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 16 April 2010

Written Answers to Questions

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

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

Infrastructure Projects

Mr S Hamilton asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to list all infrastructure projects that have been (i) started; and (ii) completed under the auspices of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, including their monetary values, broken down by each parliamentary constituency, since May 2007.

(AQW 5236/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness): The information you have requested has been placed in the Assembly Library.

Executive Meetings

Mr D McKay asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what consideration they have given to holding Executive meetings (i) outside the Stormont Estate; and (ii) and in other constituencies including west of the Bann, following the example of the Scottish Government.

(AQW 5246/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Arrangements for Executive meetings, including potential venues, are kept under review and do not preclude meetings at locations outside Belfast. Although we have no specific plans for such a meeting yet, we are actively considering the matter at present.

Parades Working Group

Mr D Kennedy asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) how many (a) civil servants; and (b) others have been appointed to assist the Parades Working Group; and (ii) if remuneration was provided to persons other than civil servants assisting the group.

(AQW 5603/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: One OFMDFM official has been providing administrative support to the Working Group on Parades. The members of the Working Group also received advice from a number of other individuals, as required. No-one received remuneration for the provision of such advice to the Group.

Cross-border Event

Mr G Savage asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister if Executive approval is required by a Minister to fund a cross-border event; and to outline the process to obtain Executive approval.

(AQW 5969/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The categories of matter which a Minister has a duty to bring to the attention of the Executive for its consideration are set out in Section 2.4 of the Ministerial Code.

Parades Working Group

Mr D Kennedy asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) when they intend to answer AQW 5603/10; (ii) for their assessment of whether the delay is acceptable; and (ii) to give reasons for the delay.

(AQW 6106/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We refer to our response of 13 April to AQW 5603/10.

Military Sites

Mr A Maskey asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister when the military sites, promised as part of the financial package for policing and justice, will be handed over to the Executive.

(AQO 1008/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: No date has been agreed for the transfer of the four additional sites. Discussions are ongoing between OFMDFM, NIO and MoD officials regarding operational aspects of the transfer. This will not however delay the important preparatory and design work for the education campus at the Omagh sites.

Cohesion, Sharing and Integration Strategy

Mr T Burns asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether the proposed Cohesion, Sharing and Integration strategy is now in final draft, when it will be published and the timeline for its completion.

(AQO 1011/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Improving relationships between and within communities here and building a shared and better future is a high priority for OFMDFM and the Executive and the careful development of the new good relations programme reflects this. We recently agreed the core of the programme for Cohesion Sharing and Integration. Officials have circulated a draft copy of the document to devolved departments and the NIO for the input of policies, programmes and activities that will begin to construct the cross-cutting elements of the programme.Once departments have replied, the draft programme will again be referred to the Assembly Committee and will be issued to the Executive for final clearance. The programme will then be the subject of a full public consultation which will provide an opportunity for all stakeholder groups to comment and contribute to its development. The public consultation is likely to begin after the general election and continue until the end of September.Given the nature of the issues being addressed and the wider constituency involved we hope and expect the consultation to produce many interesting and considered outcomes that will contribute to our overarching policy of achieving ‘a peaceful, fair and prosperous society here with respect for the rule of law’.Once the responses to the consultation have been collated they will be taken on board within the context of a revised text as appropriate. The redrafted programme will again be referred to the Assembly Committee and the Executive for final clearance.

It is anticipated that the final agreed programme for Cohesion Sharing and Integration will be published before the end of the year.

Fair Employment and Treatment Legislation

Mr M Storey asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what discussions they have had with the Department of Education regarding the review of the exemption for teachers from the Fair Employment and Treatment legislation.

(AQO 1012/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We have not had any discussions regarding the review of the exception for teachers from the Fair Employment and Treatment legislation.

Maze Site

Rt Hon J Donaldson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what progress has been made in relation to the development of the Maze Regeneration site.

(AQO 1013/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We refer the Member to the answer we provided to AQO 676/10 on 8 February 2010..In addition, the major demolition work on the Maze/Long Kesh site has been completed, and a further £2 million phase of the remediation programme has recently commenced. This contract has been awarded and work has already begun on site.

The Programme Delivery Unit continues to undertake preparatory work and scoping studies, oversee the site maintenance programme and liaise with key stakeholders including representatives from Lisburn City Council and the Blaris redevelopment programme in order to prepare the site for any future development.

Executive Office, Brussels

Mr S Neeson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they will consider increasing the resource budget for the Executive's office in Brussels.

(AQO 1014/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has invested considerable resources in the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels (ONIEB) as a resource for Executive and wider Civic Society since 2001.The OFMDFM Assembly Committee’s recent report on its Inquiry into Consideration of European Issues included a recommendation to carry out a review of the work and funding of the Brussels Office. We intend to accept this recommendation and to expand the review to cover OFMDFM’s entire European Division, which is comprised of ONIEB and European Policy and Co-ordination Unit based in Belfast.While we would not want to pre-empt the findings of the review, any recommendations must take account of the current budgetary constraints.

You will be aware that ONIEB has recently moved to new premises. These were specifically designed to accommodate other organisations on a temporary or permanent basis. DARD and DETI both fund an ongoing permanent representation in the ONIEB premises and there remains the opportunity for other Departments or organisations who wish to commit resources to European engagement to share space in ONIEB.

Financial Assistance Act (Northern Ireland) 2009

Mr W Irwin asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline the purposes for which the Financial Assistance Act has been used to date.

(AQO 1016/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Financial Assistant Act (NI) 2009 provides a firm statutory basis for the Executive to respond to exceptional circumstances by enabling it to provide financial assistance to prevent, control or mitigate any aspect or affect of those circumstances. It also provides a statutory basis for the Executive to make available financial assistance to tackle poverty, social exclusion or deprivation when existing funding arrangements are considered ineffective, inadequate or unsatisfactory.

To date, the enabling powers under the Financial Assistance Act have been used only once. In February 2009, we made a determination under section 1(1) of the Act that exceptional circumstances existed as a result of the impact of increased household energy costs and accordingly designated the Department for Social Development to bring forward a Household Fuel Payment Scheme. The Scheme provided the legal basis to authorise a one-off payment of £150 to approximately 150,000 low income households to help the most vulnerable people in society pay their energy bills.

Good Relations

Mr G Robinson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what steps are required before the Good Relations programme will be fully functional.

(AQO 1017/10)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We agreed the core of the programme for Cohesion Sharing and Integration on 23^rdFebruary 2010. Officials have circulated a draft copy of the document to devolved departments and the NIO for the input of policies, programmes and activities that will begin to construct the cross-cutting elements of the programme. Once departments have replied, the draft programme will again be referred to the Assembly Committee and will be issued to the Executive for final clearance. The programme will then be the subject of a full public consultation which will provide an opportunity for all stakeholder groups to comment and contribute to its development. The public consultation is likely to begin after the general election and continue until the end of September.Once the responses to the consultation have been collated, they will be taken on board within the context of a revised text as appropriate. The redrafted programme will again be referred to the Assembly Committee and the Executive for final clearance.

It is anticipated that the final agreed programme for Cohesion Sharing and Integration will be published before the end of the year.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Assistance to Farmers

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what assistance her Department can provide to farmers in the Dungiven, Limavady and Coleraine areas who lost large numbers of sheep in the harsh weather conditions and heavy snowfall of 30 and 31 March 2010.

(AQW 6084/10)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): I am fully aware of the impact the recent severe weather has had on the north and I sympathise with farmers who are understandably distressed. The Department has issued practical advice to help minimise losses particularly in regard to ewes with young lambs. Sheep farmers seeking practical advice to minimise losses as a result of the poor weather should contact their local DARD Development Advisor.There are currently no financial support measures available for farmers’ losses due to the severe weather, and my Department is currently facing significant financial resource pressures, across the board. However, with Executive Colleagues’ approval I recently met with the DFP Minister to discuss hardship funding in respect of crops damaged by severe weather in January 2010. During the course of the meeting I outlined the initial outcome of the recent crop damage assessment exercise, based on grower figures, which estimated losses to be in the order of £2.3 million. I also raised the difficulties facing sheep farmers. We had a discussion on the problems faced by these farmers and how these might be addressed and I will bring this matter to the attention of the Executive.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Funding Levels for Schools

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education to detail the level of funding, per pupil, by her Department in 2009/10; and (ii) the projected level of funding in 2010/11 for (a) primary school pupils; and (c) preparatory school pupils.

