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 12 March 2010

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
Revised Written Answers

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

StreetSafe Scheme

Mr P Weir asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what financial support their Department, or any of its agencies, provides for the StreetSafe Scheme.

(AQW 5024/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness): Neither OFMDFM through the Community Relations Unit nor the Community Relations Council provides financial support for the Street Safe Scheme.

Equality Impact Assessments

Dr S Farry asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what measures are included within Equality Impact Assessments conducted by their Department to ensure that the interests of people with identities outside the two perceived main traditions in Northern Ireland are taken into account.

(AQW 5055/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: When conducting an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA), the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister adheres to The Guide to Statutory Duties, issued by the Equality Commission, which outlines the statutory arrangements under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

The relevant categories include:

persons of religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;

men and women generally;

persons with a disability and persons without; and

persons with dependants and persons without.

Whilst an EQIA must encompass and address all nine categories, it is not intended that each category will be given equal emphasis throughout the assessment process; instead the EQIA must be responsive to emerging issues and prioritise accordingly.

The measures included in the Equality Impact Assessment process require us to determine the extent of differential impact of a policy upon the nine groups. If it is decided that a policy has an adverse impact, we must consider measures which mitigate against adverse impact and alternative policies which might better promote equality of opportunity.

Religious belief and political opinion are categories intended to cover not only the two main traditions but other religions and political opinions. This ensures that adverse impacts of policy can be judged, as appropriate across, and therefore protect the interests of, a wider range of beliefs and opinions.

We continue to maintain close oversight of the commitments contained in our Equality Scheme. We have a responsibility to oversee the implementation of equality obligations throughout the devolved administration, and we have a particular interest in ensuring that our Office shows leadership in this regard.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister how much money has been spent by their Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5086/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The table below details how much the department has spent on fees for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

The figures for 2009/10 represent expenditure to 31^st December 2009 as per the latest nine-month Management Accounts for the Department.

Description	2007/08(£’s)	2008/09(£’s)	2009/10(£’s)
Course Fees – inside NI	28,686	19,699	15,940
Course Fees – outside NI	9,119	9,630	8,268
Conference Fees – inside NI	14,210	37,311	8,273
Conference Fees – outside NI	374	12,269	5,504
TOTAL	52,389	78,909	37,985

Travel and subsistence costs for staff attending conferences and courses in the last three years are not available as the accounting system does not record expenditure to this level of detail.

Community Relations Council

Mr J Craig asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) how much the Community Relations Council currently pays in whole, or in part, to fund local Council staff in (a) Lisburn City Council; (b) Banbridge District Council; (c) Antrim Borough Council; and (d) Castlereagh Borough Council; (ii) how many staff this involves in each area; (iii) to outline their respective job descriptions; and (iv) their pay bands.

(AQW 5093/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Community Relations Council does not directly fund posts in any District Council including (a) Lisburn City Council: (b) Banbridge District Council; (c) Antrim Borough Council; and (d) Castlereagh Borough Council.

Funding to Promote Good Relations in Belfast

Mr A Maskey asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the funding distributed by their Department to promote good relations in Belfast, broken down by the four Belfast constituencies, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5247/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Information on detailed funding provided through the Community Relation Council, Belfast City Council and the North Belfast Community Action Unit has been placed in the Assembly Library. The following paragraphs are a summary of the information which has been placed in the Library.

OFMDFM funds a range of Community Relations bodies and groups. Funding for Belfast has been as follows:

07/08 £39k

08/09 £122k

09/10 £168k.

OFMDFM funds the Community Relations Council through grant in aid for it to disburse funding in accordance with its funding schemes guidelines. Total grant in aid provided over the lasts years is as follows

07/08 £3.28m

08/09 £3.34m

09/10 £3.54m.

We also have a District Councils Community Relations Programme, with funding in each of the last 3 financial years as follows:

07/08 £1.97m

08/09 £2.53m

09/10 £2.7m.

Belfast City Council received funding from that Programme, as below, to undertake a range of good relations programmes which were predicated on a good relations strategy and independent good relations audit.

07/08 = £303k

08/09 = £452k

09/10 = £474k.

Funding for Projects to Promote Good Relations in Belfast

Mr G Adams asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the funding distributed by their Department for projects working with young people to promote good relations in Belfast, broken down by the four Belfast constituencies, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5256/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Information on detailed funding provided through the Community Relation Council, Belfast City Council and the North Belfast Community Action Unit has been placed in the Assembly Library but a summary is provided in the paragraphs below.

OFMDFM funds a range of Community Relations bodies and groups. Funding for Belfast has been as follows:

07/08 £39k

08/09 £122k

09/10 £168k.

OFMDFM has provided funding of £400k to the Department of Education in each of the last 3 financial years, for a range of youth summer diversionary programmes across all the 5 Library Boards. In 08/09 and 09/10 respectively, specific conditions were that £160k should be earmarked for Belfast with £40k of that total being targeted at North Belfast.

OFMDFM provides funding for a range of youth summer diversionary activities for Community Empowerment Partnerships in north Belfast of £100k in each of the last 3 financial years.

We also fund the Community Relations Council through grant in aid for it to disburse funding in accordance with its funding schemes guidelines. Total grant in aid over the last 3 years is as follows:

07/08 £3.28m

08/09 £3.34m

09/10 £3.54m.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Forestry and Woodland

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, pursuant to AQW 4374/10, why 16,980 hectares of her Department's land is unsuitable for planting forestry or woodland.

(AQW 5040/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): Department of Agriculture and Rural Development land is not just for the purposes of forestry. For example, we have specialist facilities at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and our three campuses at CAFRE.

There are many reasons for the Department’s land being unsuitable for forestry production. Much the land owned or leased by Forest Service on long term leases could not be planted with trees due to unacceptable or unjustifiable environmental impacts. Such land includes those areas designated as Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) etc. Other reasons for this land being unsuitable for planting trees include forest management and protection purposes (such as roads and firebreaks); recreation and landscaping reasons; and the maintenance of windfirm boundaries between forest blocks.

Other land is unsuitable for a variety of reasons including infrastructure (roads, car parks, yards, forest fire breaks, etc); buildings erected on it; for environmental reasons (e.g. Areas of Special Scientific Interest,); alternative usage for Departmental business (e.g. farmed land at CAFRE for educational purposes and recreational facilities such as playing fields etc); it may contain scheduled monuments; or is for sale.

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what bids her Department has made in relation to the 'Invest to Save' initiative; and what consideration was given to bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

(AQW 5058/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Executive’s Invest to Save fund is to be used to provide support to departments in respect of the upfront costs of making future savings.

My Department has tabled the following three bids in relation to the Executive’s ‘Invest to Save’ initiative;

Land Parcel Improvement (LPIS) Project
This will support the drive to better compliance with EC area aid scheme regulations and reduce the risk of Commission disallowance. The project will improve IT systems, maps, data quality, rules about eligibility of claims and standards of inspection. The overall cost is estimated at £14m and payback (measured in terms of a reduction in potential future EC disallowance) should be achieved in 2 years.
CAFRE Enniskillen Campus Improvements
Construction of new learning facilities and to help ensure compliance with disability legislation at a cost of £1m will enable CAFRE to disengage from the Necarne Estate. There are net forecast savings of £0.16m per year.
Badger Prevalence Stud

The objective of the study is to provide a measure of both the level of Bovine TB infection in badgers and its geographical spread in order to (a) give a solid scientific basis about where best to target any future interventions and (b) provide baseline data to compare against the results of any interventions. The cost of the study is estimated at £2.5m over 2 years.

The Department is committed to fulfilling its statutory equality and good relations obligations across its business remit. It funds a wide range of projects through the NIRDP many of which may help promote integration and impact on communal segregation. Bearing in mind that the total size of the "Spend to Save" fund is £26m and our top priority is a bid for £14m, the likelihood of additional successful bids from the Department is small. However, the Department felt it should bid for CAFRE and TB initiatives as these are related to issues raised by the Public Accounts Committee and are high priorities for the Department. Thus from a DARD perspective, it was felt these bids should take priority over other bids for initiatives such as those to ‘address communal segregation in service provisions and to promote integration’ at this time.

Rural stakeholders have also identified the cost of communal segregation in their contribution to the development of the Rural White Paper. My officials are currently working with other Departments to take forward this work and I hope to consult on a draft Rural White Paper later this year.

2012 Welfare for Laying Hens Directive

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the impact of the 2012 Welfare for Laying Hens Directive on the poultry industry; and what assistance her Department is offering to those businesses that will be significantly impacted by this Directive.

(AQW 5078/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Council Directive 99/74 lays down standards for the welfare of laying hens. From January 2003, the Directive has banned the use of new conventional or "battery" cages, and from January 2012, it bans the keeping of hens in existing conventional cages. I understand that approximately 73% of egg producers are already using enriched production systems which accounts for approximately 40 % of birds in egg production. Approximately 27% of egg producers are still using conventional cage systems, which accounts for approximately 60% of the birds in egg production.

I am very appreciative of the difficulties facing the egg laying sector and the poultry sector generally at this time. Following discussions with the industry, I have looked widely at all options that would be available under the Rural Development Programme to support modernisation in the poultry sector.

I would draw your attention to the funding that will be available to poultry producers under the Farm Modernisation Programme (FMP) Tranche 2. In order that Tranche 2 will provide a good funding opportunity for poultry producers, I have asked that the list of eligible items be enhanced so that it includes a range of items that together will create a system that will meet the needs of poultry producers. The items will include plant, machinery and equipment; and other items that could contribute to modernising production systems for poultry producers. The proposed maximum rate of grant assistance under Tranche 2 is 40% up to a maximum payment of £4k per applicant.

The industry has also expressed concern about the potential competition from cheaper imported eggs after January 2012. In order to help protect producers who have already converted to enriched cage systems, I have written to Defra Ministers requesting that Defra continues to press the European Commission to introduce an intra-Community trade ban on eggs produced by hens in conventional cages after 1 January 2012 in order to prevent a negative impact on the laying hen industry here. I am also supporting Defra’s efforts to press the European Commission to introduce in EU egg marketing regulations a Code ‘4’ to differentiate between egg production by hens housed in enriched systems and conventional cage eggs.

Hedge Cutting Period

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will consider extending the hedge cutting period for an additional two weeks to make up for the time lost as a result of the recent poor weather and unsuitable land conditions.

(AQW 5084/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The hedge cutting dates are set out in domestic Cross-Compliance legislation which states that farmers in receipt of direct agricultural support (including Single Farm Payment) must ensure that hedge cutting/coppicing or laying is not undertaken between 1 March and 31 August. Hedge cutting between these dates is only permitted where health and safety is an issue, for example roadside hedges.

Any change to the hedge cutting dates would require an amendment to the Cross-Compliance legislation. It would not be possible to amend this legislation to change the start date for the 2010 year.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how much money has been spent by her Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5087/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: (i) Fees for staff attending Conferences and Courses are

2006-07 £616,158.82

2007-08 £608,737.85

2008-09 £1,047,697.17

The figures represent the fees and, where relevant, associated costs (rental of accommodation and equipment, etc) for conferences and courses attended by DARD staff. Courses refer to training courses.

The increase in costs from 2006-07 and 2007-08 until 2008-09 is due to payments made by DARD to the Centre for Applied Learning (CAL), a centralised NICS training provider created in 2008-09. Prior to 2008-09, these services were provided, primarily, by DARD in-house staff; in-house staff costs are not included in the figures within the return.

(ii) Travel Costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses.

The Department does not hold records categorising travel costs, including subsistence costs, for conferences and courses. This information could be obtained only by performing a manual review of all travel claim submissions and travel bookings, by staff, for each of the three years for which the information has been requested.

This exercise would necessitate a manual review of all travel and subsistence claims and booking documents (approx 90,000) to identify travel and subsistence costs relating to conference and course attendance. Only at this point could the required costs be manually extracted and aggregated.

Consequently, the information is available only at a disproportionate cost.

Rose Energy Incinerator Proposal, Glenavy

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development whether any members of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute have ever received remuneration for work carried out in connection with the Rose Energy Chicken Litter Incinerator proposal at Glenavy.

(AQW 5107/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: To the best of my knowledge, no individual member of staff of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute has received remuneration for work carried out in connection with the Rose Energy Chicken Litter Incinerator proposal at Glenavy. I am, however, aware that in 2006, a consulting business of an AFBI board member was contracted by a third party organisation to undertake work in connection with chicken litter sampling and analysis on behalf of Rose Energy.

AFBI did undertake work on a commercial basis, to provide Marenco and Queens University Belfast (QUB) with a report relating to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that Marenco and QUB prepared for Rose Energy in 2008. The AFBI report provided an assessment of the scale of potential impacts of the Rose Energy proposals on flora, fauna, soils and freshwaters.

Provision of Resources to the Equine Council

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development when a decision on the provision of resources to the Equine Council will be taken.

(AQW 5192/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: A decision cannot be taken on provision of resources for the Equine Council (ECNI) until issues around representation on the Council have been concluded.

I am aware that the Equine Council wrote to the three remaining Sport Horse sector organisations in January 2010 inviting them to take up the places reserved for them on the Council, and has agreed with the Thoroughbred sector on how the two sectors will work together in the future. I understand responses to these invitations are still awaited and I hope that this opportunity to participate in ECNI will be finalised as soon as possible. It remains my position that one body representing the Equine Industry here is the best way of taking forward the Equine Strategy.

In any event, on clarification of ECNI’s final position on membership, my Department would be prepared to consider support for the ECNI, subject to receipt of a suitable business case for funding.

Blue-13 Blight

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what discussions she has had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland in relation to the strains of the Blue-13 blight and its potential impact on potato farmers.

(AQW 5219/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I have had no discussions with the Government in the south of Ireland in relation to the strains of the Blue-13 blight. There is, however, a great deal of cross-border collaboration in the form of a blight project involving plant pathologists at our Agri-food Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and their counterparts in Teagasc in the south. The potential impact of this strain of blight on potato farmers would be similar to any other strains of potato blight. It has potential to cause serious damage to potato crops and control measures need to be rigorously applied.

My Department, along with colleagues in DAFF, are working on a strategic approach to protect plant health on the island of Ireland from the risks that plant pests and diseases pose to the environment and the economy in particular as the island is a distinct epidemiological unit. This strategic approach also aims to maintain and promote cooperation in the regulation of plant protection products and their use, through a focused approach to key issues with an all-island dimension.

Blue-13 Blight

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what (i) practical support mechanisms; and (ii) compensation schemes are in place for potato farmers whose crops have been destroyed by any strain of the Blue-13 blight.

(AQW 5220/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: My Department through CAFRE and AFBI provide technical recommendations for integrated potato blight control strategies to potato growers. Technical information is disseminated to the potato industry through industry training workshops and is complemented with published material within the Farming Press and also within the potato section of the Rural Portal web site.

There are no compensation schemes in place for potato farmers whose crops have been destroyed by Blue-13 or any other strain of blight.

Blue-13 Blight

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (i) how many cases of the Blue-13 blight have been reported; (ii) what strains have been detected; and (iii) what action her Department has taken to protect the potato crop from the various strains of this blight.

(AQW 5221/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: (i) There are no figures on the actual numbers of cases of occurrence of Blue-13 blight across potato crops in the north of Ireland.

(ii) From the results of surveys carried out during the 2009 season, 54% of the isolates from crops that were sampled and tested were A2 (Blue-13) (phenylamide resistant) and 46 were A1.

(iii) The Department through CAFRE and AFBI provide technical recommendations for integrated potato blight control strategies to potato growers. Technical information is disseminated to the potato industry to ensure they are up to date on the developing blight situation, populations etc through workshops, press articles (eg article in Farm week - 20 Feb, paper at Syngenta Annual Conference - 16 Feb). Growers are also kept informed throughout the growing season through the 'Blightline' pre-recorded telephone answering service and the DARD 'Blightnet' service - http://www.ruralni.gov.uk/crops/potatoes/blight_net/

Halal and Kosher Meat Slaughter Arrangements

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what slaughterhouses, or slaughter arrangements, exist to allow (i) halal; and (ii) kosher meat to be produced.

(AQW 5229/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: There are currently no slaughterhouses in the north of Ireland in which either Kosher or Halal slaughter occur on a regular basis. However there is one slaughter man in the north licensed for the slaughter of sheep and goats by the Halal method. Over the past few years only slaughter of sheep and / or goats by the halal method has occurred. It is rare, possibly only once a year, and only in one slaughterhouse.

There is no kosher meat production in the north.

DARD Posts Relocated or Decentralised

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what consideration she has given to posts within her Department that could be relocated or decentralised.

(AQW 5258/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development already has a number of posts in a range of offices across the north of Ireland. These are currently being transformed into a network of 12 DARD Direct offices spread across the north providing a one-stop for farm business services. I fully support the decentralisation of public sector jobs, and await an Executive discussion on the recommendations within the Bain Review with a view to moving the issue forward.

Efficiency Savings

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, pursuant to AQW 4652/10, how the efficiency savings will be made; and whether this will involve staff redundancies.

(AQW 5270/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: As I said in answer to AQW 4652/10, my Department is required to make savings to enable the Executive to work within its budget. My budget proposals included one relating to making savings through a review of the work carried out by Supply Chain Development Branch. At this stage I have not made any firm decisions and this position will remain, pending consideration of the views of key stakeholders. However, I do not anticipate any staff redundancies as a result of this review if my proposals are implemented.

Rose Energy Incinerator Proposal, Glenavy

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if her Department supports the calls for a public inquiry into the proposal for an incinerator in the Glenavy area.

(AQW 5274/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I recognise that there are widely differing and strongly held views on the proposal for an incinerator in the Glenavy area. My ministerial responsibilities span both poultry farmers who have poultry litter to dispose of and those who live in the rural community in Glenavy.

I am eager that the views and concerns of farmers, local residents and all those potentially affected by the proposal are taken into consideration. I believe it would be appropriate to address these concerns by a public enquiry. My support for a public enquiry is on record from 2008.

Soil Tests on Farms

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if her Department conducts soil tests on farms.

(AQW 5309/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: My Department does not conduct actual soil tests on farms. However DARD does assist farmers to carry out soil tests by loaning them the appropriate equipment for taking samples. Their soil samples can then be taken to their local DARD Direct office where staff will complete the necessary administration and send the samples to the testing laboratory. On receiving the results of the soil test the farmer is offered technical support to interpret the information. This technical support will take the form of either, an advisory leaflet, the Crop Nutrient Management Calculator which is available on the DARD Rural Portal (www.ruralni.gov.uk) or specific training on Nutrient Management Planning delivered by CAFRE

Undesignated Waterways

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, further to AQW 4895/10, (i) for an assessment as to whether, in practice, the Rivers Agency has found the Drainage Order (NI) 1973 to be an adequate legal basis for dealing with undesignated waterways; (ii) to provide an estimate of the number of undesignated waterways in the Belfast City Council area; and (iii) the number of flooding incidents in the Belfast City Council area in the last five years which can be attributed directly, or indirectly, to undesignated waterways.

(AQW 5352/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I am confident that, in practice, the provisions within the Drainage (NI) Order 1973 provide a sound legal basis for dealing with watercourses that pose an increased flood risk. This can be done by either designation of the watercourse for improvement works or maintenance works at public expense where this is justified under standard cost benefit criteria, or by administering enforcement action under schedules 5 and 6 of the Order if necessary to ensure that riparian landowners meet their responsibilities.
DARD Rivers Agency does not hold any record relating to the number of undesignated watercourses and does not have any statutory requirement to do so.
DARD Rivers Agency does not record data relating to flooding incidents in the requested format. The Agency’s flooding records include flooding from a diverse range of sources over a large period of time that would require extensive investigation in order to identify those cases that relate to undesignated watercourses

EID Tags

Mr J Shannon asked e Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she is aware of farmers' concerns that the size of EID tags will impact on animal welfare; and to detail what she is doing to facillitate a reduction in the size of these tags.

(AQW 5387/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Under The Sheep and Goats (Records, Identification and Movement) Order (NI) 2009 and European Council Regulation 21/2004, sheep must be tagged when they reach 9 months of age or when they move off the holding whichever is the earliest. However, a number of flock keepers choose to tag their sheep from birth for management purposes.

At present DARD, as the competent authority, has approved seven electronic tags which are available as either button or loop tags. There are also a number of other tags undergoing the formal approval process. In response to requests from industry we have also allowed the use of electronic boluses and electronic pastern tags.

Tags supplied here have undergone a rigorous and formal approval process, including Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 66 and Joint Research Centre (JRC) testing. Animal welfare considerations are included as part of the formal eartag approval process.

Flock keepers who tag young lambs may choose to use the smaller button tags or loop tags which are now available or small management tags. The choice of tag is purely a decision for the flock keeper.

My officials will investigate any animal welfare issues raised in relation to individual tag types and if necessary will bring concerns to the manufacturer supplying the tag.

Removal of Wind-bushes

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she is aware of farmers' concerns that the removal of wind-bushes during GSI mapping will impact on animals who use these bushes for shelter; and if her Department will take this into account when carrying out GSI mapping.

(AQW 5389/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I fully recognise that whin bushes provide important shelter for animals, especially young stock. However, under current Single Farm Payment Scheme eligibility rules, large areas of whin are ineligible for scheme payment.

Landowners who claim Single Farm Payment (SFP) may decide to maintain areas of whin to provide shelter for animals, however these areas must be removed from their SFP claim.

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

Northern Ireland Museums Council

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure for an update on the future of the Northern Ireland Museums Council.

(AQW 5281/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr N McCausland): The Review of Public Administration concluded that the functions of the Northern Ireland Museums Council should be transferred to central and local government.

The transfer of functions and the future of NIMC are being considered by the Department.

Proposed Velodrome in Downpatrick

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure for an update on the proposed velodrome in Downpatrick.

(AQW 5286/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Down District Council, with its proposal for a velodrome in Downpatrick, has been selected by Sport NI as a preferred bidder for it Major Facilities Programme.

Preferred bidders must now proceed to finalise their proposals in order that they can secure final funding approval. Business cases will be assessed against factors such as value for money, viability and need.

Following the assessment of final outline business cases by Sport NI, then by DCAL and finally by DFP, I will be in a position to announce, subject to affordability, which applications have been successful. These will then move forward to design and development stage.

Winter Olympics Sports

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail any current or planned provision for winter Olympics type sports.

(AQW 5300/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. SNI is currently supporting, through its Athlete Support Programme, the following Winter Olympic sports:

Ice Skating; and
Disabled Snow Skiing

The Northern Ireland Ice Skating Association and Disability Sport Northern Ireland are currently in receipt of £23,000 and £8,000 respectively in support of the training and competition programmes for ice skaters Jenna McCorkell and Karla Quinn and skier Kelly Gallagher. Further applications from these athletes are currently under consideration.

The Northern Ireland Ice Skating Association is the only Winter Olympic sport governing body currently operating in Northern Ireland. SNI is not aware of any plan for other governing bodies to develop opportunities for Winter Olympic sports in Northern Ireland.

Ulster-Scots Related Projects

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how much money has been spent on Ulster-Scots related projects since May 2007; and how this compares to the previous Assembly administration.

(AQW 5321/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Since December 1999 the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure has been involved in funding various Ulster-Scots activities.

Ulster-Scots Agency

The allocations made to the Ulster-Scots Agency by DCAL equate to 75% of the Agency’s funding. The table below shows the amount of funding paid by DCAL to the Ulster-Scots Agency for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 the period of the previous Assembly; and 2007, 2008 and 2009. The figures shown relate to the funding amounts allocated over each calendar year which equates to the Agency’s financial year.

2000	£0.5m	2001	£0.97m	2002	£1.07m
2007	£1.938m	2008	£2.486m	2009	£2.317m

Ulster-Scots Academy

The Department has also made available funding to the Ulster-Scots Academy since 2005. The funding made to the Academy over the last two financial years and the amount to date in the 09/10 year is shown in the table below:-

07/08:
£405,189.44

08/09:
£289,157.63

09/10 (year to date):
£99,926.00

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

The funding allocations made to Ulster-Scots projects by the ACNI over the last two financial years and the amount to date in the 09/10 year is shown in the table below:-

2000/01	£7.5k	2001/02	NIL	2002/03	£15k
2007/08	£37.24k	2008/09	£62.75k	2009/10	£151.69k

In addition, the ACNI awarded the following amounts detailed below to Marching Bands:

2009/10	£104,822	2008/09	£149,311	2007/08	£150,002

Integrated Development Fund

Mr G Adams asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to list the dates of the meetings he held with the Minister for Social Development between 1 September 2009 and 3 March 2010 to discuss the Integrated Development Fund grant to An Cultúrlann, Belfast.

(AQW 5377/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I held no meetings on this subject with the Minister for Social Development during this time period.

Integrated Development Fund

Mr P Maskey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to list the dates of all written correspondence received from the Minister for Social Development between 1 September 2009 and 3 March 2009 concerning the Integrated Development Fund grant to An Cultúrann, Belfast.

(AQW 5378/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I received no correspondence on this topic from the Minister for Social Development during this time period.

Integrated Development Fund

Mr F McCann asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to list the dates of any telephone contact he had with the Minister for Social Development between 1 September 2009 and 3 March 2010 to discuss the Integrated Development Fund grant to An Cultúrann, Belfast.

(AQW 5379/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I had no telephone discussions concerning this topic with the Minister for Social Development during this time period.

David Beattie

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he would consider a way of recognising David Beattie's acheivement in finishing fourth at the 2010 Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championships in New Delhi, India.

(AQW 5388/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: It is normal practice for the Sports Minister to recognise the success of local sports men and women who achieve a podium finish at National and International competition level. Regrettably Mr Beattie did not attain a medal on this occasion and it would not be appropriate for me to publicly recognise this.

There was some notable Northern Ireland success at the Games and I will be writing to Ms Kirsty Barr to congratulate her on winning a gold medal in the Individual Ladies Trap Event and a bronze medal for the Women’s Trap Badge Event at the 2010 Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championships in New Delhi. Ms Barr will also receive an invitation to the DCAL Annual Sporting reception in January 2011 to recognise her success.

World Police and Fire Games

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what prospect there is of using facilities or venues in the Strangford constituency for the World Police and Fire Games.

(AQW 5398/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: A Stakeholder group incorporating all the key stakeholders Police Service for Northern Ireland, N I Prison Service, N I Fire and Rescue Service, DCAL and Belfast City Council has been established. The Group has identified and taken forward preparatory work on various workstreams groups including Sport, Volunteering, Tourism, Legacy and Transport and Logistics to take forward the planning and organisation of the Games in conjunction with relevant external bodies.

The organisation of the 2013 World Police and Fire Games sports workstream is being taken forward by Sport Northern Ireland who are identifying the sports to be included, the structures for the competitions and potential suitable venues. Final decisions on venues have yet to be taken.

Comber Library

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline the plans for the refurbishment of Comber Library; and how much is being invested.

(AQW 5399/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Libraries NI are carrying out a series of improvements to Comber library. These include improvements to the mezzanine floor, staircase and front elevation of the building. The estimated cost of the work is approximately £100,000.

New Library at the Queen's Hall in Newtownards

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how Libraries NI intends to take forward its plans for a new library at the Queen's Hall in Newtownards .

(AQW 5400/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Libraries NI are currently in discussions with Ards Borough Council to explore the possibility of jointly developing a new library and cultural centre on the site of the Queen’s Hall.

Following a presentation to the Council’s Policy and Resources Committee a motion to support (in principle) a partnership to provide a state of the art Library and Cultural Centre on the Queen’s Hall site was agreed by the Council in January. Retention of the Queen’s Hall name and foundation stone are important considerations for the Council in any redevelopment.

Greyhound Racing

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how much funding his Department has provided to greyhound racing in the last two years.

(AQW 5421/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport including the distribution of funding. Greyhound racing is not recognised as a sporting activity and has therefore received no funding from SNI over the last two years.

Grants for Shotgun Coaching Qualifications

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he is aware that the Welsh Assembly has made grants available for people to gain shotgun coaching qualifications; and if he would consider allocating funding for a similar scheme here.

(AQW 5470/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I understand that agricultural and farming businesses in Wales can apply for funding towards the cost of a shotgun coaching qualification run by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. This scheme is part of a wider Welsh Assembly initiative known as ‘Farming Connect’ the aim of which is to help diversify and develop farming and forestry businesses. The establishment of a similar scheme in Northern Ireland would be a matter for the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the first instance.

Christine Blakely Water-ski Attempt

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he will issue a statement in support of Christine Blakely's attempt to water-ski the English Channel in aid of Sport Relief, recognising that this will help promote the take-up of sports and exercise.

(AQW 5471/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I have written to Christine Bleakley directly to wish her all the best in her attempt to water-ski the English Channel for Sport Relief. This is a very worthwhile cause.

Road Safety Initative 'Live to Play'

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what contact Sport NI has had with the Gaelic Athletic Association in relation to its road safety initative 'Live to Play'.

(AQW 5489/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport including the distribution of funding. SNI is aware of the GAA’s road safety initiative, ‘Live to Play’, but has had no formal contact with the organisation nor was it contacted by the GAA about the scheme.

Road Safety Initiative 'Live to Play'

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he has recommended the Gaelic Athletic Association's Road Safety initiative 'Live to Play' to other sporting organisations.

(AQW 5490/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Responsibility for matters relating to road safety rests with the Department of the Environment (DOE). Having said that, I would welcome any campaign organised by a sporting organisation that is designed to help promote public safety. I understand the DOE Roads Safety Division is already planning to contact both the Irish Football Association and Ulster Rugby to see if they intend to run similar initiatives.

