhood Renewal programme is targeted at the 10% most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland. There are 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas and 17 smaller deprived areas at Enumeration District level which benefit from funding.  None of the areas listedin the question is targeted for support from the Neighbourhood Renewal programme because they are not located in the 10% most deprived areas. They are therefore not included in my Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal expenditure plans for the next three years.

Registered Properties

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of (i) Housing Association properties; (ii) Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties; and (iii) privately owned properties, in (a) Cushendall; (b) Waterfoot; (iii) Cushendun; (iv) Armoy; (v) Ballycastle; (vi) Ballintoy; (vii) Carey; and (viii) Bushmills.

(AQW 4984/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The information on the social stock as at 31 March 2007 is as follows:

Town	Housing Association Properties	Housing Executive Properties
Cushendall	27	50
Waterfoot	0	13
Cushendun	0	26
Armoy	6	80
Ballycastle Town	111	303
Ballintoy	2	17
Ballyvoy*	0	14
Bushmills	17	242

Information on the private sector is not available by townland but Rate Collection Agency data shows that there are 7002 private properties in the Moyle District Council Area.

*Information on Carey is not available.

Official Visits

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the protocols she follows in informing MLAs that she will be visiting their respective constituencies.

(AQW 4991/08)

Ms M Ritchie: A common protocol for informing MLAs of visits by Ministers to their constituencies was introduced in February. My Private Office follows that protocol which provides that MLAs should normally be informed of any Ministerial visit not less than 24 hours in advance.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development to detail her plans for neighbourhood renewal in the Clandeyboye area, Bangor, over the next 3 years.

(AQW 5005/08)

Ms M Ritchie: The Neighbourhood Renewal programme is targeted at the 10% most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland. There are 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas and 17 smaller deprived areas at Enumeration District level which benefit from funding.  Clandeboye is not targeted for support from the Neighbourhood Renewal programme because it is not located in the 10% most deprived areas. It is therefore not included in my Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal expenditure plans for the next three years.

Public Appointments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development to detail (i) the number public appointments that have been made by her department since the restoration of devolution; and (ii) the number that were (a) female; and (b) elected councillors.

(AQW 5017/08)

Ms M Ritchie: From 8 May 2007 to 12 March 2008 my department made 13 public appointments, 12 of which were re-appointments. Of these, three were female and four were elected councillors. The councillors elected were statutory nominations from the Housing Council to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive Board.

Trip to the Somme

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister for Social Development to give her assessment of the Antrim Housing Executive's funding of a £15,000 trip to the Somme in May 2008, given that Antrim Borough Council already organises an annual July trip to the Somme.

(AQW 5031/08)

Ms M Ritchie: I understand that the Housing Executive has not provided funding to Antrim Borough Council for a trip to the Somme. It did however contribute £15,500, at the request of the Council, to support a bonfire management pilot project proposed by Antrim Borough Council Bonfire Sub-Committee.

Visit to Ballybeen

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail when and how she informed the East Belfast Partnership of her visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

(AQW 5087/08)

Ms M Ritchie: My Department did not inform the East Belfast Partnership of my visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008. It was not considered necessary as my visit was linked to an earlier request from the secretary of Ballybeen Improvement Group to meet to discuss funding for the Enler project. The bodies directly involved in the Enler project, namely Landmark East and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, were informed of my joint visit with DHSSPS and IFI.

Visit to Ballybeen

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail when and how she informed Landmark East of her visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

(AQW 5088/08)

Ms M Ritchie: An official from my Department tried unsuccessfully to contact the Chief Executive of Land Mark East by phone on Wednesday 5 th & Thursday 6 th March 2008. Contact was made with the Chief Executive on the morning of Friday 7 th March, when one of my officials confirmed the details of my visti to Ballybeen on Monday 10 th March 2008. An e-mail later that afternoon detailed the timetable for the visit.

Visit to Ballybeen

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail when and how she informed the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of her visit to Ballybeen on Monday 10 March 2008.

(AQW 5089/08)

Ms M Ritchie: An official from my Department telephoned an official from NIHE, on Wednesday 5 March 2008 to advise him of my proposed visit to Ballybeen along with DHSSPS and IFI on Monday 10 March 2008 to announce funding of the Enler Project.

Housing Executive

Mr G McHugh asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the savings that will be made from the proposed transfer of jobs from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive Enniskillen branch to Omagh; and to give her assessment of the cost effectiveness of this decision and any savings that will be made.

(AQW 5090/08)

Ms M Ritchie: A review of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s services and structures was undertaken under its Modernising Services Programme. This programme was subject to a rigorous Equality Impact Assessment, and a detailed Business Case was produced which demonstrated improved value for money through the transfer of administrative functions associated with Housing Benefit and Accounts from the 35 District Offices to 6 Area Centres. This change will deliver efficiencies particularly in relation to management overheads without diminution in service.

Key services including housing, homelessness, estate management, maintenance and local community development will be retained in the district offices.