(AQW 4944/10)

Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane): Faoi shocruithe na Foirmle Coitinn Maoinithe, ba é meánmhaoiniú an dalta i mbunscoil agus i scoil ullmhúcháin sa bhliain 2009/10 ná £2,911 agus £808 faoi seach.Under the Common Funding Formula arrangements, the average funding per pupil in a primary school and a preparatory school in 2009/10 was £2,911 and £808 respectively.In addition to the funding provided by my Department, parents are currently expected to pay significant fees to preparatory departments to enable their children to attend those schools. In 2008/09, the average fees charged by preparatory departments amounted to almost £2,700 per child. This requirement means that many parents who cannot afford to pay this fee do not have the choice to send their child to a preparatory department.

The information in relation to the amount of funding to be provided to schools for 2010/11 financial year is not yet available.

Interim Education and Library Boards

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education for an update on the appointments to the Interim Education and Library Boards.

(AQW 6037/10)

Minister of Education: Cuireadh na próisis chun ionadaithe na nAistritheoirí, ionadaithe an Iontaobhais agus baill ghinearálta a cheapadh chun críche, lena n-áirítear múinteoirí, faoi réir na seiceálacha riachtanacha réamhcheapacháin sula ndearbhaítear ceapacháin go foirmeálta. Tá na próisis le haghaidh bhaill na Comhairle Ceantair ar siúl go fóill.

The appointment processes for the Transferor and Trustee representatives and general members, including teachers, have been completed, subject to the necessary pre-appointment checks being made before appointments are formally confirmed. The processes for District Councillor members are continuing.

Irish-medium Primary Schools

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Education how many Irish-medium primary schools use the following textbooks for teaching children (i) 'Nothing But an Unfinished Song'; and (ii) 'I Arose This Morning'.

(AQW 6043/10)

Minister of Education: My Department does not collect information on resources that schools use to deliver the curriculum. Tugann an curaclam athbhreithnithe, rud atá i bhfeidhm i ngach scoil dheontaschúnta anseo le haghaidh gach eochairchéime, solúbthacht do mhúinteoirí agus do scoileanna chun an curaclam a sholáthar ar an bhealach is fearr a bhaineann riachtanais na ndaltaí amach sa seomra ranga. Ceadaíonn sé seo do mhúinteoirí a mbreithiúnas gairmiúil a úsáid le cinneadh a dhéanamh ar acmhainní, ar ábhair agus ar théacsleabhair a úsáideann siad chun an curaclam a sholáthar agus le hiad seo a mhaoiniú ó bhuiséid tharmligthe a scoileanna.

The revised curriculum, which is in all grant aided schools here for all Key Stages, gives teachers and schools the flexibility to deliver the curriculum in the best way that meets the needs of the pupils in their classroom. This allows teachers to use their professional judgement to decide what resources, materials and text books they use to deliver the curriculum and to fund these from their schools delegated budgets.

Resources for Young People with Visual Impairments

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Education why finance is being invested in resources for young people with visual impairments in the former Castle High School, Belfast when Jordanstown Schools for Children with Auditory or Visual Impairments already provide this service.

(AQW 6063/10)

Minister of Education: Tar éis seoladh an doiciméid feachtais de chuid RNIB dar teideal "Cá bhfuil mo leabhar?", fuair tionscadal (LA) de chuid na Roinne Oideachais amach go raibh deacracht, go háirithe ag leibhéal iarbhunscoile, ag daltaí a bhfuil lagú amhairc (LA) acu teacht ar théacsleabhair agus ar ábhair staidéir ag an am céanna agus a bhí ag a bpiaraí.Following the launch of the RNIB campaign document "Where’s my book?", a Department of Education (DE) scoping project (VI) established that pupils with a visual impairment (VI) experienced difficulty, especially at post-primary level, in accessing textbooks and study materials at the same time as their peers.As special educational provision is the responsibility of the Education and Library Boards (ELBs), the 5-Board Regional Strategy Group for Special Educational Needs (RSG), at the request of DE, established a working group to promote a consistent approach to service delivery across all Boards. The group consulted with the voluntary and statutory sectors, including Jordanstown Schools, parents and children, to provide a consensus view that, within an overall strategy of achieving full educational inclusion and improving levels of educational attainment amongst children and young people with VI, a centralised resource base should be established. Furthermore, the consultation exercise established that the geographical location of the resource base was of secondary importance to its capacity to carry out the core functions and meet the specified criteria.

RSG requested ELBs to submit proposals for a suitable location. Two proposals were received – the former Castle High School, Belfast and the former Hilden Primary School, Lisburn. The merits of the two proposals were considered by RSG in terms of their capacity to meet agreed criteria and core functions for the resource base, taking into consideration the best use of available funds and the location’s capacity to attract appropriately qualified staff with the required expertise. Castle High School, Belfast was identified by RSG as a suitable location. No proposal was received by RSG identifying Jordanstown Schools as a potential location.The working group also identified the resources required to carry out the functions of a centralised resource base, including recurrent and set-up costs, and a bid was submitted to the Department for the necessary funding.

As statutory responsibility for securing provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) rests with the five ELBs, the Department allocated the capital funding to the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB), on behalf of all 5 Boards, in the 2009/10 financial year on the understanding that no guarantee could be given regarding additional funding to meet recurrent costs.

The expertise of the staff in the Jordanstown Schools is very much valued. I understand that the Chair of the RSG sub-group has contacted the Principal, who has attended a meeting of the sub-group, about the operational aspects of the centralised resource and the determining factors in establishing the regional resource base in Castle High School.

Irish-medium and Integrated Schools

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 5786/10 and AQW 5787/10, for an estimate of the number of additional staff required, by grade within her Department, to administer (i) Irish-medium schools; and (ii) integrated schools, given that pupils attending these schools could attend existing controlled and maintained schools. .

(AQW 6089/10)

Minister of Education: Dhíreoinn aird an Chomhalta ar an fhreagra a thug mé do AQW 5786/10, a foilsíodh sa Tuairisc Oifigiúil ar 26 Márta 2010, inar mhínigh mé go bhfuil Gaeloideachais agus oideachas comhtháite ina gcuid lárnach den chóras oideachais phríomhshrutha. Déanann foireann fud mo Roinne riarachán na scoileanna seo agus ní féidir meastachán a dhéanamh ar líon na bhfoireann a dhéanann na dualgais seo.

I refer the Member to my answer to AQW 5786/10, published in the Official Report on 26 March 2010 where I explained that Irish-medium and integrated education are an integral part of the mainstream education system. The administration of these schools is carried out by staff throughout my Department and it is not possible to estimate the number of staff who undertake these duties.

Unoccupied Seats and Desks in Schools

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of unoccupied seats and desks in (i) controlled schools; (ii) maintained schools; (iii) integrated schools; and (iv) Irish-medium schools at (a) primary school level; and (b) post-primary school level in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 academic year.

(AQW 6172/10)

Minister of Education: Is mar seo a leanas atá líon na suíochán agus na ndeasc neamháitithe mar a shainmhínítear thíos i (i) scoileanna rialaithe; (ii) scoileanna faoi chothabháil; (iii) scoileanna comhtháite; agus (iv) Gaelscoileanna ag (a) leibhéal bunscoile; agus (b) leibhéal iarbhunscoile sna blianta acadúla 2008/09 agus 2009/10.

The number of unoccupied seats and desks as defined below in (i) controlled schools; (ii) maintained schools; (iii) integrated schools; and (iv) Irish-medium schools at (a) primary school level; and (b) post-primary school level in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 academic years is as follows.

Primary Schools
	2008/09 School Year	2009/10 School Year
(i) Controlled	32,322	31,000
(ii) Maintained	33,299	33,689
(iii) Integrated	1,395	1,595
(iv) Irish Medium	625	753
Post-Primary Schools
(i) Controlled (Excluding Controlled Grammar)	7,905	6,963
(ii) Maintained	9,785	9,666
(iii) Integrated	752	709
(iv) Irish Medium	62	32
Controlled and Voluntary Grammar	1,094	1,009

Source: School Access Team and Census October 2008 / October 2009

Figures provided have been derived from approved admissions number against actual enrolment at the census date and exclude pupils in receipt of a statement of special educational needs as they are admitted over and above the approved admissions / enrolment. For completeness, figures have also been provided in respect of post-primary controlled and voluntary grammar schools.

DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

South Eastern Regional College

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the South Eastern Regional College's franchising of work to external providers, whose qualifications may not meet the standards specified in the FET (E) Regs (NI) 2007; and whether this undermines full-time and part-time employees who work under pay rates negotiated by the Lecturers' Negotiating Committee.