£8m for the Irish Language

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how the £8m for the Irish language announced after the Hillsborough Agreement will be distributed.

(AQW 5529/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I can advise you that Departmental officials are currently liaising with officials in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Northern Ireland Office on the details of the funding for the Irish language announced after the Hillsborough Agreement.

At present I am not in a position to provide a response to the question you raised, but I will write to you when the details have been established.

Road Bowls

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps his Department has taken to give official recognition to the sport of road bowls.

(AQW 5531/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Responsibility for granting official recognition to any sporting activity, including road bowls, is a matter for the UK Sports Councils and not an issue in which the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure can intervene. Organisers and promoters of non-recognised sports, including road bowls, can, however, apply to Sport Northern Ireland, the lead development agency for sport in Northern Ireland, for official recognition. Such applications will be considered in line with the established UK Sports Councils’ recognition procedures.

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All Ireland Fleadh)

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what consideration his Department has given to Northern Ireland hosting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All Ireland Fleadh).

(AQW 5533/10)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: My Department has had no approach regarding the All Ireland Fleadh being hosted in Northern Ireland.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Preventative and Early Intervention Measures

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education for an estimate of the percentage of her annual budget which is directed towards preventative and early intervention measures.

(AQW 4315/10)

Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane ): I would suggest that much of education and youth services are essentially preventative and early intervention measures in some way or another and therefore the vast majority of the education budget is attributable to these activities including budgets delegated directly to nursery and primary schools under the Common Funding arrangements, which totalled over £484 million in the current 2009/10 financial year.

Is iad na cláir bhreise a dhéileálfar leis na réimsí seo ná Tús Cinnte, Fairsingiú Réamhscolaíochta, Litearthacht agus Uimhearthacht, Scoileanna Sínithe, an Clár Lán-seirbhíse, Riachtanais Oideachais Speisialta, Tacaíocht do Dhaltaí, Páistí den lucht siúil, núíosacha agus de chuid na Seirbhisí, Béilí Saora Scoile agus Liúntas Éadaí agus Caighdeáin Chothaithe do lónta scoile agus bia eile i scoileanna.

Additional programmes that would address these areas directly include Sure Start, Pre-School Education Expansion, Literacy and Numeracy, Extended Schools, Full Service Provision, Special Educational Needs, Pupil Support, Traveller, Newcomer and Services children, Free School Meals and Clothing Allowance and, Nutritional Standards for school lunches and other food in schools. This aggregate total expended on these programmes amounts £110 million. There are also a range of support services and interventions provided centrally which cannot be disaggregated, to determine only those elements relating to early years.

As Minister of Education, I am committed to raising standards in all of our schools, tackling under-achievement and promoting equality of opportunity for all our children and young people.

Fairtrade Products

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Education what steps she has taken to encourage the availability of Fairtrade products in schools and school canteens.

(AQW 5095/10)

Minister of Education: Tá an fhreagracht as oibriú lá-go-lá sheirbhísí béile scoile ar na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne sna hearnálacha rialaithe agus faoi chothabháil agus i scoileanna aonair deonacha gramadaí agus i scoileanna aonair comhtháite faoi chothabháil stáit.

The day-to-day operation of the school meals service is a matter for the Education and Library Boards in the controlled and maintained sectors and individual voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated schools.

The Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB), who administer the General Groceries Contract on behalf of the five Boards, has confirmed that Fairtrade tea and coffee are available on the food schedules and that these products are considered along with others in the tendering process.

I will be writing to the Education and Library Boards to encourage them to use Fairtrade products in schools and school canteens.

'Reach the Heights' Project in Wales

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education for her assessment of the 'Reach the Heights' project in Wales to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training; and what consideration she has given to introducing similar measures.

(AQW 5130/10)

Minister of Education: While "Reach the Heights" is a programme developed by my colleagues in Wales, its core aim to address issues of engagement and achievement mirrors the aims of the education reforms I have introduced here and in the services we have put in place to support young people and encourage them to remain in education to learn and succeed.

In order to ensure that our young people remain engaged and can maximise the opportunities presented by education they must see their time in school as relevant. I have introduced the Revised Curriculum which will provide greater flexibility to tailor what is taught to better meet the needs of pupils. The aim is to better prepare young people for the future through the new area of Learning for Life and Work and in response to the needs of employers, a greater emphasis on developing real world skills. It also provides the flexibility needed to give effect to the wider range of opportunities through the Entitlement Framework, matching provision to pupils’ needs and aspirations. This choice is underpinned by a coherent programme of Careers education, advice, information and guidance from Primary school onward.

The Department for Employment and Learning is carrying out a scoping study of those who are not in education, employment or training in the north of Ireland. This study is almost complete. The issues affecting the young people in this group are multi-agency and cross-departmental in nature and the results of the scoping study will be brought to the Executive for consideration. Much is already being done by the statutory and voluntary sectors in support of these young people. Emerging evidence from the scoping study would support the focus in "Reach the Heights" on early intervention and on cross-agency working.

Bíonn mo Roinn ag obair go gar leis an Roinn Fostaíochta agus Foghlama lena chinntiú go bhfuil foráil do dhaoine óga atá idir 14 bliain d’aois agus 19 bliain d’aois comhleanúnach comhlántach agus go bhfuil réimse deiseanna ar fáil do gach duine óg, beag beann ar an áit a bhfuil siad ina gcónaí agus ar an áit ina ndéanann siad staidéar.

My Department is working closely with the Department of Employment and Learning to ensure that provision for young people aged 14 to 19 is coherent and complementary and that a range of opportunities is open to all young people, irrespective of where they live or choose to study.

Review of Capital Projects

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education what criteria will be used in relation to the review of capital projects.

(AQW 5223/10)

Minister of Education: The capital review will inform a more strategic approach to capital investment decisions and the management of the schools estate. In the current economic climate the review will ensure that available resources are used to secure the best outcomes for children and maximum value for the taxpayer. In light of this it is important that we validate that the capital projects in which we invest are viable in the long term.

Mar sin de, caithfear gach tionscadal caipitiúil reatha a bhreithniú i gcoinne réimse iomlán pholasaithe na Roinne agus tabharfar an obair seo chun tosaigh i gcomhthéacs na sé chritéar le haghaidh inmharthanacht a mheas mar atá sonraithe sa Pholasaí do Scoileanna Inmharthana.

It is critically important that investment in the education estate is consistent with and supportive of the policy framework I am putting in place and that it adheres to our statutory duties in relation to equality and targeting on the basis of objective need. At the heart of this is Every School a Good School, Revised Curriculum, Sustainable Schools, Irish Medium Review and the Entitlement Framework.

As area based planning develops, these policies will drive the reshaping of our estate and the consequential investment plans. As Minister for Education, I need to ensure that the substantial resources we are now investing produce the best outcomes for children and value for the taxpayer.

Terminology in Official Communications

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education what guidance has been provided to staff within her Department on the use of the terms 'Northern Ireland' and 'United Kingdom'.

(AQW 5250/10)

Minister of Education: Dhíreoinn aird an Chomhalta ar an fhreagra a thug mé d’Alex Easton, Comhalta do Thoghcheantar an Dúin Thuaidh, ar AQW 5160/10, a foilsíodh sa Tuairisc Oifigiúil ar 05 Márta 2010.

I refer the Member to the answer I provided Alex Easton the Member for North Down to AQW 5160/10, published in the Official Report on 05 March 2010.

Terminology in Official Communications

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education what memoranda or instructions have been provided to staff within her Department on the use of terminology in official communications.

(AQW 5252/10)

I refer the Member to the answer I provided Alex Easton the Member for North Down to AQW 5160/10, published in the Official Report on 05 March 2010.

Terminology in Official Communications

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education if staff in her Department are permitted to use the terms 'Northern Ireland' or 'United KIngdom' when issuing (i) correspondence; (ii) press releases; or (iii) official communications.

(AQW 5253/10)

I refer the Member to the answer I provided Alex Easton the Member for North Down to AQW 5160/10, published in the Official Report on 05 March 2010.

Students in Inner East Belfast Leaving School Without Five GCSE's

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQO 801/10, how the figure of 78.5% for students in inner East Belfast leaving school without five GCSE's was arrived at; and which schools were included in this calculation.

(AQW 5323/10)

Minister of Education: Áiríodh an figiúr nach mbaineann 78.5% de dhaltaí 5 ghrád GCSE amach (lena n-áirítear coibhéisí) lena n-áirítear Béarla agus Matamaitic trí eolas a úsáid ó Shuirbhé Fágálach Scoile 2007/08, agus ní raibh sé bunaithe ar thorthaí scoileanna aonair. Bailíonn an tSuirbhé Fágálach Scoile eolas postchóid chónaithe agus eolas scrúduithe gach dalta aonair agus, mar gheall air sin, is féidir anailís a dhéanamh ar dhaltaí a chónaíonn i gceantair ar leith. Sa chás seo, léirigh na sonraí gnóthachtáil na bhfágálach scoile a chónaíonn i gCeantar Athnuachan Comharsanachta Oirthear Bhéal Feirste (CAC).

The figure of 78.5% not achieving at least 5 GCSEs (inc.equivalents) including English and Mathematics was calculated using information from the School Leavers Survey 2007/08, and not based on individual school results. The School Leavers Survey collects the residential postcode and examination information of each individual pupil therefore analysis can be undertaken for those pupils living in specific areas. In this case the data reflect the achievement of school leavers resident in the inner East Belfast Neighbourhood Renewal Area (NRA).

Cost of the Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Education to detail the cost, to date, of the Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

(AQW 5324/10)

Minister of Education: De réir Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirdheiscirt, seo a leanas na híocaíochtaí iomlána, a chuimsíonn táillí taistil agus táillí maireachtála a rinneadh do Choimisinéirí ó ceapadh iad i mí Iúil 2006:

The South Eastern Education and Library Board has advised that the total payments, including fees, travel and subsistence, made to the Commissioners since their appointment in July 2006 is as follows:

2006 - £50,316

2007 - £97,677

2008 - £75,361

2009 - £75,154

Payment details for 2010 to date are not yet available.

Closures of Amalgamated Schools

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Education (i) how many closures of amalgamated schools have the Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board carried out since 2006; and (ii) to list the names of these schools.

(AQW 5326/10)

Minister of Education: Níor thug Coimisinéirí Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirdheiscirt aon Tograí Forbartha chun tosaigh i dtaca le druideanna scoileanna cónasctha ón bhliain 2006.

The Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board have not brought forward any Development Proposals for the closure of amalgamated schools since 2006.

Greyabbey Primary School

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Education why Greyabbey primary school had to close due to sewerage problems in Greyabbey Village in the week commencing 22 February 2010.

(AQW 5328/10)

Minister of Education: Chuir Príomhfheidmeannach Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirdheiscirt (BOLO) go ndearna an Príomhoide ar Greyabbey Primary School le BOLO Déardaoin, 25 Feabhra 2010 a thuairisciú nach raibh aon áiseanna leithris ag an scoil mar gheall ar locht leis an draenáil. Rinneadh an cinneadh ar na páistí a chur abhaile.

I have been informed by the Chief Executive of the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) that the Principal of Greyabbey Primary School contacted SEELB on Thursday, 25 February 2010 to report that the school had no toilet facilities due to a fault in the drainage. It was decided to send the children home.

A contractor was sent to the school who reported the fault was external to the school drainage system.

The SEELB contacted the Water Service who said they would notify the Board when the system was operative. On Friday, 26 February 2010 the fault had not been repaired and the school was still closed.

SEELB arranged to have portable toilets delivered on Friday afternoon. The school re-opened on Monday, 1 March 2010.

Special Needs Assessment

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Education how many children are awaiting a special needs assessment in the North Eastern Education and Library Board area; and what is the longest waiting time.

(AQW 5339/10)

Minister of Education: Tá curtha in iúl ag Príomhfheidhmeannach Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirthuaiscirt dom gurb é líon na bpáistí atá ag fanacht ar mheasúnú ar a riachtanais speisialta oideachais ná 552.

I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the North Eastern Education and Library Board that the number of children currently awaiting an assessment of their special educational needs is 552.

This figure includes Stage 3 (non-statutory assessments) and Stage 4 (statutory assessments) of the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs, reviews at Stage 3 and Stage 5 of the Code of Practice and a range of individual circumstances.

The Chief Executive has advised that figures regarding the longest waiting time cannot be provided within the timescale of the question. I will write to you again once this information has been provided.

Irish-medium Schools

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many Irish-medium schools are currently supported by her Department; and the number of pupils in these schools.

(AQW 5360/10)

Minister of Education: Tá 22 bunscoil dheontaschúnta Gaeilge ann chomh maith le 9 n-aonad Gaeilge i mbunscoileanna Béarla faoi láthair. Tá iarbhunscoil dheontaschúnta Gaeilge amháin ann chomh maith le dhá aonad Gaeilge in iarbhunscoileanna Béarla. Is é líon iomlán na ndaltaí sna scoileanna agus sna haonaid seo do 2009/10 ná 3,640.

There are currently 22 grant-aided Irish medium primary schools and 9 Irish medium units in English medium primary schools. There is one grant-aided Irish medium post primary school and two Irish medium units in English medium post primary schools. The total number of pupils in these schools and units in 2009/10 is 3,640.

There are also 35 voluntary and private Irish medium pre-school centres with 435 children in funded places.

New Builds for Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore and Omagh Integrated Primary School

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Education (i) for an update on the new builds for (a) Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore; and (b) Omagh Integrated Primary School; and (ii) when they are expected to be completed.

(AQW 5361/10)

Minister of Education: It is vitally important that the capital projects taken forward by the Department are consistent with and supportive of the policy framework I am putting in place to ensure we meet our statutory duties on equality and targeting on the basis of identified need. I have therefore commissioned a review of all capital projects, including those for Omagh Integrated Primary School and Dean Maguirc College.

Cuideoidh toradh an athbhreithnithe le cur chuige níos straitéisí a fhorbairt ar chinntí infheistiú caipitil agus ar bhainistiú eastát na scoileanna, agus cuirfear tionscadail in ord tosaíochta le haghaidh seichimh sna blianta airgeadais atá le teacht. Ní féidir, mar sin, nuashonrú a sholáthar ar na mórthionscadail oibreacha caipitil do na scoileanna seo faoi láthair.

The outcome of the review will inform the development of a more strategic approach to capital investment decisions and management of the schools estate and projects will then be prioritised for progression in the coming financial years. It is, therefore, not possible to provide an update on the proposed major capital works projects for these schools at this time.

Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education on how many days have the Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board met since their appointment in 2006.

(AQW 5371/10)

Minister of Education: The South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) has advised that the Commissioners have held 73 board meetings up to the end of February 2010, with a day for each.

Mar bharr ar na cruinnithe seo, bhí Coimisinéirí bainteach ina n-aonar le réimse leathan cruinnithe agus imeachtaí oifigiúla le linn na tréimhse sin freisin.

In addition to these meetings, Commissioners have also been involved individually in a wide range of other official meetings and events during that time.

Meetings of the South Eastern Education and Library Board Commissioners

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education how many official meetings have the Commissioners of the South Eastern Education and Library Board had since their appointment in 2006.

(AQW 5372/10)

Minister of Education: The South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) has advised that the Commissioners have held 73 board meetings up to the end of February 2010, with a day for each.

Mar bharr ar na cruinnithe seo, bhí Coimisinéirí bainteach ina n-aonar le réimse leathan cruinnithe agus imeachtaí oifigiúla le linn na tréimhse sin freisin.

In addition to these meetings, Commissioners have also been involved individually in a wide range of other official meetings and events during that time.

Pre-school Nursery Provision

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education what action she is taking to address the shortfall in pre-school nursery provision in the North Down constituency.

(AQW 5374/10)

Minister of Education: The enrolment process for the 2010/11 school year is still ongoing and as a result it is not possible, at this stage, to determine if there will be a shortfall in pre-school places in North Down in September 2010. However, using the number of children currently in P1 as a proxy for the size of the pre-school cohort in 2010/11, it is anticipated that there will be approximately 876 children in their final pre-school year in the North Down constituency in September 2010.

According to the October 2009 school census there are 850 pre-school places available in the current school year in the North Down constituency. This includes 546 places in statutory nursery schools and nursery units attached to primary schools. In addition, there are 304 places available in voluntary and private settings. However, this number can increase if there is demand for additional places as has happened in previous years.

Coinneoidh Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirdheiscirt an tsaincheist seo faoi bhreathnú lena chinntiú go mbaintear amach sprioc beartais na Roinne go soláthraítear aít mhaoinithe réamhscoile do gach páiste ar mhian lena pháiste ceann a bheith aige.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board will keep the position under review to ensure that the Department’s policy objective to provide a funded pre-school place for every child whose parents wish them to have one is met.

Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education what research has been carried out by the Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce.

(AQW 5381/10)

Minister of Education: Is iad na dualgais atá ar an Tascfhórsa um Litearthacht agus Uimhearthacht ná a chuidiú leis an straitéis athbhreithnithe um litearthacht agus uimhearthacht a thabhairt chun críche, feidhmiú na straitéise a mhaoirsiú, agus monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar dhul chun cinn na Roinne ar dhéileáil le moltaí na hOifige Iniúchóireachta/ an Choiste um Chuntais Phoiblí ar an litearthacht agus uimhearthacht. Cé go n-iarann sé eolas agus go bhfaigheann sé eolas ón Roinn Oideachais agus ó eagraíochtaí eile oideachais chun a chuid oibre a nuashonrú, níl sé de chúram air taighde ar leith a dhéanamh.

The role of the Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce is to help finalise the revised literacy and numeracy strategy, to oversee its implementation and to monitor Department’s progress in addressing the Audit Office/Public Account Committee recommendations on literacy and numeracy. While it requests and receives information routinely from DE and from other educational bodies to inform its work, it does not have a remit to carry out specific research.

Castle Towers Special School in Ballymena

Mr M Storey asked e Minister of Education why the economic appraisal for the new Castle Towers Special School in Ballymena has been referred to the Business Compliance unit.

(AQW 5391/10)

Minister of Education: Mionscrúdaíonn Aonad Comhlíonta G nó na Roinne gach Breithmheas Eacnamaíochta.

All Economic Appraisals are scrutinised by the Department’s Business Compliance Unit.

DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Capital Projects

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the capital projects (i) planned; and (ii) postponed or abandoned by his Department for 2010/11.

(AQW 5033/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey): There are a number of capital projects currently being funded by my Department that commenced in 2009/10 or earlier. These projects, which are ongoing, are listed in Table 1. A further five projects had been planned, one in each of the four higher education institutions and one in further education. These will now be impacted due to the proposed reduction in Department for Employment and Learning’s 2010/11 capital funding.

In higher education the Institutions have yet to decide if their four projects, which are partly funded by DEL, could proceed at the proposed reduced level of DEL funding. Until that decision is taken I cannot say whether any of the projects, Table 2, will be postponed or abandoned. In further education, the Performing Arts and Technology Innovation Centre in Bangor, a South Eastern Regional College project, has been put on hold.

Annex 1

Table 1.detailing the ongoing DEL Capital Projects in 2010/11

University/College	Campus/Project
South Eastern Regional College	New Campus in Downpatrick – PPP*
South Eastern Regional College	New Campus in Ballynahinch – PPP
South Eastern Regional College	New Campus in Lisburn – PPP
South Eastern Regional College	New Construction Centre in Newtownards
Belfast Metropolitan College	New campus at Titanic Quarter in Belfast – PPP
Belfast Metropolitan College	New campus at Springvale in Belfast
Northern Regional College	Extension and refurbishment in Newtownabbey
North West Regional College	Extension and refurbishment in Londonderry
Queen’s University	Renewal of ICT & Infrastructure
Queen’s University	Post Grad Executive Education Centre
Queen’s University	Medical Health & Life Sciences
Queen’s University	Refurbishment of Chemical Laboratories

* Public Private Partnership

Table 2.detailing Department for Employment and Learning's HE Capital Projects due to commence in 2010/11

University/College	Campus/Project
Queen University	Refurbishment of the Ashby Building
Stranmillis University College	Refurbishment of Science Teaching Space
St Mary's University College	Refurbishment (Phase 2) of Main Quad
University of Ulster:	Construction of Sports Centre, Coleraine

Working Age People Educated to Level 4/degree or Above

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what steps he is taking to raise the percentage of working age people educated to Level 4/degree or above in the East Londonderry constituency.

(AQW 5048/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department is committed to increasing the proportion of the population qualified to Level 4 and above and provides funding for the universities and Further Education Colleges to enable them to deliver both full time and part-time courses at level 4 and above.

In relation to the East Londonderry constituency, you may wish to note that in the current academic year my Department is supporting undergraduate courses in the University of Ulster, including the Coleraine Campus. This is done by the payment of block grant for teaching and learning activities. My Department also provides funding to the North West Regional College and the Northern Regional College.

The Department is also focusing on increasing workforce development and employer engagement through more opportunities for part-time professional and technical programmes, such as Foundation Degrees. This will help raise the percentage of the working age population educated to Level 4/degree or above.

I trust you find this information helpful.

Working Age People Educated to Level 4/degree or Above

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if any research has been undertaken in relation to the disparity among constituencies of the percentage of working age people educated to Level 4/degree or above.

(AQW 5049/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department has not carried out any research of this nature and is not aware of specific research on this topic in Northern Ireland, although general research findings suggest that people with higher educational qualifications will be more residentially mobile than those with lower qualifications; and that the pool of applicants for jobs demanding higher-level qualifications will tend to be geographically wider than those demanding lower-level qualifications.

Measures to Prevent Convicted Sex Offenders Working in Universities and Colleges

Lord Morrow asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what measures are in place in universities and colleges to ensure that convicted sex offenders are not working in a capacity which brings them into direct contact with students or vulnerable adults.

(AQW 5071/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: All Further Education Colleges carry out vetting checks on all new staff by carrying out Enhanced Disclosure checks through Access NI. An Enhanced Disclosure provides details of all convictions, including sexual offences and cautions and whether an individual is included in any of the children’s or vulnerable adults’ barred lists held in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. Such individuals are barred from working closely with children and vulnerable adults in Colleges.

All Higher Education Institutions also require applicants for regulated positions involving work with children or vulnerable adults to undergo the Access NI checks and both Further and Higher Education Colleges carry out checks on students whose courses of study involves working with children or vulnerable adults, for example in the fields of education, nursing, allied health professions and social work.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how much money has been spent by his Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5091/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Expenditure incurred by this Department on conference and course fees in the last three years has been as follows:

	Invoiced Costs	Notional Charges	Total
Year ended 31/3/2007	£180,394	£277,000	£457,394
Year ended 31/3/2008	£122,820	£238,473	£361,293
Year ended 31/3/2009	£381,436	£0	£381,436

Since 1 April 2006, generic training has been delivered by the Centre for Applied Learning (CAL). On 1 April 2008, CAL moved from notional charging to invoicing the Department for its training services. The Department does not separately identify travel and subsistence costs that are directly attributable to attendance at conferences and courses.

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what bids his Department has made in relation to the 'Invest to Save' initiative; and what consideration was given to bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

(AQW 5113/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The Department for Employment and Learning put forward two bids under the "Invest to Save" initiative as follows:-

Redundancy and relocation costs for the Educational Guidance Service for Adults, costing £428k; and
Assistance to achieve additional efficiency savings in the Universities, costing £1.5m.

"Invest to save" is not intended to address communal segregation in service provision and promoting integration. However, the Department is committed to ensuring that promoting integration and shared services is mainstreamed in the Department’s activities.

Titanic Quarter

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what measures are in place to ensure that the maximum amount of employment opportunities are created locally as a result of the development of the Titanic Quarter, both in terms of construction at present and future opportunities within the development.

(AQW 5161/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: While my Department is not responsible for creation of employment opportunities, it is represented on the Titanic Quarter ‘Employment, Education and Skills’ work group. Officials have met with the lead contractors. My understanding is that the contractors for the Titanic Quarter are complying with their contractual requirements concerning the employment of apprentices and long term unemployed people.

My Department will assist employers who locate in Titanic Quarter to fill vacancies and will consider whether to run a jobs fair at the appropriate time. The Department will also encourage employers to recruit from the unemployed and economically inactive and will, where appropriate, assist these individuals to take advantage of the jobs that might come to the Titanic Quarter. We welcome the opportunity to provide this assistance.

Careers Advice

Mr A Ross asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what careers advice is offered to unemployed people over the age of 16 in the East Antrim constituency; and where this advice can be accessed.

(AQW 5233/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department’s professionally qualified Careers Advisers provide an impartial all-age careers information, advice and guidance service to all citizens in Northern Ireland, including unemployed people over the age of 16. The Careers Service provides up to date careers information and advice on education, training and employment options and in depth careers guidance to support effective career decision making.

Within the East Antrim constituency careers services are available in the Jobs and Benefits Offices (J&BO) in Carrickfergus and Larne. Clients may be referred by a personal adviser in the J&BO or may choose to make an appointment with a Careers Adviser themselves. Contact details are as follows: Careers Service Carrickfergus 028 93356904, Careers Service Larne 028 28263531.Careers information and advice is also available on the Careers Service website www.careersserviceni.com

Clients from the Newtownabbey area can also avail of services in the Careers Resource Centre, 56 Ann Street, Belfast on a drop in basis.

Careers Advice Clinics

Mr A Ross asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he has plans to relocate any careers advice clinics away from the East Antrim constituency.

(AQW 5235/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Careers advice in the East Antrim constituency is currently available, mainly on an appointment basis, at the Careers Office in the Jobs & Benefits Offices in Larne and Carrickfergus.

In order to alleviate pressure on accommodation in the Jobs and Benefits Offices (J&BOs) and to modernise Careers Service provision, I plan to relocate careers staff to a regional Careers Resource Centre. However careers information, advice and guidance will continue to be available in Larne and Carrickfergus J&BOs by appointment.

Performing Arts Centre and Technology Innovation Centre of the South Eastern Regional College

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what steps he is taking to secure funding for the new Performing Arts Centre and Technology Innovation Centre of the South Eastern Regional College, since the project has received planning approval and is ready to issue final tendering documents.

(AQW 5301/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The procurement of the Bangor Performing Arts Centre and Technology Innovation Centre project has been put on hold due to a reduction in the Department for Employment and Learning’s 2010/11 capital budget. This follows the recent Review of the 2010/11 Spending Plans, and a likely decrease in the proceeds from an asset disposal which was included in the Department’s 2010/11 budget. The next opportunity to bid for additional resources will be in the June 2010 monitoring round. Thereafter, a bid will be made in the next Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) exercise.

DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Accelerated Support Fund

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if the Accelerated Support Fund will receive further funding this year.

(AQW 4991/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster): The Accelerated Support Fund (ASF) was announced in 2008 as a tactical response to the emerging economic downturn. The Fund had an available budget of £5 million to provide fast- track support to assist Invest NI clients by providing advice and on-site support.

Access to the ASF was by way of attendance at the ‘Challenges and opportunities – the Credit Crunch’ events - a proactive initiative organised by Invest NI. Between September 2008 and April 2009, 14 of these events were organised across the province. They were attended by over 830 Invest NI clients, of whom 764 then registered for the free diagnostic service available. In addition, a further 10 seminars, aimed at the wider business base, were held across Northern Ireland, attracting over 700 people from 400 companies. These brought together key local stakeholder organisations and provided businesses with access to a range of practical advice and information on dealing with the impact of the economic downturn.

Under the ASF, over 500 diagnostics have been completed with 300 projects now underway supported either directly via ASF or existing mainstream Invest NI programmes. The original £5 million budget has now been fully allocated and whilst there are no plans to make additional funds available, Invest NI continues to offer diagnostic support and fast-track funding for projects using its range of mainstream programmes.

Short-Term Aid Scheme

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for an update on the Short-Term Aid Scheme.

(AQW 4993/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: On 26^th May 2009, I announced a new £15 million initiative by Invest NI designed to help businesses in difficulty retain key skills through the economic downturn. The Short Term Aid Scheme (STAS) commenced on 1^st June 2009 and is scheduled to run until 31^st December 2010.

STAS, which has been developed by Invest NI under the European Commission’s Temporary State Aid Framework, offers fixed grant rates of 80% for small business; 70% for medium sized business; and 60% for large companies. Support is directed towards the salary costs of key employees.

The Scheme has been broadly welcomed by companies, business organisations and commentators and applications continue to be submitted, however the activity level has slowed in recent months. In total, Invest NI had received 55 applications by the end of February 2010, of which 45 were from existing Invest NI clients and 10 from the wider business community.

Of the 32 cases presented to STAS casework panels to date, 30 businesses have been offered support totalling £3.73 million.

STAS is just one of a range of measures that has been introduced by Invest NI to help businesses cope with the impact of the economic downturn. Other initiatives have included the £5 million Accelerated Support Fund and a series of over 20 information seminars for clients and the wider business base which offered access to practical business advice and support. The agency has substantially simplified its Business Improvement Training Programme application process and has been consistently applying a higher level of support within the Programme. This has allowed companies experiencing difficulty access to retraining focused on developing new markets/products. Invest NI has also continued to increase its support across its range of advisory services, assisting companies to control energy and waste costs, helping them improve their ICT systems and up to date and relevant information through the nibusinessinfo website.

Licence for the Supply of Natural Gas

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (i) how many companies have held a licence for the supply of natural gas in the Belfast area since January 2007; and (ii) for how many years each company has held the licence.