Housing Executive

Mr G McHugh asked the Minister for Social Development to confirm (i) if it is the long term aim of her department to close the Northern Ireland Housing Executive offices in Enniskillen; and (ii) if the decision will be 'rural proofed'; and to detail the impact this will have on client services

(AQW 5093/08)

Ms M Ritchie: There is no long term plan to close the Housing Executive Offices in Enniskillen.

Assembly Commission

Postage Envelopes

Miss M McIlveen asked the Assembly Commission if any consideration has been given to issuing pre-paid second class postage envelopes for use by Members.

(AQW 4370/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): In October 1998, immediately following the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly, it was decided that MLAs would be provided with pre-paid envelopes, for use when posting correspondence which related solely to Assembly Business. There is no record at that time of consideration being given to postage other than 1 st Class.

There is also no record of any consideration having been given to this issue since then nor has there been a demand from MLAs for a 2nd Class pre-paid postage service.

Review of the Assembly Secretariat

Mr A Attwood asked the Assembly Commission to confirm (i) the date it decided to appoint Mr George Reid to lead the Review of the Assembly Secretariat; (ii) if a public tender process was completed prior to the appointment; and (iii) if a public tender process was not carried out to detail the reasons why.

(AQW 4776/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): In response to the first part of your question, the Commission formally agreed to appoint Mr George Reid as Chair of a Steering Group for the Review of the Assembly Secretariat at its meeting on 5 July 2007.

With reference to part (ii), a single tender process was undertaken prior to the appointment, in line with the Assembly Commission’s procurement policy.

The Speaker discussed with members of the Commission the requirement to appoint an independent person to chair a Steering Group for the Review of the Secretariat. All were of the view that the chair should have extensive and in-depth experience of governance within a parliamentary context, ideally in a devolved setting; and be of sufficient standing that they could engage easily with elected representatives at a senior level. The Speaker was also anxious that anyone appointed would have undoubted independence and no prior connection with the Northern Ireland Assembly that could be perceived to have a bearing on any conclusions or recommendations arising from a review.

With these criteria in mind the Speaker identified Mr George Reid as an ideally suited individual, and consulted with other members of the Commission. He also sought and received the views of the Comptroller and Auditor General who raised no objections to the approach being taken. Mr Reid had recently retired as the Presiding Officer to the Scottish Parliament and as such had led the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body through many relevant issues which included understanding the skills and capabilities required from a management team in supported of a corporate body. His appointment also represented excellent value for money (although given that the estimated number of days required was not significant this was only a contributory factor).

It was therefore determined on the basis of Mr Reid’s:

• Unquestionable experience;
• Understanding of the Corporate Management issues pertinent to a devolved legislature;
• Understanding of members;
• Availability;
• Exceptionally attractive costs; and
• The sensitivity of the requirement;

that a wider procurement exercise would not produce a better result and would lead to nugatory costs for the Assembly Commission in terms of the process and for likely service providers. A single tender approach was therefore adopted. This is in line with Assembly Commission’s procurement policy and as stated above was supported by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Review of the Assembly Secretariat

Mr A Attwood asked the Assembly Commission to detail (i) the dates of meetings it held with Mr George Reid prior to his appointment to lead the Review of the Assembly Secretariat; (ii) the members of the Commission who attended these meetings; and (iii) the date on which Mr George Reid was first approached in relation to the proposed review.

(AQW 4777/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): In response to part (i) of your question, the Speaker, as Chairperson of the Assembly Commission met with Mr George Reid once prior to his appointment. The meeting took place on Friday 29 June. Mr Reid undertook to consider the invitation and confirmed in a subsequent telephone call that he would be willing to accept the position if the Commission agreed. The Commission agreed to appoint Mr Reid as Chair of a Steering Group for the Review of the Assembly Secretariat at its meeting on 5 July 2007.

In reference to part (ii) aside from the Speaker no other member of the Assembly Commission attended the meeting. In advance of the meeting the Speaker consulted all members of the Commission about issuing an invitation to Mr Reid to consider serving as Chair of a Steering Group for a review of the Assembly Secretariat.

Finally, in response to part (iii) of your question, the first approach to Mr George Reid in relation to the proposed review was during the meeting on Friday 29 June.

Review of the Assembly Secretariat

Mr A Attwood asked the Assembly Commission to detail (i) the expenditure to date in relation to the Review of the Assembly Secretariat; (ii) the amount paid to members of the Review for their services; (iii) the costs in relation to accommodation and travel for members of the Review panel; and (iv) all other costs associated with the commissioning and completion of the Review.

(AQW 4779/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): Expenditure to date in relation to the Review of the Assembly Secretariat has been £39,136.17.

In relation to part (ii) - part (iv) of your question, please see table below:

Consultancy Support	£32,055.50
Accommodation and Travel	£5,930.03
Other costs	£1,150.64

This excludes staff time which has not been quantified or costed.

Review of the Assembly Secretariat

Mr A Attwood asked the Assembly Commission to detail, in relation to the recommended abolition of the Principal Clerk posts, (i) the evidence that was produced, in the Review of the Assembly Secretariat; (ii) the number of (a) MLAs; and (b) Assembly staff, that recommended this; and (iii) its assessment of the impact on experience, knowledge and capacity of staff.