(AQW 5925/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey): With the exception of one lecturer who was teaching Essential Skills until recently, the South Eastern Regional College has assured me that the staff employed to teach courses funded by my Department comply with the standards specified in FET(E) Regs(NI) 2007. The College has since withdrawn this lecturer from teaching Essential Skills. In terms of training to business and industry delivered on a full cost recovery basis and not funded by my Department, the College has, on occasion, employed sub contractors who are qualified in line with the requirement of the Awarding Body and are registered with them to deliver specific types of training. Regulation 7 of the FET(E) Regs(NI) 2007 provides for a person who is not a qualified teacher to be temporarily employed where a governing body is unable to secure the services of a qualified teacher. These courses for business and industry are demand driven and colleges need a degree of flexibility to be able to respond to their needs.

Funding for Voluntary and Community Sector

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Employment and Learning (i) to detail the funding allocated by his Department to the voluntary and community sector in the Belfast area in the 2009/10 financial year; and (ii) how much of the funding was for (a) staff support; and (b) programmes.

(AQW 5963/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: To date, in the financial year 2009/10 my Department has allocated a total of £27,639,494 to the voluntary and community sector in the Belfast area. The funding has been provided through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund, the Careers Service, the Employment Service, and the Training for Success and Management and Leadership Programmes. Details are provided below however it is not always possible to separate the funding between staff support and programmes.

Funding is provided to 49 voluntary and community sector projects in the Belfast City Council area under the Northern Ireland European Social Fund (NIESF) Programme 2007 – 2013. The total project costs forecast for the 2009/10 financial year equate to £17,580,000, of which £7,030,000 (40%) is contributed by the European Social Fund, £4,370,000 (25%) by the Department, and the remaining 35% match funding is contributed by other public bodies. ESF funded projects are paid on the basis of eligible overhead costs, which include project staffing costs and therefore it is not possible to separate staff support and programme costs.

The Educational Guidance Service for Adults (EGSA) received core funding of £1,076,409 of which £792,157 was for staff costs and £284,252 in respect of all other costs. This was for the delivery of services in relation to educational guidance, introducing adults to learning and provision of an out-reach adult careers guidance service.The Employment Service contracts for provision and services. It does not allocate funding to the voluntary and community sector. For the majority of provision, it is not possible to disaggregate the payments to the voluntary and community sector for provision. However, under the Local Employment Intermediary Service £982K programme expenditure was paid to contracted providers in the voluntary / community sector in Belfast during 2009/10.A total of £7,847,780 in 2009/10 has been paid out to those suppliers who are listed on the "voluntary and community database" in the delivery of training under the Training for Success, ApprenticeshipsNI and Jobskills programmes. Programme funding of £153,305 was allocated in respect of the leadership and management development of social economy enterprises. A total of 6 organisations received support to determine and address management needs under the Management Analysis and Planning programme, 48 individual employees were supported through the Management and Leadership Development Programme, and 12 organisations participated in the graduate INTRO programme.

Childcare Places in Women's Centres

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if his Department has supported childcare places in women's centres to assist women in returning to employment, training or education.

(AQW 5979/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department places a high priority in providing assistance to removing barriers to employment, training and education. Childcare is recognised as one of the main barriers. To help address this, my Department provides financial assistance towards the costs of childcare incurred by certain participants in our training and employment programmes. This includes assistance, for example, to a number of participants on the Department’s Steps to Work , Pathways to Work, Bridge to Employment, and Training for Success programmes . It is a matter for the individual to decide where to access their childcare. My Department also provides European Social Fund Programme funding to women’s centres, which contributes to the cost of on-site crèches .

NEET

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what action his Department is taking to reduce the number of 16 to 24 year olds who are not in employment, education or training; and to detail any specific programmes being undertaken or funded by his Department and the success rates of these programmes.

(AQW 6014/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department is currently carrying out a key piece of work in the form of a scoping study to learn more about those who are not in education, employment or training and this study should be completed very soon. These young people can face a variety of barriers of different origin and a wide spectrum of different degrees of challenge, which can be compounded, and which affect their ability to engage, right from their earliest years. The issue is pertinent to the responsibilities of several Northern Ireland departments and any specific action plan or strategy which might be developed on foot of the scoping study will need to be carried forward on a cross-departmental basis. With this in mind I intend to bring the results of this work to my Executive colleagues for consideration.

One of the characteristics of those who are not in education, employment or training can be a lack of educational qualifications. For example, in 2007/08, 80.1% of those young people who left school at year 12 did not achieve 5 GCSEs at grades A*- C including both English and Maths. This represented 8,046 young people of the 10,050 who left school. Clearly the need to improve educational attainment is a key component in any work to prevent young people from falling into inactivity.

With regard to my own Department, as well as taking forward the scoping study, DEL already has in place a wide range of programmes and initiatives to help people to enter and remain in education, employment or training, bearing in mind the current difficult economic circumstances. The following are examples of provision which are of particular relevance to and which will have a particular impact on those young people who are not in education, employment or training.The Careers service provides impartial information, advice and guidance to young people throughout Northern Ireland to encourage and support them to achieve their potential. Through the Careers Service social inclusion policy a proactive approach is taken to identify all young people who are ‘at risk’ or vulnerable to social exclusion or disengagement from education, employment or training. The Success through Skills Strategy, launched in February 2006, encompassed the Essential Skills Programme as a component of the Strategy with Essential Skills available within all DEL programmes (where appropriate). Essential Skills is now fully embedded in the Training for Success Programme (which focuses primarily on school leavers) while Essential Skills has replaced the Key Skills qualifications within the Apprenticeship NI Programme, and is a requirement for those apprentices who do not already have a GCSE A*-C grade or equivalent. Since the launch of the Essential Skills Strategy the number of learners enrolling in the Programme has increased year on year. Figures as at 5^th March 2009 indicate that there have been just over 97,000 enrolments and that the majority of participants (69% (66,669) are in the 16-25 age group.Training for Success provides training for 16 and 17 year olds and includes extended eligibility for those with a disability and for those in care. The programme is designed to enable participants to progress to a higher level of training, further education, or employment by providing training to address personal and social development needs, develop occupational skills and employability skills and, where necessary, Essential Skills training. The joint work between DEL and the Department of Education, in relation to provision for 14-19 year olds, aims to ensure that each young person will be able to achieve their potential by following the programme of learning that is most appropriate to their needs and aspirations.Widening participation initiatives in both Further Education and Higher Education provide opportunities for young people who may not otherwise access this level of education. Examples of these are:- the Learner Access and Engagement Pilot Programme;

- the Care to Learn (NI) Scheme

- a widening participation premium which is paid to the universities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and a premium for students with learning difficulties and disabilities;- the Discovering Queen’s project and the University of Ulster’s Step-Up programme,

- the establishment of the Department’s Higher Education Widening Participation Regional Strategy Group and the development of a Northern Ireland integrated regional strategy and action plan.

The Employment Service also offers a wide range of assistance to clients to help them overcome barriers to work and to move towards and into work. While these services are primarily targeted at those aged 18 and over some young people aged 16-18 may also access the service. More specifically, the Employment Service is currently piloting an Internship Scheme for unemployed graduates and a temporary employment programme for long term unemployed young people,A wide range of provision is therefore available depending on the needs of the individual. This range of interventions and opportunities provides for, but is not exclusive to, those 16 to 24 year olds who are not or were not in employment, education or training at any point in time, and data on individual circumstances is not collected in a way which would enable success rates on these programmes to be differentiated in this manner.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many people have (i) applied; and (ii) received an Education Maintenance Allowance in each constituency, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6021/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Data is not available in the constituency format requested, however, the table below details (i) the number of students who have made applications for Education Maintenance Allowance; and (ii) the number approved for Education Maintenance Allowance in the last three full academic years within Northern Ireland.

Academic Year	2006 -2007	2007 - 2008	2008 – 2009
Total EMA Applications	21,458	21,564	22,872
Approved applications	19,857	19,898	20,956

Student Loans

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what proportion of student loans paid out to students at Universities in Northern Ireland in the past five years has been repaid.

(AQW 6032/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The following table shows how much has been made in income contingent loan payments to, and repayments from, Northern Ireland domiciled and EU students for the two Northern Ireland universities and two university colleges in the last five financial years, for which data is available.