(AQW 5050/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Six companies have held licences for the supply of natural gas in the Greater Belfast area since January 2007. These are Phoenix Supply Ltd., Firmus Energy, Viridian Energy Supply Ltd., Power and Gas Ventures Ltd., VAYU Ltd., and Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Ltd.
Viridian Energy Supply Ltd has held a gas supply licence for Greater Belfast since 2000, while Phoenix Supply Ltd., and Firmus Energy have held gas supply licences since 2006. Power and Gas Ventures Ltd has held a licence for three years since 2007, VAYU Ltd. has held a licence for 2 years since 2008, and Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Ltd has held a licence for some 6 months.

Rose Energy Shareholders

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether any senior members of the Ulster Farmers Union are individual shareholders in Rose Energy or shareholders in a company which has shares in Rose Energy.

(AQW 5116/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: From the company information held by Invest NI, it is not possible to identify if any shareholders are members of the Ulster Farmers Union.

Funding to Help Invest NI Clients

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, in relation to the £5 million announced in September 2008 to help Invest NI clients to navigate the economic slow down, to detail (i) the amount that has been allocated; (ii) the percentage of applicants who were ultimately successful; (iii) the name and location of the businesses which benefited; (iv) the number of these businesses located in Neighbourhood Renewal areas; (v) the number of businesses which received the announced 50% cost of approved projects; and (vi) where the 50% was not received, what percentage was provided.

(AQW 5129/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

The Accelerated Support Fund (ASF) was announced in 2008 as a tactical response to the emerging economic downturn. The Fund had an available budget of £5 million to provide fast- track support to assist Invest NI clients by providing advice and on-site support. Access to the ASF was by way of attendance at the ‘Challenges and opportunities – the Credit Crunch’ events - a proactive initiative organised by Invest NI. Maximum support available for any project was £50,000 or 50% of eligible expenditure up to £100,000 whichever was the lesser.

In detailed response to the six issues raised:

The total amount allocated is £5.895m. This is broken down as: £4.389m for ASF projects plus £1.506m for Credit Crunch Diagnostics.
96% of proposals were successful.
I have set out these details in the tables at Annexes A and B.
100 of the 639 combined offers were in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (15.6%).
132 businesses received 50% funding.
Two projects received less than the maximum available support (one receiving 40% and the other 45%).

Between September 2008 and April 2009, 14 events were organised across the province attended by over 830 Invest NI clients of which 764 registered for the free Diagnostic service available. Over 500 diagnostics have now been completed with 300 projects are now underway supported either directly via ASF or existing mainstream Invest NI programmes.

Annex A

INVEST NI OFFERS APPROVED UNDER CREDIT CRUNCH DIAGNOSTICS SCHEME UP TO 31st JAN 2010
COMPANY NAME	PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY AREA
DEANE PUBLIC WORKS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
M&M GAS & REFRIGERATION SERVICES LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
BAYVIEW HOTEL PARTNERSHIP	EAST LONDONDERRY
INDUSTRY TRAINING SERVICES LIMITED	UPPER BANN
MICHAEL & NOILIN MULLIN	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
TERRA SOLUTIONS LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
ENTERPRISE STATIONERY LIMITED	UPPER BANN
ALUMINIUM & PLASTICS SYSTEMS LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
RICHARD O'LONE	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
ACHESON & GLOVER PRECAST LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
HUNTER APPAREL SOLUTIONS LIMITED	FOYLE
ROOMS DYNAMIC FURNITURE LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
RENEWABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES LTD	WEST TYRONE
DREW MCCOUBREY	EAST ANTRIM
PLATO TRAINING LTD.	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
DYNA-POWER LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
SEATING MATTERS LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
TILT-A-DOR LTD	NORTH DOWN
GEORGE FLECK SNR, GEORGE FLECK JNR, AGNES FLECK,BRENDA FLECK	NORTH ANTRIM
WHITEWATER CONSULTING LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
UCS DESIGN LTD	BELFAST WEST
LEVEL SEVEN CREATIVE LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
FORTRESS DIAGNOSTICS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
MILLERS TRADITIONAL BAKERY LTD	BELFAST EAST
E CULLEY, G GRATTAN, K DOMINY, A MCCLELLAND, P BEATTIE & A CULLEY	BELFAST NORTH
ARIA CLOTHING LTD	BELFAST NORTH
GLOVER SITE INVESTIGATIONS LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
GERARD CULLEN	BELFAST NORTH
F S L ELECTRONICS LTD	MID ULSTER
G P S COLOUR GRAPHICS LTD	BELFAST EAST
SHARMAN D NEILL LTD	BELFAST WEST
RUBBER & PLASTIC PRODUCTS (NI) LTD	BELFAST NORTH
NUACHTAIN	BELFAST WEST
NORTHSIDE GRAPHICS LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
COMMERCIAL INFORMATION COMPANY LTD	BELFAST NORTH
POWER ACTION LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
VICTOR BAXTER, MICHAEL MURRAY AND KAREN MURRAY	BELFAST EAST
PETER MC GRATH & BRIAN MC GRATH	LAGAN VALLEY
T A L LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
SPENCE ENGINEERING LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
DCI ENERGY CONTROL LTD	EAST ANTRIM
ESSENTIAL DESIGNS (NI) LTD	MID ULSTER
REDFLITE LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
HUHTAMAKI (LURGAN) LTD	UPPER BANN
S J MCAULEY ENGINEERING LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
CRAWFORD CONTRACTS LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
OAKFIELD CABINETS LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
SEAN BLANEY	NORTH ANTRIM
MADDEN BROTHERS LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
ROBERT PATTON T/A OLD MILL SADDLERY	EAST ANTRIM
J M F LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
WAFER ENTERPRISES LTD	FOYLE
AARON MULLAN	WEST TYRONE
SEAN HAGAN & CATHAL HAGAN	MID ULSTER
SEAN O'NEILL	WEST TYRONE
PVS MANUFACTURING LIMITED	MID ULSTER
GORTAVOY PLANT LTD	MID ULSTER
TEAGUE & SALLY LIMITED	MID ULSTER
EMERGING GROUP LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
M P COLEMAN LIMITED	MID ULSTER
DEANE PUBLIC WORKS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CANOPIES (IRELAND) LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BITE SNACK FOODS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
JMG SYSTEMS LTD	WEST TYRONE
FRYLITE LTD	WEST TYRONE
ELECTRO-TECH MACHINERY LIMITED	MID ULSTER
RAYMOND & ELAINE BOYD	WEST TYRONE
CHARLIE CANAVAN, CONNOR CANAVAN & JOEL CANAVAN	MID ULSTER
PORTA-FILL INTERNATIONAL LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
TRADE ROBES LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
COOKSTOWN PANEL CENTRE LIMITED	MID ULSTER
J M ENGINEERING LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
MC DON PEAT SUPPLIES LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
ACOS (NI) LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
P I K ENGINEERING LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BENBURB BRAMLEYS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CALEDON PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
NEED OF MEATS LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
IRWIN CONTROL PANELS LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
DELI-LITES (IRELAND) LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
SERVASPORT LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
FINTAN MCMULLAN LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
MESSRS FEGAN & MOONEY	SOUTH DOWN
ICAN ENGINEERING LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
BLAIR NEILL LTD	STRANGFORD
HAWTHORNE TIMBER FABRICATIONS LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
GLOBEWEIGH UK LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
HILL ENGINEERING LTD	SOUTH DOWN
DERRYS LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
KEVIN MURPHY ENGINEERING LIMITED T/A KME STEELWORKS	SOUTH DOWN
MOURNE GRANITE LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
D & M CAKES LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
ANNAGHMORE AGENCIES LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
VICTOR BOWMAN	UPPER BANN
MC ALLISTER BROS LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
C & R FURNITURE (ARMAGH) LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MCERLEAN TRAILERS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
OPT 2 VOTE LTD	FOYLE
OAK GROVE CABINS LTD	FOYLE
COPPER INDUSTRIES (IRELAND) LIMITED	MID ULSTER
BEAM VACUUM SYSTEMS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
EURO FIRE AND SECURITY LIMITED	FOYLE
VIJAY, KRISHNA & JAGDISH BEDI	MID ULSTER
PREMIER WOODLANDS LTD	MID ULSTER
TOP GLASS CONTRACTS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
THE ELEVATE GROUP LIMITED	MID ULSTER
MANOR MOULDINGS (NI) LIMITED	FOYLE
JIM, MONICA & RORY JACKSON	FOYLE
SEAN HAGAN, EAMON HAGAN & CATHAL HAGAN	MID ULSTER
MID ULSTER REPRODUCTIONS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
MICHELIN TYRE PLC	NORTH ANTRIM
EMPIRE MEATS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
MERVYN KENNEDY	WEST TYRONE
MCELWAINE GROUP	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BOTANIC INNS LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
NUTECH RENEWABLES LTD	SOUTH DOWN
LOUGHTEC LTD	WEST TYRONE
JIM MARTIN MARKETING LIMITED	EAST ANTRIM
CLARE CANNON	NORTH DOWN
WALL EFFECTS LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
CCS SURVEYING LTD.	WEST TYRONE
TNR SYSTEMS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
IBC TRADING LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
HOMECARE (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
JACQUELINE BOHILL & UNA KENNEDY BOYD	BELFAST WEST
ERNE MANAGEMENT LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CUNAMH ICT LTD	FOYLE
MCAULEY KITCHENS LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
MULLINSALLAGH LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
TULLYHERRON FARM FEEDS LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
INTEGRATED TIMBER SOLUTIONS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
JOHN & BRIAN LAGAN	MID ULSTER
FRONTIER ENERGY LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
DEA GATE AUTOMATION LIMITED	MID ULSTER
DAWSON MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING LTD	UPPER BANN
AWAKIN LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
THE CORNER CAKE SHOP LTD	MID ULSTER
SAM & LORNA ROBINSON	MID ULSTER
HARPSCREEN INTERNATIONAL LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
PATRICK MURRAY	STRANGFORD
ARCATECH LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
URBAN FOREST LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
VICTORIAN GARDEN ARCHITECTURE LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
RAYMOND MAGUIRE LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
THREE SOFTWARE LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
BM STEEL FABRICATIONS LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
GLOBAL ARMOUR LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
JONATHAN COYLE	EAST LONDONDERRY
THE STREAT FRANCHISING LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
APOLLO MARBLE & GRANITE LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MIKE HAIGNEY	WEST TYRONE
JOHN AND SALLY WILLIAMSON	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
WILSON PROPERTY LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
MICHAEL & JOSEPHINE MC NELIS	WEST TYRONE
SYCADEX LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
VIVION MCSORLEY	MID ULSTER
COONEEN WATTS & STONE LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
AGMS LIMITED	STRANGFORD
UNIQUE TIMBER FRAME LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
SETANTA THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LTD	MID ULSTER
CATER WASTE PRODUCTS LTD	MID ULSTER
KAN TEQ LTD	STRANGFORD
AURION LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
AIDAN MCALISTER	SOUTH DOWN
M & K QUARRY PLANT LTD	MID ULSTER
OLIVER GORMLEY	WEST TYRONE
AUTOGEN MANUFACTURING LTD	MID ULSTER
DESIGN BY FRONT LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
CROMER ENTERPRISES LIMITED	FOYLE
GLENCARN PROPERTY LTD	MID ULSTER
JOE, PAUL MAHON AND AISLING SLOAN	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
KILLYHEVLIN HOTEL LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
HASTINGS HOTELS GROUP LTD	BELFAST EAST
COUNTRY INNS (ULSTER) LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
BEECH HILL HOUSE HOTEL LTD	FOYLE
NU PRINT TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED	FOYLE
KIVERTECH LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
REGEN WASTE LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
NUMAC WASTE SYSTEMS LTD	SOUTH DOWN
EM AUTOMATION LIMITED	MID ULSTER
STEPHEN MCCLENAGHAN	STRANGFORD
GLENOVATION LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
CAPITAL REINFORCING (IRELAND) LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CK INTERNATIONAL LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
NORTHERN AUTOMATION LIMITED	EAST ANTRIM
MO TEAM LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
ASIDUA LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
ASIDUA LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
MCQUAID ENGINEERING LTD	MID ULSTER
KILBRAE FURNITURE LTD	MID ULSTER
FUSION ANTIBODIES LTD	BELFAST WEST
MCCAULEY TRAILERS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
HILLGROVE HOTEL LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
MOORE CONCRETE PRODUCTS LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
PNEUTROL IRELAND LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
TENDERLEAN MEATS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CABRAGH ENGINEERING LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
R W PIERCE GROUP LTD	BELFAST NORTH
CROSS REFRIGERATION (NI) LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
PATRICK MCCAUL	WEST TYRONE
SEAGOE TECHNOLOGIES LTD	UPPER BANN
NOVOSCO LTD	STRANGFORD
ULTRA SPREADER INTERNATIONAL LIMITED	MID ULSTER
NU-TRACK LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
GARAGE DOOR SYSTEMS LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
MOYFAB ENGINEERING LTD	SOUTH DOWN
MOURNE COUNTRY MEATS LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MARY ELIZABETH LYNN	NORTH ANTRIM
MJM MARINE LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
COPELAND LTD	MID ULSTER
COTTAGE CATERING LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
MULLINS ICE CREAM LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
WILLOWBROOK FOODS LIMITED	STRANGFORD
J ROONEY, R ROONEY & A ROONEY	SOUTH DOWN
ALPHA ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
WEBTECH (NI) LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
PARK GATE FOODS LTD	STRANGFORD
CLASSIC MINERAL WATER CO LTD	UPPER BANN
DELUXE ART & THEME LIMITED	UPPER BANN
E S L ENGINEERING LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
TULLYRAINE QUARRIES LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
CLASSIC MARBLE (SHOWERS) LTD	WEST TYRONE
DUNCAN MAXWELL STOREFITTERS LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
WINDELL LTD	MID ULSTER
SPECIALIST JOINERY FITTINGS LTD	MID ULSTER
CROSSGAR POULTRY LTD	SOUTH DOWN
MONTUPET (UK) LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
SPRINGFARM ARCHITECTURAL MOULDINGS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
A. DIAMOND & SON (TIMBER) LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
RICHARD ATKINSON & CO LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
SPORTS CREST LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
BROOK DESIGN HARDWARE LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
NORTH WEST OF IRELAND PRINTING & PUBLISHING CO LTD	WEST TYRONE
P W S IRELAND LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
CONCRETE FLOORING SYSTEMS LTD	MID ULSTER
MAGHERA JOINERY WORKS LTD	MID ULSTER
JOHN ENGLAND TEXTILES LTD	BELFAST EAST
DENROY PLASTICS LTD	NORTH DOWN
PAUL & REUBEN BRUCE T/A BRUCE ENGINEERING	MID ULSTER
ACHESON & GLOVER LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
THE CORPORATE WARDROBE LTD	NORTH DOWN
SPRINGVALE E P S LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
TEXAM LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
RYOBI ALUMINIUM CASTING (UK) LIMITED	EAST ANTRIM
BOOMER INDUSTRIES LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
PARTRIDGE PEARTREE PROMOTIONS LIMITED	FOYLE
ORIOR BY DESIGN LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
SEPHA LIMITED	STRANGFORD
SEAN J JORDAN ENGINEERING LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
B A KITCHEN COMPONENTS LTD	MID ULSTER
EVRON FOODS LTD	UPPER BANN
STEVENSON & COMPANY	NORTH ANTRIM
RAPID INTERNATIONAL LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
METSO MINERALS (CAPPAGH) LIMITED	MID ULSTER
RTU LIMITED	EAST ANTRIM
LARSEN MANUFACTURING LTD	BELFAST NORTH
CRAFTSTONE 2000 LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
MALLAGHAN ENGINEERING LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
W & G BAIRD LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
R W PIERCE & CO (PRINTERS) LTD	BELFAST NORTH
NORMAN EMERSON GROUP LTD	UPPER BANN
FRANCIS DINSMORE LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
FIVEMILETOWN & BROOKBOROUGH CO-OPERATIVE AGRICULTURAL & DAIRY SOCIETY LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
NI SHOTBLASTING LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
J H MCNICKLE & SONS LTD	EAST ANTRIM
MALLAGHAN CONVENIENCE DIY PRODUCTS LTD	MID ULSTER
FOUR DEE (NI) LIMITED	MID ULSTER
RACKING & SHELVING LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
ANNARD HORSEBOXES LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
3D STEELWORK LTD	MID ULSTER
REPROGRAPHIC SYSTEMS (NI) LTD	UPPER BANN
CDE IRELAND LIMITED	MID ULSTER
SHERWOOD SYSTEMS LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
SMYTH STEEL LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
GARUDA DESIGN LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
M HERRON LTD	MID ULSTER
NORTH DOWN MARQUEES LIMITED	STRANGFORD
DC PILING LTD	WEST TYRONE
S D C TRAILERS LTD	MID ULSTER
NEILL MULLIN & SONS LTD	WEST TYRONE
GARY PARKE & SUE PRENTER	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
WHITE INK ARCHITECTS LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
JOSEPH BARRETT & SON LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
ATLAS FIRE & SECURITY (NI) LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
MAKING IT HAPPEN 4 U LTD	MID ULSTER
HOLIDAY INN BELFAST	BELFAST SOUTH
TICKETY-MOO LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BARON RECYCLING LTD	MID ULSTER
FMC ELECTRICAL SERVICES LTD	WEST TYRONE
FUSION BROADCAST LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
A & N SHILLIDAY & CO LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
APEX FASTENING SOLUTIONS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
MCNICHOLL & HUGHES LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
VALPAR INDUSTRIAL LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
ERNE EXTRUSIONS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
NIGEL WILSON	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
TREVOR & SAMANTHA TORRENS	WEST TYRONE
COPAS TOOL & DIE LTD	SOUTH DOWN
RICHARD O'LONE	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
LINTON & ROBINSON LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
WILLIS HEATING & PLUMBING CO LTD	BELFAST NORTH
CP HIRE LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
CROSS CONCRETE FLOORING LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
PAUL QUINELL	FOYLE
CLARITY BUSINESS EDUCATION LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
SEMBARC LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
LAMBOUR PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
VERSATILE MANUFACTURING DUNGANNON LLP	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
SCOTT MCCLELLAND	FOYLE
M E T STEEL LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
KIVERCO LIMITED	MID ULSTER
P.M. ENGINEERING LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
METEOR CONTROLS (INTERNATIONAL) LTD	MID ULSTER
CREGGAN COUNTRY PARK ENTERPRISES LTD	FOYLE
BEING COMMUNICATIONS LTD	BELFAST EAST
EXCITE EXHIBITION & DISPLAY LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
MICHAEL & JANE EVASON & DECLAN O'DUIL	WEST TYRONE
FIRE SECURITY LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
BELFAST PRINT FINISHERS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL COATINGS LTD	STRANGFORD
TEAM INDUSTRIES LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
HAPPENING (NI) LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
P F C RAINWATER SYSTEMS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
PUMPS & FUEL INSTALLATIONS LIMITED	BELFAST WEST
CROSSEN ENGINEERING LTD	STRANGFORD
SLIDEROBES GROUP LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
EDENDERRY PRINT LTD	BELFAST WEST
MAYDOWN PRECISION ENGINEERING LIMITED	FOYLE
PARKER BUTLER LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
KNYSNA (N.I.) LIMITED	STRANGFORD
RUTH WILSON	LAGAN VALLEY
ELMORE FISH LIMITED	BELFAST WEST
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS LTD	EAST ANTRIM
MICHAEL MORTON & DAVID MILLSOPP	SOUTH ANTRIM
R J F JENNINGS BAKERY LTD	EAST ANTRIM
EAMON MCVEIGH	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
SPIRES GALLERY LTD	WEST TYRONE
SEAN O'NEILL	WEST TYRONE
EMERGING GROUP LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
THE CREATIVE MEDIA COMPANY (NI) LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
PAUL DONNELLY	WEST TYRONE
MONICA MC GEARY	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
SPEC-DRUM ENGINEERING	MID ULSTER
O & S DOORS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
FAST ENGINEERING LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
T E S (NI) LTD	MID ULSTER
DEANE PUBLIC WORKS LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
STEEL SOLUTIONS (NI) LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
TAILORED IMAGE LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
GENERAL CABINS & ENGINEERING LTD	MID ULSTER
P M FIREPLACES LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
FINRONE LTD	WEST TYRONE
MCKENNA PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD	WEST TYRONE
SPINCRAFT LIMITED	MID ULSTER
ALLIED METAL PRODUCTS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
SEAMUS MC CRORY	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
LIAM CASEY	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
WILLIAM DUNLOP	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
TYRONE QUALITY PICTURE FRAMING LIMITED	MID ULSTER
STEELWELD FABRICATIONS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
FABRICAT (IRELAND) CONTRACTORS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
MC GIRR ENGINEERING LTD	WEST TYRONE
ERNEST SHAW & PHILIP SHAW	MID ULSTER
THE MCAVOY GROUP LIMITED	MID ULSTER
THE POSTCARD COMPANY LTD	WEST TYRONE
DOMESTIC SHEEPSKINS (UK) LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
ORCHARD FRESH FOODS LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
IRWIN CONTROL PANELS LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
DOUGLAS ARCHITECTURAL SYSTEMS LTD	UPPER BANN
PAT & KATHY CASSIDY	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
JOE & MARIAN ANNETT	SOUTH DOWN
ENVIRONMENTAL FABRICATIONS LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
AROUND NOON LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
HERRON ENGINEERING LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
CLERK FENCING LTD	SOUTH DOWN
ROBERT J FARRELL	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
JAMES SAMMON & CO LTD	FOYLE
C M INTERIORS LTD	MID ULSTER
ASHLAND CHEMICALS & HYGIENE SUPPLIES LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
COLIN & SHEENA GRAHAM	FOYLE
CARELLA LAMINATE SYSTEMS LTD.	FOYLE
CARELLA LAMINATE SYSTEMS LTD.	FOYLE
HEGARTY'S (FITTED FURNITURE) LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
HEGARTY'S (FITTED FURNITURE) LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
MOYOLA MATTRESS CO LTD	MID ULSTER
LAGANVALE ENTERPRISES LIMITED	UPPER BANN
MCC BUILDING SYSTEMS LTD	WEST TYRONE
ROGERS & SMYTH (NI) LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
CR COFFEE HOUSES LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
JOHN MCELWAINE	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BLAKELY MCCARTNEY LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BOWMAN ALUMINIUM SYSTEMS LTD	UPPER BANN
CCS SURVEYING LTD.	WEST TYRONE
KN NETWORK SERVICES (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
MR PAUL DOHERTY	FOYLE
TAKETHEBISCUIT LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
W. D. IRWIN & SONS LIMITED	UPPER BANN
FIRE ESCAPES (EUROPE) LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
FLOORFORM LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
ERNE MANAGEMENT LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
ELECTRONIC & SECURITY SERVICES LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
H IRELAND & SON LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
TECHNICAL METALS LTD	STRANGFORD
LARSEN (MANUFACTURING) LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
M D F ENGINEERING LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
FLAMELILY FLOWERS LTD	UPPER BANN
SPRINGCO (NI) LTD	UPPER BANN
WALTER C CAMPBELL	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
JOSEPH HUGHES INDUSTRIAL CLEANING LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
NIFTY NOSH LTD	BELFAST WEST
MCELWAINE SMART TECHNOLOGIES LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
MAMMOTH DESIGN CONSULTANTS LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
DOMINIC MULDOON	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM	WEST TYRONE
BAILIES COFFEE CO. LTD	BELFAST NORTH
K-SPACE (NI) LTD	UPPER BANN
ACORN WOOD MOULDINGS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
ACORN WOOD MOULDINGS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BRENDAN RAFFERTY	MID ULSTER
JONATHAN COYLE	EAST LONDONDERRY
ABF GRAIN PRODUCTS LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
MERCHANT HOTEL LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
LD2 LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
COMPOSITE DESIGN IRELAND LLP	WEST TYRONE
FABLE MULTIMEDIA LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
LBM HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED	BELFAST WEST
HARRY STUART & DOREEN BYERS	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
FOYLE RECYCLERS LIMITED	FOYLE
EMTEK PRODUCTS LIMITED	UPPER BANN
FERMANAGH PROPERTIES LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
DUNSILLY HOTEL LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
DOLPHIN TRAVELLERS REST LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
CORLIN DEVELOPMENTS LTD	WEST TYRONE
CORLIN DEVELOPMENTS LTD	WEST TYRONE
A1 POWER SYSTEMS LTD	MID ULSTER
STREDIA LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
DELWYN ENTERPRISES LTD	MID ULSTER
ROE PARK HOLDINGS LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
DUNADRY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
BRIAN AND MARY MACKLIN	BELFAST SOUTH
FRANK ONEILL	EAST ANTRIM
IVOR BOYD, NORMA WILKINSON, BRIAN STOCKMAN	EAST LONDONDERRY
GLENAVON HOUSE HOTEL (1982) LIMITED	MID ULSTER
CHARLES TROLAN	EAST LONDONDERRY
DK LEISURE LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
BELLE ISLE LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CAREERSPORT RECRUITMENT & CONSULTANCY LTD	NORTH DOWN
SCULLY SUPPLIES LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MONA UNITS LIMITED	FOYLE
ALFRED BRIGGS (ALWOOD) LTD	UPPER BANN
JANUS CONTRACTS LTD	MID ULSTER
VISUAL EDGE LTD	WEST TYRONE
MRS ORREEN & RUSSELL C J YATES	EAST LONDONDERRY
DERNASEER ENGINEERING LTD	MID ULSTER
INFERNO PRODUCTIONS LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
CAPITAL REINFORCING (IRELAND) LTD	BELFAST EAST
FIRE IMC LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
PROTURN PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD	MID ULSTER
PAUL CRILLY & JOHANNES LODEWICUS DU PREEZ	EAST ANTRIM
NITRONICA LTD	SOUTH DOWN
HCL BPO SERVICES (NI) LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
COLLOIDE ENGINEERING SYSTEMS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
INTELESENS LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
CREATION CONSUMER FINANCE LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
NORMAN & EILEEN MOORE	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CORE SYSTEMS (NI) LTD	BELFAST NORTH
INTEGRATED SERVICES DESIGN LTD	BELFAST NORTH
BIZNET SOLUTIONS LTD	BELFAST SOUTH
KITCHENMASTER (N.I.) LIMITED	STRANGFORD
ALLSTATE NORTHERN IRELAND LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
CROSSLAND TANKERS LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
CHIEFTAIN TRAILERS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
E D M SPANWALL LTD	STRANGFORD
BILLY WARKE	NORTH ANTRIM
THE SAVILE ROW HOLDING COMPANY LTD	MID ULSTER
SCHRADER ELECTRONICS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
N K COATINGS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
C N C COMPONENTS (UK) LTD	MID ULSTER
HAMPTON CONSERVATORIES LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
P CLARKE & SONS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
DOUGLAS & GRAHAME LTD	EAST ANTRIM
SCHLUMBERGER OILFIELD UK PLC	EAST ANTRIM
CLASSIC MARBLE (SHOWERS) LTD	WEST TYRONE
GLEN ELECTRIC LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
DIGESTORS SILOS & TANKS LTD	BELFAST WEST
MONTUPET (UK) LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
TESAB ENGINEERING LTD	WEST TYRONE
P F COPELAND LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
N K FENCING LTD	EAST ANTRIM
ADAMSEZ (N.I.) LIMITED	STRANGFORD
TRAVAN PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
GLAS-SEAL (NI) LTD	SOUTH DOWN
MAGHERA JOINERY WORKS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
PEDEN POWER LTD	MID ULSTER
ARNTZ BELTING COMPANY LIMITED	FOYLE
ARDBOE MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED	MID ULSTER
ROSCO ENGINEERING (NI) LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
LASER PROTOTYPES (EUROPE) LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
MCIVOR PLASTICS LIMITED	FOYLE
MOY PARK LIMITED	UPPER BANN
TURKINGTON ENGINEERING LTD	MID ULSTER
SPRINGVALE E P S LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
BRADBURY GRAPHICS LTD	BELFAST EAST
MACNEICE FRUIT LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
BROWNS COACHWORKS LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY

Annex B

INVEST NI OFFERS APPROVED UNDER ACCELERATED SUPPORT SCHEME UP TO 31st JAN 2010
COMPANY NAME	PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY AREA
A. DIAMOND & SON (TIMBER) LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
ADAMSEZ (N.I.) LIMITED	STRANGFORD
ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL COATINGS LTD	STRANGFORD
AGMS LTD	STRANGFORD
AIDAN MCALISTER	SOUTH DOWN
ALFRED BRIGGS (ALWOOD) LTD	UPPER BANN
ALLSTATE NORTHERN IRELAND LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
ALPHA ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
ANNAN INTERIORS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
ARIA CLOTHING LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
AXON POWER & CONTROL LTD	MID ULSTER
BELFAST PRINT FINISHERS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
BENBURB BRAMLEYS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BITE SNACK FOODS LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
BLAIR NEILL LIMITED	STRANGFORD
BOOMER INDUSTRIES LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
BRETT MARTIN LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
C & R FURNITURE (ARMAGH) LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
CALEDON PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CAPITAL REINFORCING (IRELAND) LTD	WEST TYRONE
CARELLA LAMINATE SYSTEMS LTD	FOYLE
CDE IRELAND LTD	MID ULSTER
CK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
CLAREHILL PLASTICS LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
CLASSIC MARBLE (SHOWERS) LTD	WEST TYRONE
CLASSIC MINERAL WATER COMPANY LIMITED	UPPER BANN
COMPLETE BEVERAGE SERVICES LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
CREATIVE COMPOSITES LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
DARK WATER STUDIOS LIMITED	FOYLE
DATUM TOOL DESIGN LTD	SOUTH DOWN
DAWSON MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING LTD	UPPER BANN
DELUXE ART & THEME LIMITED	UPPER BANN
DELWYN ENTERPRISES LTD	MID ULSTER
DENROY PLASTICS LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
DERNASEER ENGINEERING LTD	MID ULSTER
DERRYS LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
DIGESTORS SILOS & TANKS LTD	BELFAST WEST
DK LEISURE LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
DRENAGH SAWMILLS LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
ELECTRO-TECH MACHINERY LIMITED	MID ULSTER
ELMORE FISH LIMITED	BELFAST WEST
EM AUTOMATION LIMITED	MID ULSTER
ENVIRONMENTAL FABRICATIONS LIMITED	LAGAN VALLEY
ESSENTIAL DESIGNS (NI) LTD	MID ULSTER
EUROFAB ENGINEERING STRUCTURES LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
EXCITE EXHIBITION & DISPLAY LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
FABRICAT (IRELAND) CONTRACTORS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
FINTAN MCMULLAN LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
FLOORFORM LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
FRANCIS DINSMORE LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
FUJITSU TELECOMMUNICATIONS EUROPE LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
GLAS - SEAL (NI) LTD	SOUTH DOWN
H IRELAND AND SON LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
HASTINGS HOTELS GROUP LTD	BELFAST NORTH
HCL BPO SERVICES (NI) LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
HILL ENGINEERING LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
HILLGROVE HOTEL LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
INTELESENS LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
J F MCKENNA LTD	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
J.M.G. SYSTEMS LTD	WEST TYRONE
JOHN & BRIAN LAGAN	MID ULSTER
KAN TEQ LIMITED	STRANGFORD
KATHY FAULKNER & BRENDAN FAULKNER	SOUTH ANTRIM
KINGSPAN ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITED	UPPER BANN
KMC ENGINEERING (NI) LTD	MID ULSTER
LABEL ONE LTD	BELFAST NORTH
LAGAN TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
LANGFORD LODGE ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
LASER PROTOTYPES (EUROPE) LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
LBM HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED	BELFAST WEST
LIAM CASEY	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
LOUGHTEC LTD	WEST TYRONE
M&M GAS AND REFRIGERATION SERVICES LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MACNEICE FRUIT LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MC GIRR ENGINEERING LTD	WEST TYRONE
MCCAULEY TRAILERS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
MCELMEEL MOBILITY SERVICES LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
MCELWAINE SMART TECHNOLOGIES LTD	FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE
METSO MINERALS (CAPPAGH) LIMITED	MID ULSTER
MICHELIN TYRE PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY	NORTH ANTRIM
MICRAN LIMITED	MID ULSTER
MID ULSTER REPRODUCTIONS LIMITED	MID ULSTER
MIVAN LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
MOORE CONCRETE PRODUCTS LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
MOURNE GRANITE LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
MOYFAB ENGINEERING LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
MOYOLA PRECISION ENGINEERING LIMITED	MID ULSTER
NITRONICA LTD	SOUTH DOWN
NORMAN EMERSON GROUP LTD	UPPER BANN
NORMAN MENARY AND TREVOR KANE	EAST LONDONDERRY
NORTH DOWN MARQUEES LIMITED	STRANGFORD
NORTH WEST OF IRELAND PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED	WEST TYRONE
NORTHERN HYDRAULICS LTD	MID ULSTER
NORTHSIDE GRAPHICS LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
NU PRINT TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED	FOYLE
NU-TRACK LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
NUACHTAIN	BELFAST WEST
PARKER BUTLER LIMITED	BELFAST EAST
PAT & KATHY CASSIDY	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
PUMPS & FUEL INSTALLATIONS LIMITED	BELFAST WEST
R W PIERCE GROUP LIMITED	BELFAST NORTH
R W PIERCE SECURITY PRINT SOLUTIONS LTD	BELFAST NORTH
RADIUS PLASTICS LTD	UPPER BANN
RICHARD ATKINSON AND COMPANY, LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
ROOMS DYNAMIC FURNITURE LTD	EAST LONDONDERRY
RTU LIMITED	EAST ANTRIM
RUBBER & PLASTIC PRODUCTS (NI) LTD	BELFAST NORTH
RUTH WILSON	LAGAN VALLEY
S J MCAULEY ENGINEERING LTD	NORTH ANTRIM
SEAGOE TECHNOLOGIES LTD	UPPER BANN
SEAMUS & MARY BODEN	SOUTH DOWN
SEAN BLANEY	NORTH ANTRIM
SHARMAN D NEILL LTD	BELFAST WEST
SMARTSTART SPECIALISED TUITION SERVICE LTD	FOYLE
SMILEY MONROE LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
SMYTH STEEL LIMITED	EAST LONDONDERRY
SPIRES GALLERY LTD	WEST TYRONE
SPRINGVALE EPS LTD	SOUTH ANTRIM
STIRLING FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
TAYLOR & BOYD	BELFAST SOUTH
TEAM INDUSTRIES LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
TERENCE MCCORMACK LIMITED	NEWRY AND ARMAGH
TESAB ENGINEERING LTD	WEST TYRONE
TEXAM LTD	LAGAN VALLEY
THE CORPORATE WARDROBE LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
TILT-A-DOR LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
TREVOR & SAMANTHA TORRENS	WEST TYRONE
TULLYRAINE QUARRIES LIMITED	SOUTH DOWN
ULSTER CARPET MILLS (HOLDINGS) LTD	UPPER BANN
VALPAR INDUSTRIAL LIMITED	NORTH DOWN
W. & G. BAIRD LIMITED	SOUTH ANTRIM
WHITEWATER CONSULTING LIMITED	BELFAST SOUTH
WRIGHTBUS LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM
WRIGHTBUS LIMITED	NORTH ANTRIM

Rose Energy Incinerator Proposal, Glenavy

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if her Department will support a public inquiry into Rose Energy's proposal for an incinerator in Glenavy.

(AQW 5275/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

Invest NI continues to evaluate the Rose Energy project and the due diligence process is continuing and the outcome of this will determine if, and to what extent, an offer of financial support will be made.

Given that planning falls under the remit of the DOE it would be inappropriate for my Department to offer a view in respect of a public inquiry.

Legislation to Permit Natural Gas Companies to Enter Properties

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if, and when, she intends to amend legislation to permit natural gas companies to enter properties to inspect their equipment.

(AQW 5298/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I am bringing forward an Energy Bill to be introduced to the Assembly in Spring 2010.

Its proposals include provision for enhanced powers of access for natural gas companies to legally enter customers' premises in situations that are not conditional on there being a danger to life or property. For example, where the gas company wishes to take a meter reading or where they suspect that a customer has been tampering with a gas meter.

It is therefore proposed that legislation for gas companies’ existing powers of entry be extended so that they broadly align with the powers available to electricity companies, as included within the current Electricity (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 provisions.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

High Hedges Legislation

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment if the proposed high hedges legislation will apply to trees 10-14 feet in diameter.

(AQW 4950/10)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): The proposed high hedges legislation will apply to trees 10-14 feet in diameter provided that they meet the criteria outlined in the draft legislation i.e. the hedge must be formed wholly or predominantly by evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs; consist of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs; measure more than 2m from ground level; act as a barrier to light or access; affect residential property; and be growing on land owned by someone other than the person making the complaint.

Bonuses to Civil Servants

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the process followed to award £63,650 in bonuses to civil servants as highlighted in the Public Accounts Committee report on 'The Performance of the Planning Service'; and (ii) what levels of authorisation were required in awarding these bonuses.

(AQW 5045/10)

Minister of the Environment: The bonuses referred to in the PAC report which totalled £63,650, were paid in respect of the period 2003/04 to 2007/08. Two distinct processes were used in awarding the bonuses to the individual civil servants:

£60,000 - 12 bonuses paid to 4 Senior Civil Servants (SCS); and

£ 3,650 - 8 bonuses paid to 6 civil servants below SCS grade.

For the SCS grades the processes followed for award bonuses were determined by the NI Civil Service SCS Pay Strategies drawn up for each of the years in question. The level of authorisation for individual bonuses payable was at Permanent Secretary level.

The process for the award of bonuses to civil service grades below the SCS (up to and including Grade 6) is contained in the NICS Special Bonus Scheme. The

scheme allows Departments discretion to reward exceptional performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations at any time of the year. The overall cost of special bonuses in each Department must not exceed 0.2 per cent of the pay bill.

The minimum level of authorisation for the award of a special bonus in the Department of the Environment was at Grade 6 level.

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment what bids his Department has made in relation to the 'Invest to Save' initiative; and what consideration was given to bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

(AQW 5114/10)

Minister of the Environment: My Department has submitted five ‘Invest to Save’ proposals to the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP), as detailed in the table below.

Business Area	‘Invest to Save’ Proposals	Amount
Northern Ireland Environmental Agency	Restoration of hydroelectric power at Roe Valley Country Park.	£740,000
Northern Ireland Environmental Agency	Central Permitting System – IT system to manage, interrogate and co-ordinate permitting activities, facilitate more integrated regulation of industry, speed up handling and processing of applications.	£600,000
Northern Ireland Environmental Agency	Environmental Data and Information Management Platform – IT system to integrate and share NIEA environmental data and information to support risk based regulation, report on the state of the environment, and enhance strategic planning.	£750,000
Planning & Environmental Policy Group	Waste Prevention - initiate a foundation for waste prevention activities and to raise awareness in the NI public.	£500,000
Planning Service	Planning Reform and Review of Public Administration	£4,405,000

DFP has advised that each ‘Invest to Save’ proposal will be assessed not only on the ratio of upfront cost to the net present value of future savings, but also in terms of deliverability. In relation to communal segregation in service provision and the promotion of integration, given the nature of my Department’s five ‘Invest to Save’ bids these issues had no material bearing on the proposals.

Foaming on the Surface of Larne Lough

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment for an update on the the Northern Ireland Environment Agency investigation into incidents of foaming on the surface of Larne Lough, near Ballylumford Power Station.

(AQW 5117/10)

Minister of the Environment: Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) recently published a report on its website which gives a full update of the NIEA investigations into foaming in Larne Lough, in addition to other monitoring information and assessment. The report can be found at the following website address:-
www.ni-environment.gov.uk/larne_lough_water_quality_jan_2010.pdf. A copy will be placed in the Assembly Library.

The conclusions of the report are that Larne Lough is generally at ‘moderate’ status under the Water Framework Directive classification schemes and indications are that it will improve to ‘good’ status by 2015 as required. NIEA staff presented this information at a seminar hosted by Larne Borough Council in Larne, on 17 February 2010 and the Agency is planning further investigations in 2010.

In addition to the NIEA investigations, Premier Power Ltd has carried out investigations into the foam generation and their conclusions are that the foam is natural in origin and that it is probably caused by maceration/agitation of naturally occurring marine organisms in the large quantities of cooling water used in it’s relatively new ‘C’ plant. NIEA is in discussion with Premier Power Ltd, who is currently examining the feasibility of potential solutions to reduce the foam.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of the Environment how much money has been spent by his Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5142/10)

Minister of the Environment: My Department has spent £3,087, 246 in total on conference /course fees and associated travel costs over the last three years. The table below provides a breakdown of expenditure between conference/course fees expenditure - £2,663,542 and associated travel costs expenditure - £423,704.

DOE	Conference/Course Fees	Travel Costs	Total
2007/08	713,121	191,431	904,552
2008/09	1,079,064	157,394	1,236,458
2009/10 (1 April to 28 February)	871,357	74,879	946,236
Grand Total	2,663,542	423,704	3,087,246

Removal of Illegal Waste

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of the Environment for an update on the timescale for the removal of illegal waste at Slattinagh in Garrison and Moneygar Road in Trillick.

(AQW 5173/10)

Minister of the Environment: Slattinagh and Trillick will be the first two sites to have their waste repatriated. At the present time, officials from my Department continue to work on the tendering process with Dublin City Council who will be letting the contract for the necessary works.

A precise timescale is not known at present, but I can assure you that time spent on this process at this stage will ensure that the job is done properly and in a way that does not cause pollution or harm to human health.

River Pollution

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of the Environment how many people have been prosecuted for river pollution in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5205/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is responsible for investigating reports of pollution affecting ground or surface waters and for instigating appropriate enforcement action.

Table A provides a summary of the number of successful prosecutions for river pollution in each of the last 3 years under the terms of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and the Pollution Prevention and Control (NI) Regulations 2003.

Table A

Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999

Pollution Prevention and Control (NI) Regulations 2003

2007

29

0

2008

40

1

2009*

31

1

Total

100

2

*In line with other years, a number of 2009 cases are either pending with Public Prosecution Service (PPS) or remain to be referred to PPS by NIEA.

Planning Applications

Mr J Bell asked the Minister of the Environment how many times, in each of the last three years, Mr John Dallat MLA made representations to the Planning Service (i) in support of a planning application, which was later passed; and (ii) to oppose a planning application, which was later refused.

(AQW 5208/10)

Minister of the Environment: My Department’s records show that in each of the last three years (including 2010) Mr Dallat made 10 written representations on planning applications, one of which was in support of an application which was later passed. The details of this application are as follows:-

PLANNING APPLICATION NUMBER	LOCATION	PROPOSAL
B/2007/0467/F	8 & 9 Willow Crescent, Ballykelly	Proposed new residential development comprising of 10 No houses and 4 apartments

In each of the last three years (including 2010) Mr Dallat made no representations to oppose a planning application which was later refused.

The other written representations were either in support of an application which was later refused, objecting to an application which was later approved or representations on an application which remain to be decided.

These figures have been extracted from a live dataset which is continuously updated and validated. They should therefore be regarded as indicative only at this point in time and should not be compared with any previous figures published by the Agency.

Mr Dallat regularly makes representations on applications at Council meetings or at meetings with Planning Service officials. However, retrieving this information from the application file or Council minutes could only be done by a manual check at disproportionate costs.

Mr Dallat, along with Patsy McGlone MLA, (then Chair of the Environment Committee) met Planning Service Director of Operations and the Divisional Planning Manager about a planning application which had been refused at Coleraine Road, Portstewart (C/2007/1016/F). An amended application was then submitted and is under consideration.

Planning Service Staff Training

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of the Environment (i) to detail (a) the training courses; (b) away days; and (c) seminars that Planning Service staff were invited to attend in the last 24 months; (ii) to detail (a) where these were held; (b) the attendance fee; and (c) the purpose; and (iii) how many staff have participated in (a) training courses; (b) away days; and (c) seminars in the last 24 months.

(AQW 5210/10)

Minister of the Environment: Details of the training courses, away days and seminars that staff in Planning Service have attended over the last 24 months are enclosed.

Training and Development Events Delivered by Planning Service April 2008 – March 2010

MANDATORY / GENERIC
	COSTPerHead			STAFF NO		COST Per Head	STAFF NO			COSTPer Head			Staff No
2020 Admin Course	0			22	Developing a Business Case	440	1	Professional Policymaking in Government		770			1
2020 Case Processing	0			14	Developing Policy	560	12	Programme and Project Management		280			1
Microsoft Access 2003: Developers	595			2	Display Screen Equipment Risk Assessment	130	18	Quicker Reading		440			7
2020 Strategic Projects Refresher	0			29	DSE Awareness	78	6	Retirement		440			7
Agency Induction for Managers	0			10	DSE Risk Assessment	155	1	Professional Policymaking in Government - Module 1 Action Learning Set		180			1
Assertiveness at Work	0			23	Effective Writing AA/AO	130	3	Safe Use of Computers (DSE Awareness)		65			32
Coaching for Potential	0			76	Effective Writing EO2/EO1	130	5	Speech Writing		660			1
Conflict Awareness	0			81	Effective Writing for Managers	130	2	Subordinate Legislation		840			5
Customer Care In-House	0			18	Environmental Impact Regulations	220	1	Subordinate Legislation Template		280			1
DAP Training Course	0			5	EVAC Chair Training	155	1
Equal Opportunities Awareness	0			54	Evaluating Policy	440	4	Time Management		130			3
Equal Opportunities for Managers	0			147	Financial Management - Overview	45	1	TRIM Power User Training		155			2
Fire Warden Training	0			1	Fraud AwarenessAll Divisional Offices	155	1	Working with Ministers		660			7
First Aid at Work (4 days)	200			13	Good Management PracticeOmagh/ Downpatrick	155	136	Continuous Leadership Development		0			24
First Aid at Work Refresher days)	125			6	Harassment Contact Officer	440	1	Fraud Awareness		0			714
Basic Excel	155			4	Health & Safety Awareness	65	2	Appearing Before an Assembly Committee		65			2
Introduction to Legislation	220			7	Health & Safety Awareness for Managers	78	193	Assembly Questions		65			3
Leader as a Coach	1600			1	ILM Level 3 Award in First Line Management	620	10	Assertiveness		125			1
Planning Service – An Introduction	0			30	ILM Level 7 Award in Professional Policy Making	1860	1	Criterion Based Interviewing Refresher Training for Senior Civil Servants		145			1
Records NI (TRIM)	0			39	ILM Level 5 Award in Management	1475	1	Health and Safety for Premises Officers		250			2
					Influencing & Negotiating	310	10	Healthworks - Total Health		125			18
Administrative Development Programme	620			15	Influencing & Negotiating for Middle Managers	260	4	Managing Personal Stress		125			1
Advanced Word	310			1	Intro to Programming	660	1	Managing Public Money Masterclass		45			1
Programme and Project Management Overview	145			1	Introduction to Internal Audit	450	2	Primary Legislation Training		0			10
MANDATORY / GENERIC
	COST Per Head			STAFF NO		COST Per Head	STAFF NO			COST Per Head			STAFF NO
Basic PowerPoint	155			1	ITIL Foundation	660	2	Running Small Projects		145			2
CBI - Board Specific	260			2	ITIL Overview	280	1	Secretaryship of Meetings		250			1
CBI Refresher - Board Specific	130			4	Managing Conflict	260	3	Speech Writing		420			1
Coaching Skills	560			2	Managing Small Projects	155	1	Subordinate Legislation		795			6
Content Manager for Authors	155			27	Manual Handling Techniques	78	55	Subordinate Legislation Template		265			8
Criterion Based Interviewing	310			20	Performance Management - 1 day	130	13	Public Accountability for Audit Committee Members		200			4
Criterion Based Interviewing Refresher Training	130			2	Performance Management System - 2 day	310	54	Records Management: Complying with the S46 FOI Code		245			1
Data Protection Act	220			7	Policy Evaluation	560	2	Women’s Leadership Initiative		3110			1
Dealing with Difficult Situations	155			3	Practical Data Protection	220	2	Economic Post Project Evaluation		38			29
The Consultation Process in Northern Ireland	210			1	Presentation Skills	440	6	Budgeting Consequences of IFRS		45			2
TRIM End User	145			5	Excelling as first time Manager or Supervisor	99	1	Conducting an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)		210			1
Assembly Legislative Process	0			18	Freedom of Information A-Z	245	2	Handling the Media (Advanced Level)		0			1
Best Practice in Audit Committees	295			1	Fundamentals of Successful Project Management	100	14	Preparing IFRS Shadow Accounts		695			2
Data Protection from A-Z	245			2	How the NI Assembly Works Armagh	245	1	Making the Soundbite Count		1200			3
Developing Leadership in Context Sunningdale	125			1	Implementing Directives in NI	295	2	Meet the Media & Plan your Tactics for 2009		115			2
Digital Web Authoring – Dreamweaver	75			1	Intro to ArcGIS Pt 2	750	1	Perfect Proofreading		295			1
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
		COST Per Head		STAFF No		COST Per Head	STAFF No		COST Per Head			STAFF No
Accreditation in Conservation		75		1	Making Transition Work - Craigavon	0	10	The Repair of Old Buildings (6 days) London	700			2
Better Mapping 2008 Edinburgh		70		1	Planning Reform - What Impact for Homes & communities	140	4	Trading Knowledge for Clean Air	37			1
Conserving Historic Places		440		10	Prematurity Training Greenmount	0	29	Transforming the Service of Public Delivery	199			6
Enforcement Notice Training		0		46	Report Writing	0	102	Tree Identification in the Summer	0			8
Environmental Information Regulations		245		1	RSPB NI Futurescapes	0	3	Tree Identification in the Winter	0			1
Getting better value from SEA Glasgow		50		1	RSUA Certificate in Conservation	1440	1	Senior Management Development Programme (3 days)	0			26
Getting the Detail Right: architectural tuning Poundbury		50		1	Site Surveying & Levelling Craigavon	0	5	2020 Enforcement Upgrade	0			94
Getting the Detail Right: architectural tuning Master class Poundbury		50		1	Site Visits & Assessments	0	197	PAC DC Appeals Process and Procedures	0			54
How a Quarry OperatesCraiganlet		0		12	SEA -Implementation in Practice	850	1	PACE	185			10
How to extend Historic Buildings		40		1	The Equality Bill in GB	17	2	Rebuttal In House training	0			48
How to get the most out of Brownfield Land for Development		0		2	Traditional Buildings in 21st Century Cushendall	15	3	Regional Spatial Strategies	340			1
Information Security: Law & Practice Manchester		245		1	Trees & Development Training	0	20	Report Writing Bond Salon	240			102
Infrastructure Delivery Workshop		195		3	A practitioners Guide to Visual Tree Assessment Greenmount	165	3	HPTO Management Development Programme Pt 1 (2 days)	0			44
Living with Minerals 3 London		160		2	Planning Appeals – Informal Pt 1 Craigavon	0	23	HPTO Management Development Programme Pt 2 (1 day)	0			48
Minerals Planning 2008 Wolverhampton		136		2	Planning Appeals – Informal Pt 2	0	12	Reviewing the Regional Development Strategy	195			7
Mixed Use: Getting the Right Mix Poundbury		50		1
SEMINARS / RTPI EVENTS
	COST Per Head			STAFF No		COST Per Head	STAFF No		COST Per Head		STAFF No
@media 2008 London	522			2	RTPI An Introduction to Design Appraisal London	549	1	RTPI Young Planners Conference Brighton & Hove	146.		8
4^th All-Island Infrastructure Investment Conference 2008 Dublin	298			2	RTPI Built Environment Conservation London	395	2	SaBRE Executive StretchMagillian	301.		3
Annual UK Biodiversity Partnership Conference Aberystwyth	0			1	RTPI Economic Development: The New PPS4 London	342	1	Scottish Planning Enforcement Forum Scotland	0		2
Assembly Visit	0			18	RTPI EnforcementLondon	342	2	The Executive PA	215		4
Chartered Accountants in Business	13			1	RTPI Housing DesignLondon	342	1	The North West City Region Conference Londonderry	195		2
Confidence for Women 3 parts	190			2	RTPI Local Development Framework London	549	2	The Planning Convention 2008 (RTPI) London	450		4
Crime Prevention Conference	0			17	RTPI Local Development Framework Masterclass London	549	1	Wind Farm Visit & Planning Seminar Antrim	80		2
Developer Contribution in Housing: Pancea or Pandoras Box?	180			3	RTPI Negotiating Skills London	158	1	Online Communication Event @ W5	140		1
Developing Northern Ireland Infrastructure Conference	390			2	RTPI Planning Law UpdateLondon	342	2	AGI NI Event	65		3
Environment Ireland Conference Dundalk	195			1	RTPI Renewable Energy London	549	1	Biodiversity & Planning Dublin	0		1
Has Digital Mapping killed Cartography?	60			3	RTPI Retail & Town Centres London	342	1	CLG/GO Planners Conference Cambridge	100		2
Healthy Cities Conference 2008 Zagreb	864			1	RTPI Strategic Environmental Assessments London	549	1	Creating a Sense of Wellbeing	0		1
Housing, Land Use & Community London	350			1	RTPI Summer School Scotland	905	10	Developing Waste Infrastructure	195		2
How Government Works – Engaging with a Northern Ireland Administration	195			2	RTPI Understanding the Design Appraisal Process London	341	1	Landscape & Cultural Identity ECOVAST	55		1
Involving the Young Citizen: Better Policies Better Planning	0			2	RTPI Urban Design London	341.	2	NAPE Annual Conference Nottinghamshire	0		1
Landscape Awareness Seminar	0			79	RTPI Regional Spatial Strategies London	339.	1	Planning in a Difficult Economy	95		10
Making Consultation Meaningful	245			1	RTPI Regional Strategic Environmental Assessments Masterclass London	433.	1	Planning Law London	340		1
Micro Hydro Seminar	44			2	RTPI understanding Development Finance London	339.	1	PPS 7 Addendum	0		5
NAPE National Conference Birmingham	0			2	Shared Spaces Conference London	245	1	RTPI Annual Development Management London	340		1
Northern Ireland Housing Conference	195			2	RTPI Local Development Frameworks London	340	1	RTPI Annual Enforcement Update London	340		2
Open Space ConferenceCraigavon	0			30	RTPI Local Development Frameworks Masterclass London	434	2	RTPI/MPA Conference: A framework for Success? Spatial Planning and Minerals Wolverhampton	124		1
RTPI Economic Development London	340			1	RTPI Annual Planning Law Update London	340	2	RTPI NI Convention	70		43
RTPI Island Life Study Trip: Rathlin Island	160			8	RTPI Tall Buildings Conference	80	12	RTPI Urban Design Series 2: Social Urbanism	60		15
RTPI Assessment of Professional Competence Seminar	0			22	RTPI Urban Design In-House	125	16	RTPI Local Planning Law Update	25		33
PPS21 – Sustainable Development in the Countryside (RTPI)	55			16	Planning Summer School - Exeter	779	8	CIPFA Project Management Foundation Level	925		3
CIPFA NI Annual Conference Newcastle	595			2	Development Planning Update	22	22	PPS7 Addendum Training Antrim	0		33
CIWM Annual Conference 2008 (4 days) Torbay	572			2	Planning Issues & Practice Update Edinburgh	378	2	NILGA Annual Conference & Exhibition (2 days) Londonderry	255		4
AWAY DAYS		COST Per Head	STAFF No
Adamstown Visit		0	19
Building Capabilities: Ability to Change		0	13
RTPI Planning Awards		152	5

Visitor and Tourist Numbers to the Belfast Hills

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the visitor and tourist numbers to the Belfast Hills in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5216/10)

Minister of the Environment: My Department does not record the visitor and tourist numbers to the Belfast Hills.

Ministerial and Council Role: Potential Conflict of Interest

Mr R Beggs asked e Minister of the Environment if he will seek an opinion from the departmental solicitor on any potential conflict of interest arising from his role as Minister of the Environment and as a local councillor. [R]

(AQW 5225/10)

Minister of the Environment: I do not see a need to seek a legal opinion on this matter. All major decisions on the reform of local government were taken by the Executive before I was appointed as Minister of the Environment.

I have already declared publicly my intention to consider my position as a councillor as soon as the relevant legislation is in place to facilitate this without the need for a costly by-election. I understand the Northern Ireland Office intend to make that legislation very soon. In the meantime, I have withdrawn from all debates relating to local government reform in Lisburn City Council.

Strategic Projects Unit

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of the Environment (i) to list all planning applications dealt with by the Strategic Projects Unit since its inception; (ii) the average time taken to process these applications; and (iii) the estimated monetary value of each project.

(AQW 5245/10)

Minister of the Environment: Two Strategic Projects teams were created at Planning Service Headquarters in October 2007. In addition to processing Article 31 applications the Strategic Projects teams also process other economically significant applications which while not qualifying as Article 31 are nevertheless viewed as important to the NI economy.

Details of the 45 Article 31 applications processed from April 2008 to 28 February 2010 and 19 other non Article 31 applications processed from April 2009 to 28 February 2010 are set out in the attached Annex. The processing times are set against each application and investment value where known.

It is worth noting that at the time the teams were established they were required to complete the processing of a number of Article 31 applications already in the system. A number were longstanding due to outstanding environmental information despite repeated requests by the Planning Service. The then Minister of the Environment directed that all such applications should be refused.