(AQW 4804/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): The Review Team considered a number of factors when gathering evidence with regard to Principal Clerks’ posts. This included consideration of the structures and banding in other Legislatures. Additionally, the level of expertise required at Clerking level and the need to ensure that staff in the Clerking grade developed further professional management experience was also a key consideration.

The Review Team did not consult specifically on this proposal. However, during interviews within the Clerking Directorate and with other staff, it became apparent that too many layers existed within the Clerk Assistant’s Directorate which militated against its efficient and effective operation.

We expect that the resultant de-layering will provide better opportunities for existing staff to develop their clerking, professional and managerial skills which will ultimately lead to improved service delivery for all MLAs.

Review of the Assembly Secretariat

Mr A Attwood asked the Assembly Commission to detail any correspondence it has received from the Assembly Chairpersons' Liaison Group, in relation to decisions agreed by the Assembly Commission arising from the Review of the Assembly Secretariat.

(AQW 4806/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): A letter from the Chairperson’ Liaison Group (CLG) dated 23 November was sent to the Director of Implementation, Mr Frank Duffy.

The letter was referred to the Director of Implementation, Mr Frank Duffy, who along with Mr Gerry O’ Neill and Ms Nuala Dunwoody met with the Chair of the Chairpersons Liaison Group, Mr Sammy Wilson on 25 January 2008 to discuss the issues raised within the letter.

The Assembly Commission did not receive any correspondence from CLG. However details of the meeting between the Chairperson of the CLG and Mr Duffy were provided to the Assembly Commission in the monthly report of the Clerk/Director General dated 13 December 2007.

Cross Community Definition

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Assembly Commission (i) for its definition of 'cross community' in relation to the booking procedures for events by Members of the Legislative Assembly; (ii) what regard was given to the legal definition of 'cross community' as defined in the Assembly Standing Orders, and in legislation governing the Assembly, when drafting these procedures; and (iii) what regard was given to Article 28 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998 when drafting these procedures.

(AQW 5068/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): In relation to the booking of events which require ‘cross community’ support, the Commission has agreed that such events must be sponsored by at least three MLAs, to include support from one Unionist and one Nationalist.

With reference to your question regarding the consideration of the legal definition of ‘cross community’, officials took all relevant considerations into account when preparing the paper, and discussed it with Legal Services. The term was intended to reflect the statutory definition.

The Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998, deals with the provision of goods, facilities and services to the public, or to a section of the public, and requires that there be no discrimination in such provision. However, these provisions govern provision to the public, and so do not apply to the provision of facilities or accommodation to Members of the Assembly, or to political parties.

Good Relations Working Group

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Assembly Commission to detail (i) the written remit of the "Good Relations Working Group (GRWG)"; (ii) what regard was paid to all and any equality legislation in drawing up that remit; (iii) the advice or guidance sought from the Equality Commission in relation to any aspect of the GRWG; (iv) who sits on the GRWG and what is its voting and reporting mechanisms; and (v) any experience or background in implementing or managing the introduction of equality legislation and regulations of any member or official of the GRWG , and if so, what is that experience and background, including qualifications.

(AQW 5069/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): With reference to part (i) of your question, the Assembly Commission at their meeting on the 5 March 2008 agreed that “officials bring forward a paper on the establishment of a Good Relations Working Group; and that the remit of that Good Relations Working Group would include a review of the policy on events at Parliament Buildings”. To date no further detail on the remit has been proposed to, or agreed by, the Commission.

With reference to part (ii), the full remit of the Good Relations Working Group is currently being considered. As a public authority, the Assembly Commission is committed to fulfilling its statutory duties to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity, and regard to the desirability of promoting good relations. This commitment will be reflected in any remit proposed for the Commission’s approval.

In answer to part (iii), while advice has yet to be sought in relation to the establishment of a Good Relations Working Group any submission to the Assembly Commission in this regard will take account of best practice and guidance available from bodies such as the Equality Commission and the Community Relations Council.

In response to part (iv), the membership, voting and reporting mechanisms have not yet been identified.

Finally, with regard to part (v), at this stage there have been no proposals made to, or decisions made by, the Assembly Commission regarding membership or staff support to a Good Relations Working Group.

Equality Legislation

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Assembly Commission to detail (i) the number of its officials who have received training in relation to their duties concerning the implementation and adherence to equality legislation pertaining to the functions of the Assembly and its Commission; (ii) the percentage and total of Commission staff that number of 'trained staff' represents; (iii) the number of elected members of the Commission who have received training in relation to their duties to equality legislation pertaining to the functions of the Assembly and Commission.

(AQW 5072/08)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): In relation to training, 234 officials have received training in relation to their duties concerning the implementation and adherence to equality legislation pertaining to the functions of the Assembly and its Commission. This figure represents 83% of the total staff complement.

The Speaker and senior officials received a briefing on Section 75 from Duncan Morrow of the Community Relations Council in 2007. All Commission Members received training on Section 75 awareness in relation to competency based recruitment in March 2008.