Financial Year/ University	Data	2004 - 05 £’000s	2005 – 06 £’000s	2006 – 07 £’000s	2007 – 08 £’000s	2008 – 09 £’000s	Grand Total £’000s
Queen’s University Belfast	Payment	22,278	23,663	30,125	39,849	44,367	160,283
Queen’s University Belfast	Repayment	1,109	1,780	2,898	4,009	6,647	16,443
University of Ulster	Payment	27,702	29,398	35,745	55,246	44,370	192,460
University of Ulster	Repayment	1,246	2,147	2,919	4,005	6,287	16,604
St Mary’s University College (Belfast)	Payment	2,242	2,319	2,983	3,577	3,925	15,046
St Mary’s University College (Belfast)	Repayment	76	112	277	393	539	1,396
Stranmillis University College	Payment	2,017	2,079	2,553	3,142	3,420	13,210
Stranmillis University College	Repayment	162	233	393	531	689	2,009

Unsuccessful Applications for University

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many applications for a place at a university in Northern Ireland have been unsuccessful in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6033/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Information provided by Queen’s University, the University of Ulster, Stranmillis University College and St. Mary’s University College is attached at Annex A. I trust that you find this information helpful.

Annex A

Number of Unsuccessful Applications to Universities in Northern Ireland

Queen’s University Belfast

Year	Number of Unsuccessful Applications
2009	2924
2008	2723
2007	3571

University of Ulster

Year	Number of Unsuccessful Applications
2009	4970
2008	4178
2007	Unavailable

The University of Ulster has stated that data for entry 2007 was unavailable in the timeframe required. This was a transition year between student record systems and analysis would require considerable effort.

Stranmillis University College

Year	Number of Unsuccessful Applications
2009	913
2008	1026
2007	1255

NB: It should be noted that under the UCAS system, applicants can submit up to five choices and will receive a decision on each application from the universities to which they have applied.

St. Mary’s University College

Year	Number of Unsuccessful Applications
2009	2722
2008	1927
2007	2421

Recovery Fees from Non-EU Students

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how much revenue was generated from full-cost recovery fees from non-EU students at universities, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6034/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The revenue generated from the full cost recovery of fees from non-EU students at university and university colleges in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years is detailed below.

	06/07 £million	07/08 £million	08/09 £million
Queen’s University	6.482	7.077	7.493
University of Ulster	2.671	3.050	3.490

The only non-EU full cost recovery fee income that Stranmillis University College has had in the last 3 years was £16,870 in 2008/09. St. Mary’s University College Belfast did not generate any revenue from full cost recovery of fees from non-EU students in the last three years.

DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Invest NI

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to list (i) the ten largest commercial projects currently under consideration for funding by Invest NI; (ii) the total amount of funding that may be offered to these projects; and (iii) to estimate the number of jobs that may be created by each funding allocation.

(AQW 5568/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster): Invest NI’s negotiations with companies in respect of any potential project must remain confidential given the commercial sensitivities involved. In each case, the amount of funding, overall level of total investment and any associated job creation figures will not be determined until the appropriate due diligence process has been completed.

Private Sector Productivity Gap

Mr A Maginness asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her Department's assessment of the key barriers to Northern Ireland achieving its goal of halving the private sector productivity gap with the rest of the UK by 2015.

(AQW 5643/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The productivity goal as stated in the Programme for Government is an ambitious target which aims to raise living standards in Northern Ireland relative to other parts of the UK. I commissioned the Independent Review of Economic Policy to provide advice on DETI & Invest NI policies, programmes and resources to ensure that they are fully aligned to help achieve this goal. The Review Panel supported the Executive’s focus on productivity, and outlined a number of challenges that need to be addressed, for example:

Increase Innovation & R&D, which the Review Panel considered to be the most important productivity driver to help the Northern Ireland economy move up the value chain; Ensure that the workforce is equipped to support the increased emphasis on Innovation and R&D; Widen the export base in Northern Ireland ; and
Give a greater economic focus to future investment strategies.

Of course, the challenges highlighted above do not sit solely within the remit of my Department and Invest NI and, as the Review Panel stated, it is essential that other Departments also work to address the productivity agenda. As I indicated in my statement to the Assembly (25 January 2010), I have begun the process of taking forward many of the Panel’s recommendations that fall to my Department and Invest NI. I am also currently working with my Executive colleagues to agree how we develop a cross-departmental economic strategy which will outline how we will continue to meet the challenge of increasing private sector productivity in Northern Ireland.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Bonuses Paid to Non-Civil Servants

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of the Environment for a breakdown of any bonuses paid in the 2009/10 financial year to persons, other than civil servants, from within the Department's overall budget.

(AQW 5860/10)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): My Department has not paid bonuses to non–civil servants from within its overall budget during the 2009/10 financial year.

Draft Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 (Amendment) Order 2010

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Office in relation to the Draft Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 (Amendment) Order 2010.

(AQW 5977/10)

Minister of the Environment: I met with Minister of State, Mr Paul Goggins, on 1 September 2009 to discuss the possible amendment of the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 to enable casual vacancies on councils resulting from a severance scheme for councillors to be filled by co-option.

Areas of Special Scientific Interest

Mr D Ford asked the Minister of the Environment (i) what is the current target for ensuring that Areas of Special Scientific Interest are in or approaching a favourable condition; (ii) how many sites have reached a favourable condition; and (iii) what action his Department is taking to ensure the target is achieved.

(AQW 6012/10)

Minister of the Environment: (i) Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is working to a target to ensure that 95% of the features underlying the designation of Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) are in, or approaching, favourable conservation condition by 2016.

(ii) In March 2008 the first full monitoring cycle was completed, allowing a comprehensive assessment of the condition of the ASSI network to be made. The results show that 69% of the features on ASSIs were in or approaching favourable condition. (iii) NIEA is working proactively, and in partnership with other Departments and NGOs, to ensure that site selection features on designated sites are in favourable condition. Through its own Management of Sensitive Sites (MOSS) scheme, NIEA funds conservation measures on ASSIs to ensure that site selection features achieve their target condition. In addition NIEA has developed a partnership arrangement with DARD to favour designated lands in the delivery of the Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme (NICMS). Under this scheme 8,399ha of land within ASSIs was brought under a beneficial management regime in 2009. NICMS is expected to deliver significant benefits to ASSIs for the duration of the Rural Development Programme 2007-13.

Bonuses to Civil Servants

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to AQW 5045/10, what checks were carried out on the efficiency of the work of the civil servants prior to payment of bonuses.

(AQW 6016/10)

Minister of the Environment: Two distinct processes were involved in awarding the bonuses to civil servants in the years in question. For the Senior Civil Service (SCS) grades the bonuses were paid as an integral part of the SCS pay award for each year within the terms of the annual Pay Strategy approved by the relevant Ministers at the time. The pay strategies for the years in question specified that approximately 75% of SCS staff in each department should be given a non-consolidated bonus as part of their annual pay award. Non-consolidated bonus awards were intended to be the primary reward for in year performance against individuals’ personal objectives and were paid after the end of the financial year in respect of the previous year. Bonus payments were made to approximately 75% of all SCS staff in each department on the basis of an assessment of their performance relative to their colleagues.

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.

Local Government Boundaries Commissioner

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment on how many occasions recommendations of the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner have been adopted without modification.

(AQW 6096/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Local Government Boundaries Commissioner has made recommendations on three occasions, in 1972, 1984 and in 1992. On each occasion, the recommendations were accepted without modification.

Food Waste

Mr D Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of the introduction of the recycling of food waste within some local council areas.

(AQO 1019/10)

Minister of the Environment: Food waste accounts for an estimated 25% of household waste in Northern Ireland the majority of which is landfilled. However, I am pleased to advise that in recent years many local councils have introduced food waste collections, generally along with garden waste, to enable more of this waste to be recycled and composted. There is strong evidence that, where it is practical, the separate collection and treatment of food waste can deliver greater net benefits than when it is collected and treated with garden waste. I understand that three councils – Belfast, Newtownabbey and Castlereagh - have therefore commissioned pilot food waste collection trials to test the feasibility of source segregated food waste collections.Whilst welcoming the work which has been undertaken to date I am convinced that there is much further potential to recycle more of our food waste and would urge local councils to take steps to boost recycling of this key waste stream. Ultimately, this will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, reduce the burden on ratepayers and ensure Northern Ireland is on track to meet statutory targets for landfill diversion and recycling.

Local Government Reorganisation

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment when he will introduce the remaining legislative measures to give effect to Local Government re-organisation.

(AQO 1022/10)

Minister of the Environment: With your permission Mr Speaker, I propose to answer Questions 5, 10 and 14 together;As I have stated previously in this House, I am fully committed to the reform process and to successfully delivering a strong and effective local government.To this end I have met Executive party representatives over the last 2 weeks to discuss Local Government reform and find a common way forward.Those meetings have been a constructive stock taking exercise and more are to follow.

Planning Policy Statement 21

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of the Environment when he expects draft PPS21 to become policy.

