Schools in the Intervention Process

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education how many schools have been placed in the intervention process, broken down by (i) sector; and (ii) Education and Library Board area, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6328/10)

Minister of Education: The formal intervention process was introduced as part of the school improvement policy I published last April and therefore has only been in operation from the 2009/10 year.

Is é is aidhm leis an phróiseas foirmeálta idirghabhála ná a chinntiú go bhfaigheann scoileanna an tacaíocht chuí a bhfuil de dhíth orthu óna mBord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne (BOL) áitiúil, trína bheith ag obair i gcomhpháirtíocht le heagraíochtaí tacaíochta eile, chun feabhsúchán a sholáthar.

The formal intervention process is designed to ensure that schools receive the tailored support they need from their local Education & Library Board (ELB), working in partnership as appropriate with other support bodies, to deliver improvement.

The tables below provide a breakdown by sector and by ELB area of the schools placed in the formal intervention process in 2009/10.

2009/10 - Breakdown By Sector

Sector	Number
Controlled1	8
Catholic Maintained	2
Integrated (including Controlled Integrated)	2
Other Maintained - Irish-medium	6

Note ¹ includes controlled Irish-medium

2009/10 - Breakdown By Education and Library Board (ELB) Area

ELB Area	Number
BELB	6
NEELB	4
SEELB	3
SELB	1
WELB	4

Job Evaluations within the Education and Library Boards

Mrs N Long asked the Minister of Education whether she intends to lift the moratorium on job evaluations within the Education and Library Boards, given the delay in establishing the Education and Skills Authority structure.

(AQW 6337/10)

Minister of Education:

Is fios do gach duine an mhoill atá ar bhunú ESA, ach geallaim duit go bhfuil a chruthú fós ina phríomhthosaíocht don Choiste Feidmhiúcháin agus go bhfuil dul chun cinn á dhéanamh tríd an Phlean Soláthair Choinbhéirseachta chun soláthar éifeachtach seirbhísí a chinntiú le linn na hidirthréimhse.

The delay in the establishment of ESA is well known however I can assure you that its creation remains an Executive priority and progress is being made through the Convergence Delivery Plan to ensure the efficient delivery of services in this transitional period.

With regard to the moratorium on job evaluations, this is applicable only to all new and re-evaluations and does not affect any evaluations already in the queue as part of the original job evaluation agreement. To this end therefore the priority for the Education & Library Boards is to complete all current outstanding job evaluations.

Furthermore, as you may be aware a ‘Review on Job Evaluation in the Education & Library Boards’ has been completed which includes recommendations on the most appropriate way forward, both in the interim period and for the longer term once ESA is established. You will appreciate however that the agreement of all parties, through the Joint Negotiating Council, to any proposed way forward is essential.

To conclude, therefore, once all current outstanding job evaluations are completed and the way forward agreed by all relevant parties the position regarding the moratorium will be reviewed.

Jordanstown Schools for Children with Auditory or Visual Impairments

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Education (i) to detail (a) her Department's investment; and (b) all other investment in the Jordanstown Schools for Children with Auditory or Visual Impairments in each of the last three years; and (ii) for an estimate of the capital expenditure in the 2010/11 financial year.

(AQW 6379/10)

Minister of Education:

Ní mhaoiníonn an Roinn Oideachais (RO) aon scoil speisialta go díreach. Leithdháiltear ar Bhoird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne (BOLanna) an chuid is mó den chistiú d’oideachas speisalta mar chistiú nár cuireadh in áirithe, agus cineann na BOLanna úsáid an chistithe seo mar chuid dá gcinntí blaintúla ar leithdháileadh a mblocdheontais. Tá buiséid leatharmligthe ag scoileanna speisialta, agus coinníonn na BOLanna féin gach costas atá bainteach le daltaí.

The Department of Education (DE) does not directly fund any special school.

The bulk of funding for special education is allocated to Education and Library Boards (ELBs) as non-earmarked funding, the deployment of which is determined by the ELBs as part of their annual decisions about the allocation of their block grant. Special schools have partially delegated budgets, with all pupil related costs being retained centrally by the ELBs.

I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the North-Eastern Education and Library Board that delegated and non-delegated budgets in respect of Jordanstown Schools in each of the last three financial years is as follows:-

Jordanstown Schools had approached DE about the possibility of accessing capital funding for the new build, but the school authorities were advised that any potential contribution from government funds would require strict compliance with guidance on tender procedures which would have involved publishing an invitation to tender via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). As the school authorities acted independently and as the project was not taken forward as part of the DE's capital allocation process, no capital funding can be made available in 2010/11 or subsequent financial years.

Department for Employment and Learning

Careers Resource Centres

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Employment and Learning whether he plans to review the Careers Resource Centres as proposed in the Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance 'Preparing for Success: A Strategy and Implementation Plan' in 2009.

(AQW 6439/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey):

Currently there are two Careers Resource Centres operating in Northern Ireland, one in Belfast and the other in Londonderry. An independent review was completed in June 2009 and the report concluded that the Careers Resource Centre model is contributing positively to the delivery of careers services. The Department is currently considering the future potential for this approach.

Careers Resource Centres

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the impact of the Careers Resource Centres on adults over 25 years old.

(AQW 6440/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department’s Careers Service is fully committed to monitoring and evaluating the impact of services.

In January 2008, my Department established two new Careers Resource Centres in Belfast and Londonderry. An independent review in June 2009 examined the impact of the Careers Resource Centres and one of the key findings was:

"Evidence both quantitative and qualitative supports the argument that the Resource Centres have succeeded, so far, in providing an improved service to increasing numbers of clients."

The review also reported that:

"Early findings from Careers Resource Centres show some promising results in terms of:

• increased levels of adult caller traffic;
• high levels of satisfaction from users of the service;
• new additional services being offered and delivered to young people and adults such as improved access to web-based services, new resource guides and some group work activities."

Figures show that there has been an increase in caller traffic since the establishment of the Resource Centres. Caller traffic has increased by 79% from 2008 to 2009 in Belfast and Londonderry. Adult caller traffic has increased by 54% in the same period. The Department defines an ‘adult’ as someone who is 18 years and over and unfortunately information is not available on adults over 25 specifically.

As a result of the service provided by the Resource Centres, a client satisfaction survey in 2009 reported that:

• 82.4% of respondents were more confident about their future.

• 75% of respondents were more motivated.
• 71.2% of respondents were more aware of what they have to offer to an employer.
• 62.9% of respondents knew more about how to get into training.
• 69.4% of respondents knew how to go about finding opportunities to learn.
• 66.7% of respondents knew how to go about finding a job.
• 71.2% of respondents knew how to plan for the future.

The Careers Service is currently working with colleagues in the UK Careers Policy Forum and the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network to agree longer term impact measures of careers guidance.

Adult Guidance Provision and Delivery

Mr P Butler asked the Minister for Employment and Learning (i) how much has been spent on external consultants reviewing adult guidance provision and delivery in (a) 2007/08; (b) 2008/09; and (c) 2009/10; (ii) to detail the tender specifications for consultants’ reviews; (iii) to outline the findings of the reviews; and (iv) whether all reports have been published.

(AQW 6457/10)

Minister for Employment and Learning:

(i) Between 2007 and 2010, my Department has spent a total of £23,500 on external consultants reviewing adult guidance provision and delivery as follows:

1. 2007/2008 - Nil.
2. 2008/2009 - £13,580
3. 2009/2010 - £9,920

(ii) The tender specification set out the following priorities to underpin the future delivery of adult careers guidance services:

1. To ensure the service offered is coherent with other publicly funded services and initiatives.

2. To ensure that the Adult Careers Guidance Service delivery is provided within a quality-assured framework that forms part of a continuous quality improvement strategy.
3. To ensure maximum impact from service delivery is achieved.
4. To ensure delivery on priority targets in line with DEL’s specified aims and objectives.

(iii) The report identified the preferred option as ‘DEL to retain an all age careers guidance service in-house and to outsource a suite of ‘niche’ adult careers guidance services to EGSA on a formal Service Level Agreement contract’.

(iv) The report ‘Review of the Delivery of Adult Careers Guidance Services’ (December 2009) is published on the Department’s website www.delni.gov.uk. In addition, in 2007 the Centre for Guidance Studies was commissioned to carry out a piece of research exploring Adult Guidance Provision in Northern Ireland. This report is also available on my Department’s website.

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Quinn Insurance

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether she or her Department has had any discussions with Quinn Insurance in relation to saving jobs.

(AQW 6564/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster):

As Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment I have been closely involved with the developing situation at Quinn Insurance Limited since it was placed into Administration on the 30^th March 2010.

Since then, I have held a number of meetings and had many discussions with my Ministerial counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, the senior management of Quinn Insurance, including the appointed administrators, as well as employee representatives in order to show my support and commitment to retain all of the employment in Northern Ireland.

Despite all of these efforts, the company administrators announced on 30^th April 2010 that they were entering into a consultation process on a proposed redundancy programme affecting approximately 900 people from across the Quinn Insurance business in the UK and Ireland. Of the total redundancies announced, I understand that 179 relate directly to the Enniskillen Centre. A further 27 jobs are impacted in the Derrylin operation.

My concern and thoughts continue to be with the employees and their families affected by this situation and I will continue to work very closely with Invest NI to do everything possible to limit the impact of the proposed redundancies.

Wind Turbines

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he has had any contact with Northern Ireland Electricity in relation to waiving the charge for the connection of wind turbines on private property, thus encouraging the use of sustainable energy.

(AQW 6611/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Officials in my Department have been in contact with Northern Ireland Electricity in relation to the cost and timeliness of connection of wind turbines to the electricity network.

Connection charges must be cost reflective and it would be unacceptable for other electricity consumers in Northern Ireland to incur the costs of connecting wind turbines on private property. There are separate incentives to encourage renewable generation by means of the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation.

There is a published Connection Charging Statement for connection to the electricity distribution system which is agreed with the Utility Regulator. A review of connection charges is planned by the Utility Regulator in the autumn of 2010.

Fuel Poverty

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what discussions she has had with the Minister for Social Development regarding concerns that the 2010 fuel poverty targets have not been met.

(AQO 1194/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I have not had any recent discussions with the Minister for Social Development on this issue. My Department is however on the Inter-departmental Group on Fuel Poverty that she chairs and which is charged with ensuring effective co-ordination of policies and actions to address fuel poverty.

In addition, my officials meet regularly with key fuel poverty stakeholders including the Consumer Council, National Energy Action and the Utility Regulator’s office.

Investment: East Belfast

Lord Browne asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what measures she has taken to attract business investment to East Belfast.