Within the Programme for Government there is a commitment to process large scale strategic investment planning proposals within 6 months provided there have been pre-application discussions. To date, 10 applications have met the criteria to apply the PfG 6 month target. Of these 8 have been processed on target with the remaining 2 on track for achievement, i.e. 100% record to date.

	non Article 31 applications processed by Strategic Projects teams 2009 - 28 February 2010
	Reference Number	Description	Approve / Refuse	Processing timescale	Est Invest where available
1	T/2008/0079	Randox Laboratories, Diamond Rd, Crumlin.	Approve	5 months	£15m
2	Z/2008/2150/F	Petrol Filling Station, Sainsbury's, Kennedy Centre, Belfast	Approve	6 months
3	Z/2009/0092	Bombardier	Approve	5 months (PfG target)	£300m (part of (£520m)
4	N/2008/0835/RM	JH Turkington & Sons, Superstore, Marlborough Retail Park, Highfield Grove, Craigavon	Approve	5 months
5	K/2008/1167/F	Western Health & Social Care Trust, Road widening and realignment of Donaghanie Road	Approve	6 months
6	Z/2009/0866/F	Sainsbury's Supermarkets ltd	Approve	2 months
7	Z/2009/0668/F	Arqiva Services	Approve	3 months
8	Z/2008/1548RM	Titanic Quarter. Arc II mixed development.	Approve	12 months
9	Z/2009/0079	Titanic Quarter & Belfast Harbour Commissioners Ltd	Approve	8 months
10	L/2008/0741	Western Health & Social Care Trust, emergency Blue Light route	Approve	8 months
11	W/2008/0302	MLS Partnership, residential development Rathgael Road, Bangor	Approve	16 months
12	Z/2009/0983	Sainsbury's Supermarkets ltd, amendment to previously approved scheme	Approve	2 months
13	L/2009/0295	Asda Stores, extension to Asda Store, Derrychara Road, Enniskillen	Approve	6 months
14	Z/2009/0097 & Z/2009/0101LB	Titanic Quarter. Restoration & part change of use of Drawing Offices to function room	Approve	11 months
15	C/2009/0150/F	Sainsbury's extension to existing Riverside Regional Centre, Coleraine	Approve	9 months
16	S/2008/0192/F	Antrim Construction Company. Residential development, Brokerstown, Knockmore, Lisburn	Approve	21 months
17	G/2009/0205/F	Sainsbury's extension and refurbishment of existing store Braidwater Retail Park, Ballymena	Approve	10 months
18	E/2009/0161/LB	National Trust. Alteration and extension to the Causeway Hotel.	Approve	9 months
19	E/2009/0162/F	National Trust. Alteration and extension to the Causeway Hotel.	Approve	9 months

	Article 31 applications processed by Strategic Projects teams 2008 - 28 February 2010
	Reference Number	Description	Approve / Refuse / Public Inquiry	Timescale to a recommendation to Minister	Estimated Investment value where available
1	Z/2003/2725	Mixed use development former Sirocco Works, Belfast	Refuse	52 months
2	Z/2003/2727	Retail development former Sirocco Works, Belfast	Refuse	52 months
3	Z/2004/0329	Residential / office development former Sirocco Works, Belfast	Refuse	49 months
4	Q/2006/1074	Retail development Cascum Road, Banbridge	Approve	16 months
5	Z/2000/2178	Mixed use development former Sirocco Works, Belfast	Refuse	90 months
6	Y/2006/0379	DRD Park & Ride facility Carryduff	Approve	21 months
7	Y/2005/0257	Barleygold retail development, Carryduff	Refuse	35 months
8	N/1998/0458	Arkon Properties, retail development, Craigavon	Refuse	117 months
9	Y/2000/0704	Barleygold retail development, Carryduff	Refuse	90 months
10	N/1996/0321	Windsor Securities retail development, Craigavon	Refuse	144 months
11	N/2004/1170	Orana Group retail development, Craigavon	Refuse	43 months
12	Q/2006/1075	Retail development, Cascum Road, Banbridge	Refuse	18 months
13	A/2004/0976	Tesco, retail development, Buncrana, Londonderry	Refuse	45 months
14	Z/2006/2864	Residential led / mixed use, Titanic Phase II	Approve	17 months	£450 - 500 m
15	J/2005/0125	Heron Brothers, retail development, Strabane	Refuse	43 months
16	X/2004/1800	Retail development, Ards Shopping Centre, Newtownards	Public Inquiry	46 months
17	X/2005/0653	Retail development, Castlebawn, Newtownards	Public Inquiry	41 months
18	X/2005/1156	Retail development Tesco/Castlebawn, Newtownards	Public Inquiry	36 months
19	N/2007/0131	Retail development, Highfield Grove, Craigavon	Approve	20 months
20	Z/2004/2742	Retail development, Westwood Shopping Centre, Belfast	Approve	48 months
21	N/2005/0288	Vico, retail development, Craigavon	Approve	45 months
22	L/2008/0637	New Hospital Enniskillen	Approve	8 months	£250m
23	E/2008/0200	National Trust, replacement visitors centre, Giant's Causeway	Approve	6 months (PfG Target)	£20m
24	S/2008/0893	Retail development, Sprucefield Phase II	Public Inquiry	6 months
25	T/2006/0629	Asda, retail development, Junction 1, Antrim	Approve	32 months
26	T/2008/0718	GAA Centre, Antrim	Approve	6	£3.79m
27	T/2007/0656	Distribution Warehouse, Rathbeg Estates, Antrim	Refuse	22 months
28	F/2006/0131	Eco Village, Maghermourne Quarry, Larne	Approve	37 months	£100m
29	A/2004/1251	Office development, Prince's Quay, Londonderry	Refuse	55 months
30	S/2004/1757	Retail development, Castle Glen, McKinstry Road, Lisburn	Refuse	57 months
31	S/2005/1556	Dobbies plc, Garden Centre, Strawberry Hill, Lisburn	Approve	49 months	40 full / 60 part time jobs
32	R/2009/0476	Down High School	Approve	5 months
33	X/2009/0465	Retail development, Tesco, Newtownards	Approve	4 months	£18m
34	Z/2006/2018	Retail development, Castlereagh Road, Belfast	Refuse	39 months
35	Z/2009/0640	Invest NI, Carbane, Newry	Approve	6 months (PfG Target)
36	Z/2009/0642	Invest NI, Carbane, Newry	Approve	6 months (PfG Target)
37	U/2009/0303	Blanca Developments, redevelopment of Northcott Shopping Centre, Glengormley	Approve	5 months (PfG Target_	£35m 200 construction jobs / 200 retail jobs
38	S/2009/1046	Retail development, Sprucefield Phase II	Public Inquiry	2 months
39	S/2007/1482	Urban Village, Hilden Mill, Lisburn	Approve	25 months	£100m 150 construction jobs / 150 post development jobs
40	S/2008/0435	New Acute Hospital, Enniskillen	Approve	9 months	£210m 200 new jobs
41	S/2009/0356	Redevelopment if Dairy Farm Shopping Centre, Dunmurry	Approve	5 months (PFG Target)	£25m 200 construction jobs / 300 post development jobs
42	W/2008/0891	Sainsbury's, Balloo Retail Park, Bangor	Approve	13 months	350 full & part time jobs
43	W/2008/0749	Residential development, Rathgael Road, Bangor	Approve	16 months	125 jobs
44	J/2009/0388	Invest NI, Melmount Road, Strabane	Approve	6 months (PfG Target)
45	J/2009/0389	Invest NI, Melmount Road, Strabane	Approve	6 months (PfG Target)

Safety of Cyclists

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of the Environment (i) what steps he plans to take to ensure the safety of cyclists on roads; and (ii) if he will consider making cycle helmets compulsory for children under 16.

(AQW 5249/10)

Minister of the Environment: In Northern Ireland, figures for 2008 show that two adult cyclists were killed compared with two in 2007 and one in 2006. There have been no child cyclist fatalities here since 2005. Between 2006 and 2008 ten children and 20 adults, on average, were seriously injured each year on bikes. While these figures suggest that measures in place to address cyclist casualties are working, there is certainly no room for complacency.

DOE’s Cycling Proficiency Scheme continues to help children to develop observation and manoeuvrability skills, introduces the Highway Code to young road users, teaches the importance of cycle maintenance and hazard awareness, and provides information and advice on being conspicuous and wearing protective headgear. During the 2008/2009 school year 574 primary schools participated in the scheme and over 9,000 children were trained.

Adult cyclists are provided with detailed guidance through the revised 2008 edition of the Highway Code which contains rules, information and advice that helps prepare cyclists for the demands of today’s roads. It also includes extensive advice that drivers should treat vulnerable road users, including cyclists, with extra care and attention.

Informed by Department for Transport (DfT) and international research on cycle helmet wearing, I have no current plans to make mandatory the wearing of helmets by cyclists – either for adults or children.

My Department’s current policy mirrors that of the DfT and advises and encourages all cyclists to wear an approved helmet – one that conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and fits properly. These guidelines are also included in the Highway Code.

I intend to consult very shortly on a new Road Safety Strategy for the period from 2010-2020 and as part of that process I will be inviting views on any further measures we might wish to take to improve the safety of all road users, including cyclists.

PPS 18

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment to list the companies which applied for the contract to draw up the supplementary planning guidance for PPS 18 and the country in which each company is based.

(AQW 5255/10)

Minister of the Environment: Four companies applied for the contract:

W S Atkins Ltd. – an engineering and design company with offices throughout the world including Belfast, England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Environmental Resources Management – a provider of environmental, health and safety, risk and social consulting services with offices throughout the world including England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Hyder Consulting - a multi-national advisory and design consultancy with offices throughout the world including Belfast, England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Julie Martin and Alison Farmer Associates – Based in Yorkshire with branches in Edinburgh and Dublin.

PPS 18

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment if he is aware whether the Landscape Character Areas used in PPS 18 have been applied to policies on wind turbines anywhere else in Ireland or in Britain.

(AQW 5257/10)

Minister of the Environment: My Department is not aware of Landscape Character Areas currently being applied to policies on wind turbines anywhere else in Britain or in Ireland.

Rose Energy

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment if his Department will support a public inquiry into Rose Energy's proposal for an incinerator in Glenavy.

(AQW 5273/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Rose Energy planning application for a biomass fuelled power plant was submitted in June 2008 and is accompanied by an Environmental Statement (ES). Article 31 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 was applied to the proposal on 23 September 2008, designating the proposal as a major application.

A further planning application by Rose Energy for water abstraction from Lough Neagh and an associated pipeline was submitted on 12 June 2009. The new application for water abstraction is also accompanied by an Environmental Statement. Article 31 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 was applied to the water abstraction application on 11 August 2009, designating the proposal as a major application. The water abstraction application is being processed in tandem with the power plant application.

Planning officials are currently finalising their consideration of the applications, and shortly hope to be in a position to make a recommendation to me on the way forward. Careful consideration of the planning applications and associated environmental information, and all representations made in relation to them, is necessary before I would be in a position to decide whether to proceed by way of a public inquiry as the most appropriate action. It would not be appropriate therefore at this stage to indicate whether I would call a public inquiry.

Relocated or Decentralised Posts

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment what consideration he has given to posts within his Department that could be relocated or decentralised.

(AQW 5292/10)

Minister of the Environment: Around 49% of my department’s staff is already employed at locations outside the Greater Belfast Area. I currently have no plans to decentralise or relocate further posts in the Department.

George Best Belfast City Airport

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of whether George Best Belfast City Airport's decision to remove the 'Seats for Sale' limit in its planning agreement will remove an important control from this agreement and possibly render it unenforceable.

(AQW 5315/10)

Minister of the Environment: The "Seats for sale" restriction is in the 2008 Planning Agreement with George Best Belfast City Airport. This Agreement remains in place. Under Article 40A (4) and (5) of the Planning (NI) Order 1991 a party to such a Planning Agreement may not apply to modify the agreement prior to the expiry of the relevant period which in this case is 5 years from the date the agreement was entered into.

Wild Deer

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment how many wild deer there are in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 5332/10)

Minister of the Environment: There are three species of wild deer known to be resident in Northern Ireland. These are Red, Sika and Fallow deer.

None of these species is a biodiversity priority and for this reason there has been no compelling conservation case to survey their numbers.

A desk top study in 2003 concluded that all three species were increasing their range across Northern Ireland but no up-to-date population estimates exist.

Car Parks at Belfast International Airport

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of the Environment what enforcement action has been taken against the illegally operating car parks at Belfast International Airport.

(AQW 5334/10)

Minister of the Environment: Planning Service continues to take formal action as necessary against unauthorised car parks in this area. I can advise that 8 of the sites have had enforcement notices served on the operators.

As a result of enforcement action, 6 unauthorised car parks in the vicinity of the International Airport have ceased operations. One operator has been before the courts on 3 occasions, amassing a total of £40,000 in fines. The remainder are at various stages of enforcement action and investigation.

Article 31 of the Planning (NI) Order 1991

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the criteria under which a planning application is designated as being of major importance under Article 31 of the Planning (NI) Order 1991.

(AQW 5343/10)

Minister of the Environment: The criteria under which a planning application is designated Article 31 is set out in legislation.

Under Article 31 of the Planning (NI) Order 1991 where the Department considers that the development for which the permission or approval is sought would if permitted –

involve a substantial departure from the development plan for area to which it relates; or
be of significance to the whole or a substantial part of Northern Ireland; or
affect the whole of a neighbourhood; or
consist of or include the construction, formation, laying out or alteration of a means of access to a truck road or of any other development of land within 67 meters of the middle of such a road, or the nearest part of a special road.

The Department may within 2 months from the date of the application apply Article 31 to the application.

Wild Deer

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment (i) the number of reported cases of malnutrition among wild deer; and (ii) the number of reported wild deer deaths, over the recent winter period.

(AQW 5346/10)

Minister of the Environment: My Department has received no reports of malnutrition among wild deer nor have there been any reported wild deer deaths over the harsh winter of 2009/10.

The Meteorological Office has recently released data suggesting that this winter has been the coldest in Northern Ireland since 1963. During very harsh weather many wild animals succumb to the cold conditions. Populations of some species were severely depleted during the winter of 1963, but in the years that followed their numbers recovered.

If deer populations have been impacted this winter it is likely that their numbers will undergo a similar recovery over time.

Wild Deer

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment if her Department has considered a cull of wild deer, given the recent harsh winter.

(AQW 5347/10)

Minister of the Environment: Wild deer are protected under the terms of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. They are considered as a native or naturalised species to Ireland and are part of our natural heritage. To protect deer from over exploitation there is a ‘close season’ which runs from 1 May to 31 July for males and 1 March to 31 October for females. Outside this period an ‘authorised person’ can shoot deer.

During exceptional weather events some wild species may be impacted adversely. My Department would not wish to intervene in controlling deer in such circumstances, if the population is under stress then nature will take its course, the fittest will survive and future generations will be more resilient as a result.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

Recruitment Freezes

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel which Departments, or their departmental agencies, have introduced recruitment freezes, or a cut or reduction in overtime, in the last year.

(AQW 4853/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): Departments are currently in the process of assessing the staffing implications of their proposed budget allocations for 2010/11. A number of departments have notified Corporate HR, DFP, of an increasing number of surplus staff to be redeployed across the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS). In order to give departments an opportunity to assess the situation, on 10 February 2010 DFP Corporate HR imposed a service wide temporary embargo on recruitment and promotion to general service grades (Administrative Assistant (AA) - Grade 6) in the NICS until the end of April 2010. The embargo does not apply to senior or specialist grades.

In addition to the current temporary embargo placed by Corporate HR, some Departments, during the last year separately introduced temporary freezes on recruitment and promotion to allow them to consider their financial position in light of budgetary constraints. They were DFP, DOE, DRD and DEL. DFP also placed a freeze on non essential overtime.

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what bids his Department has made in relation to the 'Invest to Save' initiative; and what consideration was given to bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

(AQW 5109/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: My Department has worked with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) on the development of an ‘Invest to Save’ bid. A key component of the bid, on which DARD is taking the lead, is the enhancement of mapping data in liaison with the Land and Property Service agency’s geographic information service. Savings would accrue to DARD through the avoidance of loss of EU funding.

In addition my Department has made two bids for up to £0.5m and £0.1m to support re-training and service development in Central Procurement Directorate primarily to support income generation.

The nature of the services provided by my Department does not readily allow for the consideration of bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

Small Business Rates Relief Scheme

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel if, in the context of the small business rates relief scheme, he will consider extending the 100% exemption from Empty Rates for industrial premises to businesses which have closed due to the economic downturn.

(AQW 5136/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: As part of a policy evaluation work carried out last year, in respect of the policy of non-domestic vacant rating, an assessment was made of the current exclusions that apply within that policy. As you point out, industrial premises are one of the exclusions under rating legislation.

While I am mindful of the calls for further concessions, in relation to the rating of empty commercial properties, this has to be balanced against the impact on rates revenue, particularly for district councils where any loss could not be compensated. I have decided to retain relief for empty commercial property at 50% at least until we are well into recovery, which compares favourably to the 100% liability which applies in England and Wales.

While I currently have no plans to extend the list of exclusions to all businesses which have had to close due to the economic downturn, the category was recently extended, as a result of the policy evaluation, to include companies which have gone into administration. This new exclusion will apply from 1 April 2010 and will ensure that where a company goes into administration vacant rates are not imposed.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how much money has been spent by his Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5139/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The total amount of fees paid for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years is provided in the table below:

	£
2009/10 (to end February)	283,065
2008/09	589,591
2007/08	997,470

The information is provided on the basis of financial years representing the basis of preparation of the Department’s accounts. The 2009/10 figure represents the year to date position.

Travel and subsistence costs are analysed within the Department’s accounting system by type (for example, mileage allowance, air fares) therefore travel and subsistence costs in relation to conferences and courses cannot be separately identified.

Small Business Rate Relief Scheme

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3500/10, to provide further detail on the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme.

(AQW 5150/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: As previously stated in the reply to AQW 3500/10, a Small Business Rate Relief Scheme is to come into operation on 1 April 2010.

Copies of the Regulations giving effect to the scheme, and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum, have been placed in the Assembly Library and can be viewed online at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/sr/sr201000.

In addition to providing rate relief for small business premises the scheme also provides for enhanced rate relief for premises which are used wholly or partly as a Post Office.

Fact sheets have been produced by Land and Property Services (LPS) explaining the detail of the scheme. As with the Regulations copies of these factsheets have been placed in the Assembly Library for your information. They can also be viewed on the LPS website at:

http://www.lpsni.gov.uk/lps_fact_sheet_-_small_business.14jan2010.pdf

http://www.lpsni.gov.uk/lps_fact_sheet_-_post_office.pdf

Rating of Vacant Properties

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the criteria for the adjudication of rating of vacant properties.

(AQW 5153/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: As a general rule, no rates are payable in respect of vacant domestic properties within the Northern Ireland rating system which is based on occupancy as determined by rating legislation and its associated case law.

In terms of assessing rates liability for a property, occupation giving rise to a rates charge is deemed to take place where -

the occupier is making use of the property or there is an intention to return;
the occupation is of some value to them;
the occupier exercises some control over the property; and
the occupation has a degree of permanence.

A property would be deemed to be unoccupied where these four tests are not met, but on a practical level a property can generally be said to be unoccupied when the property is devoid of furniture, that is when all furniture not permanently attached to a wall, roof or floor has been removed.

There is one exception which allows rates to be charged on vacant domestic property and this occurs where there is an agreement made with a landlord to assume liability for rates under Article 21 of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977. In this scenario rates are deemed to be payable for any vacant periods due to the collection allowance paid to landlords.

Empty property rates are also chargeable in respect of a non domestic property. At present such charges are restricted to commercial properties with an NAV of £2,000 or more, and are charged at 50% of occupied liability. There are a number of exclusions from liability, such as factories and listed buildings and I have recently added companies in administration to this list, effective from April 2010.

Investment in Infrastructure Projects

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel the total investment in infrastructure projects since May 2007.

(AQW 5237/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: It is not currently possible to separately identify expenditure on infrastructure from other capital investment projects. In addition, the information held by DFP is based on expenditure in a financial year running from 1 April to 31 March.

Total departmental gross capital investment in 2007-08 was £1390.2 million, for 2008-09 it was £1,672.3 million. Expenditure figures for 2009-10 will not be available until provisional outturn information in June/July 2010, however the latest forecast outturn figures, received from departments at the beginning of February, indicate departmental gross capital investment of £1,695.7 million in 2009-10.

Excess Winter Deaths

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of excess winter deaths in each of the last ten years.

(AQW 5244/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The attached table provides figures on excess winter deaths¹ (the excess number of deaths occurring each winter compared to the average during other months of the year). The latest available figures for Northern Ireland are for winter 2008-9^P.

Table: Excess Winter Deaths for Northern Ireland, 1999-00^P to 2008-09^P.

Winter Period	Excess Deaths¹
1999-00^P	1,450
2000-01^P	590
2001-02^P	490
2002-03^P	530
2003-04^P	400
2004-05^P	560
2005-06^P	570
2006-07^P	700
2007-08^P	860
2008-09^P	1,000

¹Excess winter deaths are defined as the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July).

^P Excess winter deaths are presented in the table on a date of occurrence basis. As some deaths can be registered later than when they occur, (e.g. coroners cases) all results are provisional and thus have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Rates (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel why the Rates (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 does not address the issue of inheritance and rates becoming payable on property in the event of the owner's death.

(AQW 5263/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: A wide ranging public consultation was undertaken in 2007, followed by more detailed policy consultation in 2008, as part of the Executive’s Review of Domestic Rating. The content of the Rates (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 was largely determined by the Executive’s review of rating; a review that was consultation led.

The matter of inheritance and rates becoming payable on property in the event of the owner's death was not raised during consultation and therefore provision to this effect was not contained within the 2009 Act.

I am unclear as to what the particular issue is that you are raising, however, I can say that in the event of an owner’s death, it is normal practice for Land and Property Services to seek to recover from the person’s estate any amounts owing as rate arrears. There is of course a necessary time period that must elapse while the estate is settled.

Rates (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what public consultation took place on the Rates (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009.

(AQW 5264/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Detailed consultation was carried out on the key policies contained in the Rates (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009.

A wide ranging public consultation was originally undertaken in 2007 as part of the Executive’s Review of domestic rating and covered a number of policy areas, including the key domestic measures contained in the Act.

This was then followed by 12 weeks public consultation on the detail of individual polices including those related to green rebates, deferment, the rating of empty homes, data sharing and the maximum capital value, all of which were contained in the Act. This process included liaison with a wide range of key stakeholders and representative bodies, as well as the Finance and Personnel Committee.

A further targeted consultation was also undertaken on the impact of the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme, provided for in the Act as a result of the economic downturn.

Given this no further public consultation was considered necessary in respect of the Act, which served to give legal effect to the policies already consulted on.

Public Sector Share of the Northern Ireland Economy

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, based on the most recent statistics available, to detail the current public sector share of the Northern Ireland economy in terms of (i) GDP; and (ii) GVA.

(AQW 5287/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is not produced for Northern Ireland. Because of a definitional change, what was formerly referred to as GDP was actually Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for producing GVA for the UK and its regions. Regional GVA is compiled by industry and region but not by institutional sector. Whilst some industries, notably public administration and defence, are entirely public sector, there are several, such as health, education, financial intermediation and transport, where both sectors are present. For this reason, it is not possible to break the data down into a public / private sector split.

GVA Position in Northern Ireland

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, based on the most recent statistics available, to detail the current GVA position in Northern Ireland relative to (i) the UK average; and (ii) the UK average minus the Greater South East of England.

(AQW 5288/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for producing GVA for the UK and its regions. The most recent figures available are for 2008 and show that GVA per head in Northern Ireland is 78.9% of the UK average. This figure increases to 91.5% when the Greater South East of England is removed.

Bonuses for Senior Departmental Staff

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what representations he has had in the last 12 months from Ministers seeking bonuses for senior staff in their Departments.

(AQW 5353/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: I have had no representations in the last 12 months from Ministers seeking bonuses for senior staff in their Departments.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Northern Ireland Eating Disorders Unit

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much funding has been allocated, but not yet spent, to the Northern Ireland Eating Disorders Unit from (i) his Department; (ii) Health and Social Services Boards, or the Regional Health Board; and (iii) the Health and Social Care Trusts, in this financial year to date.

(AQW 4609/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey): At this time Northern Ireland does not have a dedicated Eating Disorders Unit. My main priority at this time is the development of community-based specialist eating disorders teams. However, the longer term aim is to provide a peripatetic outpatient service and an inpatient specialist eating disorder service in Northern Ireland with re-feeding beds and access to psychological therapies.

Northern Ireland Eating Disorders Unit

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much money has been spent on the Northern Ireland Eating Disorders Unit by (i) his Department; (ii) the Health and Social Services Boards, or the Regional Health Board; and (iii) the Health and Social Care Trusts, in each of the last five financial years.

(AQW 4611/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: At this time Northern Ireland does not have a dedicated Eating Disorders Unit. My main priority at this time is the development of community-based specialist eating disorders teams. However, the longer term aim is to provide a peripatetic outpatient service and an inpatient specialist eating disorder service in Northern Ireland with re-feeding beds and access to psychological therapies.

Equality Impact Assessments

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what measures are included within Equality Impact Assessments conducted by his Department to ensure that the interests of people with identities outside the two perceived main traditions in Northern Ireland are taken into account.

(AQW 4978/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The procedures followed by the Department are set out in the Equality Commission’s "Practical Guidance on Equality Impact Assessment". The process includes: defining the aims of the policy; considering the available data and research; assessing the impacts; considering (a) measures which might mitigate any adverse impact, and (b) alternative polices which might better achieve the promotion of equality of opportunity; and carrying out a consultation.

The scope of the nine equality categories covered by Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is wider than the "two perceived main traditions in Northern Ireland" and this makes possible the inclusion of other identity issues whether this is in terms of religious belief or political opinion or any of the other equality categories, for example, race or sexual orientation.

Swine Flu Vaccine

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) the number of Swine Flu vaccine doses ordered in (a) 2007; (b) 2008; and (c) 2009; (ii) the number dispensed in each year; (iii) the surplus number in each year; (iv) the cost of purchasing the vaccine in each year; and (v) whether he has any plans to review this procurement process.

(AQW 4982/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Swine flu vaccines did not exist in 2007 or 2008.

(i) in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) enough vaccine was initially ordered for 2 doses for every person in Northern Ireland;

(ii) by 6 February 2010, over 326,000 swine flu vaccines had been administered in Northern Ireland;

(iii) as the vaccination programme remains ongoing it is not possible to say if there will be a surplus in Northern Ireland at this stage;

(iv) the cost of the vaccine remains commercial in confidence;

(v) Proposals are being considered to review the pandemic response on a UK basis. This is expected to include the procurement process for the purchase of the vaccine.

Complaints Procedure for Alleged Patient Ill-treatment

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the complaints procedure for alleged ill-treatment of a patient being cared for in their own home by a Health Trust contracted care company.

(AQW 4987/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Arrangements for the handling of regulated sector complaints are outlined in Circular HSS (SQSD) 23/2009: Guidance on Complaints Handling in Regulated Establishments and Agencies available on http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/hsc__sqsd__23-09.pdf.

Respite Care

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what progress has been made in the expansion of respite care.

(AQW 5002/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I refer the Member to the answer I gave to AQW 4745/10 on 2 March 2010.

Top-up Payments for Care in Residential or Nursing Homes

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people have made top-up payments for care in residential or nursing homes in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5003/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information on numbers of top-up payments is not collected centrally.

Top-up payments are made where a resident selects accommodation in a residential care or nursing home which is more expensive than alternative accommodation which meets a resident’s assessed need, or where a resident selects an additional service which is not required to meet their assessed need. In these circumstances, a third party such as a relative or friend must pay any additional cost. My Department does not have evidence of top-up payments currently being requested inappropriately.

Top-up Payments for Care in Residential or Nursing Homes

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) to outline the circumstances in which top-up payments are requested for care in residential and nursing homes; and (ii) if his Department has any evidence of top-up payments being requested inappropriately.

(AQW 5005/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information on numbers of top-up payments is not collected centrally.

Heart Disease

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the trends in heart disease amongst older people since 2006.

(AQW 5006/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Admissions to Health and Social Care Hospitals in Northern Ireland for patients aged 65 and over, where a diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease was recorded in each year since 2006;

Year	Admissions
2006/07	21,505
2007/08	22,428
2008/09	24,804

Source: Hospital Inpatient System

Information on GP registered patients and Consultant-led Outpatient Services is not available by age.

Current Ambulance Fleet

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether all vehicles in the current ambulance fleet are protected with flame resistant material.

(AQW 5018/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: All new vehicles used to transport patients comply with the European Safety Standard CEN 1789:2000 which means that their interior materials are fire resistant and have a burning rate of less than 100 mm/min when tested in accordance with ISO 3795.

The ambulance service does still have a small number of vehicles predating these standards however these will be replaced within the current year.

Weekend X-ray Cover for the Bangor Minor Injury Unit

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety why weekend X-ray cover for the Bangor Minor Injury Unit has yet to be reinstated.

(AQW 5019/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The weekend X-ray cover for the Bangor Minor Injury Unit was withdrawn in February 2001 because of the low demand for this service. An average of fewer than 3 patients per day used the service and it therefore did not represent an efficient use of scarce resources. As there has been no increase in demand since February 2001, the South Eastern Trust has not considered it necessary to reinstate the service. Patients requiring x-ray investigation at a weekend are referred to the Ulster Hospital accident and emergency department.

Weekend X-ray Cover at the Bangor Minor Injuries Unit

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients have been referred to the Ulster Hospital for X-rays as a result of the lack of weekend X-ray cover at the Bangor Minor Injuries Unit.

(AQW 5020/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The imaging service provided at Bangor Minor Injuries Unit at weekends was withdrawn nine years ago. The number of patients referred to the Ulster Hospital for x-rays over the last three months, as result of the non-availability of an imaging service at weekends at the Bangor Minor Injuries Unit, is outlined in the table below:

Month Number of patients referred

December 2009
14

January 2010
19

February 2010¹
13

Month	Number of patients referred
December 2009	14
January 2010	19
February 2010¹	13

Source: South Eastern HSC Trust

¹ Includes referrals up to 21/02/10.

DHSSPS Budget

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much of his budget for the last financial year was allocated for (i) capital projects; (ii) revenue; and (iii) recurrent funding.

(AQW 5021/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In 2009/10, of the initial revenue allocation of £3,216,953,000 to the Health and Social Care Board, (99%) was recurrent.

My allocated capital budget for 2009/10 was £184m.

StreetSafe Scheme

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what financial support his Department, or any of its agencies, provides for the StreetSafe Scheme.