(AQO 1023/10)

Minister of the Environment: With your permission Mr. Speaker, I propose to answer Questions 6 and 15 together.I will publish PPS21 and PPS4 as soon as each is agreed by the Executive Committee. I submitted PPS21 for Executive consideration in December 2009. My predecessor submitted PPS 4 in December 2008. Due to the passage of time, I had to update PPS 4 and resubmit it in November 2009. In both cases, we have taken full account of issues raised by other Ministers, including amending the documents where it was right to do so.

Local Government Reorganisation

Mr F Cobain asked the Minister of the Environment what contingency plans have been put in place in the event that the legislative timetable for Local Government re-organisation is not met.

(AQO 1027/10)

Wave and Tidal Energy

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister of the Environment what discussions he has had with the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment regarding any plans for wave and tidal energy projects.

(AQO 1028/10)

Minister of the Environment: I have not had specific discussions with my colleague Minister Foster on wave and tidal projects. My officials from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) have, however, been in formal discussions with Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI) colleagues on marine renewable technologies over recent years. These discussions were initiated at the instigation of the Marine Current Turbine project within Strangford Lough. In the last 2 years, my officials have been actively participating in a DETI-led cross-departmental Project Steering Group, which has been developing a draft Offshore Renewable Energy Strategic Action Plan for the period 2009-2020. The Plan has been the subject of a Strategic Environmental Assessment and those documents have recently been through a three month public consultation.

Drivers: Curfews

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of the Environment why his Department is considering the introduction of night-time curfews for less experienced drivers.

(AQO 1029/10)

Minister of the Environment: I have asked my officials to consider the introduction of a night time curfew from late in the evening to the early hours of the morning for unaccompanied novice drivers because I believe that this measure has the potential to save lives and avoid serious injuries on our roads.17 to 24 year old car drivers in Northern Ireland are over represented in fatal and serious collisions, many of which occur at night and particularly at weekends. Between 2004 and 2008, 55% of all car fatalities and serious casualties occurring between 11 pm and 5am for which the car driver was responsible were caused by a driver aged 17 to 24, even though they only represent 11% of car driver licence holders. My officials are currently preparing a consultation paper on proposals which will include an option to introduce a night time curfew as well as other possible elements in a new system of graduated driver licensing to replace the current ‘R’ driver scheme. It will also contain options on amending the current 45 mph speed restriction that currently applies to learner and restricted drivers.

Review of Public Administration

Mr D Ford asked the Minister of the Environment for an update on the Local Government aspects of the Review of Public Administration.

(AQO 1031/10)

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

Childcare Places in Women's Centres

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel if his Department has supported childcare places in women's centres to assist women returning to employment, education and training over the last three years.

(AQW 5990/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): My department has not provided any support for childcare places in women’s centres to assist women returning to employment, education and training over the last three years.

Deprivation Rating

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to list the wards in Northern Ireland in order of their deprivation rating.

(AQW 5993/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2010 was reported for small areas where rank 1 is the most deprived area and rank 890 is the least deprived area. These small areas are called Super Output Areas and are either electoral wards or subdivisions of electoral wards.The list of Super Output Areas with deprivation ranking from 1 to 890 has been placed in the Library. Further more detailed and summary results, including an electoral ward level summary measure, will be issued later in Summer 2010.

Rates Collection

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how much additional money would be raised by Land and Property Services if the percentage of rates collected were to be increased by 1%.

(AQW 6042/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Audited rate revenue and rate collection details for year ending 31 March 2010 are not yet available.For year ending 31 March 2009 for which audited accounts are available records show that the amount of collectible rate, that is to say rate revenue due net of exemptions, reliefs, vacant property etc amounted to £985million.Each percentage point of collectible rate therefore had the potential to raise £9.85million in combined district and regional rate income.

Civil Service: Female Staff

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how he intends to improve promotion opportunities for female Civil Servants.

(AQO 1038/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Northern Ireland Civil Service is committed to providing equality of opportunity. It is our policy that all eligible persons shall have equal opportunity for employment and advancement in the NICS on the basis of their ability, qualifications and aptitude for the work regardless of gender or any other characteristic.

10-day Prompt Payment Service

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what mechanisms are in place to ensure that contractors who receive payments from Government Departments within the specified ten-day period pass on the benefit of prompt payment to sub-contractors.

(AQO 1039/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Although it is not a contractually binding requirement, Government as a best practice client, is committed to paying suppliers within 10 days of the receipt of a valid invoice.The NEC3 form of contract, adopted by Central Procurement Directorate for all construction works and services contracts, requires the main contractor to use subcontracts with terms that are consistent with the main contract. The Construction Industry Forum has agreed further measures aimed at improving payment progress to subcontractors. In new construction works contracts tendered after 1 March 2010, the main contractor will be required to sign a ‘Fair Payment’ Charter. The commitments set out in the Charter will be regularly monitored by the client’s Project Manager. Supplies and services contracts also require contractors to pay all sums due to subcontractors within 30 days of the receipt of a valid invoice. If a subcontractor makes the Government client aware of poor payment performance by a contractor, the client can apply the appropriate conditions of contract in an effort to resolve the issue.

Public Sector Salaries

Dr A McDonnell asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what plans he has to review excessive salaries at senior levels in the public sector.

(AQO 1041/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Executive now has a comprehensive set of controls in place to monitor and approve pay awards for senior officials across the wider public sector.

It is mandatory for all departments to seek DFP approval on proposals to award pay increases. I have already determined that there should be no bonus payments made for the 2008-09 reporting year and I have also commissioned an independent review into local senior civil service remuneration packages.

Corporation Tax

Mrs C McGill asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what discussions he has had with the Economic Reform Group regarding its proposal to reduce Corporation Tax.

(AQO 1042/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: I have not yet had direct discussions with this Economic Reform Group. My officials, however, have had discussions and my concerns about their report have been conveyed.It is my view that the ERG report doesn’t add anything new to the debate that took place at the time of the Varney studies. Indeed, this ERG report raises a number of important unanswered questions. The most obvious unanswered questions relate to concerns over the methodology employed and the unstated dangers of engaging with HM Treasury on altering how the NI Block grant is determined. Rather unhelpfully the report doesn’t indicate how or where the Executive should make annual cuts of hundreds of millions of pounds to fund shareholders through lower levels of corporation tax. Furthermore, the understanding of the public expenditure system is flawed in places, suggesting an incomplete knowledge of what scores within the Northern Ireland DEL allocation and what doesn’t. In the current UK fiscal environment any engagement with HM Treasury which seeks to open the Northern Ireland Block allocation could have very damaging consequences.

For these reasons, and because HM Treasury has already declared its position by accepting the two Varney Reviews in full, I would advise against engaging further with HM Treasury on this issue at this point in time.

Land and Property Services

Mrs M Bradley asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for his assessment of the performance of Land and Property Services in relation to rates collection.

(AQO 1043/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: At 28 February 2010 Land & Property Services had collected £ 957 million, which is an increase of some £23.2 million in comparison to the cash collected at the same time last year. This means that Land & Property Services is on track once again to improve on the amount of cash collected in-year.In the difficult economic circumstances this is a good performance given the collection challenge, which has necessitated an increasing volume of recovery activity. This has also led to improved performance as shown by the

16% increase in court processes issued; 9.5% increase in court decrees awarded, and;
8% increase in notices of intention to enforce debt.

In addition, LPS has

made sure that the 2010 rating reforms are on track; worked closely with councils in developing key performance indicators, and;
improved its interface with ratepayers through a redesign of the 2010 rate bill and accompanying information, and updating the available payment methods.

Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measures

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel when the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure will be updated and when a report on this issue will be available.

(AQO 1044/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Results from the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2010 were published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency on 31 March. The findings can be found on the DFP website.

The final report from this research will be published later in the summer.

Public Prosecution Service

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what role his Department will play in the oversight of the Public Prosecution Service following the devolution of policing and justice.

(AQO 1045/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Upon devolution, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) was established as a non Ministerial Department by virtue of the section 86 order amendment to section 29 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002. DFP has a role in the general oversight of public finances as managed by departments, including the PPS. DFP sets the ground rules for the administration of public monies as regards regularity, propriety and value for money and discharges its oversight role through its on-going engagement with departments, including its approval role for certain expenditure and other matters, when necessary.

DFP is also responsible for the appointment and if necessary the removal of the Accounting Officer who is answerable to the Assembly for the use of resources and for the administration of the PPS.

Civil Service: Equal Pay

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what plans he has to ensure that Civil Servants seconded to the PSNI, NIO and other public bodies receive the benefit of the NICS equal pay settlement.

(AQO 1046/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: I have no plans to ensure that civil servants seconded to other organisations benefit from the NICS equal pay settlement over and above their entitlement under the terms of the settlement. The settlement will include periods of service for NICS employees seconded to other organisations provided that, during the period of secondment, the NICS remained responsible for negotiating the secondees’ pay.