(AQO 1196/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Between 2002-2003 and 2009 - 2010, Invest NI has issued almost 1,000 offers of assistance to businesses in East Belfast. These offers amounted to £140 million of support and generated total investment in the constituency of £951million.

The support covers the range of Invest NI assistance, with 207 offers made to externally-owned companies, including Citi and the development of the new Bombardier C-Series. Over 700 offers were made to the constituency's indigenous business base and over 700 new business starts were supported in the constituency between 2002-2003 and 2009 - 2010.

Invest NI's full range of support continues to be available to businesses in East Belfast to assist them in increasing export levels and stimulating a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. And through initiatives such as the Accelerated Support Fund and the Short Term Aid Scheme, we have continued to work proactively with local companies and entrepreneurs to help minimise the impact of the economic downturn.

Quinn Insurance

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for an update on any discussions she has had with the Executive about asking the British and Irish Governments to underwrite any shortfall resulting from the Financial Regulator's concerns regarding Quinn Insurance.

(AQO 1197/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: On Friday 30th April 2010, the Board of Quinn Group released a statement that in view of the funding required to met the solvency requirements laid down by the Irish Financial Regulator that the future of Quinn Insurance is probably best protected under new ownership. As a result, Invest NI officials had an urgent meeting with senior representatives from theQuinn Group on Wednesday 5th April 2010, to ensure that every effort is made to maintain the vital investment and employment in the Fermanagh and surrounding areas. Invest NI gave a commitment to set up an urgent meeting with the Irish Regulator which has been requested for next week.

I can also confirm that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister have written to both the British and Irish governments asking that efforts are made by all agencies to mitigate the damaging financial and social impact of the planned redundancies at Quinn Insurance on both sides of the border.

Executive Subcommittees on the Economy

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what progress is being made by the Executive Sub-Committee on the Economy and for an outline of any actions or proposals it has made to date.

(AQO 1198/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I wrote to the Executive on 25 January 2010 with the proposal to establish an Executive Sub-Committee on the Economy. This was subsequently agreed on 15 April 2010 and I will be chairing the first meeting of the Sub-Committee on 20 May 2010.

Our first key task at that meeting will be to agree the steps that are required to develop an economic strategy to grow a dynamic and innovative economy.

Economic Growth

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what action she has taken to advance long-term economic growth.

(AQO 1199/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Growing a more dynamic, innovative economy remains a key priority for my Department and the wider Executive.

That is why DETI and Invest NI have prioritised improving private sector productivity by targeting support to attract foreign direct investment, encourage investment by local companies, promote research & development and exporting, and develop Northern Ireland’s telecommunications infrastructure.

I also commissioned the Independent Review of Economic Policy to help better align policies, programmes and resources to support economic growth. The Independent Report, which I received in September 2009, contains 58 recommendations, the majority of which I have accepted. Arrangements have been put in place to oversee the implementation of these recommendations, which is progressing in line with the timescales detailed in my statement to the Assembly on the 25^th January 2010.

Tourism: Volcanic Eruption

Mr D Hilditch asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline any continuing difficulties being experienced by the tourism industry due to the recent volcanic eruption.

(AQO 1200/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The tourism sector is directly affected by the ability of tourists to get to Northern Ireland and recent cancellations equate to a direct loss for the accommodation sector, and an indirect loss of associated spend in the local area.

It is estimated that between £1.3million and £1.8million pounds of direct tourism expenditure may have been lost to the Northern Ireland economy during the initial days of the flight restrictions.

Tourism Ireland took prudent steps to postpone campaigns, particularly those with air carriers, for the duration of the closure of airspace and publicised the fact that ferry companies continued to operate normally. All campaigns have since been re-instated.

Northern Ireland airspace was temporarily closed again on the morning of Tuesday 4^th May 2010. If air travel restrictions continue to be sporadic for any length of time difficulties for the tourism industry are to be expected and my Department, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Corporation Tax

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of whether a reduction in corporation tax would be beneficial in attracting foreign investment and what action her Department intends to take following the Economic Reform Group's report.

(AQO 1201/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: There is evidence that a reduced corporation tax would be beneficial in helping to attract foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland. However, we also need to carefully consider the financial implications associated with such a reduction.
This is a strategically important issue and will be part of the deliberations of the recently established Executive Sub-Committee on the economy.

Quinn Insurance

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what discussions she has had with the administrator in relation to job losses at Quinn Insurance and to outline her Department's strategy for dealing with the impact of the planned 800 redundancies.

(AQO 1202/10)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: As Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment I have been closely involved with the developing situation in Quinn Insurance Limited since it was placed into Administration on the 30^th March 2010. Since then, I and my officials have been in regular contact with the company administrators, senior management and employees. My officials in Invest NI have been in contact with the Administrator on a daily basis and have sought to provide support and help on what continues to be a very fluid situation. I wish to confirm that all possible steps are being taken by my Department and Invest NI officials to assist the company and the joint administrators find a resolution to the difficult issues facing the company.

Executive colleagues will already be aware of the direct representation which the NI Executive has made to the Irish Regulator and the Financial Services Authority in relation to the opening up of the UK business.

On Friday, 30^th April 2010 the company administrators announced a planned redundancy programme which they have estimated will result in 900 job losses from across the Quinn Insurance business, in both the UK and Ireland. Of the total redundancies announced, job losses in County Fermanagh are likely to be over 200 – with 179 staff in the Enniskillen Contact Centre currently at risk and an additional 27 in the Quinn Insurance claims operation in Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh. Invest NI has sought further clarification from the Administrators on whether redundancies in the Cavan operation will result in additional job losses in Northern Ireland due to the cross border nature of the travel to work area for Quinn Insurance Limited. These job losses are extremely regrettable and the impact will be felt not only in the immediate local area but in the wider Border area.

Response to the situation has been rapid. Invest NI immediately requested a meeting with the HR Manager in Quinn Insurance who is tasked with implementing the redundancy package. I am pleased to confirm that this meeting took place on Tuesday 4^th May 2010 and colleagues in DEL are currently taking forward the action points agreed at this meeting, which will include the scheduling of a redundancy clinic provisionally planned for the first week of June 2010.

I myself have subsequently met with employee representatives from Quinn Insurance on Wednesday 5^th May 2010 in Enniskillen. I listened to their concerns in relation to the potential for further redundancies as a result of the new business model Quinn are operating under in the UK insurance market. As a result I have requested an urgent meeting with the Irish Regulator to share with him the concerns of the employees and to understand the strategy which is being implemented to put the company on a sound commercial footing.

In addition to this, I along with the Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey have been able to announce the appointment of Leslie Ross to co-ordinate the Government’s response to the situation at Quinn Insurance. I see this as a positive response and it is hoped that his expertise will be a valuable attribute in leading the inter-agency approach to help those facing redundancy.

Quinn Insurance, and indeed the Quinn Group, remains a major player in the NI Economy in terms of both employment and the fiscal contribution and the job losses announced last Friday are deeply regrettable and obviously will have a huge impact on the local area.

I wish to emphasis that along with Invest NI officials, and colleagues in the Department of Employment and Learning, we will do all possible to limit the impact of the redundancies.

Department of the Environment

Volume of Landfill

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of the Environment what is the total volume of landfill generated in each local Council area in each of the last ten years.

(AQW 6353/10)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): Until December 2003, District Councils in Northern Ireland were the regulating authority for landfill facilities and in many instances were also the controlling operators of the landfill sites. NIEA therefore did not have the statutory power or responsibility to request landfill data from Councils prior to this date.

The Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS) was introduced in April 2005 and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is the designated Monitoring Authority and maintains a landfill allowances register. District Councils are required to report on municipal waste each quarter including tonnage figures of municipal waste collected, municipal waste sent to landfill and tonnage of municipal waste sent to waste facilities.

Data returns are made using the WasteDataFlow (WDF) UK-wide online database which has been in place since 2005. Councils electronically submit their statistical waste information to NIEA.

Data submissions from the Councils for the initial implementation year 2005/06 are incomplete. Additionally, Councils have not yet returned data for the fourth quarter of 2009/10. Consequently, the Agency only holds municipal waste data for the last 3.75 years.

The attached spreadsheet provides a detailed breakdown of the tonnage of municipal waste landfilled for the 3 Waste Groups, arc21, NWRWMG and SWaMP 2008 and for each District Council area for 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 (April –Dec only). The total tonnage of municipal waste landfilled in Northern Ireland was 786,951 tonnes, 749,449 tonnes, 694,904 tonnes and 512,604 tonnes respectively.

The Agency is not required and does not hold waste data for the total volume of landfill generated in each local council. This would include an extensive range of other waste streams as listed in the European Waste Catalogue (EWC).

High Hedges Legislation

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the timescale for the proposed high hedges legislation; and to outline progress to date.

(AQW 6485/10)

Minister of the Environment: A consultation on a draft High Hedges Bill took place between December 2009 and March 2010. Following analysis of the consultation responses the Bill was finalised and introduced in the Assembly on 26 April 2010.

The Bill passed Second Stage on 10 May 2010 and has now proceeded to Committee Stage.

The aim is to have legislation enacted by March 2011 or earlier if possible.

Planning Service Staff

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment how he plans to redeploy the technical staff who are included in the 269 Planning Service staff earmarked for redeployment.

(AQW 6513/10)

Minister of the Environment: Technical staff identified as surplus will be offered the opportunity to be regraded and redeployed to another suitable discipline. It is expected that these posts will be mainly within the administrative grades. Initial redeployment will be within DOE after which staff will be made available to fill vacancies in other NICS Departments.

Planning Service Staff

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment (i) what discussions he has had with the Minister of Finance and Personnel in relation to the redeployment of 269 Planning Service staff; and (ii) what is the maximum number of redundancies that could arise as a result of redeployment.

(AQW 6514/10)

Minister of the Environment: (i) Senior officials in my Department are engaged with the Department of Finance and Personnel in developing both a Regrading Scheme to enable Professional & Technical Planners to transfer voluntarily to the General Service discipline; and a Redeployment Scheme for all staff who become surplus which will create the opportunity for redeployment to vacancies in DOE and across the NICS.

(ii) The primary aim of management will be to ensure the absorption of surplus staff by means of redeployment either to other suitable posts in DOE or in another Department. It is expected that the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) should be able to manage the workforce reductions without the need for redundancies, although particular difficulties may arise in certain specialist grades or locations. The NICS has a range of pre-redundancy measures available which will be used, as required, to help minimise or avoid the need for redundancies. Trade Union Side is being consulted as appropriate.

Planning Service Staff

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment whether redeployed Planning Service staff will have to reapply for their jobs if the number of planning applications rises significantly.