(AQW 5023/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Street Safe Scheme does not receive direct financial support from the Department or its agencies. However, the Public Health Agency supports the work of FASA (Forum for Substance Abuse/Forum for Action on Suicide Awareness), one of whose staff works for four hours each Saturday evening with the Street Safe Scheme at a cost of £57.60.

Neurologists Working in the Health Service

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many Neurologists are working in the Health Service, and if this figure meets requirements.

(AQW 5031/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The table below details the number of neurologists currently employed in the Health Service. These figures were provided by the individual Trusts.

Trust	Number of Neurologists
	Headcount	WTE
Belfast	12	11.5
Northern	1	1
South Eastern	1	0.7
Southern	2	2
Western	1	1
Total	17	16.2

Source: HSC Trusts

These figures are in line with the recommendations of the review of neurology in 2002. The Department has commissioned The HSC Board to evaluate the implementation of that review.

Elliott Dynes Rehabilitation Unit

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 3218/10, (i) if he can confirm that the Elliott Dynes Rehabilitation Unit stopped admitting new patients at the end of 2009 and is due to stay closed until March 2010; (ii) what interim arrangements were put in place; and (iii) what plans he has for the building that housed this unit.

(AQW 5043/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Both wards in the Elliot Dynes Unit are currently open. The Unit accepts elderly care patients who are transferred from the main hospital wards, therefore it is not closed to new patients. After May 2010, the Trust plans to continue to use the Elliot Dynes building to house a number of other services currently based therein.

Domiciliary and Intermediate Care

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 3218/10, (i) to explain what is meant by "the development and expansion of domiciliary and intermediate care alongside the increasing role of technology" and what this will mean for patients in practice; and (ii) in relation to the rehabilitation beds in the community, (a) whether the beds will be in private or Health Service homes; (b) whether they will be in residential or nursing homes; (c) in which homes these beds will be located; (d) whether patients will have a say in where they are located; and (e) who will pay for these beds.

(AQW 5044/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: (i) The increasing availability of domiciliary and intermediate care services providers over the past twenty years has enabled older people with varying levels of need, to receive round the clock care in their own homes. In addition, the availability of 24 hour nursing has meant that older people with health care needs can access a range of health care interventions, for example IV therapy, catheter care, specialist equipment and adaptations, in their own homes. The use of a range of bespoke assistive technology, such as light, heat and water sensors and alarms, is also enabling older people, who would otherwise have been admitted to residential care, to live safely and independently.

(ii) Intermediate care consists of a range of community-based rehabilitation and reablement services which enable older people receive short-term multi-disciplinary rehabilitation in their own homes or in a community setting following a period of illness or surgery.

(a&b)The Belfast HSC Trust's Intermediate Care Service also provides multidisciplinary assessment, rehabilitation and care in specifically commissioned nursing and residential beds in care homes across the statutory and independent sectors for patients who require more intensive levels of support.

(c)The Trust advises that the majority of patients being discharged from hospital with ongoing rehabilitation needs will receive their rehabilitation at home.

(d) Intermediate Care Services are funded by the Trust and are free to patients.

Home Care Packages

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patient discharges have been delayed due to a lack of home care packages in each Health and Social Care Trust, in each of the last twelve months.

(AQW 5046/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: It is not possible to identify how many patient discharges have been delayed due to a lack of ‘home’ care packages.

Financial Help for People Diagnosed With Cancer

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what measures are in place to assist people diagnosed with cancer with the financial costs they incur when travelling to receive treatment.

(AQW 5053/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Hospital Travel Cost Scheme provides support with travelling expenses to those on specified social security benefits or on low income regardless of the medical condition from which they are suffering. This financial help is available to those patients who do not have a medical need for ambulance transport but who cannot meet the cost of travel to hospital. Similar schemes operate in other parts of the United Kingdom.

I announced in May 2008 that cancer patients who must attend hospital frequently while undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment would be exempt from car-parking charges applied by the relevant Trust.

'Go Generic' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether the 'Go Generic' initiative announced on 30 May 2006 delivered its part in the expected overall £55 million of pharmaceutical cost savings by 2008.

(AQW 5056/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Yes it has.

Prescription Items

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the number of prescription items dispensed; and (ii) the savings made under the generic prescribing initiative in each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 5057/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested in part (i) is detailed in the following table.

	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008/2009
Number of prescription items dispensed	29.6m	30.9m	31.8m

It is not possible to provide the information requested in part (ii) as the generic prescribing initiative is one of the integrated work strands in my Department’s Pharmaceutical Clinical Effectiveness Programme (PCEP).

Discharges from Hospital

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patient discharges from hospital in each Health and Social Care Trust area are currently being delayed because of a lack of domiciliary care.

(AQW 5067/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information on the number of patients in Northern Ireland, who were awaiting discharge from hospital due to a lack of domiciliary care on 19^th February 2010 (the latest date for which information is available) is shown in the table below.

Health and Social Care Trust	Number of patients Delayed due to a lack of Domiciliary Care
Belfast	2
Northern	2
South Eastern *	3
Southern	1
Western	9

Source: Health and Social Care Trusts

* Two patients in the South Eastern Trust (Ulster Hospital) experienced a delay in discharge as a result of a lack of domiciliary care due to be provided by the Belfast Trust.

Number of People Severely or Profoundly Deaf

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people are severely or profoundly deaf.

(AQW 5074/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information on persons severely or profoundly deaf is not available in the format requested.

Care Packages

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what percentage of older people, in receipt of care packages, in (i) Armagh and Dungannon; (ii) Craigavon and Banbridge and (iii) Newry and Mourne are currently cared for at home through the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.

(AQW 5100/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information is not available in the format requested.

Bed Occupancy Rate

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the average bed occupancy rate in each acute hospital for the last 12 months in total; and for each of the past three months.

(AQW 5108/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The bed occupancy rate for each acute¹ hospital for 2009 (the latest 12 month period for which data is available) is detailed in the table below:-

Hospital	% Occupancy
Altnagelvin Area	81.13
Antrim	82.20
Belfast City	81.38
Causeway Hospital	82.45
Craigavon Area	73.42
Daisy Hill	74.01
Erne	72.47
Mater Infirmorum	87.36
Royal Victoria	85.82
Ulster	86.17

Source: KH03a

¹This relates to hospitals designated as ‘Acute’ in the DHSSPS Developing Better Services Strategy (2003).

Information on bed occupancy is not available on a monthly basis.

Beta Interferon Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people are currently awaiting Beta Interferon treatment for Multiple Sclerosis; and what is the (i) average; and (ii) longest current waiting time.

(AQW 5121/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: At 31^st December 2009, there were 22 patients actively waiting for a DMT in Northern Ireland, all of whom were waiting less than 13 weeks.

Support Services Available to People Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the extent and range of support services, including physiotherapy services, available to people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area; and if he has any plans to increase the level of support.

(AQW 5126/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The full range of core community health and social care services are available, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, community nursing, speech and language therapy, dietetics, social work / social care, domiciliary care, day care and day time opportunities and respite, including specialist respite.

In 2002, my Department carried out a Review of Adult Neurology Services and the Health and Social Care Board has been tasked to carry out a full and comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of the recommendations and report its findings to my Department. The results of this evaluation will help inform policy development for neurology services in Northern Ireland.

Cancer Care Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an update on the planned new cancer care centre at Altnagelvin Hospital; and if construction is still on course to begin in 2012.

(AQW 5128/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Western HSC Trust is in the process of developing a business case for the establishment of a satellite unit of BCH at Altnagelvin. It is expected that the business case will be submitted to the Department within the next few weeks for consideration. Whilst I remain committed to the provision of a Satellite Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital, the progress of the project and the timescales associated with it is dependant on the necessary funding being in place to deliver this project.

Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in relation to the original 'Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland', whether his Department wrote to the Health Trusts to advise them of the Order of the High Court in the recent case of 'Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child v Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety' of 14 December 2009, that the guidelines be withdrawn; and for the date of this communication.

(AQW 5134/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department wrote to Health and Social Care Trusts on 9 February 2010 advising them that ‘Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice’ (March 2009) had been withdrawn following the recent Order of the High Court.

Hospital Car Parking Charges for Cancer Patients

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what consideration he has given to the Macmillan campaign to reduce and stop hospital car parking charges for cancer patients attending hospital for treatment.

(AQW 5149/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: On 21 May 2008, I announced that cancer patients requiring chemotherapy or radiotherapy would be exempt from car parking charges in all hospitals. The guidance on Health & Social Care car parking provision and management, which confirms this policy, is published on the DHSSPS website.

Principal Dentists

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many principal dentists are operating under Health Service arrangements in the South Belfast constituency; and how many patients are currently registered with these dentists.

(AQW 5163/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I refer the member to the answer given to AQ 8970/08. The information held is currently correct.

Dentaexpress, Irvinestown

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients were registered, under health service arrangements, with Dentaexpress, Irvinestown, when the practice closed in December 2009.

(AQW 5348/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Figures provided by Family Practitioner Services - HSC Business Services Organisation show that as at mid December 2009 there were 1,324 patients registered to the 3 dentists working at Dentaexpress, Irvinestown. Additional patients will have been registered after this date, prior to the closure of the practice on 31 December 2009.

Staff Bonuses

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) if he sought a 4% bonus from the Minister of Finance and Personnel for a senior member of staff in his Department in 2009/10; (ii) to provide details of the grade and function of the member of staff in question; and (iii) to detail any other bonuses he sought for other senior members of staff.

(AQW 5357/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: No bonuses were sought for, or paid to, any senior member of staff in my Department in 2009/10.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence Awards Scheme

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail all bonuses paid under the National Institute for Clinical Excellence awards scheme in 2009; and why he will not support the Minister for Health in Scotland in seeking a freeze to the scheme, given the need to make savings of £113 million across his Department.

(AQW 5401/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I refer the member to the supplementary that I gave in the Assembly on Monday 8 March to Oral Question 879/10.

Services for People with Mental Ill-health at Woodstock Lodge

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether services for people with mental ill-health are being discontinued at Woodstock Lodge and relocating to North Belfast; and whether this decision has been taken before the conclusion of the public consultation on mental health services.

(AQW 5488/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Belfast Health and Social Care Trust have confirmed that no services are currently being considered for relocation from Woodstock Lodge to North Belfast.

Muscular Dystrophy

Mrs M Bradley asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he will fund a dedicated care adviser to assist Muscular Dystrophy patients.

(AQO 884/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I am committed to providing appropriate care for people affected by disability in Northern Ireland, including those with Muscular Dystrophy.

A business case for the recurrent funding of a Neuromuscular Care Advisor post has been developed by the Belfast Trust and is currently being considered by the Health and Social Care Board.

The health service is faced with delivering £700m of existing efficiencies, meeting a 9% increase in demand and managing a further proposed budget reduction of over £113m. If agreed by the Assembly, this would take my Department’s settlement to just 0.3% above general inflation in 2010/11 – effectively a stand-still budget.

In these circumstances, opportunities to progress service improvements that make a real difference for patients, such as the funding of the Care Advisor post for those suffering from neuromuscular disability, will be limited.

Swine Flu Vaccine

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many swine flu vaccines remain unused.

(AQO 886/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The vaccination programme is ongoing and the vaccines are still required and being used. Throughout the vaccination programme my Department has followed the advice of national expert groups such as SAGE and JCVI and will continue to do so. While Swine Flu is now circulating much less in the community, swine flu is likely to be around for some time and the experts advise that it will be the main seasonal flu virus circulating later this year. It is therefore entirely appropriate that we hold enough vaccine to deal with any future waves of swine flu. I would continue to encourage all those eligible in either phase 1 or phase 2 to take up the offer of the vaccine, particularly healthy under 5s.

DHSSPS Budget

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what discussions he has had with the Minister of Finance and Personnel regarding adjustments to his departmental budget.

(AQO 887/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: As Minister for the Department that has the largest share of the Northern Ireland budget it is to be expected that I will be in discussions with my counterpart in DFP. Since June 2009 I have met face to face with the Finance minister to discuss adjustments to my budget three times: twice in September 2009 and most recently again in November 2009.

Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much funding his Department has invested in computerised cognitive behavioural therapy.

(AQO 888/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is being delivered through the ‘Beating the Blues’ programme. Total spend on this programme to the end of February 2010 was £617k. This has enabled almost 200 GP practices to access to the programme for use in the treatment of patients with mild or moderate depression.

I am continuing to develop mental health services, including psychological therapy services, in line with Bamford.

Lisnaskea, Irvinestown and Belleek: Health Centre

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an update on the new Health Centre for Lisnaskea, Irvinestown and Belleek.

(AQO 889/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Western HSC Trust has identified a Health and Care Centre in Lisnaskea as its top priority in its Primary and Community Care Infrastructure (PCCI) programme. The Department is in the process of considering the business case for this project. Whilst I am supportive of the project, given the financial constraints facing my Department, it is essential there is sufficient funding to deliver this priority project in advance of starting it. Once I have confirmed the availability of funding I will announce the way forward for this project. In terms of Health Centres for Irvinestown and Belleek, it is unlikely that I will have the funding necessary to progress either project in the foreseeable future.

Survivors of Institutional Child Abuse

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the duty of his Department to uphold the rights of survivors of institutional child abuse.

(AQO 890/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: As the member has been advised previously on a number of occasions, this is a matter for the Executive as a whole. I am preparing a paper for consideration by the Executive which will help to inform the way ahead. I have been awaiting the views of the Minster for Education whom I believe shares policy responsibility for this issue along with other Ministers.

The Minister for Education has now indicated that she has asked her officials to look at her Department’s responsibilities in relation to this issue and to report to her by 30 April 2010. I will now consider my position in response to this.

Adoption Legislation

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety when the proposed new adoption legislation will be introduced in the Assembly.

(AQO 891/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In June 2009, a draft Executive paper was issued outlining proposals for the development of an Adoption and Children Bill.

A response is outstanding from OFMDFM. An adoption and children bill is currently scheduled for 2011, however the final timetable for the introduction of the Bill will depend on when Executive approval is achieved and whatever other legislative priorities the Executive may have in the future.

DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ulsterbus Workforce

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Regional Development for the religious breakdown of the current Ulsterbus workforce, broken down by Ulsterbus depot.

(AQW 4800/10)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): I am informed by Translink that the religious affiliation of the Ulsterbus staff as at February 2010 was as set out below. I have not provided the information for each Ulsterbus depot as to do so would make it possible to identify the religious affiliations of individuals.

Ulsterbus Staff

(i) Protestant 55%

(ii) Catholic 42%

(iii) Other 3%

Ulsterbus Drivers

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Regional Development for the religious breakdown of current Ulsterbus drivers (i) overall; and (ii) broken down by Ulsterbus depot.

(AQW 4816/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I am informed by Translink that the perceived religious affiliation of Ulsterbus drivers at February 2010 was as set out below. I have not provided the information for each Ulsterbus depot as to do so would make it possible to identify the religious affiliations of individuals.

Protestant 50%

Catholic 47%

Other 3%

Metro and NI Railways Workforce

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development what proportion of the current (i) Metro workforce; and (ii) NI Railways workforce are (a) Protestant; (b) Catholic; and (c) other; and (iii) for the same figures broken down by each depot.

(AQW 4836/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I am informed by Translink that the religious affiliation of the workforce of both Metro and Northern Ireland Railways at February 2010 was as set out below. I have not provided the information at location level as to do so would make it possible to identify the religious affiliations of individuals.

Metro staff NI Railways Staff

(a) Protestant 47% (a) Protestant 66%

(b) Catholic 51% (b) Catholic 30%

Translink Workforce

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development what proportion of the current Translink workforce are (i) Protestant; (ii) Catholic; and (iii) other.

(AQW 4837/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I am informed by Translink that the religious affiliation of its workforce at February 2010 was:

(i) Protestant 56.1%

(ii) Catholic 40.8%

(iii) Other 3.1%

Article 11 Procedures Served on Building Contractors

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) how many Article 11 procedures have been served on building contractors who have been unable to complete roads in developments in each of the last two years, broken down by council area; and (ii) the cost to his Department of completing each development.

(AQW 5010/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Details of the number of Article 11 procedures served by my Department’s Roads Service on building contractors / developers, who have been unable to complete roads in developments in each of the last two years, broken down by council area, are set out in the tables below:

Article 11 procedures served on building contractors/developers in 2008/09
Council Area	Number
Armagh	1
Banbridge	3
Craigavon	6
Ards	1*
Newry & Mourne	1
Belfast	1
Castlereagh	3
Carrickfergus	2
Lisburn	3
Newtownabbey	2
Derry	4
Larne	1
Coleraine	1
Fermanagh	2
Omagh	9
Strabane	2
TOTAL	42
* Developer in receivership at an estimated cost to the Department of £2,211.
Article 11 procedures served on building contractors/developers in 2009/10
Council Area		Number
Armagh		2
Banbridge		1
Craigavon		2
Down		1
Belfast		6
Castlereagh		3
Carrickfergus		3
Lisburn		8
Newtownabbey		5
North Down		6
Antrim		1
Ballymena		2
Ballymoney		1
Fermanagh		2
Dungannon		3
Omagh		4
Strabane		2
Cookstown		1
TOTAL		53

As indicated in the tables above, over the last two years, the Department served Article 11 procedures on 95 occasions and incurred costs of £2,211 when completing 1 development. In all other instances, the costs associated with completing each of the developments were recovered from developers’ road bonds.

Relocation of Ferry Services from Stranraer

Mr K Robinson asked e Minister for Regional Development what steps he intends to take, together with his counterparts in Scotland, and with Scotrail, Stena-Line, P&O and NI Railways, to ensure that the relocation of ferry services from Stranraer will not adversely affect the rail passenger numbers using the trans European network rail route on both sides of the North Channel.

(AQW 5026/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The liaison and integration of rail and ferry services are matters for the respective transport providers on both sides of the North Channel. They are aware of the importance I attach to continuation of the rail / ferry option. I am advised that they intend to work through the implications for those services in light of the planned relocation of the Stena Line terminal to the new port at Old House Point, Loch Ryan.

For its part, NI Railways intends to increase service capacity and frequency on the Larne line during 2012 when it takes delivery of 20 new Class 4000 trains which are scheduled to arrive 2011/2012. This will improve travel options for rail / ferry passengers on this side of the Irish Sea.

Town Bus Services

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) how many passengers have used the town bus services in (a) Carrickfergus; (b) Larne; and (c) Newtownabbey in each of the last five years; and (ii) if he has any plans to (a) increase the number of services in each area; or (b) increase the frequency of the existing service.

(AQW 5028/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The information is not available in the form requested. Translink records information on the number of passenger journeys rather than the actual number of passengers. The attached table details the number of passenger journeys undertaken in each of the areas in the last five financial years..

Town	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009	2009/2010 To end of period 11
Larne	306,518	272,497	269,909	322,853	248,175
Carrickfergus	67,776	63,011	62,762	45,161	29,933
Newtownabbey	45,033	41,549	41,678	40,910	31,264
Total	419,327	377,057	374,349	408,924	309,372

Decisions regarding services and frequency are operational matters for Translink and I have been advised that it has no plans to either increase the number of services or frequency of services in the three areas mentioned.

Rail Timetables

Mr K Robinson asked e Minister for Regional Development what steps he intends to take, together with his counterparts in Scotland, and with Scotrail, Stena-Line, P&O and NI Railway, to ensure that rail timetables are organised to ensure that passengers have adequate time between train arrivals and ferry departures.

(AQW 5030/10)

Belfast Harbour Commission

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) what role his Department has in the corporate plans and operations of the Belfast Harbour Commission; and (ii) the governance and accountancy arrangements between his Department and the Belfast Harbour Commission.

(AQW 5038/10)

Minister for Regional Development: As Minister for Regional Development, I appoint the Belfast Harbour Commissioners under Article 9 of the Belfast Harbour Order (NI) 2002. The Commissioners are responsible for corporate management and operations, although in doing so, they are required to take into account guidance on governance and accountability issued by DRD to trust ports under Article 6 of the Harbours (NI) Order 2002. I hold twice yearly business review meetings with the Commissioners.

Decisions by the Commissioners regarding the disposal or change of use of port land are subject to a Memorandum of Understanding with DRD developed in accordance with Article 4 of the Belfast Harbour Order (NI) 2002.

Under section 30 of the Harbours Act (NI) 1970 the Commissioners are required to prepare an annual statement of accounts and to send a copy to the Department along with a copy of the auditor’s report upon the statement.

Masterplan Commissioned by the Belfast Harbour Commission

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline any outcomes from the masterplan commissioned by the Belfast Harbour Commission in July 2009.

(AQW 5042/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I assume the masterplan to which you refer is Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ development of a masterplan for the city quays area. This is an operational matter for the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. However, I understand that the outcome of the stakeholder consultation is currently being considered by the Harbour Commissioners with a view to providing input, as appropriate, to the developing masterplan. It is Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ intention to provide feedback to key stakeholders over the coming months. They would hope to commence this before the end of March 2010.

Road Repairs

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 4355/10, how much of the £15 million each Roads Service Division is receiving to carry out road repairs.

(AQW 5051/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that, since the beginning of January 2010, Roads Service Divisions have received an additional £16,588,000, which includes additional funds allocated to Roads Service during December Monitoring and an amount from internal adjustments. A breakdown of the allocation to each Division is provided in the table below.

Roads Service Division	Allocation
Northern	£3,951,000
Southern	£4,614,000
Eastern	£3,691,000
Western	£4,332,000
Total	£16,588,000

The majority of this funding is being targeted towards Structural Maintenance activities, that is, resurfacing and patching activities, with a small proportion being used to deal with Winter Maintenance and other pressures.

Gortcorbies Climbing Lane Scheme

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the Gortcorbies climbing lane scheme.

(AQW 5061/10)

Minister for Regional Development: As the Member will be aware, my Department’s Roads Service has been examining options for the appropriate disposal of the large volume of surplus material, which will result from the construction of the proposed scheme. It is still proving to be very challenging to find a cost effective location for the disposal of this surplus material within the Benevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and to date, a solution has not yet been found.

In these circumstances, I am unable to provide a date for commencement of this scheme.

Dual Carriageway Between Dundonald and Newtownards

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 4860/10, if he will consider bringing forward the start date for the resurfacing of the dual carriageway between Dundonald and Newtownards due to the health and safety implications for drivers and the problems caused by drivers who are unable to cope with the condition of the road.

(AQW 5077/10)

Minister for Regional Development: As indicated in my reply to your recent Question (AQW 4860/10), the works on the A20 Kempstones Road dual carriageway, proposed for this summer, are being funded from the Trunk Road allocation.

My Department’s Roads Service has advised that due to the scale of the works, it will be required to appoint a contractor for the scheme through an open tender competition. Preparations are already well advanced, however, the timescale for the tendering process will mean that it will be close to the summer months before a contractor can be appointed and commence works on site. Given the scale of the works and by undertaking construction during the summer months, disruption and inconvenience to the road user will be reduced as there tends to be lower traffic volumes using the road at that time of the year.

As regards works on the other sections of the carriageway, I can advise that these are being carried out under a Roads Service Term Contract. It is currently programmed to have one section of the carriageway completed by the end of June, prior to the commencement of the afore-mentioned more major works, with the remaining section to be completed thereafter.

In the meantime Roads Service will continue to undertake any remedial action required, in advance of the proposed contract works.

Crushing Service for Used Materials Recovered from Roads Works

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the contractors who provide a crushing service for used materials recovered from roads works; (ii) the cost per hour for their services; and (iii) the volume in tonnes processed by each contractor per hour.

(AQW 5098/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that contracts for crushing services are in place with the contractors listed below. The maximum tonnages processed per hour, based on each contractor’s tender submission, are also listed.

The cost per hour of these services is commercially sensitive, and, therefore, cannot be released.

Contractor	Tonnage/hr
Corrigan & Steele Dev Ltd	150
Gildernew Environmental(3 machine sizes)	6, 15 & 45
Maurice Flynn & Sons Ltd	125
F McParland & Co Ltd	250
Harold Graham Building Contractor & Plant Hire	80

Crushing Service for Used Materials Recovered from Roads Works

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the criteria used for awarding contracts for crushing materials recovered from road works; and how this criteria is applied to receive best value for money.

(AQW 5099/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the detailed criteria, used to determine the most economically advantageous tender for crushing services, were published in a publicly advertised tender pack. The criteria consisted of Price (60% of score) and Service Delivery (40% of score). These criteria were used to evaluate each of the tender submissions received and to determine a call-off award list.

In the assessment matrix used, points are awarded for price, and for various elements of service delivery, such as delivery times, Health & Safety, user familiarisation, insurances, test certificates, Quality Management System and other aspects. These scores are combined to produce a ranked list of Contractors for each Roads Service Depot location.

Meeting with Business Traders on the Lisburn Road

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the outcome of his recent visit and meeting with business traders on the Lisburn Road, South Belfast.

(AQW 5119/10)

Minister for Regional Development: During my recent visit and meeting with both the Member and a delegation of the Lisburn Road Traders’ Association (LRTA), on 16 December 2009, to discuss the traffic flow and parking issues on the Lisburn Road, Belfast, a wide range of issues were raised.

Firstly, it is my understanding that issues relating to the possibility of constructing a new railway halt at Lislea Avenue, constructing a new car park in the area, the feasibility of banning right-turning manoeuvres from the Lisburn Road into side streets and the possibility of introducing one-way traffic arrangements into some of the side streets had been dealt with at the meeting and, therefore, no further action was required. However, should the Member consider this was not the case he should contact the Roads Service’s Maintenance Section Engineer for the area, so that any outstanding matters can be investigated further.

I also understand that contact details of the primary point of contact within Roads Service, have been provided to the LRTA, so as they can take forward the other issues raised at the meeting.

In relation to contacting traders regarding future works programmes in the area, my Department’s Roads Service had hoped to be in a position to carry out an on-going programme of carriageway resurfacing, and footway renewal works along the Lisburn Road, over a number of financial years. This was scheduled to commence in 2010/2011, between Lancefield Road and Marlborough Park.

In developing scheme details, Roads Service has held preliminary discussions with both the Department for Social Development and Belfast City Council, to establish if either party had any plans to undertake enhancement works in this vicinity. I can advise the Member that initial indications are that such works are unlikely. However, I have asked Roads Service to defer its works, which were planned for the incoming year, in order to give the LRTA the opportunity to develop and promote their vision for the area, and to seek input from the various statutory agencies. I have asked Roads Service to contact the LRTA directly to discuss this matter further.

With regard to the suggestion of constructing additional parking provision in lay-bys along the Lisburn Road, if the LRTA is successful in promoting the area to the point where an environmental improvement scheme is being actively pursued, this issue could be considered as part of that scheme.

Roads Service has also contacted the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) in relation to their involvement in car parking issues. I have been advised that the SIB has engaged consultants to carry out a short study on the potential for providing additional off-street parking within the Lisburn Road area. I understand their study will briefly assess a range of possible measures, ranging from the potential to use surplus government-owned land, either on a leased or purchased basis, to the potential for constructing an underground car park at an appropriate site. It will not, however, consider the wider planning / transport issues that new car parks would raise. For example, it will not address how such car parks would fit within area and transport plans, or how the additional traffic generated at these locations would be catered for within the local road network. The study, when complete, could then be used to inform the private sector, who may wish to build upon the study’s findings to promote enhanced parking within the area.

Roads Service has checked its records of land ownership in the area, but has been unable to identify any parcels of land that would be of interest to SIB. However, Roads Service has offered to help with any detailed queries that SIB may have regarding specific small areas of land.

The LRTA also raised the issue of the urban clearway restrictions, and suggested that they should be reduced to operate on a ‘tidal’ arrangement, that is, where restrictions would only apply in the ‘city bound’ direction in the mornings and in the ‘Lisburn’ direction in the afternoons. Roads Service has not yet completed its review of this proposal, and I have asked the Divisional Roads Manager for the area, to write to you directly, with the outcome of that review when it becomes available.

I should advise the Member that, as with all Roads Service proposals, the progress of any planned works will be dependent upon the priority of the scheme and the availability of funding at the time.

Contract Services Tender CO 71

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development how many embedded contract personnel staff, under NI Water, have been involved in the contract services tender CO 71; and for how long.

(AQW 5131/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it does not recognise the term ‘embedded contract personnel’. However, approximately 58 employees of Williams Industrial Services, the contractor engaged by NIW under the current C071 contract, have been involved in the contract since it was awarded in October 2007.

Contract Staff Employed by the Water Service and NI Water

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) to detail for each of the last 10 years the number of embedded contract personnel staff employed by (a) the Water Service; and (b) NI Water; and (ii) to list the projects or contracts on which they have worked.

(AQW 5133/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it does not recognise the term ‘embedded contract personnel’. However, employees of contractors engaged by NIW under a tendered contract arrangement are not deemed to be NIW employees. Apart from the current C071 contract relating to the provision of temporary technical support, NIW holds no records of contractors’ employees and is therefore unable to provide the information sought for the past 10 years. Approximately 58 employees of Williams Industrial Services have been involved in the current C071 contract since it was awarded in October 2007.

Contract Services CO 71

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) when the contract services CO 71 was put out to tender; (ii) when the contract was awarded; and (iii) when the contract is up for renewal.

(AQW 5135/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the C071 contract was competitively tendered in June 2007 and awarded in October 2007. The contract is due to terminate in September 2010.

Contract Services Tender CO 71

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development if he can confirm that the contract services tender CO 71 is not for the provision of temporary technical support.