Spending Cuts

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what contingency plans he has in place to deal with the projections, from the European Commission and the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, of £25 billion additional budget cuts in the UK after the General Election.

(AQO 1047/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The level of available funding to the NI Executive for the period beyond 2010-11 will only be confirmed at the conclusion of the next UK-wide Spending Review, which is due to take place later in 2010.

The Executive will shortly begin work on the local Budget process which will be taken forward on the basis of the latest projections from HM Treasury in respect of the level of public spending in the coming years.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY

School Nurses

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if all school nurses have received their pay banding under Agenda for Change.

(AQW 5971/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey): All school nurses, with the exception of those employed in the former Homefirst Trust area, have received their Agenda for Change pay banding. Given the level of professional qualification required for the school nurse posts in the former Homefirst Trust area these jobs were referred for full job evaluation in order to determine the grade. This process has recently been completed and the outcome is being checked in accordance with the processes agreed with the Trade Unions. When the checking process is completed, these staff will be moved to the appropriate Agenda for Change rate of pay.

School Nurses

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he is aware of any problems in implementing the Agenda For Change process for school nurses who were employed by the former Homefirst Trust.

(AQW 5972/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: All school nurses, with the exception of those employed in the former Homefirst Trust area, have received their Agenda for Change pay banding. Given the level of professional qualification required for the school nurse posts in the former Homefirst Trust area these jobs were referred for full job evaluation in order to determine the grade. This process has recently been completed and the outcome is being checked in accordance with the processes agreed with the Trade Unions. When the checking process is completed, these staff will be moved to the appropriate Agenda for Change rate of pay.

Prescription Charges

Mr D Hilditch asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm the date on which prescriptions will become free of charge.

(AQW 5974/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Prescriptions charges were abolished in Northern Ireland from 1 April 2010.

Roe Valley Hospital in Limavady

Mr B Leonard asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if all current services at the Roe Valley Hospital in Limavady are secure, will remain fully operational and continue to be available to the community.

(AQW 5976/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Western Health and Social Care Trust is responsible for the configuration of local services in the Limavady area. The Trust has advised me that it has no plans to discontinue any of the services currently provided at the Roe Valley Hospital

Regional Laboratory Tender

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety when a decision will be made and notified on the Regional Laboratory Tender, given that the South Eastern Trust is required to have its laboratories operational under a new contract by September 2010.

(AQW 5978/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Tender submissions are currently being adjudicated on by the Health and Social Care Trusts. The intention is to award a contract during May 2010.

Passive Smoking

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many children aged 16 and under have been treated for conditions related to passive smoking in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 5982/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information is not available on the number of children aged 16 and under who have been treated for conditions related to passive smoking.

Wasted Medication and Unused Disposable Medical Equipment

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the estimated financial value of (i) wasted medication; and (ii) unused disposable medical equipment in each Health and Social Care Trust, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 5985/10)

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

Consultants Bonuses

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) to detail the number of consultants, in each hospital, who have received a bonus in the last two financial years; (ii) to detail the bonuses awarded; and (iii) how many of these consultants also currently work in the private sector.

(AQW 5988/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: There were no bonuses paid to consultants in the last two financial years.

Go Generic Initiative

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if patients, who require a specific brand of medication to ensure medical management and quality of life, will be exempt from the Go Generic initiative.

(AQW 6002/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Since 2006 Generic Prescribing has been one of the key policies of my Department. The use of generic medicines in favour of branded equivalents is a central strand in my Department’s overall strategy to improve quality in medicines management for all patients through cost-effective prescribing..

Judicial Review: Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the costs incurred by his Department as a result of the judicial review brought by the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child in relation to the guidance on abortion.

(AQW 6005/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The cost of the recent High Court case between Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child and DHSSPS has not yet been finalised.

Secure Health Units

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many individuals have escaped or absconded from secure health units in each of the last five years, broken down by institution.

(AQW 6019/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: There is only one secure health unit in Northern Ireland from which one patient absconded in 2007/08

The Bamford Review

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the recommendations of the Bamford Review which will require staff training and development to be taken forward in partnership with the institutions of higher and further education.

(AQW 6036/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Bamford Review included almost 700 recommendations, which together represent a composite vision for the reform and modernisation of mental health and learning disability law, policy and services. The recommendations are wide and varied and many would involve the need for staff training, including that provided in further and higher education.

I published an Action Plan for 2009-2011 in October 2009 which was the Executive’s response to the Bamford Review. Work is currently underway to address taking forward service development in line with this action plan, and the determination of the staff training and development required will form part of that work.

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the research and development capacity of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority; and to provide an update on its progress in this field.

(AQW 6038/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority’s (RQIA) main role is the regulation (registration and inspection) of establishments and agencies providing health and social care services. It also has a duty to encourage improvement in the quality of services across the wider HSC sector.

The future development of its own research strategy is an integral part of RQIA's Corporate Strategy for 2009-12. Once in place, this strategy will be used to promote and encourage research into the improvement of quality in health and social care services for patients and clients.

Mrs Iris Robinson's Treatment in a Private London Clinic

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether Mrs Iris Robinson's treatment in a private London clinic is being wholly or partially paid for by her local Health and Social Care Trust, the Health Service or any other Government Department, agency or body.

(AQW 6056/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: It would not be appropriate to provide information on the particular arrangements in place for the treatment or care of any individual.

Department Buildings

Mr J Bell asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to list the buildings occupied by his Department or any of its agencies which are owned by him or members of his family.

(AQW 6060/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Neither I nor any member of my family owns any building occupied by the Department or any of its agencies.

I would, however, refer Mr Bell to my entry in the Register of Member’s Interests on the Northern Ireland Assembly website. Since being elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998, I have declared that I am a Director of North Down Hotels Ltd and a shareholder in North Down Construction Limited. These companies lease two healthcare facilities to the South Eastern Trust from 1993 and 1995 respectively.

Waterside Hospital in Derry

Mr C McDevitt asked e Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) how many beds are currently available in Ward 3 in the Waterside Hospital in Derry; (ii) whether this Ward is set to close; and (iii) for his assessment of the impact the closure of this Ward will have on patients and staff.

(AQW 6131/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Ward 3 in Waterside Hospital in Londonderry provides 18 continuing care beds for individuals with long standing mental health concerns.There are currently no plans to close Ward 3. In line with the Bamford Review, older people with mental health needs will undergo comprehensive assessments to assess how best to meet their needs.

Ward 3 will provide new interim accommodation for Elderly Mentally Infirm and Functional Mentally Infirm assessment wards.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Custodial Sentences for Non-payment of Fines

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice to detail the number of people who have received custodial sentences for non-payment of fines in each of the last five years; and to provide a breakdown of the reasons why the original fines were imposed.

(AQW 6127/10)

Minister of Justice (Mr D Ford): The number of Northern Ireland prison receptions for fine default by year and original offence category for the fine are given in the Table below:

Original Offence Category	Year
Original Offence Category	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Violence against the person	115	136	143	215	174
Sexual	9	11	9	13	18
Burglary	9	11	9	28	28
Theft	82	102	84	115	107
Fraud & forgery	14	18	19	38	47
Criminal damage	78	138	109	115	108
Motoring offences	1,132	1,071	910	712	674
Drug offences	29	41	51	62	55
Other	346	423	390	444	400
Total	1,814	1,951	1,724	1,742	1,611

Equal Pay Claims of PSNI Civil Servants

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Justice to outline his plans for dealing with the equal pay claims of PSNI civil servants.

(AQW 6130/10)

Minister of Justice : Since October 2008, civilian staff in the PSNI have been employed by the Chief Constable on behalf of the Policing Board and he has lead responsibility for dealing with the equal pay claims. As my Department has an approval role under the corporate governance arrangements for the PSNI, my officials have been in discussion with the PSNI and Policing Board officials about whether a legal liability exists in respect of the application to police staff of the equal pay settlement negotiated by DFP and legal advice is currently being sought.

Abuse of Trust Provisions in the Sexual Offences (NI) Order 2008

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Justice for an update on the extension of abuse of trust provisions in the Sexual Offences (NI) Order 2008 to sports coaches and other positions of trust.

(AQW 6163/10)

Minister of Justice : I will decide how to respond to the proposal for extension of this offence when I have fully considered the policy advice, including the evidence from the recent consultation with sports bodies undertaken by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. I will write to the Member and other key stakeholders when I have reached a conclusion.

DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Senior Citizen SmartPass

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development what percentage of current Senior Citizen SmartPass holders have made use of their passes.

(AQW 5997/10)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): The information is not available in the form requested. However in the year ending 28 March 2009, 122,814 Senior SmartPasses were used at least once. This compares with the 206,110 Senior SmartPasses in circulation on 28 March 2010. It should be noted that cards have a duration of five years. The figure for passes in circulation will include those where the holder has moved away or has died but the card has not been returned to Translink as well as cards used in earlier years.

Senior Citizen SmartPass

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development what percentage of eligible people have obtained a Senior Citizen SmartPass.

(AQW 5999/10)

Minister for Regional Development: As of 29 March 2010, there were 206,143 Senior SmartPasses in circulation. My Department does not maintain a record of the number of eligible persons. However, according to the 2008 mid-year population estimate published by Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (the latest available), there were 248,779 persons aged 65 and over resident in the North.

Damage to the Road System

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the additional damage to the road system caused by the higher incidence of freezing temperatures over the past winter.

(AQW 6001/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the recent repeated freezing and thawing cycle has had a damaging effect on the road network causing the carriageway to split and potholes to form. The table below provides details of the total number of surface defects recorded during the first two months of this year, as well as comparable figures for the first two months in each of the previous three years. As can be seen from the table, there has been a significant increase in the number of defects recorded, following the recent prolonged cold spell:

	1 January – 28 February 2007	1 January – 29 February 2008	1 January – 28 February 2009	1 January – 28 February 2010
Number of defects recorded*	26,744	26,600	37,694	45,523

* Total number of recorded surface defects (including potholes) in the carriageway, hard shoulder and lay-bys.

Funding for Road Repairs

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development if he intends to allocate further funding within his Department for road repairs, in light of the UK budget announcement of additional funding for road repairs and improvements to motorways in England and Wales.

(AQW 6003/10)

Minister for Regional Development: All allocations received by the Executive through the Barnett Formula from additional funding announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer are unhypothecated. That is to say that they are available to the Executive to spend in correspondence with local needs and priorities.None of the funding announced by the Chancellor has been allocated to my Department for road repairs here at this stage. However the Executive has previously provided £15 million in additional funding for Roads Structural Maintenance, as part of the 2009-10 December Monitoring Round.

Solid Concrete Crash Barriers

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the additional cost to his Department of providing solid concrete crash barriers in place of steel and wire crash barriers.

(AQW 6004/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the initial construction cost, excluding drainage, of the concrete higher containment rigid Road Restraint Systems (RRS), is approximately £80 per metre length, compared to £25 per metre length for the least expensive flexible RRS wire rope system.Both restraint systems have differing characteristics under impact. Following an independent Highways Agency study on safety and whole life costing, higher containment rigid RRS are now specified by the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges for motorways or roads constructed to motorway standard, with a two-way annual average daily traffic flow greater or equal to 25,000 vehicles/day. This is deemed necessary to minimise cross-over accidents, reduce the need for steel and wire safety barriers to be repaired, or maintained. As well as minimising the congestion and costs arising from temporary traffic management, it should also reduce the risk to maintenance workers.

Potholes and Resurfacing in the Upper Bann

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development how much his Department has spent on repairing potholes and resurfacing in the Upper Bann constituency in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6026/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it does not hold details of its expenditure on road maintenance on a parliamentary constituency basis, nor does it record separately the amount spent on repairing potholes and resurfacing. However, the table below details the Structural Maintenance expenditure, which includes resurfacing, surface dressing, structural drainage and patching carriageways and footways, for each of the last five financial years, in the Craigavon and Banbridge Council areas, which fall fully and partly within the Upper Bann constituency.

Year	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09	2009/2010
Expenditure	£4.5 million	£4.5 million	£5.3 million	£4.0 million	£6.3 million

Claims for Falls and Injuries

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost of claims against his Department for falls and injuries in (i) the Craigavon Borough Council area; and (ii) the Newry and Mourne District Council area, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6027/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Central Claims Unit maintains claims statistics on the basis of individual Roads Service Section Office areas. In general however, the Roads Service Section Office maintenance areas correspond roughly with District Council areas. For this reason, the information in the format requested is not readily available but has been provided below, for each of the last five financial years, in respect of the two Roads Service Section Offices. The figures represent the total costs associated with personal injury claims, ie compensation paid plus all other costs such as legal costs. Those figures include costs associated with successfully defending claims but those costs cannot be recovered against legally-aided claimants. The figures provided for 2009/10 are not yet final but no significant changes are anticipated.

TOTAL COST OF CLAIMS INCLUDING LEGAL AND OTHER COSTS
PERSONAL INJURY
YEAR	CRAIGAVON £	NEWRY £
2009/10	109,580.00	226,423.56
2008/09	103,090.00	134,470.441
2007/08	300,149.84	219,665.3
2006/07	125,797.26	105,030.32
2005/06	223,350.29	119,750.53

Closket River, Armagh

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) if any harmful substances were found in the river or on the river bed as a result of the water tests carried out by NI Water on the Closket River, Co Armagh over the last 24 months; and (ii) what remedial work is planned by NI Water for the Closket River.

(AQW 6028/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the Water Research Centre (WRc) undertook a survey on its behalf to analyse sediment samples in the Closet River for a range of metals and organic compounds. All the substances involved occur naturally in the environment and hence they will be present at some concentration in samples taken from River. Substances are classified as hazardous or non-hazardous on an assessment of properties listed in the EC Hazardous Waste Directive. The WRc investigation indicated that the Closet River sediments should be treated as non-hazardous.NIW has been in discussion with all interested parties to agree a way forward and arrangements are currently being made to undertake a trial dredging to assess the practicalities of removing water logged silt from the river bed and drying it prior to landfill disposal. Following the trial, NIW will approach all registered landowners to obtain rights of entry to undertake the dredging and removal of silt. It is intended to proceed with the dredging exercise later in the Spring subject to suitable weather and ground conditions, the agreement of all relevant riparian landowners, final consent from all relevant statutory authorities and the availability of funding.

Sewerage Smell at Downpatrick Street, Killyleagh

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development what action he is taking to address the ongoing sewerage smell at Downpatrick Street, Killyleagh.

(AQW 6068/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that, following earlier complaints, it undertook remedial work on the pumping main at Downpatrick Road, Killyleagh to reduce malodours in the area. The work included the sealing of two manhole chambers and the installation of a vent stack to disperse malodours.NIW has received no complaints about malodours in the area since the work was completed in November 2009, but will be contacting you to arrange a meeting to discuss your concerns.

Money Allocated for Water Works

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the amount of money allocated for (i) water treatment works; (ii) waste water; (iii) clear water; and (iv) waste incinerators in each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 6085/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the 2009/10 financial results have not yet been finalised and it is unable to provide the information sought for that year. The operating costs requested for the previous two financial years are detailed in the table below with the reference to clear water taken as drinking water:

FUNCTION	2007/08 £ million	2008/09
Water Treatment Works	17.9	25.6 (including £4.0 million for Alpha Public Private Partnership)

The following operating costs relate to wastewater treatment works.

Wastewater Treatment Works

24.5
(including £2.9 million for Public Private Partnership)

34.9
(including £6.6 million for Public Private Partnership)

The following operating costs relate to waste incineration.

Waste Incinerators

3.2

4.3

DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Girdwood Site

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development when the procurement process into the provision of 200 social homes in the Girdwood site will start; and if she will ensure that social clauses are built into any procurement contract.

(AQW 5913/10)

Minister for Social Development (Ms M Ritchie): I am keen to see housing delivered on Girdwood to meet the significant housing need that exists in North Belfast. Proposals to take this forward are still at an early stage and the Housing Executive are currently in the process of identifying a Housing Association to take this forward. Effectively the start of the procurement process.Subject to receiving the necessary approvals, I would expect work to begin during 2011/12 for the first phase of 100 homes with the second phase again provisionally programmed for 2012/13.

Funding for Womens' Groups

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the funding provided by her Department to each women's group in each of the last three years; and to list the programme through which each group is funded.

(AQW 6040/10)

Minister for Social Development: The information requested is as follows:

Group Name	Funding in 2007/08	Funding in 2008/09	Funding in 2009/10
Community Investment Fund	£	£	£
Atlas Women’s Centre	78,357.00	79,016.00	69,998.60
Ballybeen Women’s Centre	80,406.44	80,000.00	75,000.00
Chrysalis Women’s Centre	55,872.05	56,792.00	54,892.05
First Steps Women’s Group	75,569.79	78,379.99	66,169.85
Footprints Women’s Centre	80,000.00	80,000.00	75,000.00
Foyle Women’s Information Network	50,315.21	51,232.25	50,000.00
Greenway Women’s Group	79,998.80	80,000.00	75,000.00
Magherafelt Women’s Group	77,277.37	77,065.09	69,979.45
Strathfoyle Women’s Activity Group Ltd	69,769.42	72,419.68	69,993.64
The Women’s Centre Derry	78,246.00	80,000.00	74,997.22
Waterside Women's Centre	48,950.00	54,251.00	53,000.00
Windsor Women’s Centre	45,580.73	76,897.21	70,000.00

Children and Young Peoples Fund (CYPF) /Women's Centres Childcare Fund (WCCF)	2007/08 (CYPF) £	2008/09 (WCCF ) £	2009/10 (WCCF) £
Atlas Women’s Centre	50,662.78	47,651.18	47,866.80
Ballybeen Women’s Centre	171,650.16	175,270.20	179,564.30
Chrysalis Women’s Centre	20,781.82	21,306.98	21,818.62
Falls Women’s Centre	76,506.54	52,383.65	53,742.01
First Steps Women’s Group	46,415.85	39,765.48	40,526.34
Footprints Women’s Centre	94,029.91	88,263.31	109,562.14
Greenway Women’s Group	76,592.88	65,016.10	66,108.69
Magherafelt Women’s Group	119,887.54	121,678.42	124,831.02
Shankill Women’s Centre	48,303.21	49,670.35	50,995.67
Strathfoyle Women’s Activity Group Ltd	14,250.64	13,512.88	14,069.44
The Women’s Centre Derry	24,129.00	30,487.96	31,211.78
Waterside Women's Centre	31,770.74	35,743.92	36,628.23
Windsor Women’s Centre	106,443.10	109,371.48	112,022.76

Regional Infrastructure Programme	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10 £
Women's Centres Regional Partnership	321,631.52	353,921.68	362,257.31

Grants to Voluntary Bodies	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10 £
Omagh Women’s Area Network	25,399.44	54,600.56	-

Modernisation Fund	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10 £
Women’s Tec	90,714.37	33,804.79	-

Community Volunteering Scheme (CVS)/ Small Grants (SG)	2007/08 (CVS) £	2008/09 (CVS) £	2009/10 (SG) £
Ardoyne Women’s Group	-	1,000.00	1,100.00
Boho Women’s Group	-	-	850.00
Carrickfergus Women’s Forum	925.00	-	-
Country Roads Women’s Group	-	632.00	604.00
Craigavon & Banbridge Women’s Aid	-	-	1100.00
Currynierin Women’s Action Committee	1,000.00	-	-
Falls Women’s Centre	29,972.00	29,493.00	-
Fermanagh Women’s Aid	26,937.00	4,485.00	-
Footprints Women’s Centre	30,000.00	30,000.00	-
Kilcooley Women’s Education & Development Group	1,000.00	1,000.00	-
Lower Anderstown Mothers Support Group	1,000.00	1,000.00	1,100.00
Mosside Women’s Group	1,000.00	910.00	812.00
Newbuildings Women’s Group	1,000.00	1,000.00	1,100.00
North Belfast Women’s Initiative & Support Project	1,000.00	1,000.00	1,100.00
Old Warren Women in Training	-	-	842.00
Strabane & Lifford Women’s Group	1,000.00	1,000.00	1,100.00
Tamlaght Women’s Group	-	-	850.00
Women In Agriculture	-	435.00	850.00
Women Of The World	-	-	850.00
Women’s Aid Belfast & Lisburn	30,000.00	30,000.00	-
Women’s Common Path Network	-	1,000.00	1,000.00

Local Community Fund	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10* £
Health & Wellbeing For Women In Kinturk	1,000.00	-	-
Hizone Women’s Group	5,340.00	5,807.84	-
Link Women’s Group	10,168.00	-	-
Newtownabbey Women’s Group	8,885.00	19,000.00	-
Newtownards Road Women’s Group	11,525.10	2,400.00	-
Newtownstewart Women’s Institute	1,200.00	2,071.88	-

* 2009/10 was delivered by local councils and figures for this are not yet available.

Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10 £
Ardoyne Women’s Centre	45,567.22	46,968.70	40,296.01
Ballymurphy Women's Centre	88,179.92	87,538.45	85,092.85
Bogside and Brandywell Women’s Group	36,182.73	16,780.83	-
Falls Women’s Centre	116,947.76	120,839.28	123,014.50
Footprints Women’s Centre	157,728.53	182,680.00	121,514.77
Galliagh Women’s Group	36,855.72	15,755.90
Kilcooley Women’s Education & Development Group	-	25,152.80	44,777.20
Lenadoon Women’s Group	38,575.98	37,372.86	43,169.77
Newtownabbey Women’s Group	20,460.00	22,682.76	24,205.68
Newtownards Road Women's Group Ltd	108,007.01	112,678.28	113,804.57
North Belfast Women's Initiative	24,049.96	31,330.68	32,044.68
Omagh Women’s Aid	9,227.00	10,710.00	-
Roe Valley Women’s Network	20,911.00	-	-
Shankill Women's Centre	125,550.75	167,203.40	140,867.78
Voices Women’s Group	30,516.25	33,876.19	34,525.30
Waterside Women’s Centre	9,597.63	1,697.08	-
Windsor Women's Centre	96,295.19	75,259.58	82,791.15
Women’s News	21,839.90	-	-
Women’s Tec	28,320.58	41,183.21	45,292.96

Funding for Womens' Groups

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development what funding has been approved by her Department for each women's group for the 2010/11 financial year; and through which programme each group will be funded.

(AQW 6041/10)

Minister for Social Development: Funding awarded by my department to date to women’s groups for the 2010/11 financial year is as follows:

Group Name	Funding in 2010/11
Community Investment Fund	£
Atlas Women’s Centre	67,210.00
Ballybeen Women’s Centre	72,012.00
Chrysalis Women’s Centre	52,705.00
First Steps Women’s Group	63,534.00
Footprints Women’s Centre	72,012.00
Foyle Women’s Information Network	48,008.00
Greenway Women’s Group	72,012.00
Magherafelt Women’s Group	67,191.00
Strathfoyle Women’s Activity Group Ltd	67,205.00
The Women’s Centre Derry	72,008.71
Waterside Women's Centre	50,888.00
Windsor Women’s Centre	67,210.00

Women's Centres Childcare Fund	£
Atlas Women’s Centre	47,866.80
Ballybeen Women’s Centre	179,564.30
Chrysalis Women’s Centre	21,818.62
Falls Women’s Centre	53,742.01
First Steps Women’s Group	40,526.34
Footprints Women’s Centre	109,562.28
Greenway Women’s Group	66,108.69
Magherafelt Women’s Group	124,831.02
Shankill Women’s Centre	50,995.67
Strathfoyle Women’s Activity Group Ltd	14,069.44
The Women’s Centre Derry	31,211.78
Waterside Women's Centre	36,628.23
Windsor Women’s Centre	112,022.76

Regional Infrastructure Programme	£
Women's Centres Regional Partnership	347,545.31

Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund	£
Ardoyne Women’s Centre	41,343.95
Ballymurphy Women's Centre	78,169.55
Falls Women’s Centre	126,176.09
Footprints Women’s Centre	124,149.96
Kilcooley Women’s Education & Development Group	45,368.80
Lenadoon Women’s Group	44,279.88
Newtownabbey Women’s Group	24,821.40
Newtownards Road Women's Group Ltd	115,186.08
North Belfast Women's Initiative	32,873.88
Shankill Women's Centre	144,666.15
Voices Women’s Group	35,443.44
Windsor Women's Centre	84,334.20
Women's News	56,541.93
Womens Tech	92,669.00

Executive's Prompt Payment Scheme

Mr L Cree asked the Minister for Social Development what action she is taking to ensure that contractors paid by the Housing Association under the Executive's prompt payment scheme are passing on this payment to sub-contractors.

(AQW 6050/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Association Guide states that a prompt payment clause should be included in the Association’s conditions of contract to ensure prompt payment by the main contractor to sub-contractors. However, it is not intended that there should be any legal liability on the Associations to enforce the prompt payment provisions in any sub-contract. Any remedy under the sub-contract lies with the sub-contractor and the legislation on payment of debt available.

PSNI Investigation into the Nelson Street Site

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the nature of the PSNI investigation into the Nelson Street site.

(AQW 6061/10)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive has already confirmed that the Nelson Street site is part of a wider development opportunity site which is currently the subject of a Planning Application from a private developer for high rise residential accommodation.The responsibility for the outcome of the current Planning Application rests entirely with the Planning Service. Concerns have been raised about the role of the Housing Executive in the Nelson Street site. The Housing Executive has referred the matter to the PSNI.Given that these investigations are now ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the detail of the investigation.