(AQW 6516/10)

Minister of the Environment: In developing the arrangements for the redeployment of professional planning staff to other duties in the NICS the department will seek to incorporate provisions that would enable those staff to be considered for future vacancies in planning.

Planning Applications

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment how many planning applications he has requested not to be processed due to the current economic climate.

(AQW 6517/10)

Minister of the Environment: None. All planning applications are currently being progressed by Planning Service in line with its statutory obligations and Business Plan objectives.

About 2,500 planning applications are currently being held as deferred and are not being progressed awaiting the Executive’s agreement on draft PPS21.

In addition there are about 1,500 major applications in the planning system longer than 12 months and approximately one third of these are not being effectively progressed because outstanding information is awaited from the applicants/agents, who, I understand, are finding it difficult to provide this critically important information because of the additional financial implications during the current economic climate.

Planning Service Staff

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment to outline the criteria that will be used for the re-deployment of 270 Planning Service staff to other positions in the Civil Service.

(AQW 6523/10)

Minister of the Environment: The department is approaching the redeployment of Planning Service staff in line with the standard terms and conditions for dealing with such situations in the NICS.

Redeployment will primarily be based on the need to retain those staff necessary to ensure key services to customers can be maintained and impact from the reduction in staff is minimised. The personal preferences of staff who volunteer for redeployment will be taken into account where possible. Random selection will be used only where no other option exists.

Planning Service Staff

Mr L Cree asked the Minister of the Environment (i) what action he intends to take in relation to the staffing levels of the Planning Service; and (ii) for his assessment of how this action will affect the career paths of planners and the transfer of planning functions to local authorities next year.

(AQW 6548/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Department’s Planning Service is experiencing a budgetary shortfall of just over £8m this year and cost reduction measures, which include a significant reduction in staffing numbers, are being considered. However, the Northern Ireland Civil Service should be able to manage the workforce reductions in the Planning Service through the redeployment of surplus staff either to other suitable posts in the DOE or in another NICS Department.

In relation to the career paths of specialist planners, where it is necessary to regrade and redeploy specialist planning staff to a general service post outside their professional discipline they can retain their planning status provided they can demonstrate 50 hours of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) over a 24 month period.

In this situation the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) would regard reading professional planning magazines or even working in a voluntary role with Planning Aid or attending a training course on a planning related issue as acceptable CPD.

In relation to the transfer of planning functions to local authorities, only staff in Planning Service at the time of transfer to local authorities will be in the affected group to transfer to the new employer. However, the Department will examine the scope for specialist planners to be considered for future vacancies in planning whether in central or local government.

Recommendation from a Boundary Commission

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment if he is aware of any precedent whereby a Minister in any jurisdiction in the UK has sought to modify a recommendation from a Boundary Commission.

(AQW 6550/10)

Minister of the Environment: There have been a number of occasions when modifications have been made to the recommendations of Boundary Commissions. Some of these are set out below.

In the District of Ashfield (Electoral Changes) Order 2000 (SI 2000/3295), the Secretary of State made a modification to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s recommendations in relation to a ward boundary.

In the Borough of Tunbridge Wells (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (SI 2001/3559), the Secretary of State made modifications to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s recommendations in relation to both parish and borough ward boundaries and to the number of parish wards.

In the Borough of Dartford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (SI 2001/3560), the Secretary of State made a modification to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s recommendations in relation to a ward boundary.

In the District of Chiltern (Electoral Changes) Order 2002 (SI 2002/1784), the Electoral Commission made modifications to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s recommendations in relation to the names of district wards and district ward boundaries.

Planning Service Posts at County Hall, Omagh

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of the Environment whether he can commit to retaining all existing Planning Service posts at County Hall, Omagh; and to detail what action his Department has taken to protect this service.

(AQW 6569/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Department’s Planning Service is currently experiencing a budgetary shortfall of just over £8m, mainly due to a significant reduction in planning fees income associated with a reduction in the number of planning applications being received. In light of this much reduced volume of planning applications and reduced income, the Planning Service is seeking to identify cost reduction measures which will help it to align staffing levels and costs more closely with work demands and revenue.

I anticipate that the redeployment of 271 staff from the Planning Service will be necessary to delivery the required scale of cost reductions. I cannot therefore give a guarantee that as a result of the work being undertaken by the Department to reduce the Planning Service operating costs that all existing posts at County Hall, Omagh will be retained.

I am confident however, that the Northern Ireland Civil Service should be able to manage the workforce reductions in the Planning Service through the redeployment of surplus staff either to other suitable posts in the DOE or in another NICS Department.

The Planning Service will reorganise to live within its budget and reprioritise resources to ensure the impact from the reduction in staff is minimised and key services to customers can be maintained and this includes the Omagh Division Planning Office.

I will also ensure that the Department makes the appropriate representations to DFP for additional in year funding at the June Monitoring round. You may also wish to note that the Department has initiated a fundamental review of the nature and structure of the fees charged for planning services with the aim of ensuring that the fees charges for specific chargeable services are broadly consistent with the costs of providing those services.

Knock Golf Club, Belfast

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of the Environment for his Department's assessment of the impact on the environment in the development on the landscape wedge of the planning application by Knock Golf Club, Belfast.

(AQW 6574/10)

Minister of the Environment: The impact on the environment in this area will be limited, as the proposal by Knock Golf Club is for housing on 11.3 hectares of a 36.5 hectare golf course with 22 hectares remaining as open space following the planned return of lands for hospital use. The golf club is part of the wider Dundonald Landscape Wedge which is visually linked to other open space in the area, namely the Stormont Estate lands immediately to the north of the Upper Newtownards Road plus the agricultural lands to the north of Stoney Road.
The application was accompanied by an Environmental Statement which was the subject of consultation in accordance with legislation. Northern Ireland Environment Agency had no objection, subject to conditions. The assessment made by the Landscape Architects’ Branch of the Planning Service was that the original application would have an adverse impact on the landscape features of the area. This view did not change after the submission of the amendments to the application despite the fact that the application was changed significantly in order to reduce the impact on the Bluebell Wood in particular and reduce the footprint of the built area. The Landscape Architect’s view was a consideration from a specific and particular concern relating primarily to the impact of the proposed housing on the trees and the landscape, but did not take account of the individual location or condition of the trees, nor of the fact that they are not protected and could be lopped, topped or felled at any time.
Full account was taken of this response to the consultation and other environmental information in the normal way when the application was being assessed. However, the judgement arrived at was that the housing layout could be developed in such a way as to protect many of the remaining trees because of the fact that they are laid out in lines along the current fairways. The Department remains of the view that the scale, nature and location of the development as proposed on the golf club lands is acceptable and has no adverse impact on the environment.

Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan Team

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of the Environment why a planning application for a fuel filling station in the Dundonald landscape wedge was refused following the advice of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan team, while a similar application by the Hanwood Trust was approved without being referred to the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan team for consideration.

(AQW 6575/10)

Minister of the Environment: The application referred to identified as reference Y/2008/0404/F was not refused by Planning Service but is the subject of a non-determination appeal to the Planning Appeals Commission which will make the decision in respect of the application.

In contrast, application Y/2009/0440/F was an amendment to a previous permission (Y/2006/0481/F) and development was commenced so the principle of development was firmly established and issues of prematurity and prejudice did not arise so the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan team was not consulted.

Belfast Strategic Planning Section

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment how major planning applications, currently processed by the Belfast Strategic Planning Section, will be dealt with under the Review of Public Administration.

(AQW 6586/10)

Minister of the Environment: Post RPA, as part of this new development management approach for processing planning applications, a three-tier hierarchy of development will be created consisting of regionally significant, major and local development, to ensure that application procedures are proportionate and responsive to these three different types of development category, with appropriate resources and decision-making mechanisms, tailored according to the scale and complexity of the proposed development.

Under this new development management hierarchy regionally significant applications will be determined by the Department with the decision taken by the Minister. These will be small in number, estimated at approximately 50-80 applications annually. Decisions on planning applications for categories of major and local development, which will form the majority of applications, will be taken by the new district councils.

Regionally significant developments will form the top tier of development proposals and will be made up of those applications which have a critical contribution to make to the economic and social success of Northern Ireland as a whole, or a substantial part of the region.

They will raise strategic considerations, with impacts or benefits that extend well beyond the area of an individual district council to the extent that they become of regional significance. It is proposed to revise the current Article 31 powers to take account of the RPA, and provide a basis for the legislative framework for considering these regionally significant applications.

In some exceptional circumstances a major application may give rise to issues of regional significance sufficient to warrant it being called – in from a district council for determination by the Department and decision by the Minister. The number of major applications where this action might be appropriate will be small and limited to where there is a significant and unresolved objection from a statutory consultee; a significant departure from the area plan; or where a district council has a significant financial or ownership interest.

Planning Responsibilities for Local Councils

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment what consideration he has given to introducing planning responsibilities for local councils in advance of the Review of Public Administration.

(AQW 6588/10)

Minister of the Environment: It is important that I take the time necessary to ensure implementation of the Executive’s decisions on the future of local government and that this is done in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Consequently, I am in discussion with the representatives of Executive parties to find a common way forward on the reform programme, part of which is to consider how and when Land Use Planning will transfer to local government.

Public Accounts Committee's Report on the Planning Service

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his response to the Public Accounts Committee's report of Febraury 2010 on the Planning Service; and if this response will be published.

(AQW 6610/10)

Minister of the Environment: I am committed to reforming and improving the planning system and welcome the recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which will help with this process. The PAC report contains 15 recommendations, 13 of which required responses from the Department/Planning Service. The remaining 2 recommendations applied more generally to the NICS and the responses for these were prepared by the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP).

My Department has responded positively to the recommendations through the Memorandum of Reply (MOR) which was laid in the Assembly by the Minister of Finance and Personnel on 16 April 2010. The Memorandum of Reply can be accessed via;
http://www.aasdni.gov.uk/pubs/MORs/8th%20&%209th%20Report%2009%20-10.pdf

Work is now underway towards implementing all of the recommendations and my officials will monitor progress on a quarterly basis through the Planning Service and Departmental Audit Committees. The Department’s internal auditors will also provide an independent assessment on the progress of recommendations through their work programme.

I have recognised for some time issues identified in the PAC report and many of which will be addressed through the preparation of necessary legislation for my planning reform agenda, on which I have obtained agreement from the Executive.

Lough Neagh Advisory Committee and the Lower Bann Advisory Committee

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment what action his Department is taking to ensure the future of the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee and the Lower Bann Advisory Committee in light of the two councils' decisions to withdraw funding.