(AQW 5137/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the current C071 contract does relate to the provision of temporary technical support.

NI Water Tender CO 71

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development what is the title of the current NI Water tender CO 71.

(AQW 5138/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the title of the current C071 contract is ‘Management and Supply of Technicians for Support in the Field of Telemetry’.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister for Regional Development how much money has been spent by his Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5143/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Amounts spent by my Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, are set out in the table below:

Financial Year	Fees	Travel and Subsistence	Total
2006/07	793,162	58,689	851,851.00
2007/08	270,807	44,584	315,391.00
2008/09	550,646	41,781	592,427.00

Water Service (now Northern Ireland Water) was part of the Department until 31 March 2007. The Centre for Applied Learning started to hard-charge the Department from 2008/09.

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the maintenance costs for Donaghadee Harbour in each of the last 10 years.

(AQW 5152/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Financial records of this nature are not retained for ten years. Maintenance costs for the past six financial years are as follows:

Year	Maintenance Costs
2004/05	£54,000
2005/06	£63,000
2006/07	£185,000 #
2007/08	£108,000 #
2008/09	£73,000
2009/10Expected Costs	£193,000 ##

# includes costs of refurbishment of the North Pier

## includes anticipated cost of dredging

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development if his Department will carry out dredging of the Donaghadee Harbour area; and the length of time before the process needs to be repeated.

(AQW 5155/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Weather and operational circumstances permitting, a full dredge of Donaghadee Harbour will commence this month. The need for future dredging will be determined by hydrographical surveys of harbour depths. These surveys are performed every three years.

Road Safety Measures in Dunloy

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Regional Development what plans Roads Service has to introduce road safety measures in Dunloy.

(AQW 5171/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service is currently considering the introduction of traffic calming measures on a number of roads within Dunloy village. However, these schemes will be subject to assessment to determine their priority within Roads Service’s overall programme of work, and will have to compete, along with similar schemes in other areas, for the limited amount of finance available for this type of work.

Compensation Paid as a Result of Falls

Mr M Storey asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost of compensation paid as a result of falls (a) in total ; and (b) in each Road Service section office, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5172/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The costs of compensation paid as a result of falls (a) in total; and (b) in each Roads Service Section Office, in each of the last three financial years is shown in the table

below.

Roads Service Section Office	2006/07£	2007/08£	2008/09£
ANTRIM	79,043.43	71,150.68	79,883.91
ARDS	158,803.01	112,072.01	124,509.24
ARMAGH	40,812.25	50,904.26	62,235.63
BALLYMENA & LARNE	68,378.43	271,635.62	37,360.81
BALLYMONEY & MOYLE	13,736.90	10,776.28	74,349.50
BANBRIDGE	66,700.95	50,167.85	21,415.48
BELFAST NORTH	602,697.55	627,500.16	691,496.72
BELFAST SOUTH	211,497.92	427,315.31	462,092.06
CASTLEREAGH	174,598.51	95,282.89	75,907.14
COLERAINE	10,387.48	29,320.14	58,284.03
COOKSTOWN	15,371.85	23,590.75	42,349.48
CRAIGAVON	111,352.47	286,099.36	88,396.80
DOWN	52,538.12	27,377.99	106,876.73
DUNGANNON	113,970.33	32,312.24	38,103.60
FERMANAGH	2,398.44	37,994.23	43,804.86
LIMAVADY	35,611.69	7,500.00	34,208.22
LISBURN	153,566.33	516,199.49	335,626.08
DERRY	195,941.47	223,983.02	160,947.10
MAGHERAFELT	11,234.63	21,994.30	5,463.30
NEWRY & MOURNE	85,742.93	197,091.03	114,143.94
NEWTOWNABBEY & CARRICK	274,874.55	253,653.31	487,118.53
NORTH DOWN	117,093.74	121,676.00	73,719.57
OMAGH	101,398.51	77,040.39	176,081.43
STRABANE	19,040.47	15,447.27	51,546.43
STRANGFORD FERRY	14,713.70	NIL	NIL
TOTAL	2,731,505.66	3,588,084.58	3,445,920.59

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will consider making financial allowances for the extra costs for repairs to Donaghadee Harbour due to recent weather conditions before the handover to Ards council, as part of the Review of Public Administration.

(AQW 5175/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Maintenance at Donaghadee Harbour is performed on an ongoing basis. A programme of minor works on the harbour structures is due to commence this month. However, this will be paid for out of the regular maintenance budget.

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister for Regional Development what bids his Department has made in relation to the 'Invest to Save' initiative; and what consideration was given to bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

(AQW 5176/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The proposals made by my Department in relation to the ‘Invest to Save’ Fund are listed in the table below. This list was compiled following consideration of the assessment criteria provided by DFP i.e. "Each Proposal will be assessed not only on the ratio of upfront cost to net present value of future savings, but also deliverability".

Although addressing communal segregation in service provision and the promotion of integration were not specific considerations in compiling these proposals, improvements to transport and roads infrastructure would support these actions.

Future Delivery of Bus Services

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development what consultation his Department intends to have on the future delivery of bus services, including the Easibus service, with (i) North Down Borough Council; (ii) the Omnibus Partnership; and (iii) the public.

(AQW 5178/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I met a delegation from North Down Borough Council and the Omnibus Partnership to discuss the Easibus services in Bangor on 9 February 2010. Following that meeting the Council informed me that it intends to facilitate a meeting with representatives from the Omnibus Partnership and Easibus passengers to examine the proposed scheduled services. I understand that the Council will again meet with Translink to discuss the proposals and I have asked departmental officials to also attend that meeting.

The Department also recently carried out a consultation exercise (which closed on 5 February 2010) on the future delivery of public transport in the North, including bus services, and is considering the responses received. A number of public meetings were also held during the consultation period, including one in Bangor, to obtain views on the public transport reform proposals.

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail how much his Department has spent on Donaghadee Harbour in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5181/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The amount spent in each of the last five financial years is as follows:

Year	Maintenance	Running Costs
2005/06	£63,000	£42,000
2006/07	£185,000 *	£45,000
2007/08	£108,000 *	£38,000
2008/09	£73,000	£38,000
2009/10 Planned spend	£193,000 **	£40,000

* includes costs of refurbishment of the North Pier

** includes anticipated cost of dredging

NI Water: Industrial Tribunals

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) how many industrial tribunals NI Water has defended since its inception; and (ii) for a breakdown of each case outlining (a) the tribunal decision; (b) legal and other costs incurred; and (c) the amount of damages or compensation.

(AQW 5185/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it has not defended any industrial tribunal cases since it was appointed water and sewerage undertaker on 1 April 2007.

Court Cases Inherited by NI Water from the Water Service

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the court cases inherited by NI Water form the Water Service; and for a breakdown of each case outlining (i) whether the case was being taken or defended; (ii) the outcome; (iii) legal and other costs incurred; and (iv) the amount of damages or compensation awarded.

(AQW 5187/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that 205 cases were transferred to it from the Department for Regional Development (DRD), Water Service in which legal proceedings had already commenced or were subsequently commenced against DRD or NIW. Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost. However, of the total litigated cases, 96 are still ongoing and 109 have been concluded with no damages paid in 48 cases. Legal and other costs, including both the Plaintiffs’ and NIW’s legal costs, fees for medical experts and court fees amounts to £707,000. Damages or compensation paid amounts to £1.244 million.

Court Cases Inherited by NI Water from the Water Service

Mr G Savage asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the court cases (i) defended; and (ii) taken by NI Water since its inception; and for a breakdown of each case by (a) the outcome; (b) legal and other costs incurred; and (c) the amount of damages or compensation.

(AQW 5189/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that since it was appointed water and sewerage undertaker in April 2007 it has defended 61 cases in which legal proceedings were commenced against NIW. Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost. However, of the total litigated cases, 38 are still ongoing and 23 have been concluded with no damages paid in 13 cases. Legal and other costs, including both the Plaintiffs’ and NIW’s legal costs, fees for medical experts and court fees amounts to £67,208. Damages or compensation paid amounts to £30,280.

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development what discussion his Department has had with Ards Borough Council in relation to by-laws prior to the transfer of Donaghadee Harbour.

(AQW 5201/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Ards Borough Council was a consultee during the consultation undertaken during 2009 by my Department on the draft Donaghadee Harbour Order (NI) which will enable byelaws to be developed at Donaghadee Harbour. The Department has responded to written queries raised by Ards Borough Council.

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development what consideration has been given to the safety of Donaghadee Harbour and its transfer to Ards Borough Council.

(AQW 5202/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Approximately £90,000 is spent each year at Donaghadee Harbour on safety related works and general maintenance. In addition, dredging of the harbour is planned to be performed this month at a cost of approximately £120,000.

Donaghadee Harbour

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development what discussions his Department plans to have with Ards Borough Council prior to the transfer of Donaghadee Harbour.

(AQW 5203/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The officials from my Department intend to meet officials from Ards Borough Council within the next few weeks to discuss matters relating to Donaghadee Harbour. This is separate from the arrangements to discuss the transfer of functions arising from the Review of Public Administration.

Pothole Repairs

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Regional Development if there has been an increase in the cost of pothole repairs for roads in North Down due to the recent bad weather.

(AQW 5204/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has confirmed that there has been a significant increase in the number of surface defects identified during cyclical safety inspections of the road network within North Down. It may be some time before assessments are completed and the full extent of the damage and cost of carrying out repairs is known. In addition, as it would not be practicable to diagnose each individual failure that led to the formation of the potholes identified, one cannot say with any certainty if they were caused by the recent bad weather, or other factors.

Due to the increase in the number of defects identified and workload associated with carrying out repairs, it is evident that additional resources will be required. However, at this stage, it is not possible to determine what the cost of pothole repairs will be, and if these costs have increased in comparison to previous years.

Car Parking Facility at Abbey Street, Bangor

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the proposed plans for the car parking facility at Abbey Street, Bangor.

(AQW 5206/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it operates two car parks in Abbey Street, Bangor.

The first, at Abbey Street East, is split into two car parking areas. The area closest to Bangor town centre is operated by Roads Service as a charged car park. The other portion is leased from Roads Service by Translink, who operate it as a free park and ride site, to service commuters who use their bus and rail services.

The other, at Abbey Street West, is a free car park at present, however, as this car park falls within the area of parking restraint identified within the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan 2015, Roads Service intends to commence the legislative process in order to introduce charges.

Erection of Memorials

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail his Department's policy on the erection of memorials at the side of a road following a death in a road traffic accident.

(AQW 5207/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service does not approve of, or support, the unauthorised use of departmental property for the erection of illegal roadside memorials. However, where a memorial is erected at the side of a road, following a death in a road traffic accident, no action is taken to secure its removal, unless it is obstructing the road and constitutes a danger to road users.

Staffing Grades of NI Water

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the staffing grades of NI Water; and (ii) the relevant salary range for each grade.

(AQW 5211/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that details of the staffing grades and current salary ranges are as set out in the table below. Levels 1, 2 and 3 grades and all industrial employees are on fixed salary points with no minimum or maximum scale points.

Grade	MinimumSalary	MaximumSalary
Level 1 (Chief Executive)	£182,000	£182,000
Level 2	£70,000	£108,000
Level 3	£48,000	£65,000
Level 4	£35,314	£43,161
Level 5	£27,415	£33,507
Level 6	£22,634	£27,664
Level 7	£15,038	£18,380
Craft Technician*	£23,542	£23,542
SEPO*	£22,523	£22,523
Craft Supervisor 1*	£22,523	£22,523
EPO*	£22,026	£22,026
Craft Supervisor 2*	£22,026	£22,026
Craft Grade A*	£20,907	£20,907
HCO*	£20,709	£20,709
Craft Grade B*	£20,385	£20,385
Class I*	£19,714	£19,714
Class II*	£19,242	£19,242
Apprentice	£11,159	£11,159

* salary includes non-consolidated bonus

NI Water: Staff Bonuses

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the range of bonuses paid to each grade of staff in NI Water in (i) 2007/08; and (ii) 2008/09.

(AQW 5212/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that details of the range of bonuses paid to employees in NIW in 2007/8 and 2008/9 are set out below.

Grade	Bonus 2007/08	Bonus 2008/09
Level 1 (Chief Executive)	£18,700 in line with provisions of employment contract.	No substantive Chief Executive.
Level 2	£3,000 to £6,000 in line with 2007 Senior Civil Service Pay Award:	£3,337 to £10,500 in line with 2008 Senior Civil Service Pay Award:
Level 3	£50 to £150 in line with 2007 Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) Pay Award:	£4,750 to £6,250 in line with Discretionary Bonus Scheme:
Level 4 to 7	£50 to £150 in line with 2007 NICS Pay Award:	- £50 to £150 in line with 2008 NICS Pay Award:- £200 Corporate Bonus
Industrial Employees	Non-consolidated weekly bonus scheme 20.68% of hourly rate of pay.	- Non-consolidated weekly bonus scheme 20.68% of hourly rate of pay.- £200 Corporate Bonus

Bonus Payments by NI Water

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development how much money is available for all bonus payments by NI Water in 2009/10, broken down by staff grade and function.

(AQW 5213/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the money available for all bonus payments in 2009/10 is as set out in the table below. As these budgets are set at a corporate level, it is not possible to provide a breakdown on a functional basis.

Chief Executive	Up to £70,000
Level 2	Bonus arrangements have not yet been agreed for 2009/10
Level 3	Up to £174,000
All other Employees	Up to £555,000 in respect of Corporate Bonus payments

NI Water: Terms and Conditions of Employment

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development to confirm that NI Water will apply the same terms and conditions of employment to Level 5 managers, who underwent an interview for their current posts, as were formerly applied to the HPTO civil service grade, appointed without an interview.

(AQW 5214/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that during the past two years a number of Level 5 posts have been advertised within the company. Any employee who chose to apply for one of these roles was required to undertake to provide an out-of-hours (On-Call) service as part of their duties. This represented a minor revision to their existing terms and conditions of service, the remainder of which were unchanged.

Door-to-Door Service

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development why, on 3 February 2010, the Door-to-Door bus service returned to Newtownards from Bangor without any passengers

(AQW 5226/10)

Minister for Regional Development: This is an operational matter for Chambers Coach Hire which operates this service. My Department encourages the Operator to make full use of all vehicles at their disposal. However, there are occasions when, for scheduling reasons, vehicles may make journeys without passengers.

Door-to-Door Service

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development when the consultation process for the Door-to-Door service will be completed; and if input will be sought from people who previously complained about the service.

(AQW 5230/10)

Minister for Regional Development: There is no formal consultation currently being undertaken in relation to Door-to-Door transport. However, as part of a continuing process of looking at how services can be improved, my Department is currently considering options for the future delivery of these services and has sought views from customers and the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee on a number of issues. Complaints about the service as well as positive comments by customers are taken into account in the evaluation of services and in considering options.

Door-to Door Service

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development why Door-to Door service staff received a 10% pay cut, without consultation, in the last 12 months.

(AQW 5231/10)

Minister for Regional Development: This is an operational matter for Chambers Coach Hire which is the employer of the staff in question. My Department is aware of the pay cut and has adjusted the compensation to Chambers accordingly.

Door-to-Door Service

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development why, on 3 February 2010, the Door -to-Door service sent one bus to pick up a family at Loch Cuan Home, Westwinds, and sent a separate bus to pick up a passenger in Cherry Valley, Comber; when it would have been more cost effective to collect both in one run. .

(AQW 5232/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The scheduling of vehicles is an operational matter for Chambers Coach Hire which operates this service. My Department encourages the operator to make full use of the vehicles at its disposal. However, scheduling can produce apparent anomalies. If the member has particular concerns, he should contact me directly.

Door-to-Door Service

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) to whose account the money collected from Door-to-Door bus service fares is paid; (ii) who monitors this account; and (iii) how often the account is monitored.

(AQW 5241/10)

Minister for Regional Development: This is an operational matter for Chambers Coach Hire, Disability Action and Bridge Accessible Transport who are the operators of these services and who retain the revenue collected. My Department carries out an annual audit of these organisations to ensure that procedures for the proper delivery of door-to-door services, including the handling of monies, are adhered to.

Door-to-Door Service

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Regional Development how many passenger journeys the Door-to-Door service carried out in Lisburn, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5267/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Door-to-Door Transport has been operational in the Lisburn area (which includes Dunmurry) since May 2007 and only combined statistical data is available for 2007/08 financial year.

However, I can confirm that in the Lisburn area 4481 passenger trips were provided in the 2008/09 financial year and 4547 trips were provided in the period 1 April 2009 to 31 January 2010.

Door-to-Door Service

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost to his Department of the Door-to-Door service in the Lisburn area during the last year.

(AQW 5268/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Lisburn and Dunmurry are treated as one operational area for the purposes of the Door-to-Door transport contract. Therefore, information on costs is not available specifically for Lisburn. However, I can confirm that between 1 February 2009 and 31 January 2010, the cost of Door-to-Door transport in the Lisburn/Dunmurry area was £115,611.

Cost of Damage to Roads

Mr T Gallagher asked the Minister for Regional Development to estimate the overall cost of the damage to roads during the prolonged cold spell.

(AQW 5271/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that, even with regular care and attention, a road will deteriorate over time and require corrective maintenance. The rate and extent of this deterioration is influenced by numerous factors, including traffic volumes, weather conditions and work by utilities.

A relatively wet summer and autumn, followed by the coldest winter in almost 50 years, will undoubtedly have had a damaging effect on the North’s road network. The repeated freezing and thawing cycle causes carriageways to split, and potholes to form. However, it will be some time before the full extent of the damage caused to the road network, during the recent cold weather, can be fully assessed.

The total cost of the damage caused solely by the cold weather may never fully be known, as it would not be practical, or indeed possible, for Roads Service to diagnose the causes that have led to, or are likely to contribute to, damage to the roads.

Roads Service undertakes a series of regular inspections and condition surveys to ensure the road network is maintained to defined standards, and that serious road defects are detected and repaired. These arrangements, together with the experience and professional judgement of Roads Service engineers, ensure that the roads remain safe, and do not fall below satisfactory and serviceable levels.

I can also advise the Member that, since the beginning of January 2010, an additional £16.6 million, approximately, has been allocated to Roads Service for use across the North. This money will be used to progress pre-determined programmes of work, targeting the worst roads, and also to deal with the effects of the recent cold spell.

Capital and Resource Investment

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the capital and resource investment provided and planned by his Department and associated bodies, including Roads Service, Translink and NI Water, between 2007-2010, that will benefit the South Belfast constituency.

(AQW 5299/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service does not hold information on investment on a constituency basis. However, it does hold details of the work, carried out per year, by Council area. The South Belfast constituency area covers portions of both the Belfast Council and Castlereagh Council areas. Information on the completed and proposed roads schemes for these two Councils can be found in Roads Service’s Spring and Autumn Reports to Councils. These reports can be accessed from the Roads Service internet site at the following web address:

http://www.drdni.gov.uk/index/publications/publications-searchall.htm

Roads Service is currently compiling its Spring Reports to Councils.

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has advised that it does not hold details of its capital infrastructure projects by parliamentary constituency. However, listed below are those projects NIW believe to be in the South Belfast Constituency, which have been delivered, or are planned, between 2007 and 2010.

NI Water - Location/Project	Estimated Spend 2007-2010(£000s)
Springfield Avenue Storm Sewer Extension	123
Belfast Sewers Project	127,287
Belvoir Park Trunk Sewer	1,878
Belfast City Centre Public Realm Strategy	229
Ormeau Road Storm Separation	1,025
Castle Place / High Street Sewer and Water main Upgrade	1,328
Newtownbreda, Dunmurry, New Holland Wastewater Treatment Works - Nutrient Removal	736
Newtownbreda Wastewater Treatment Works	540
Belfast City Centre Public Realm Phase 1, Area 1	417
M1/Westlink Watermains & Sewers Diversions	646
Mains replacement ,Belfast Public Realm Phase 1 Area 2	81
Lower Chichester Street, Belfast Watermains Replacement, Belfast Public Realm	92
Belfast Trunk Main Interconnections	114
Belfast City Centre Zone Watermain Improvements	3,091
Belfast City Centre Public Realm Phase 1, Area 3	508
Purdysburn East Zone Watermain Improvements	1,575
Cross Town Main Extension - Barnetts Park to Purdysburn	851
Total	140,521

The table below shows Translink’s capital investment, provided and planned, from 2007–2010, which will benefit the South Belfast constituency. There has also been significant investment in new Trains and Buses during this time, which are used across the region, but also bring benefits to the South Belfast constituency. Resource expenditure on the bus and rail network cannot be detailed by specific constituency.

Transport Revenue Grants are also an important benefit to the South Belfast constituency. Therefore, the table includes the expenditure on the Fuel Duty Rebate and Concessionary Fare grants relating to the Citybus/Metro network, the Public Service Obligation payments to the NI Railways network and the Belfast wide expenditure on the Door to Door scheme.

Capital Expenditure and Revenue Grants in South Belfast Assembly Constituency
Capital Expenditure* by Projec t	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10 to end Feb 10	Total
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Ulsterbus
Great Victoria Street Workshop Repairs to Pit Walls		8		8
Laganside Strand Extension for Double Deckers		1	7	8
Bus Drivers Training Facility at Adelaide	15			15
Chamber of Commerce House Training Facilities	7			7
Europa Bus Centre Staff Gym	1	4		5
Great Victoria Street Internal Restructure	2			2
Europa Bus Station Provision of Traffic Barriers on Busway			8	8
Chamber of Commerce House Refurbishment			48	48
Chamber Of Commerce House Refurbishment - replacement of lifts			17	17
Telecommunication Facilities at Laganside			13	13
Project Also Benefitting of Metro Area
Refurbishment of Paint at Bus Depots & Stations		339		339
Building Upgrade Condition Programme		268	646	914
DDA Compliance	37			37
Building Services Condition Programme			49	49
Installation of Fall Arrest Systems Ulsterbus/Metro			64	64
Metro
Refurbishment of CCTV System at Short Strand - Phase 1		35		35
Refurbishment of CCTV System at Short Strand - Phase 2		80	23	103
Personal equipment lockers for Short Strand Drivers			4	4
Project Benefitting all of Metro Area
Additional School Buses - 20 Double Deckers	3257	69		3326
New Buses for Metro Phase 2 - 25 Double Deckers	4,028	137		4,165
4 x Sets Mobile Lifting Jacks Metro Garages			63	43
NIR
Central Stations Shore Supply Facility	2			2
Customer Information System at Botanic	2			2
Adelaide Frequency Division Multiplexing Replacement	30			30
Human Resources Office Refurbishment at Central Station	18			18
Air Conditioning at Central	6			6
Signalling Simulator at Adelaide	163	356		519
Adelaide Train Maintenance Facility		382	950	1,332
Dargan Bridge Sleeper Rehabilitation		13		13
Refurbishment of Office at Chamber of Commerce House		54		54
Central Line Switch & Crossing Spares		79		79
NIR Trackside Fencing - Adelaide to Bridge End		300		300
Great Victoria Station Automatic Staff Car Park Gates		7		7
Great Victoria Station Railway and Europa Bus Internal Restructure	2			2
Upgrade of Monitoring Equipment for Call Centre		39		39
Botanic Platform Extension			79	79
Great Victoria Station Hub Development			5	5
New furniture for Ops Driver Training Room C1 Rail Operations Training Academy			1	1
Replacement of CCTV System Central Stn			10	10
Dargan 600 points, Insulated Block Joint´s and Expansion Switches		104	89	193

Net wide Projects which benefit South Belfast
New Rail Vision	1,984	3,050		5,034
Disability Discrimination Act	7,532	1,316		8,848
Customer Information System Long Line Public Address Stage 1	92			92
New Trains Two Platform Extensions		50	296	346
New trains 2		16,957	12,846	29,803
NITHC
Land at Adelaide			500	500
Chamber of Commerce House Refurbishment		202	76	278
*Capital includes grant aided and non grant aided expenditure.

Revenue Grants
	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10Planned	T otal
	£’000	£’000	£’000
Metro/Citybus (total on network)
Fuel Duty Rebate	2,500	2,700	3,000	8,200
Concessionary Fares	7,300	8,400	10,100	25,800
Railways (Public Service Obligation NIR network wide)	24,100	23,000	23,200	70,300
Door to Door (Belfast wide)	500	700	700	1,900

Mains Water Supply on the Curragh Road, Dungiven

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development if he would investigate the low pressure in the mains water supply experienced by residents on the Curragh Road, Dungiven, between Thursday and Sunday evenings, since the supply source changed from the Brishey Reservoir to the Banagher Dam last year.

(AQW 5308/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it has commenced an investigation into the low water pressure problem experienced by residents in the Curragh Road area of Dungiven. During the next two weeks it will be analysing data from water pressure monitoring equipment installed in the area and I have asked Laurence MacKenzie, Chief Executive of NIW to write to you direct when the outcome of the investigation is known.

Irish Language Lessons

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 4925/10, (i) if he can estimate the number of calls his Department has received from people who only speak Irish; and (ii) for his assessment of the provision of Irish language lessons for staff in his Department, in light of the value for money principles endorsed by the Executive.

(AQW 5310/10)

Minister for Regional Development:

No, it is not possible to estimate the number of calls received in my Department from people who only speak Irish. The issue is not relevant to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, as its overriding purpose is cultural. An aim of the Charter is to ensure the use of Irish in administrative settings.
I consider that the Irish language classes will provide excellent value for money. The classes will cost £1,500 for 24 hours of tuition, for up to 40 staff.

Resurfacing Work on Abbot Drive, Newtownards

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) to provide a timescale for the resurfacing work on Abbot Drive, in the Bowtown Estate, Newtownards; and (ii) if he is aware of claims made for damage to vehicles due to the poor condition of this road.

(AQW 5333/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that a resurfacing scheme is planned for completion at Abbot Drive, Newtownards within the next two months.

Roads Service has also advised that it has not received any claims in respect of damage to vehicles, due to the condition of Abbot Drive, during the last 10 years.

Directional Signs for Places of Worship

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the process for obtaining a directional sign for a place of worship in a rural village.

(AQW 5404/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that a church may be signed when there is a clear road safety need for doing so, or when the following criteria are met:

there is a seating capacity in excess of 200;
it is open for worship at least once per week throughout the year; and
where Roads Service is satisfied that there is obvious difficulty in locating the church building due to its location or remoteness from the main road network.

Signing will not normally be permitted to premises located on rural A or B class roads and will normally only be permitted from the nearest A or B class road.

There are stipulations, which include, that the applicant shall pay in advance the full cost for any signing provided and that the sign becomes the property of the Department.

Railways: Coleraine to Londonderry

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the relaying of the track on the Coleraine to Londonderry section of the Belfast to Londonderry railway line.

(AQO 900/10)

Minister for Regional Development: Detailed planning and design work for the re-lay of the track between Coleraine and Derry is underway and the Department expects to receive the Economic Appraisal very soon. Subject to Executive agreement on funding and the normal approval processes, work on the ground is expected to commence in April 2012 and be completed in 2013.

Public Transport: People with Disabilities

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development what discussions his Department has held with disability organisations and groups to maximise the number of people with disabilities using public transport.

(AQO 901/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department continues to engage regularly with the Inclusive Mobility Transport Advisory Committee, IMTAC, as its primary advisor on transport issues that affect the mobility of older people and disabled people.

IMTAC has recently responded to a discussion document about the Regional Transportation Strategy Review, in which IMTAC acknowledged the transformation to the accessibility of the public transport network brought about by investment through the Regional Transportation Strategy. Officials are currently considering the details of IMTAC’s paper.

As part of the recent public consultation on the Accessible Transport Strategy Action Plan 2009-2012, my Department met a wide range of disabled people and disability organisations during public meetings and discussed how the accessibility of transport could be improved further.

Officials have also met a number of groups of elderly and disabled people (such as RNIB, residents of sheltered accommodation and senior citizens’ clubs) to promote the Door-to-Door transport scheme, which provides accessible transport in urban areas for older and disabled people. Coinciding with the launch of Door-to-Door services in Belfast and Derry 2008, the Department carried out a province-wide advertising campaign to encourage eligible people to avail of these services.

The Department also attends, as a devolved administration observer, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) which is a statutory, independent body established by Government to advise on the transport needs of disabled people in England and Wales.

Belfast Rapid Transit System

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development if the budget requirements are in place for the Belfast Rapid Transit System.

(AQO 902/10)

Minister for Regional Development: The final budget allocation for Departments for 2010-11 has not yet been agreed by the Executive. However the Executive’s draft budget proposals allocate sufficient funding for the Rapid Transit system in 2010-11.

The Executive’s Investment Strategy (ISNI 2008-2018) also includes further indicative funding of £99 million.

DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Dismissed Staff

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development how many staff have been dismissed from her Department due to (i) poor performance; and (ii) ill health, in each of the past five years.

(AQW 5034/10)

Minister for Social Development (Ms M Ritchie): The table below provides details over the last 5 years of staff dismissed for poor work performance, unsatisfactory attendance and the number of ill-health retirements. The Department considers dismissals for poor performance and ill-health retirement under the relevant NICS-wide policies and procedures set by the Department of Finance and Personnel.

	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009
Dismissal on grounds of inefficiency – work performance	0	0	0	0	0
Dismissal on grounds of inefficiency – unsatisfactory attendance	36	30	30	32	29
Ill-healthRetirement	54	45	41	45	27

Staff Transferred due to Poor Performance

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development how many people have been transferred (i) into her Department; and (ii) out of her Department, due to poor performance in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5035/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Department for Social Development has not transferred any staff, either into or out of the Department, due to poor performance in any of the last five years.