(AQW 6629/10)

Minister of the Environment: The decision by a number of Councils to withdraw funding has meant that the two Advisory Committees are no longer sustainable without this full support. I made it clear to the Councils that my Department would be unable to make up any shortfall. I regret that their decisions have left my Department with little alternative other than to wind up the two Advisory Committees on 30 June 2010, when the three month extension period comes to an end.

George Best Belfast City Airport

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of the Environment (i) when the terms of reference for the public inquiry into the planning application to extend the runway at George Best Belfast City Airport will be published; (ii) whether there will be an opportunity to comment on the terms of reference before they are published; and (iii) when the public inquiry will be held.

(AQW 6633/10)

Minister of the Environment: There are no terms of reference for a public local inquiry. In line with Article 31 (2) of the 1991 Order the Department may cause a public local inquiry to be held for the purpose of considering representations made in respect of an application.
A date for the public inquiry has not yet been set.

Road Safety Strategy

Mrs M Bradley asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his plans for co-ordinating implementation of the new Road Safety strategy.

(AQO 1204/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Road Safety Review Group, comprising senior representatives from DOE, DRD, DHSSPS and PSNI is responsible for coordinating delivery of the current Road Safety Strategy. It has provided an integrated approach to the planning, co-ordination and delivery of government’s road safety activities.

This partnership arrangement, with each participant representing a particular area of expertise, has worked well and has made a significant contribution to casualty reduction since the launch of the current strategy in 2002.

While the precise nature of the structures which will implement the new strategy has yet to be decided, I would intend building on the success of the partnership approach.

However, there is an opportunity to involve a wider range of stakeholders. The ongoing consultation on a new strategy looks at extending the existing structures to work with others who can provide support in improving road safety.

The paper looks at the development of a new independent expert group and at how we might better conduct local road safety pilot initiatives working with voluntary, community and other stakeholders.

The paper seeks views on working more closely with local authorities, to explore ways of reducing casualties at a local level and addressing local needs and priorities.

As you can see there are quite a few proposals about how best to implement the new strategy. I await with interest the outcome of the consultation and the public’s views on delivering improvements in road safety over the next ten years.

Air Quality

Lord Browne asked the Minister of the Environment what is the expected completion date for the consultation on the draft Local Air Quality Management policy and when he expects to have the policy in place.

(AQO 1213/10)

Minister of the Environment: The consultation on the draft Local Air Quality Management policy guidance finished on 26 March 2010. The Department is currently considering responses from consultees and will amend the policy where appropriate. The Department aims to publish the finalised guidance in June 2010.

Local Government Boundaries

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment what advice he sought before making modifications to the recommendations of the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner.

(AQO 1215/10)

Minister of the Environment: My officials provided me with advice on the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner’s Report. I also sought and received legal advice in relation to a number of issues, from the Departmental Solicitor’s Office.

Areas of Special Scientific Interest

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of the Environment how many areas of special scientific interest were designated in 2009.

(AQO 1216/10)

Minister of the Environment: Twenty-five Areas of Special Scientific Interest were declared in the 2009/10 financial year.

Planning Service Staff

Ms A Lo asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of the potential negative impact on the economy of the proposed redeployment of up to 270 Planning Service staff.

(AQO 1217/10)

Minister of the Environment: The Department is experiencing a financial shortfall of c£16m for 2010-11. The total Planning Service shortfall is estimated at £8.3m the bulk of which (£6.4m) relates to a reduction in planning receipts.

The global economic downturn and its impact on the property and housing markets has clearly been a major factor contributing to the sharp fall in planning application numbers and also related fee receipts received by Planning Service. In light of the much reduced volume of planning applications and related fee receipts Planning Service has been considering ways to reduce its operating costs to align staffing levels and costs more closely to work demands and revenue. Significant staff reductions and redeployment of staff is necessary to align staffing levels and costs more closely to work demands and revenue. The Planning Service will reorganise to live within its budget and reprioritise resources to ensure key services to customers can be maintained and impact on the economy from the reduction in staff is minimised.

Department of Finance and Personnel

Review of the Civil Service EO2 Grade

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel if he is aware of any reasons for a delay in the review of the Civil Service EO2 grade as agreed as part of the Equal Pay settlement of February 2010; or if the review will be instigated immediately.

(AQW 6495/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): Preparatory work on the comprehensive pay and grading review agreed as part of the NICS equal pay settlement has already commenced. The review has not been delayed and I am determined that it will progress without any undue delay.

Electricity Costs

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for an estimate of the savings that would be made by all Departments reducing their electricity costs by 25%.

(AQW 6508/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Based on the most recently published Public Sector Energy Campaign (PSEC) figures for 2007/08, it is estimated that reducing the electricity costs of the 11 Departments’ core estates by 25% would amount to an annual saving of approximately £1,424,000

Barnett Formula

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how the Barnett Formula operates in translating the effect of changes in spending in England to Northern Ireland.

(AQW 6527/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Under the Barnett Formula, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a population-based proportion of changes in planned spending on comparable UK Government services in England. The Formula is applied separately to capital and current expenditure. Northern Ireland has full comparability in areas such as health and education but no comparability on defence spending.

The Executive has full discretion in terms of allocating the Block Grant from the UK Government.

Purchasing of Freehold Property

Ms A Lo asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what plans she has to enable homeowners to purchase the freehold to their property, as is the case in England and Wales.

(AQW 6542/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Northern Ireland already has two statutory schemes which allow for the enlargement of leasehold estates. One is set out in the Leasehold (Enlargement and Extension) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the other is set out in the Ground Rents Act (Northern Ireland) 2001.

The Northern Ireland Law Commission is currently considering the issue of land law reform and will be examining both Acts as part of that project. It remains to be seen whether any legislative amendments will be recommended. However, the Commission’s examination will take account of the Northern Ireland context and any recommendations will, therefore, be suitably framed for this jurisdiction.

Arabs Resident in Northern Ireland

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many Arabs are currently resident in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 6547/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: A total of 285 people (0.02% of all people usually resident in Northern Ireland) indicated through the 2001 Census that their ethnic group was Arab.

Planning Service

Ms A Lo asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel why his Department did not make up the shortfall in funding previously provided from planning fees which has led to 269 jobs in the Planning Service being put in jeopardy.

(AQW 6555/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: It is not within the remit of the Department of Finance and Personnel to transfer funding to assist other Departments to manage their Departmental pressures. Such decisions are a matter for the Executive.

The Executive has previously allocated an additional £2m to Planning Service in light of the reduction in Planning Fee income. In recognition of the financial pressure faced by Planning Service, my Department also agreed that Planning Service should increase planning application fees by 15%.

The Department of the Environment will have the opportunity to submit a request for additional resources in 2010-11 as part of the forthcoming June Monitoring Round which will be considered by the Executive in the context of the overall amount of resources available and the other spending pressures facing departments.

EU Funding

Mr B Armstrong asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline the structures in place within their Department to manage EU funding.

(AQO 1185/10)

Minister of Finance and Personnel:
DFP has Member State responsibility for the four EU Structural Funds Programmes currently operating in Northern Ireland—Competitiveness, Employment, PEACE III and INTERREG IVA.

Each of the four programmes has a Managing Authority as detailed in the table below. The Managing Authorities are responsible for directly implementing and managing the Operational Programmes.

DFP chairs an inter-departmental EU Steering Group with membership drawn from the Managing Authorities and relevant Accountable Departments.

DFP chairs the Programme Monitoring Committee for the Competitiveness and Employment Programmes, and attends the Monitoring Committees for the PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes in its Member State capacity.

DFP is the Accountable Department for the Public Sector Collaboration Theme under INTERREG IVA and for the Technical Assistance budgets under INTERREG IVA and PEACE III.

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist for the Royal Hospital

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) whether the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust will be appointing a replacement consultant paediatric gastroenterologist to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children for the current consultant, who is leaving on 23 April 2010; and (ii) what steps his Department has taken to appoint a replacement, including steps to advertise the post and a timetable for appointment.

(AQW 6449/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey):
Responsibility for workforce succession planning rests with the Belfast Trust; it is not a Departmental matter.

It is anticipated that a replacement will be in place by September.

To ensure appropriate services are available in the interim period, a locum consultant in general paediatrics, supported by two general paediatric consultants, is currently being engaged to take responsibility for the existing clinics attended by paediatric gastroenterology patients. Commissioners will continue to examine this service on a regional basis and consider how the service may be further strengthened for the future.

Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist for the Royal Hospital

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail when the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust first learned that there would be a vacancy for consultant paediatric gastroenterologist at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children from 23 April 2010.

(AQW 6450/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
Responsibility for workforce succession planning rests with the Belfast Trust; it is not a Departmental matter.

It is anticipated that a replacement will be in place by September.

To ensure appropriate services are available in the interim period, a locum consultant in general paediatrics, supported by two general paediatric consultants, is currently being engaged to take responsibility for the existing clinics attended by paediatric gastroenterology patients. Commissioners will continue to examine this service on a regional basis and consider how the service may be further strengthened for the future.

Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist for the Royal Hospital

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) to detail what interim measures have been put in place, by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, to provide care for patients requiring the services of a consultant paediatric gastroenterologist at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children from 23 April 2010, particularly in relation to (a) clinics; and (b) emergency care; and (ii) what assessment has been made of risks and benefits of the alternative options.

(AQW 6451/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
Responsibility for workforce succession planning rests with the Belfast Trust; it is not a Departmental matter.

It is anticipated that a replacement will be in place by September.

To ensure appropriate services are available in the interim period, a locum consultant in general paediatrics, supported by two general paediatric consultants, is currently being engaged to take responsibility for the existing clinics attended by paediatric gastroenterology patients. Commissioners will continue to examine this service on a regional basis and consider how the service may be further strengthened for the future.

Health Service Dentist Posts

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an update on the creation of additional Health Service dentist posts.

(AQW 6479/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
As you are aware I announced in May 2009 that the Department had awarded a tender to Oasis Dental Care Ltd for additional dental services which will result in 38 additional dentists being available in various areas of Northern Ireland. I can confirm that excellent progress has been made. The first practices opened in November 2009 and the latest practices to open are Holywood on 27 April and Bangor on 5 May. It is planned that the remaining 4 practices will become operational during the month of June although this is subject to planning approval.

Breaches of the Anti-smoking Legislation

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people have been prosecuted by local councils for breaches of the anti-smoking legislation.

(AQW 6480/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
There were 95 individual prosecutions under the smoke-free legislation from 30 April 2007 until 31 March 2010. These prosecutions included the offences of smoking in a smoke-free place or vehicle, failing to prevent smoking in a smoke-free place or vehicle and failing to display appropriate "no smoking" signage.

In addition, there were 60 prosecutions of retailers for breaking the law with regards to underage sales of tobacco products between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2010.

IVF Treatment

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people have applied for Health Service IVF treatment in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6491/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

IVF Treatment

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people who received IVF treatment from the Health Service were successful in (i) conceiving a child; and (ii) delivering a child, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6493/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:

The Regional Fertility Centre does not record this information separately for publicly and privately funded patients therefore the following table details the results of treatment for both.

Bimaxillary Osteotomy Procedure

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) where in Northern Ireland the bimaxillary osteotomy procedure (maxillo-facial surgery) is offered; and (ii) whether any patients have been referred to Great Britain for this procedure in the last two years.

(AQW 6511/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The bimaxillary osteotomy procedure (maxillofacial surgery) is provided at the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, and Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry.

No patients have been referred from Northern Ireland to Great Britain for this procedure in the last two years.

Bonuses Paid to Doctors

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 5852/10, (i) how many doctors received a bonus award following the 2008/09 awards round; (ii) what is the average salary of doctors who received a bonus award; and (iii) what is the average salary of the 657 consultants who received a bonus award.

(AQW 6518/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
Doctors do not receive bonus payments.
The salary range of the consultants who received a Clinical Excellence Award was £74,028 - £98,962.

Desertcreat College in Cookstown

Mr J Wells asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety when his Department will release the £30 million funding for the fire and rescue services section in the new Desertcreat College in Cookstown.

(AQW 6519/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The position remains the same as that indicated in my joint responses to AQW 6122/10 and AQW 6126/10, answered on 28 April 2010.

Gorse Fires

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) how many gorse fires have been recorded; and (ii) how much land has been damaged by these fires, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6529/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
The number of gorse fires in each of the last three years is shown in the table.

Information relating to the areas of land damaged by gorse related incidents is not available.

Charities

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to list the charities funded by his Department.

(AQW 6539/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
Information on organisations in receipt of government funding can be accessed through the Government Funding Database website at http://govfundingdbni.nics.gov.uk/gfdpublic/

Chief Executive Bonuses

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much the Chief Executive's of each Health and Social Care Trust received in bonuses in (i) the 2009/10 financial year; and (ii) the 2010/11 financial year to date.

(AQW 6541/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In light of the current economic climate my Department has instructed Health and Social Care employers that no bonuses should be paid to their Chief Executives in the 2009/10 financial year. The 2010/11 pay award for Health and Social Care Chief Executives has not yet been agreed.

Single Bill on Mental Health

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an update on the development of a single bill on mental health.

(AQW 6551/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
On 10 September 2009 I announced that my Department would take the lead in preparing a single Bill encompassing mental capacity and mental health provisions and that this would be introduced into the next Assembly in 2011. In the interim policy development work in this complex area has been proceeding and has involved major engagement with stakeholders. The next step will be consultation on an Equality Impact Assessment prior to seeking Executive endorsement of the policy.

Bamford Action Plan

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps he has taken to deliver the Bamford Action Plan; and in what aspects progress has fallen behind schedule.

(AQW 6553/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Bamford Action Plan 2009-2011, which is available on the DHSSPS website, summarises actions already taken to improve mental health and learning disability services and sets out a wide range of actions committed to over the period 2009-2011 across Government. Each Department is responsible for delivery of its own actions. A Task Force has been established to drive forward the actions which fall to the health and social care sector.

The inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Mental Health and Learning Disability group last met in November 2009, when substantial progress towards delivery of the Action Plan across Government was noted. Work is under way to convene the next meeting of the Ministerial Group to assess progress at this stage.

Staff Posts at County Hall, Ballymena

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, following his letter to staff dated 4 February 2009, in which he stated that 'over 80% of staff will remain in their current location and over one third of the tier 3 posts will not be in headquarters' (i) whether he can confirm that this is still the case; and (ii) how many and what proportion of staff and posts at County Hall, Ballymena will remain local.

(AQW 6556/10)

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

Staff Posts at County Hall, Ballymena

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what has been the net change in the number of higher banded posts, above Band 4, created at County Hall, Ballymena under the Review of Public Administration changes.

(AQW 6557/10)

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

Staff Posts at County Hall, Ballymena

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many health staff posts have been removed from County Hall, Ballymena since 01 April 2009, broken down by post and band.

(AQW 6559/10)

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

IVF Treatment

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of errors made during IVF treatment in each of the last 10 years; and to outline the nature of each error.

(AQW 6566/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
The term "error" is not recognised within the information systems at the Regional Fertility Centre (RFC).
I can confirm however that the Department has not been subject to any legal proceedings in relation to these services.

IVF Treatment

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number of legal proceedings taken against his Department as a result of errors made during IVF treatment in each of the last 10 years; and the outcome of each case.

(AQW 6567/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
The term "error" is not recognised within the information systems at the Regional Fertility Centre (RFC).
I can confirm however that the Department has not been subject to any legal proceedings in relation to these services.

Knock Golf Club, Belfast

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if the land leased to Knock Golf Club, Belfast belongs to the South Eastern Health and Social Care trust or the Health Estates Agency.

(AQW 6572/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
There is approximately 12 acres of land leased to Knock Golf Club. Around10acres is owned by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and just under 2 acres is owned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Decisions relating to the land leased to Knock Golf Club will depend on the associated issue. Some decisions will be made by the tenant, KnockGolfClub and others by the landlord being either the South Eastern HSC Trust or the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Knock Golf Club, Belfast

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether decisions relating to the land leased to Knock Golf Club, Belfast is primarily a matter for the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust or the Health Estates Agency.

(AQW 6573/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
There is approximately 12 acres of land leased to Knock Golf Club. Around10acres is owned by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and just under 2 acres is owned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Decisions relating to the land leased to Knock Golf Club will depend on the associated issue. Some decisions will be made by the tenant, KnockGolfClub and others by the landlord being either the South Eastern HSC Trust or the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Funding Cuts

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to confirm if groups who support families and people affected by suicide or mental health problems will not be subject to any funding cuts by his Department in the next three years.

(AQW 6619/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
In the context of the constraints that have been placed upon my budget in 2010/11, including the cuts to my budget as voted by the Assembly, I can not guarantee that services relating to suicide prevention or mental health will not be impacted Whilst I will do all I can to minimise the impact, providing assurances to one area of the health service would unfairly burden other equally needy areas with the majority of cuts.

Applied Behaviour Analysis in Treating Autism

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the effectiveness of Applied Behaviour Analysis in treating Autism spectrum disorders; and if he has any plans to provide funding for this treatment, which is available in the Republic of Ireland, given that treatment can cost families up to £25,000 per year.

(AQW 6663/10)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety:
Services for children with special education needs are the responsibility of the Department of Education and it is my understanding that the provision of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) in the Republic of Ireland is made through the education system.

In relation to health and social care, whilst a range of interventions and treatments exist to help those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, the Independent review of Autism Services did not feel it was appropriate to recommend any single manner of intervention. It is for professionals to assess the health and social care needs of individuals and to put in place an appropriate care plan.

Department of Justice

Detention Conditions in Prisons

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Justice what action he intends to take to improve the detention conditions in prisons.

(AQW 6245/10)

Minister of Justice (Mr D Ford):
As I advised the Justice Committee on 22 April, parts of the current prison estate are unfit for purpose. I will be bringing forward proposals to improve physical conditions to enable enhanced engagement between prison service staff and prisoners to reduce re-offending, and to reduce costs.

In addition, in line with the Hillsborough Agreement of 5 February, I have announced a rolling review, beginning with a review of the regime in Maghaberry. I will advise Members of further details shortly.

Restorative Justice

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Justice to outline the role of restorative justice schemes within the Criminal Justice system; and what action he intends to take to support them.

(AQW 6246/10)

Minister of Justice :
Restorative Justice plays an important role within the criminal justice system by bringing victims and offenders together to acknowledge the impact of the harm caused by an offence and agree a plan of how it may be redressed. For example, Youth Conference Service restorative plans account for around 48 % of all Youth Court disposals, and the Probation Board and its community partners have so far facilitated over 100 adult restorative interventions.

In addition there are 15 community-based restorative justice schemes accredited under a Government Protocol. They facilitate restorative interventions for offences deemed suitable for referral by the Public Prosecution Service as an alternative to prosecution. Schemes have been allocated £100,000 from criminal justice agencies, match funded by a charitable foundation, in each of the last three years to support their restorative practices. I intend to review arrangements shortly to examine how bestschemes' restorative skillscan contribute to the continuing success of restorative practices in the criminal justice system.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Justice to outline his plans to tackle anti-social behaviour.

(AQW 6261/10)

Minister of Justice :
My Department has plans in place to tackle anti-social behaviour and to deliver a 15% reduction in incidents by 2011.

Working closely with partner organisations at a regional and local level, the plans are based on three themes. Prevention includes community safety wardens, neighbourhood watch, the clean neighbourhood programme and CCTV; Intervention includes diversionary programmes such as ‘Splash’; Enforcement provides for a graduated approach from warning letters to Acceptable Behaviour Contracts through to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs).

We are currently on target to achieve the 15% reduction and tackling anti-social behaviour is one of my priority areas.

Tackling anti-social behaviour will remain a priority in any of my Department’s future plans on Community Safety. My Department will continue to promote and support the development of Neighbourhood Watch schemes and plans are well advanced to deliver a NI-wide Diversionary Programme (Splash) over the Summer of 2010.

Bomb Planted at Palace Barracks

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice to detail the total costs incurred by his Department as a result of the bomb planted at Palace Barracks on Monday 12 April.

(AQW 6262/10)

Minister of Justice :
As I am sure you will appreciate, it is much too early to provide details of total costs incurred by my Department. I can, however, advise that loss adjusters have been appointed by the Compensation Agency to deal with any claims relating to the attack on 12 April.

Witnesses

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Justice what procedures are in place to ensure that witnesses, including crown witnesses, are not subjected to aggression in courts by defence lawyers.

(AQW 6300/10)

Minister of Justice :
During the course of a trial judges have the responsibility for ensuring that all those involved in the proceedings, including witnesses, are treated fairly and this is an area that is covered specifically in judicial training.

In certain circumstances a court may also order that a witness be permitted to give their evidence remotely through a live television link or by way of video conferencing.

Legislation

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Justice what new legislation he intends to introduce before May 2011.

(AQW 6324/10)

Minister of Justice :
Subject to Executive approval, I will introduce a Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in the Autumn of this year. I look forward to discussing proposals for its content with the Justice Committee in the near future.

Retailers Selling Alcohol to Under-age Customers

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice how many convictions were achieved against retailers for selling alcohol to under-age customers, in each of the last five years; and what was the sum total of any fines imposed in each year.

(AQW 6346/10)

Minister of Justice : The table below documents the number of convictions, the number given a fine and the total sum of the fine amounts for selling intoxicating liquor to a minor. Court conviction datasets do not contain background information in relation to offences committed and it is therefore not possible to determine the number of those convicted who were retailers.

Data cover the calendar years 2002 to 2006 (the latest year for which figures are currently available) and are collated on the principal offence rule; only the most serious offence for which an offender is convicted is included.

Number of convictions, the number given a fine and the total sum of fine amounts (£) for selling intoxicating liquor to a minor 2002-2006

PSNI are currently piloting in a number of Police Districts, new and additional powers to undertake "test purchases" in any alcohol retailers’ premises. Once evaluated these additional powers will be available to all Districts across Northern Ireland and will have a significant impact on building an understanding amongst retailers of the seriousness of under-age sales and hence on addressing the level of sales to those underage.

Community Policing

Mr A Easton asked e Minister of Justice to outline any plans his Department has to increase community policing.

(AQW 6394/10)

Minister of Justice :
The delivery of community policing is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

Solicitors Fees

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Justice what plans he has to ensure that solicitors fees are monitored, controlled and fair.

(AQW 6401/10)

Minister of Justice :
There are mechanisms already in place in the County Court and the High Court to regulate levels of remuneration for solicitors (and barristers) in civil cases. I am currently reviewing the remuneration payable under criminal legal aid and I will bring forward proposals to the Assembly in due course.

Causeway Computer System

Lord Morrow asked e Minister of Justice how many criminal cases have had to be dismissed due to problems encountered with the new Causeway computer system since its inception, broken down by court division.

(AQW 6415/10)

Minister of Justice :
No criminal cases have had to be dismissed due to problems encountered with the new Causeway computer system. Manual contingency arrangements are in place to allow cases to proceed if an electronic record is not available.

Youth Justice Agency

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Justice how many cases the Youth Justice Agency has dealt with in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6416/10)

Minister of Justice :
The information requested is as follows, broken down by caseload of each of the three operational directorates of the Youth Justice Agency.

(1) Includes referrals to the Youth Conference Service from the Public Prosecution Service and Court, as well as 239 referrals in 2009/10 to the Priority Youth Offending Project, a joint initiative with the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and the Youth Justice Agency, to pilot the delivery of enhanced intervention and accountability for high risk young offenders.

(2) Number of cases referred to Community Services for supervision in the community i.e. those subject to a community responsibility order, attendance centre order, reparation order, supervision of youth conference plans; and those referred from other sources such as Police Service of Northern Ireland, Probation Board for Northern Ireland, social services and other sources such as other criminal justice agencies and social services.

(3) Includes initial admissions to the Juvenile Justice Centre on PACE, those on remand and sentence.

(4) Whilst a total case figure is provided for each financial year, it should be noted that directorates of the Agency often co-work to provide different services to the same young people. For example, in 2009/10, 72% of Community Services’ new referrals were from the Youth Conference Service; however each directorate performs a different aspect of service delivery of a youth conference order. In addition, more than one referral within one directorate may also relate to the same young person, for example a young person may be referred on different occasions for different offences.

Juvenile Prison Population

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Justice to detail the (i) male; (ii) female; and (iii) juvenile prison population for each of the last five years.

(AQW 6418/10)

Minister of Justice :
The male, female and juvenile prison population for each of the last 5 years is as shown in the table below.

* These figures include 1 female juvenile

Prison Spaces

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Justice to detail the maximum numbers of prison spaces currently available for (i) male; (ii) female; and (iii) juvenile offenders.

(AQW 6419/10)

Minister of Justice :
The maximum numbers of prison spaces currently available are:

(i) 1,440 for adult males (872 at Maghaberry and 568 at Magilligan prisons);

2. 74 for females (at Ash House, Hydebank Wood Prison);
3. 36 for male juveniles and 215 for young males (at Hydebank Wood, Young Offenders Centre).

Female juveniles and some male juveniles are detained at the Juvenile Justice Centre.

A juvenile is defined as any person under the age of 18. A young offender is defined as any personaged 18 - 21.

Sex Offenders Register

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice (i) how many people are currently on the Sex Offenders Register; (ii) how many of these people are juveniles; and (iii) how many are on the register for life, broken down by constituency.

(AQW 6420/10)

Minister of Justice : The recording of information provided by offenders subject to the notification requirements set out in Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (the sex offender register) is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond to you directly.

Breaches of Licensing Laws

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice how many licensees have been charged by the police for alleged breaches of licensing laws; and how many have had their cases marked as 'no proceedings', in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6422/10)

Minister of Justice :
Liquor licensing is a matter for the Department for Social Development, and the Department of Justice does not hold this information. The charging of licensees is a matter for the Chief Constable who is operationally independent of Ministers and accountable to the Policing Board; decisions as to prosecution are a matter for the Public Prosecution Service.

Community Service

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice to detail the average waiting time for offenders to be placed on community service once convicted by the courts.

(AQW 6425/10)

Minister of Justice :
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland supervises offenders sentenced to complete community service in the form of either a Community Service Order or a Combination Order.

During the financial year 2009/2010, the average time between sentence and commencement of these orders was 7 working days.

Community Service

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice how many offenders are currently waiting to be placed on community service.

(AQW 6426/10)

Minister of Justice :
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland supervises offenders sentenced to complete community service in the form of either a Community Service Order or a Combination Order.

As at 26 April 2010, PBNI was supervising 804 Community Service Orders and 271 Combination Orders. Of these, 22 (2%) are currently waiting to be placed on community service.

Offences of 'Wasting Police Time'

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice to detail (i) how many offences of 'wasting police time' were recorded in each of the last 5 years; (ii) the number of prosecutions brought against these individuals; (iii) the number of prosecutions which resulted in a conviction; (iv) the sum total of any fines which were imposed; and (v) for a summary of any other sanctions which were imposed.

(AQW 6427/10)

Minister of Justice : Table 1 gives the number recorded for the offence ‘wasteful employment of police time’ for the calendar years 2005 to 2009. Table 2 gives the number prosecuted and number convicted. All offenders convicted for the offence were given a community-based disposal.

Data in Table 2 cover the calendar years 2002 to 2006 (the latest year for which figures are currently available) and are collated on the principal offence rule; only the most serious offence for which an offender is convicted is included.

It is not possible to reconcile PSNI data on the number of offences recorded directly with prosecution and conviction data, as the former are offence-based whereas prosecution and conviction data are offender-based. In addition, PSNI denote the offence as it has been initially recorded and this may differ from the offence for which a suspect (or suspects) is subsequently proceeded against.

Table 1: Recorded offences of Wasteful Employment of Police Time by year reported 2005-2009¹

Source: PSNI

¹. Figures for 2009 are provisional and may be subject to change.

Table 2: Number prosecuted and convicted for Wasteful Employment of Police Time 2002-2006

Source: Department of Justice

Irish language

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Justice whether he has any plans to promote Irish language rights within the courts system.

(AQW 6446/10)

Minister of Justice : As I stated in the Assembly on 26 April 2010 language is a cross-cutting issue, on which policy needs to be agreed by the Executive. I will consider my Department’s language policy, including in respect of the Irish language in courts, as part of my contribution to the Executive strategy.

In the meantime, the Courts and Tribunals Service has adopted a Code of Courtesy on the use of Irish in official business, in line with its obligations under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Irish Language

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Justice whether his Department has any plans to promote the Irish language within the PSNI.

(AQW 6447/10)

Minister of Justice :
Any plan to promote the Irish language within the Police Service of Northern Ireland is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

Dissident Republican Threat

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Justice if he has had any discussions with ex-Royal Ulster Constabulary specialists regarding safety precautions in handling the dissident republican threat.

(AQW 6460/10)

Minister of Justice :
I have had no such discussions regarding safety precautions in respect of the dissident republican threat to the community or to police officers. However, I receive regular security briefings from the Chief Constable on the police response to the dissident republican threat.

Dissident Republican Activity

Mr J Shannon asked e Minister of Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that there is an adequate security force presence on the ground to deal with the increasing dissident republican activity.

(AQW 6461/10)

Minister of Justice :
The allocation of policing resources is a matter for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

Newtownhamilton Police Station

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice if he intends to revert Newtownhamilton police station to full-time status, given the recent terrorist attacks in the area; and if so, whether additional security measures will be put in place to protect police officers and staff.

(AQW 6472/10)

Minister of Justice :
The operation of police stations is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

PSNI Stations

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how many PSNI stations are currently operating on a part-time basis; and how many of these are in border areas.

(AQW 6473/10)

Minister of Justice :
The operation of police stations is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

Review of McClurg v the Chief Constable

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Justice, in light of the review of McClurg v the Chief Constable on 22 April 2010, for his assessment of the direction given by the Chief Constable that any claim should be resolved by the Assembly and not the serving Chief Constable.

(AQW 6494/10)

Minister of Justice : There is no doubt that a significant number of police officers through the years have been subjected to situations which have caused terrible injuries and distress, and that our community owes them a huge debt of gratitude. I believe those who have suffered deserve our support and I am pleased that measures are in place (eg through the Northern Ireland Police Fund, and PSNI Occupational Health services) to help meet the needs of these serving and former officers.

With regard to the matters brought before the courts, at considerable cost to the PSNI and Police Federation members, Chief Constables were found not to have been negligent.

I understand that the Chief Constable has suggested that plaintiffs might consider seeking an ex gratia compensation payment from the Executive and Assembly rather than continuing to pursue their claims through the courts. This would be a matter for individual plaintiffs.

Violent Assault Against Pregnant Women

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Justice how many convictions for violent assault against pregnant women have been secured in each of the last ten years.

(AQW 6499/10)

Minister of Justice : I regret that the information sought on convictions for violent assault against pregnant women is not available. Court conviction data do not contain background or victim information in relation to offences committed, and it is therefore not possible to separate out the number of such convictions from other types of assault.

Northern Ireland Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Justice how many payments were made under the Northern Ireland Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to women whose unborn child sustained a criminal injury in each of the last 10 years.

(AQW 6500/10)

Minister of Justice :
From 1 May 2002, the Compensation Agency’s records show that there has been one criminal injury claim for injury to an unborn child. The ‘injury’ involved was the miscarriage of a 3 month old foetus following an assault on the mother. Prior to May 2002, the Agency did not record a specific injury descriptor for this type of injury.

Police and Criminal Evidence Regime

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Justice whether, on the basis of parity with England and Wales, he will retain the Police and Criminal Evidence regime.

(AQW 6502/10)

Minister of Justice :
The Police & Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (PACE), currently provides the framework of police powers in Northern Ireland which largely mirrors the equivalent PACE provision in England and Wales.

Policy responsibility for PACE legislation and associated Codes of Practice in Northern Ireland now rests with the Department of Justice. I shall keep PACE under regular review to ensure that it provides police with the powers they need to detect and investigate crime while protecting the rights of the individual. It will be for the Assembly, key stakeholders and members of the public to shape the future statutory framework.

Courts Service Translators

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how much has been spent by the Courts Service on translators in each court division in each of the last three years.

(AQW 6504/10)

Minister of Justice :
Prior to 2008/9 court interpreter services in the criminal courts were delivered through the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI). Funding for 2008/9 and 2009/10 was the shared responsibility of the Public Prosecution Service, the then Northern Ireland Court Service and the NIO.

In Table 1 below, the figures for 2007/8 and 2008/9 have been provided by the Public Prosecution Service and it is not possible to disaggregate them by court division. The figures for 2009/10 are provided by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service (NICTS) and the PPSNI.

Tables 2, 3 and 4 set out the costs associated with interpreting services in non-criminal proceedings which are funded through the NICTS. Information is not available by court division prior to 2008.

Information on other costs associated with translation and interpretation is only available from 2008 and includes:-

• Language Line (a telephone translation service) with expenditure of £87 and £103 in 2008/9 and 2009/10 respectively; and
• Document Translation with expenditure of £11,011 and £18,667 in 2008/9 and 2009/10 respectively.

Table 1: Interpreter Costs in Criminal Courts

Notes:

¹. Includes accruals (i.e. where service has been provided but invoice not yet received)

². This figure includes costs for 1^st Appearances and other PPSNI related interpreter costs (figures supplied by PPSNI)

Interpreter Costs in Non-Criminal Cases

Table 2

2007/8

Table 3

2008/9

** For departmental prosecutions brought by other agencies such as DOE, DVLNI and TV Licensing.

Table 4

2009/10

Drugs Culture Inside Prisons

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how he plans to tackle the drugs culture inside prisons.

(AQW 6505/10)

Minister of Justice :
The Prison Service is continuously improving its measures.

The Service takes the issue of drugs in prison very seriously. While the most common way for drugs to enter prisons is through visits, prisoners returning from periods of temporary release are also found to have brought drugs back to the prison. The most common drugs detected are cannabis resin and illicit tablets, while Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine are not as serious an issue as in neighbouring jurisdictions.

Following a report published in July 2008, the Prison Service has a comprehensive strategy in place both to minimise the supply of drugs coming into prisons and to provide addiction support services to prisoners.

The addiction services comprise a clinical team led by a consultant in addiction psychiatry with the support of two addiction nurses, and a psychological intervention service provided by ADEPT (Opportunity Youth). This service, operational since autumn 2009, extends across all three prisons and works jointly to provide a range of clinical and psychosocial interventions for those who wish to address their substance misuse problem.

Measures in place to minimise the supply of drugs include:

• all visitors, staff and others entering prisons are searched;
• passive drugs dogs are used to screen visitors to prisoners;
• prisoners entering or leaving the visits room are subject to rub down or full searching;
• regular searching takes place within prisons including prisoners’ cells;
• controls with regard to prisoners receiving or sending money in or out of the prison;
• use of technology including CCTV and communications equipment;
• a close working relationship with the PSNI to identify traffickers and deal with those caught in possession of drugs.

From 1 June, under recent changes to the Prison Rules, new mandatory drug testing programme using samples of urine or saliva will be introduced across the establishments. This will provide faster results, and the outcome will be carefully assessed. In addition physical works will be undertaken to reduce the scope for trafficking drugs further.

Low-copy DNA Testing

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how many criminal investigations are currently stalled due to budgetary constraints on low-copy DNA testing, broken down by policing division.

(AQW 6506/10)

Minister of Justice : The use of low-copy number DNA testing in any criminal investigation is an operational decision to be taken by PSNI and therefore is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

PSNI Entry Examinations

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Justice to list the locations where PSNI applicants can undertake the entry examinations.

(AQW 6509/10)

Minister of Justice : Practical arrangements for recruitment are a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

Contraband Items

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice to list all the contraband items seized from prisoners in the last 12 months.

(AQW 6526/10)

Minister of Justice : The table below lists contraband items seized from prisoners during the period from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 6210/10, to detail the offences committed for each of the Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs); and how many of these ASBOs have been breached.

(AQW 6534/10)

Minister of Justice : The information being sought is a matter for the relevant authorities and is not held centrally. The Anti Social Behaviour (NI) Order 2004 defines anti social behaviour as acting:

‘in a manner that caused, or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one of more persons not of the same household as himself’; and as such the term ‘offences’ is inappropriate.

To provide such information would incur a disproportionate cost.

Of the 39 ASBOs listed in AQW 6210/10, 6 have been breached.

Prison Service Equality Statement and Report

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Justice if he will publish the Prison Service equality statement and report.

(AQW 6544/10)

Minister of Justice : The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) is fully committed to its statutory obligations under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. In line with other NICS Departments it does not have an equality statement as such. As an Agency within the Department of Justice it reports, as part of the wider Departmental Equality Scheme, on its equality duties through published Annual Progress Reports as commissioned by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The report for 2009/2010 is being collated and a copy will be placed in the library in due course.

Street Pastors Organisation

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Justice if he is aware that the Street Pastors organisation is considering operating in Northern Ireland; and if he would provide funding for this project.

(AQW 6563/10)

Minister of Justice : My Department has not been made aware that Street Pastors is considering operating in Northern Ireland nor has my Department been approached by this organisation for funding.

Any request for funding could be considered once it was clear what the project would aim to achieve against a clearly evidenced need not already being addressed through existing initiatives. Any proposal would also need to be considered against existing financial commitments.

Coroners Service for Northern Ireland Website

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Justice if he will arrange for details of completed inquests, including the name of the deceased, the verdict and any related recommendations, to be placed on the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland website.

(AQW 6591/10)

Minister of Justice : There are no plans at present to publish the findings of Inquests because of the personal and sensitive nature of the information involved and the possibility of causing more distress to the next of kin.

However where a coroner believes that action should be taken to prevent the recurrence of fatalities similar to the one for which an inquest was held, he may make a report to the person or authority that has power to take action. While there is currently no provision for the publication of this information in Northern Ireland this is something that I intend to review.

Dissident Terrorist Activity

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Justice what contact he has had with officials from other parts of the UK regarding the need to address the increased level of dissident terrorist activity.

(AQW 6599/10)

Minister of Justice : To date I have had two meetings on dissident terrorist activity with NIO Ministers and officials.

Assaults on Police Officers

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how many police officers were assaulted whilst on duty in each constituency, in each of the last three years; and how many of these assaults were regarded as serious.

(AQW 6617/10)

Minister of Justice : Recording instances of assault on police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond directly.

Youth Conferencing with the Youth Justice Agency

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Justice how many children and young people in north Belfast are currently engaged in Youth Conferencing with the Youth Justice Agency.

(AQW 6620/10)

Minister of Justice : In the constituency of Belfast North, including the boundary changes from 6^th April 2010, the Youth Justice Agency is currently supervising 85 young people. These young people have met with their victims at a youth conference and having agreed a reparative action plan are subject to Youth Conference Orders/plans.

Tasers

Lord Morrow asked e Minister of Justice how many times PSNI officers have deployed tasers since they were introduced.

(AQW 6624/10)

Minister of Justice : The deployment of tasers by PSNI officers is a matter for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board, and I have forwarded this Question to the Chief Constable, who will respond to you directly.

Minutes of High Court Meetings

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Justice whether auditable minutes are taken during High Court meetings involving solicitors and the Master; and if these minutes are countersigned by all the parties involved.

(AQW 6625/10)

Minister of Justice : Meetings between Masters and members of the legal profession about individual cases are the responsibility of the Lord Chief Justice.

The Lord Chief Justice’s Office has agreed to write to the Member in respect of this matter.

Tort Law and the Human Rights Act

Mr G Savage asked e Minister of Justice for his assessment of whether Tort law and the Human Rights Act, are being fully enforced by the High Court with regard to medical negligence.

(AQW 6627/10)

Minister of Justice : The application of the law in any case before the court is entirely a matter for the judge. If a party considers that the law has not been properly applied in a particular case in the High Court, there is a right of appeal to the Court of Appeal and in certain circumstances to the Supreme Court.

NI Court Service Employees

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Justice to detail (i) the number of employees in the NI Court Service who are currently suspended from work; (ii) the length of time each employee has been suspended on full pay and (iii) the total cost to the Court Service in salaries, national insurance and pension contributions of these cases over the last 5 years.

(AQW 6636/10)

Minister of Justice : Three employees in the Business Operations Division in the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service are currently on precautionary suspension from work. Two Administrative Officers have been suspended on full pay, one for 24 months and 3 weeks and one for 9 weeks, and an Executive Officer for 18 months and 2 weeks. The total cost of these cases in salaries, national insurance and pension contributions to date is approximately £81,534.

A further 9 employees have been suspended within the last 5 years for various periods. These cases have now been concluded and incurred salary related costs of approximately £750k.

Department for Regional Development

A5 Western Transport Corridor

Lord Morrow asked the Minister for Regional Development how many hectares are to be vested for the construction of the A5 Western Transport Corridor.

(AQW 6386/10)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the total area of land to be vested for the A5 Western Transport Corridor is currently estimated to be 1,000 hectares. The final figure will not be known until late summer this year.

This estimate includes areas of land which will be required temporarily during construction to facilitate works, such as flood compensation measures, deposition of surplus material, drainage outfalls, temporary road diversions and environmental mitigation.

Following completion of the scheme, the temporary land will be disposed of to the landowners.

These temporary areas may be omitted from the vesting order, if appropriate agreements can be made with the relevant landowners.

Ministry of Defence Housing Sites

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) to detail any meetings held between NI Water and residents of former Ministry of Defence housing sites to assess the residents' ability to pay for upgrading the mains water and sewerage systems; and (ii) what steps he is taking to ensure that NI Water holds such meetings to reach a solution.

(AQW 6476/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it has not met with residents of former Ministry of Defence housing sites to discuss their ability to pay for upgrading water and sewerage systems. It has however met with developers and developer’s agents in relation to the proposed adoption of infrastructure within former Ministry of Defence sites in Ballymena, Ballykelly and Portadown. NIW will only adopt sewerage systems which meet the current specification and construction standards contained in its Sewers for Adoption Procedures. Guidance Notes about the Sewer Adoption process are available on the NIW website at www.niwater.com. Watermains may also be offered for adoption by agreement subject to their installation meeting current NIW specification and they must comply with current regulations and standards of performance for the provision of water supplies to premises in the area.

NIW would be available to meet with any residents of former Ministry of Defence housing to explain the current procedures and requirements for adoption of water or sewerage infrastructure within their sites.

Vandalism of Bus Shelters

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost of vandalism of bus shelters in the North Down constituency, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6477/10)

Minister for Regional Development: In January 2001 Roads Service and the majority of district councils entered into a 15-year contract with Adshel (the bus shelter provider) for the provision of approximately 1500 bus shelters throughout the council areas involved. The provision and maintenance of these shelters are funded by Adshel through advertising revenue and at no cost to the Department. The contract covers the vast majority of bus shelters here – including all those in the North Down area - and the Department has no knowledge of the costs incurred by Adshel in carrying out their contractual commitments.

Translink does not currently maintain any bus shelters in the North Down area.

Annaghmore Road and Bellshill Road Junction at Castledawson

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development how much was spent on the public inquiry on the Annaghmore Road and Bellshill Road junction at Castledawson in 2007.

(AQW 6488/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the November 2007 Public Inquiry, held to examine the Toome to Castledawson Dualling Scheme, cost £64,341.72 although it is not possible to establish what proportion of the overall costs related to the Annaghmore Road and Bellshill Road junction.

Traffic Warning Lights for Greyabbey Primary School

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development to confirm the completion date for the traffic warning lights for Greyabbey Primary School.

(AQW 6492/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that one of the flashing traffic warning signs erected at Greyabbey Primary School in October 2009 is to be relocated to improve its visibility to drivers.

However, there has been a delay in progressing this work due to the completion of emergency patching work in the Ards area. While I am unable to provide a definitive date as to when this work will be completed, it is anticipated that it will be completed by the end of May 2010.

Mains Water Pipe on the Tamlough Road between Randalstown and Portglenone

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister for Regional Development on how many occasions, in each of the last five years, has NI Water repaired the mains water pipe on the Tamlough Road between Randalstown and Portglenone; and at what cost.

(AQW 6512/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it does not hold records of individual water main repairs prior to 1 April 2007 and is unable to provide the information sought for 2005/06 and 2006/07. The table below shows the number of repairs to the section of water main on the Tamlough Road between Randalstown and Portglenone for the 3 years to 31 March 2010, together with an estimated cost for the work.

NIW is currently progressing plans to replace this section of water main.

Wastewater Treatment Works

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development if he can confirm that the ongoing problems at Greyabbey wastewater treatment works will be resolved within a six month period, given that similar problems were resolved within six months at the Drumaness wastewater treatment works.

(AQW 6590/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that there are no ongoing problems at Greyabbey Wastewater Treatment Works and a recent review of its performance has shown the Works to be operating effectively. While both Greyabbey and Drumaness Works use a similar treatment process, it would not be appropriate to compare the performance of these works as a number of factors, including the operation of the respective sewerage networks and the volumes of wastewater treated, differ substantially.

Following a number of flooding complaints in the Greyabbey area over recent months, NIW identified some issues with the sewerage network and undertook remedial action. Unfortunately, this work has not fully resolved the flooding problem therefore a more detailed study of the sewer network is required. NIW has assured me that you will be kept informed of developments as the investigation progresses.

Closure of Northern Ireland Airspace

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development if he has been involved in any discussions regarding the closure of Northern Ireland airspace in recent weeks.

(AQW 6603/10)

Minister for Regional Development: I have not been involved in discussions regarding the closure of airspace. The control of airspace over the North is a reserved matter. Decisions regardingclosure are taken by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in consultation with National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the Met Office and the Department for Transport.

However I have been receiving regular updates from the Department for Transport in London, the CAA and NATS regarding flight restrictions. I have also been in direct contact with Noel Dempsey, my counterpart in the South and my Department is receiving updates on the position within Irish airspace.

General information on the current situation and the response to it has been collated by OFMDFM from all affected organisations and governments. This has been shared and discussed with relevant departments and agencies through the Civil Contingencies Group mechanism.

Saintfield Road

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Regional Development what steps his Department has taken to ensure that all works on the Saintfield Road are co-ordinated to minimise disruption to local residents and road users.

(AQW 6631/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that a significant amount of planning is involved in the preparation of its annual works programme to ensure that all programmed utility works are carried out, as necessary, simultaneously with any scheme. However, in some circumstances, such as traffic management requirements, or public safety reasons, some utility works may be carried out in advance of a scheme.

Over the last five years, Roads Service has carried out a significant amount of essential structural maintenance on the Saintfield Road. The most recent resurfacing work was carried out in August 2009, between Ivanhoe Avenue and the Carryduff roundabout, and included the provision of a new footway/cycleway.

Over 700 information letters outlining the nature and extent of these works were delivered to residents and businesses, in advance of the work commencing. These letters provided contact details for Roads Service and the Contractor’s supervisory staff, in the event of any problems occurring during the works. Information signs were also erected on the approaches to the works, and additional letters were delivered to provide up dates to residents and businesses during the works.

Before this work commenced, Northern Ireland Water (NIW) advised that a water main needed to be replaced, and Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) advised that it wished to replace a number of electric poles in the same section of the Saintfield Road. Following discussions, it was agreed that NIW would carry out the majority of its work before commencement of the resurfacing scheme, and that NIE would carry its work afterwards. This scheme was planned in such a way so as to minimise its impact upon residents, local businesses and commuters. The majority of the footway work was undertaken during week-days and at off-peak times to avoid the peak-hour commuter traffic. The carriageway resurfacing was carried out at weekends, as this involved road closures.

Work is also ongoing to form an entrance for the new Park and Ride site between Cairnshill Road and Primrose Hill. This has involved lane closures during off-peak periods, and is programmed to be complete by the summer of 2010.

Previous resurfacing schemes have been properly managed and co-ordinated by Roads Service in order to minimise the impact upon the residents, commercial communities and commuters without compromising road safety. Although there are no further plans to carry out major resurfacing works on the Saintfield Road within the current financial year, routine maintenance will continue to be carried out, such as gully emptying

Ballynahinch By-Pass

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister for Regional Development when funding for the Ballynahinch By-Pass will be made available and when work will commence.

(AQW 6681/10)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the A24 Ballynahinch By-pass proposal is included in its Preparation Pool. This allows high priority schemes to be developed and taken through the Statutory Procedures in advance of funding being confirmed. However, subsequent progression into the Construction Programme is dependent on the satisfactory completion of the Statutory Procedures and the availability of funding at that time.

While I can confirm that work to develop the scheme, in preparation for progressing it through the Statutory Procedures is continuing, I am at present unable to advise when construction work on site is likely to commence, as the level of funding likely to be available for strategic road improvements, in future years, has not been decided.

Department for Social Development

Housing Waiting List

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development how many people are currently (i) on the housing waiting list; and (ii) deemed to be in housing stress in (a) Downpatrick; (b) Newcastle; (c) Castlewellan; (d) Hilltown; (e) Rathfriland; (f) Kilkeel; (g) Warrenpoint; (h) Rostrevor; and (i) Mayobridge.

(AQW 6177/10)

Minister for Social Development (Ms M Ritchie): The table below provides the social housing waiting list figures, including the numbers of applicants in housing stress for the areas in question:-

Village Renewal Area of south Belfast

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Social Development (i) how many houses in the redevelopment section of the Village Renewal Area of south Belfast had grant aided work carried out in the last two years; and (ii) how much public money was spent on each house.

(AQW 6216/10)

Minister for Social Development: No new applications for grant aid to homes in the redevelopment section of the Village have been approved since 30 April 2008, when an Urban Renewal Area was declared.

However 24 homes have had grant aided work totalling £95,836.51 completed within the last two years as these approvals pre-dated the declaration of the Urban Renewal Area and as such the Housing Executive was already committed to this work. These properties are all due for demolition.

Social Housing Dwellings

Mr F McCann asked the Minister for Social Development how many social housing dwellings were completed in (i) 2008/09; and (ii) 2009/10 in each constituency.

(AQW 6232/10)

Minister for Social Development: The table below details social housing dwellings completed in 2008/09 and 2009/10 in each constituency:-

Points System for the Allocation of Housing

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister for Social Development if she has any plans to review the points system for the allocation of housing, and giving more consideration to community infrastructure.

(AQW 6295/10)

Minister for Social Development: Allocation of social housing is based on the Common Selection Scheme which assesses and ranks applicants on the basis of individual need, taking into account factors such as intimidation, insecurity of tenure, housing conditions and health and social well-being.

While the Common Selection Scheme remains an effective and equitable system of assessing need, it is important that it takes account of recent changes to wider Northern Ireland society. My officials are currently considering plans for modernisation of the Scheme to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and I hope to be in a position to bring proposals forward later this year.

Housing Executive Discretionary Grants

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister for Social Development for her assessment of when Housing Executive Discretionary Grants may be re-instated.

(AQW 6298/10)

Minister for Social Development: The budget allocation for 2010/11 has been allocated to meet both outstanding commitments, together with in year mandatory grant requirements (Disabled Facilities Grants and Repairs). As in 2009/10 there will be no in-year approvals for grants other than for the mandatory grants and exceptional discretionary grants.

The mandatory grants - Disabled Facilities Grants, which provide adaptations to enable disabled people to remain in their home; and Repairs Grants, approved on foot of Statutory Notices, will continue to operate normally.

I will continue to bid in future monitoring rounds to protect the housing agenda.

Neighbourhood Wardens

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development (i) how many neighbourhood wardens currently operate in North Down; (ii) the areas for which they are responsible; and (iii) if she has any plans to introduce more wardens in the area.

(AQW 6338/10)

Minister for Social Development: There are currently two Neighbourhood Wardens in North Down and they operate across the following areas:-

- Kilcooley/ Ferngrove
- Rathgill/Willowbrook
- Clandeboye/ Woodgreen
- Holywood
- Conlig/ Breezemount
- Bloomfield
- Whitehill/ Clanmorris/ Lisnabreen
- Groomsport
- Jubilee
- Crawfordsburn/ Helens Bay

There are currently no plans to introduce any further Neighbourhood Wardens in North Down.

Housing Benefit Payments

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development for a breakdown of the total amount of Housing Benefit payments (i) by constituency; and (ii) by District Council area, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 6339/10)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested. The table below provides the information by Housing Executive District Office area, for the period 2005/06 to 2009/10.