Economy 7 Heating Within Social Housing

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister for Social Development how many social housing dwellings in the Derry Housing Executive area still use Economy 7; and when she intends to replace these with a more efficient system.

(AQW 5037/10)

Minister for Social Development: A total of 773 Housing Executive dwellings in the Derry area still use Economy 7. Replacement of existing heating schemes is carried out on a planned basis where Economy 7 exists in an estate undergoing heating replacements. Tenants are offered the opportunity to switch to oil or gas where available but may opt to retain Economy 7 and significant numbers do so for reasons of convenience. The Housing Executive has provisionally planned to replace 107 Economy 7 heating systems in 2010/11, although this will be dependant on the availability of funding. It also plans to offer replacement heating to remaining Economy 7 users over the next five years. With regard to Housing Association dwellings using Economy 7, there are a total of 487 in the Derry Housing Executive area. Housing Associations plans to replace Economy 7 heating vary, although there are plans to replace existing heating systems over the next 5-7 years with gas where available.

Community and Voluntary Sector

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister for Social Development when departmental funding is removed from or reduced to the community and voluntary sector, what measures will be in place to provide for redundancy payments.

(AQW 5039/10)

Minister for Social Development: Voluntary and community organisations are encouraged to build financial reserves to enable them to meet future commitments or unforeseen expenses such as redundancy costs. Reserves are the resources (excluding funding from restricted grants) which the organisation can make available to spend at the Trustees’ or Committee members’ discretion, once it has met its commitments and covered its other planned expenditure.

In certain circumstances where voluntary and community organisations, as employers, cannot or refuse to make redundancy payments, an application can be made for payment from the Northern Ireland National Insurance Fund.

Regeneration Scheme in the Village Area of South Belfast

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the process currently being employed by her Department to determine the value of properties which have been, or are being, vested as part of the regeneration scheme in the Village area of south Belfast.

(AQW 5066/10)

Minister for Social Development: All valuations in advance of vesting or after vesting are carried out independently by Land and Property Services on behalf of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Agreement on the purchase price or compensation is reached through negotiation with either the applicant directly or an Estate Agent representing the applicant. The Housing Executive will pay any reasonable Agents fee associated with the negotiations.

Housing Executive Eviction Notices

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4538/10, what action she is taking to address the number of Housing Executive eviction notices in the Ards District.

(AQW 5081/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive regards eviction proceedings as a last resort and has a number of preventive measures in place. The Housing Executive is committed to preventing anti-social behaviour through a range of intervention support and diversionary measures and works closely with other agencies in this respect. The Housing Executive will always attempt to address such problems firstly through these preventative measures and only if these fail will compulsory actions be initiated that may lead to eviction. In the case of rent arrears, the Housing Executive’s computerised rent accounting system identifies immediately when a rent payment becomes overdue. Housing Executive staff will seek early identification and contact with the tenant regarding any identified rent arrears problems. Staff will ensure that the tenant is assessed for eligibility to Housing Benefit and confidential home visits will be made to the tenant to discuss their rent arrears problem and also offer money advice/support through a range of initiatives.

Number of Trees Planted

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development how many trees have been planted by her Department under (i) town masterplans; (ii) housing new builds; and (iii) environmental improvement initiatives in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5083/10)

Minister for Social Development: My Department would usually plant trees as part of environmental improvement schemes, rather than masterplans in town or city centres. The collated available figures for the last five years are as follows.

	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
Environmental improvement schemes	4421*	4047	4167	2350	2729
Housing new builds	177	442	316	281	318
Total	4598	4489	4483	2631	3047

* Figures for regeneration schemes not available.

Warm Homes Scheme

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Social Development how many homes in the Lagan Valley area have benefitted from the Warm Homes Scheme.

(AQW 5096/10)

Minister for Social Development: Since the new Warm Homes Scheme was launched on 1 July 2009, 118 homes in the Lagan Valley area have benefitted from measures available from the scheme

Warm Homes Scheme

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Social Development how many applications for the Warm Homes Scheme in the Lagan Valley area have yet to be processed.

(AQW 5097/10)

Minister for Social Development: There are currently 22 applications in the Lagan Valley area which are at various stages of progression through the Warm Homes Scheme.

Social Housing in the Titanic Quarter Development

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Social Development what measures are in place to ensure that any social housing in the Titanic Quarter development is maximised, on-site and inclusive of all sections of the community.

(AQW 5162/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan promotes the development of the Titanic Quarter by zoning the site for mixed use provision, of which the residential element would be 15% affordable housing. Following discussions between the Housing Executive and Titanic Quarter Ltd and subsequently between Planning Service and Titanic Quarter Ltd, outline planning permission was granted for Titanic Phase II and included the following condition:

A minimum of 15% of the residential accommodation shall be allocated for affordable housing of which a minimum of 10% shall be allocated within the phase II area in compliance with the Design Principles document date stamp received 18 June 2008. The remainder of the affordable housing provision may be in ‘off-site’ locations in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. All ‘off-site’ affordable housing shall be provided prior to the occupation of 70% of the residential accommodation located within Phase II.

It would be my intention to promote ‘shared future housing’ for the proposed social housing element within Titanic Quarter and there will also be an element of provision for persons with a disability.

It is anticipated that the total residential put back proposed for Titanic phase 2 will be a minimum of 3,500 units.

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Dr S Farry asked the Minister for Social Development what bids her Department has made in relation to the 'Invest to Save' initiative; and what consideration was given to bids that seek to address communal segregation in service provision and to promote integration.

(AQW 5167/10)

Minister for Social Development: I can advise that whilst my Department very much welcomes the introduction of this initiative, we have not tabled any bids in the limited time available. However, we hope to avail of the fund in the future when issues such as communal segregation in service provision, the promotion of integration and all other issues relevant to building a shared future in Northern Ireland will certainly be considered.

External Cyclical Maintenance

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4747/10, what areas of Newtownards are scheduled for external cyclical maintenance in the next financial year; and the nature of this maintenance.

(AQW 5169/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Ards Town External Cyclical Maintenance Scheme comprises of works to 214 town centre dwellings in the Mark Street, William Street, John Street and Mill Street areas of Newtownards. The items proposed through the scheme include:

- Partial window replacement (to 21 dwellings).

- Replacement of external doors (to 51 dwellings).

- Major roofing works (to 11 dwellings).

- Repair/repainting of walls and fences.

However, these schemes are dependent on the availability of funding and the Housing Executive will review its programmes of activity when budgets for 2010/11 and beyond have been confirmed.

Kitchen Replacements in Killyleagh

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4747/10, what areas of Killyleagh are scheduled for kitchen replacements in the next financial year.

(AQW 5170/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive’s Killyleagh kitchen replacement scheme comprises of improvement works to 40 dwellings in the Kerry Drive, Kerry Hill, Kerry Park, Kerry Wynd and Limetree Hill areas of Killyleagh. The items proposed through the scheme include the:

- Replacement of existing kitchen units.

- Re-wiring of kitchen as required.

- Installation of smoke detectors as required.

However, these schemes are dependent on the availability of funding and the Housing Executive will review its programmes of activity when budgets for 2010/11 and beyond have been confirmed.

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister for Social Development how much money has been spent by her Department on (i) fees; and (ii) all travel costs, including subsistence costs, for staff attending conferences and courses in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5179/10)

Minister for Social Development: Costs of fees and associated travel/subsistence costs relating to Department for Social Development staff courses and conferences are set out in the table below for the last three full business years.

Travel and subsistence costs recorded in the table relate to DSD Core and Social Security Agency staff attendances at learning and development events only.

BUSINESS YEAR	COURSE ANDCONFERENCE FEES	TRAVEL AND *SUSISTENCE COSTS
2006/07	£877559	£75855
2007/08	£792772	£40915
2008/09	£685291	£42409

* the Department’s Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division does not keep the travel and subsistence information in the format requested and this can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Cookstown Social Security Office

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister for Social Development what criteria were used in the decision to downgrade the Cookstown Social Security Office to front office only as part of the Strategic Business Review.

(AQW 5190/10)

Minister for Social Development: I refer the member to page 24 of the ‘Equality Impact Assessment on the Implementation Arrangements for the Strategic Business review’, published on 23 April 2009 and circulated to all Assembly colleagues. The document details the rationale determining the number and location of Benefit Processing Centres and Front only offices. I would also highlight the fact that, irrespective of the proposed changes to back office processing functions, there will be no downgrade to the service to customers provided by the Cookstown Social Security Office.

Cookstown Social Security Office

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister for Social Development what criteria were used in selecting which members of staff would remain in the Cookstown Social Security Office following the decison to downgrade it to front office only.

(AQW 5191/10)

Minister for Social Development: There will be no downgrade to the service to customers provided by the Cookstown Social Security Office. The staff selection arrangements for Customer First have been applied consistently to all offices, including Cookstown. These arrangements pay due regard to the business need, the mobility obligations of staff, their health, caring responsibilities and location preferences in as far as possible.

Housing Waiting List

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister for Social Development how many people registered with a disability are currently on the (i) housing waiting list; and (ii) homeless list, in the Foyle constituency.

(AQW 5193/10)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested. The Housing Executive does not collate information regarding applicants with a disability other than where it pertains to the housing needs of the applicant. In these circumstances, applicants are awarded the relevant points to reflect any functional mobility problems, that is, cannot climb stairs, need a downstairs toilet, need a ‘through lift’ etc, with regard to their current accommodation. The table below details the social housing applicant households within the Derry City Council area that have been awarded Functionality Points in relation to functional mobility problems with regard to their current accommodation, as at 31 December 2009.

DistrictOffice	Housing Applicants	HomelessApplicants
Waterloo Place	165	76
Waterside	81	47
Collon Terrace	94	41
Total	340	164

Economy 7 Heating within Social Housing

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister for Social Development to outline her long term strategy to replace Economy 7 heating within social housing.

(AQW 5194/10)

Minister for Social Development: With regard to Housing Executive properties, replacement of existing heating schemes is carried out on a planned basis where Economy 7 exists in an estate undergoing heating replacements. Tenants are offered the opportunity to switch to oil or gas where available but may opt to retain Economy 7 and significant numbers do so for reasons of convenience. The Housing Executive has provisionally planned to replace 624 Economy 7 heating systems in 2010/11, although this will be dependant on the availability of funding. It also plans to offer replacement heating to remaining Economy 7 users over the next five years.

With regard to Housing Association dwellings, Housing Associations’ plans to replace Economy 7 heating vary, where one Association has already carried out major upgrade work and has no further plans to carry out any additional works, while others plan to replace existing heating systems over the next 5-7 years with gas where available.

Queen's Parade Development Project in Bangor

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on the Queen's Parade development project in Bangor.

(AQW 5196/10)

Minister for Social Development: Karl Greenfarm Properties Limited was appointed as the Department’s Preferred Developer on 17 December 2010 to take forward development plans for the Queen’s Parade area of Bangor. The developer is currently in Pre Application Discussions with the Planning Service and this process is expected to take between 6 - 9 months.

Harbour Area of Bangor

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on the plans for the Harbour area of Bangor that was declared a small pocket of deprivation.

(AQW 5197/10)

Minister for Social Development: The NIHE, on behalf of DSD, is liaising with the YMCA in the Harbour area to bring forward proposals and a formal application to the SPOD programme for the forthcoming financial year. Upon receipt of the formal application a decision will be taken on the level of funding to be awarded to the Harbour area.

Social Housing: Heating

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4787/10 and given that basic electrical heating is the most expensive form of heating, why so many social housing tenants are reliant on this form of heating; and when they will be offered alternative forms of heating.

(AQW 5199/10)

Minister for Social Development: Of the current Housing Executive stock, 12% of dwellings have Economy 7 heating. Replacement of existing heating schemes, including basic heating systems, is carried out by the Housing Executive on a planned basis in its estates which are undergoing heating replacements. Tenants are offered the opportunity to switch to oil or gas where available but may opt to retain their current heating system and significant numbers do so for reasons of convenience. The Housing Executive has provisionally planned to replace 624 Economy 7 heating systems in 2010/11, although this will be dependant on the availability of funding, and plans to offer replacement heating to all tenants who have either Economy 7 or basic heating systems over the next five years.

Funding from the Community Investment Fund and the Community Support Programme

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development for a list of bodies or community groups in the North Down area who currently receive funding from (i) the Community Investment Fund; and (ii) the Community Support Programme.

(AQW 5218/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Community Investment Fund aims to deliver a longer-term, strategic commitment to supporting community development by supporting sub-regional and multi-neighbourhood community development organisations that promote, facilitate or enable the co-ordination of services and activities, the empowerment of communities, help to shape policy, and contribute to sustainability.

The Community Support Programme involves the Department, the 26 District Councils, local community and voluntary groups and local advice organisations. The aim of the Programme is "to strengthen local communities, increase community participation and promote social inclusion through the stimulation and support of community groups, community activity and local advice services." North Down Borough Council has been offered £134,012 of funding this year to support their plan.

A full list of the groups funded and their addresses is attached at Annex A.

Clanmill Housing Association Developments

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister for Social Development in relation to maintenance work at Clanmill Housing Association Developments to detail (i) the criteria used (a) to make annual assessments of rent increases; (b) when awarding maintenance contracts; and (c) to determine what maintenance is carried out; and (ii) the rules contractors must adhere to when carrying out work.

(AQW 5228/10)

Minister for Social Development: In relation to (i: a) the Clanmil Housing Association Board of Management considers options for the level of rent increases based on the projected levels of expenditure for the following year, taking account of long term maintenance requirements. The Board also considers the level of the Department for Social Development/Northern Ireland Housing Executive rent increase, data on average rents, actual and forecast rates of inflation, the longer term financial model and other relevant strategic factors. In relation to (i: b) maintenance contracts are procured in accordance with the recommendations of the NI Public Procurement Policy and Public Contract Regulations 2006 (EU Guidelines). In relation to (i: c) Clanmil Housing Association delivers maintenance schemes to its tenants as follows:-

Response Maintenance.

These are normal day to day repairs to its properties categorised as follows:-

- Immediate (to be made good within 4 hours)

- Emergency (to be made good within 24 hours)

- Urgent (to be made good within 4 days)

- Routine (to be made good within 20 days)

Cyclical Redecoration.

Clanmil carries out the redecoration of all external and internal communal areas at its schemes, when a scheme reaches 5 years old and at 5 year cycles thereafter.

Service Contracts

Service Contracts are implemented to ensure Clanmil complies with all its statutory legal duties and to ensure the health and safety of tenants. These include:-

- Electrical works

- Mechanical works

- Specialist contracts

Planned maintenance.

This is planned preventative maintenance to replace building components that have reached the end of their useful life.

Aids and adaptations.

Clanmil considers requests for aids and adaptations as supported by the recommendation from an Occupational Therapist so that tenants can continue to live safely in their existing properties.

In relation to (ii), all contractors are required to adhere to the relevant terms and conditions of their contract.

Housing Executive Evictions

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4538/10, to outline the reasons for the 75 evictions that took place between 2004 and 2009.

(AQW 5265/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Member is now aware that there were 12 evictions within the Housing Executive’s Newtownards District Office area between 2004 and 2009. Five of these were due to rent/rates debt and seven because of nuisance behaviour.

Housing Executive Eviction Notices

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development how many eviction notices were issued in the Down District in each of the last five years; and how many of these notices did not result in an eviction.

(AQW 5266/10)

Minister for Social Development: The tables below provides details of Housing Executive and Housing Association tenants who were served with eviction notices in the Down District in each of the last five years and the number of those that did not result in an eviction:-

Table 1: Housing Executive tenants

	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009
Notices served	66	91	90	80	73
Did not result in eviction	59	88	86	80	67*

* Possession pending on 1 property.

Table 2: Housing Association tenants

	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009
Notices served	2	3	4	7	7
Did not result in eviction	2	3	3	6	6

Social Housing in Downpatrick

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development what her Department is doing to honour its commitment to provide social housing in Downpatrick; and how many properties have been purchased or built for social housing in Downpatrick since May 2007.

(AQW 5282/10)

Minister for Social Development: Between 2007/08 and 2009/10 the Social Housing Development Programme will have delivered 50 new starts in Downpatrick itself.

The Housing Executive is also looking at a number of sites either in its ownership or identified by Housing Associations that may be suitable to meet future need in the town. The draft three year Social Housing Development Programme for 2010 -2013 which will be published shortly will feature a number of these sites.

Social Housing in Newcastle

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development what her Department is doing to honour its commitment to provide social housing in Newcastle; and how many properties have been purchased or built for social housing in Newcastle since she May 2007.

(AQW 5283/10)

Minister for Social Development: Between 2007/08 and 2009/10 the Social Housing Development Programme will have delivered 8 new starts in Newcastle. In addition a further 12 units were completed in 2007/08.

Social Housing Waiting List

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development to detail for each year since May 2007 (i) the number of people on the social housing waiting list in Downpatrick; (ii) the number of people on the list who were allocated a home; (iii) the number of people on the list who were considered to be in housing stress; and (iv) the number of people on the list who were considered homeless.

(AQW 5284/10)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested. However, in relation to (i), (iii) and (iv) the table below details the Housing Executive Downpatrick District Office Social Housing Waiting list as at 31 March 2007, 2008 and 2009.

	31/03/07	31/03/08	31/03/09
Total Applicants	1,166	1,297	1,292
Applicants in Housing Stress	663	695	699
Applicants considered Homeless	358	354	384

In relation to (ii) the table below details the number of allocations for the financial years;

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

178

195

217

2006/07	2007/08	2008/09

178	195	217

Social Housing Waiting List

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development to detail for each year since May 2007 (i) the number of people on the social housing waiting list in Newcastle; (ii) the number of people on the list who were allocated a home; (iii) the number of people on the list who were considered to be in housing stress; and (iv) the number of people on the list who were considered homeless.

(AQW 5285/10)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested. However, in relation to (i), (iii) and (iv) the table below details the Social Housing Waiting list for Newcastle as at 31 March 2007, 2008 and 2009.

31/03/07 31/03/08 31/03/09

Total Applicants
260

270

274

Applicants in Housing Stress
155

154

167

Applicants considered Homeless
89

86

104

In relation to (ii) the table below details the number of allocations for the financial years;

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

25

21

30

2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
25	21	30

Carer's Allowance

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development how many people currently claim Carer's Allowance.

(AQW 5302/10)

Minister for Social Development: Information presently available shows that there were 53,799 * Carers Allowance claimants in Northern Ireland at the 4 February 2010.

* The information provided is derived from a 100% un-validated Carers Allowance Scan and the verified data is not available until May 2010.

Multi-element Housing Scheme in Bloomfield, North Down

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development when work will commence on the multi-element housing scheme in Bloomfield, North Down.

(AQW 5304/10)

Minister for Social Development: As the budget has not yet been agreed for 2010/11, there are no Multi Element Improvement schemes planned in 2010/11.

Small Pockets of Deprivation Programme

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development what funding will be available for North Down under the Small Pockets of Deprivation programme in the 2010/11 financial year.

(AQW 5306/10)

Minister for Social Development: Rathgill Community Association registered an application to the SPOD programme on 23 February 2010 which has been assessed and an award of £68,998 has been made for the 2010/11 financial year. The NIHE, on behalf of DSD, is liaising with the YMCA in the Harbour area to bring forward proposals and a formal application to the SPOD programme for the forthcoming financial year. Upon receipt of the formal application a decision will be taken on the level of funding to be awarded to the Harbour area.

Waiting Lists for Sheltered Accommodation

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Social Development to outline the number of people who are on the various waiting lists for sheltered accommodation in the Derry City Council area.

(AQW 5320/10)

Minister for Social Development: There are currently 150 applicants registered on the Waiting List for sheltered accommodation within the Derry City Council area.

Cross-border Benefit Fraud

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development how many people have been caught committing cross-border benefit fraud in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5329/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Department for Social Development works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions in Great Britain and the Department of Social and Family Affairs in the Republic of Ireland to detect cross jurisdictional fraud on a North South and East West basis. The formal partnership and arrangements for the provision of mutual assistance between the three Departments is covered by a Memorandum of Understanding.

The table below shows details of cases where a ‘Cross Border’ benefit fraud offence has been committed against the Social Security Agency. Information is only held in respect of the last 3 years plus the current year.

Details of any ‘Cross Border’ benefit fraud offences detected by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Social and Family Affairs are held separately by each of these Departments.

Cases where a ‘Cross Border’ benefit fraud offence was involved	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008-2009	2009 – 3 March 2010
No of cases detected	14	13	12	12

Benefit Claims by People Lliving Abroad

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development how many successful benefit claims have been made by people from Northern Ireland living abroad in each of the last five years; and the sum total of benefits paid as a result of these claims, broken down by benefit type.

(AQW 5331/10)

Minister for Social Development: The information requested is not available.

Houses of Multiple Occupancy Registration Scheme

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister for Social Development when the Housing Executive plans to introduce a Houses of Multiple Occupancy Registration scheme in rural areas.

(AQW 5351/10)

Minister for Social Development: The registration of Houses in Multiple Occupation is already a mandatory requirement for all Houses in Multiple Occupation across in Northern Ireland. As there are over 12,000 of these properties they have to be registered incrementally. The Housing Executive plans to have completed registration of all Houses in Multiple Occupation in Northern Ireland by April 2013.

Decent Homes Standard

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4810/10, to outline her Department's definition of the 'Decent Homes Standard'.

(AQW 5354/10)

Minister for Social Development: A definition of the Decent Homes Standard taken from the 2006 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey Report is "A decent home is one that is wind and weather tight, warm and has modern facilities". A decent home meets the following four criteria:-

- It meets the current statutory minimum standards for housing

- It is in a reasonable state of repair

- It has reasonably modern facilities and services

- It provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

Public and Private Sector Housing

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4810/10, to provide a breakdown of the public and private sector housing represented by these figures.

(AQW 5355/10)

Minister for Social Development: The 2006 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey demonstrated that 162,100 public and private dwellings do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. 135,880 were private sector dwellings and 26,220 were public sector dwellings.

Boiler Scrappage Scheme

Dr A McDonnell asked the Minister for Social Development what plans she has to introduce a Boiler Scrappage Scheme; and the expected time-frame.

(AQW 5358/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Department is currently working on a review of the Fuel Poverty Strategy and one of the areas we are looking at is a boiler replacement or boiler scrappage scheme. Unlike the English scheme, which appears to be on a "first come first served basis", any scheme administered under the Fuel Poverty Strategy would be targeted at vulnerable people who are fuel poor. All of the proposals from the new Fuel Poverty Strategy will be subject to public consultation which will be held in the spring. The qualifying criteria for a boiler replacement or boiler scrappage scheme would be developed as part of the public consultation.

Multi-element Schemes

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister for Social Development how many multi-element schemes the Housing Executive has planned for the East Londonderry constituency in the 2010/11 financial year.

(AQW 5368/10)

Minister for Social Development: As the budget has not yet been agreed for 2010/11, there are no Multi Element Improvement schemes planned in 2010/11.

Waiting Lists for Sheltered Accommodation

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development how many people are on the various waiting lists for sheltered accommodation in the North Down Borough Council area.

(AQW 5369/10)

Minister for Social Development: At the 5 March 2010 there were 287 applicants registered on the Waiting List for sheltered accommodation in the North Down Borough Council Area (Bangor District Office).

Randalstown Gateway Makeover Project

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on the Randalstown Gateway makeover project, including an estimated date for completion.

(AQW 5390/10)

Minister for Social Development: I can confirm that the Randalstown Gateway Environmental Improvement works scheme is making satisfactory progress, in spite of the extreme weather conditions experienced, and is on course to be completed by 31 March 2010.

The recent cold snap has resulted in some planned paving work on the scheme being halted during the night for approximately two weeks, due to the freezing of sand screed material used in construction. However sufficient contingencies were included to take account of potential poor weather at this time of year and the work remains on schedule.

Lighting on Housing Executive Pathways and Open Spaces

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Social Development to outline her Department's policy on the provision of lighting along pathways and in other areas of open space owned by the Housing Executive.

(AQW 5422/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive does not have a policy to provide lighting along pathways and open spaces.

Urban Renewal Status for Areas of North Belfast

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development when she will be making a decision regarding the Urban Renewal Status for (i) Upper Long Streets; (ii) Parkside; and (iii) the Glen areas of North Belfast.

(AQW 5537/10)

Minister for Social Development: Significant progress has been made in relation to proposals for housing led redevelopment schemes in both Upper Long Streets and the Glen Areas of North Belfast which includes Parkside. I expect to make an announcement on these in the coming weeks.

NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY COMMISSION

Car Parking Facilities

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Assembly Commission if there are any proposals to improve car parking facilities on sitting days.

(AQO 710/10)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Mr S Neeson): The Commission acknowledges the car parking pressure that exists for Members within the upper car parks and in particular on Sitting days.

It is indeed fair and equitable to highlight the car parking pressures that also exist for Secretariat staff on all days of the working week.

The appropriate use of designated spaces in the upper car parks ensures the most efficient use of limited space, whilst also preventing or limiting unnecessary obstructions.

The Commission has asked the Director General to write to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance and Personnel, seeking a strategic approach to tackling this. We are currently awaiting a response.

Car Parks at Parliament Buildings

Mr A Ross asked the Assembly Commission if there are plans to review the number of Upper car park badge holders to ensure that the car park is not overcrowded on sitting days.

(AQW 5516/10)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Mr S Neeson): The Assembly Commission fully recognises the difficulties experienced in parking in the upper car parks on sitting days.

This matter has already been given careful consideration and a recent review has restricted upper car park pass holders to MLAs, Assembly Director staff and a small number of Assembly staff who are temporarily granted a pass on medical grounds.

In essence, this means that on sitting days, the upper car parks are used to their maximum capacity. Enquiries to date have also concluded that it would not be possible to increase the number of parking spaces within the upper car parks without recourse to significant works and redevelopment.

Security staff are on hand however to ensure that the limited parking space available is used as efficiently as possible, and that inconvenience and obstruction is avoided.

The matter will be kept under review and I can also confirm that the Assembly Commission has requested the Secretariat to engage with DFP to establish a broader strategic approach to car parking generally.

REVISED WRITTEN ANSWERS

Friday 12 March 2010

(AQW 4538/10)

The tables below provides details of Housing Executive and Housing Association tenants who were served with eviction notices in the Ards District in each of the last five years and the number of those that did not result in an eviction:-

Table 1: Housing Executive tenants

	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009
Notices served	91	142	187	248	190
Did not result in eviction	87	139	186	247	187

Table 2: Housing Association tenants

	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009
Notices served	1	3	2	3	1
Did not result in eviction	0	0	0	0	0

07/08:	£405,189.44
08/09:	£289,157.63
09/10 (year to date):	£99,926.00

	Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999	Pollution Prevention and Control (NI) Regulations 2003
2007	29	0
2008	40	1
2009*	31	1
Total	100	2

Friday 12 March 2010

Written Answers to Questions

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

Community Relations Council

Funding to Promote Good Relations in Belfast

Funding for Projects to Promote Good Relations in Belfast

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Forestry and Woodland

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Land Parcel Improvement (LPIS) Project

CAFRE Enniskillen Campus Improvements

Badger Prevalence Stud

2012 Welfare for Laying Hens Directive

Hedge Cutting Period

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

Rose Energy Incinerator Proposal, Glenavy

Provision of Resources to the Equine Council

Blue-13 Blight

Blue-13 Blight

Blue-13 Blight

Halal and Kosher Meat Slaughter Arrangements

DARD Posts Relocated or Decentralised

Efficiency Savings

Rose Energy Incinerator Proposal, Glenavy

Soil Tests on Farms

Undesignated Waterways

EID Tags

Removal of Wind-bushes

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

Northern Ireland Museums Council

Proposed Velodrome in Downpatrick

Winter Olympics Sports

Ulster-Scots Related Projects

Integrated Development Fund

Integrated Development Fund

Integrated Development Fund

David Beattie

World Police and Fire Games

Comber Library

New Library at the Queen's Hall in Newtownards

Greyhound Racing

Grants for Shotgun Coaching Qualifications

Christine Blakely Water-ski Attempt

Road Safety Initative 'Live to Play'

Road Safety Initiative 'Live to Play'

£8m for the Irish Language

Road Bowls

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All Ireland Fleadh)

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Preventative and Early Intervention Measures

Fairtrade Products

'Reach the Heights' Project in Wales

Review of Capital Projects

Terminology in Official Communications

Terminology in Official Communications

Terminology in Official Communications

Students in Inner East Belfast Leaving School Without Five GCSE's

Cost of the Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board

Closures of Amalgamated Schools

Greyabbey Primary School

Special Needs Assessment

Irish-medium Schools

New Builds for Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore and Omagh Integrated Primary School

Commissioners for the South Eastern Education and Library Board

Meetings of the South Eastern Education and Library Board Commissioners

Pre-school Nursery Provision

Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce

Castle Towers Special School in Ballymena

DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Capital Projects

Working Age People Educated to Level 4/degree or Above

Working Age People Educated to Level 4/degree or Above

Measures to Prevent Convicted Sex Offenders Working in Universities and Colleges

Cost of Staff Attending Conferences and Courses

'Invest to Save' Initiative

Titanic Quarter

Careers Advice

Careers Advice Clinics

Performing Arts Centre and Technology Innovation Centre of the South Eastern Regional College

DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT