Friday 12 November 2010

Written Answers to Questions

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

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People

Miss M McIlveen asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for their assessment of the value for money provided by, and the effectiveness of, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People since its establishment in 2003.

(AQW 1828/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness): The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister is the sponsoring body for the Commissioner for Children and Young People. In this role, we are obligated under Treasury guidance, the Management Statement and Financial Memorandum to carry out a review of the Commissioner every three years.

The purpose of the review is to determine the value for money and the effectiveness and efficiency of the operation of the Commissioner within the legislative terms set out in the Commissioner for Children and Young People (NI) Order (2003). It also looks at how delivery of these services can be improved in the future.

The first review of the Commissioner was carried out in 2007. A copy of the review report can be found on www.allchildrenni.gov.uk website.

OFMDFM commissioned the second review of the Commissioner at the beginning of 2010. Information on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Commissioner will be detailed in the review report soon to be published. It would be premature to speculate at this time what the findings of the review will be.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Ms D Purvis asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister if they will make a statement to the Assembly on the implications for women of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

(AQW 1837/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: As we outlined in our answer to AQW 1613/11, dated 4 November 2010, the implications of the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement will be very challenging for all concerned. We will be doing everything we can to minimise its impact on Section 75 groups including women.

As part of the outworkings of the budget process, departments will be paying due regard to their equality responsibilities and we will maintain this responsibility throughout our consideration of the Spending Review options and when making final budget decisions.

Public Open Space Land

Dr S Farry asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister how much public open space land is owned by their Department and its associated bodies.

(AQW 1912/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Department and its associated bodies do not currently own any public open space land. However, the objective of the Peace Bridge and Parade Ground contracts at the Ebrington Barracks site is to create a public space at this historic site.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Protection of Marine Environments

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in relation to the protection of marine environments, why her Department has yet to agree a position with the Department of the Environment on the boundaries of non-disturbance zones.

(AQW 1647/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): A position has been agreed with the Department of the Environment and my Department will now be bringing forward Regulations to establish sea fishing exclusion zones in the Lough.

Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the threat to pig producers as a result of the Irish Government's introduction of a Sow Housing Welfare scheme, set up under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS); and whether she has any plans togive farmers here equal or better financial support than is being offered to pig producers in the Republic of Ireland through the TAMS scheme.

(AQW 1672/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I do not believe that there is any threat to pig producers here as a result of the south’s scheme. The TAMS offers grant-aid to enable compliance with Council Directive 2008/120/EC. However the Welfare of Farmed Animal (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2003 already covers all the conditions contained in this Directive, hence producers here have had a long lead-in period in which to bring their units up to the required standards. Almost all are already fully in compliance and adherence is ensured by a minimum of five inspections each year, one of which is carried out by an independent assessor. In addition, DARD inspectors carry out welfare visits.

For those wishing to further improve their pig production facilities, I am pleased to advise that Tranche 2 of the Farm Modernisation Programme will be open for applications until 26 November 2010. The List of Eligible Items for this Tranche includes a number of modernising items of plant, machinery and equipment which are likely to be of interest to the pig sector. Support will be provided at a rate of up to 40% and up to a maximum payment of £4k per applicant. Under Tranche 1, pig enterprises received almost £100,000 of grant-aid. I am also seeking to bring forward a third tranche and this may include further support measures for the pig sector.

In addition, the Manure Efficiency Technology Scheme (METS), which provides capital grants for investment in advanced slurry and manure spreading systems, may also contain relevant items. Financial support of up to £10,000 per farm business will be available under Tranche 2.

Given the above, I am confident that the pig sector here will not be disadvantaged by the introduction of the TAMS in the south.

Biomass Processing Challenge Fund

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for an update on the Biomass Processing Challenge Fund.

(AQW 1969/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Biomass Processing Challenge Fund, which is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund, is an integral part of my Department’s Renewable Energy Action Plan. The first tranche of the fund closed to new applications on 19 August 2010. A grant rate of up to 40% of eligible costs, to a maximum of €400,000 per project, may be paid.

A total of 15 applications were received by the closing date and all eligible applications have now been assessed, using set criteria, by a Selection Panel. The assessment of projects was informed by technical and economic analysis and a range of renewable energy technologies including biomass boilers and anaerobic digestion have been applied for.

Letters of Offer are due to issue to successful applicants in the coming weeks.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Pre-school Places

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Education if she can provide an assurance that there will be a funded pre-school place available for all children in their immediate pre-school year.

(AQW 1214/11)

Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane): Is é is aidhm don Chlár Fairsingithe Oideachais Réamhscoile (CFOR) bliain amháin d’ardchaighdeán cistithe oideachais réamhscoile a sholáthar, sa bhliain roimh oideachas éigeantach, do gach páiste ar mian lena dtuismitheoirí é. Faoin Chlár seo, tugadh soláthar breise isteach ar bhonn céimnithe ón scoilbhliain 1998/99. Ón am sin ar aghaidh, tháinig méadú ar an leibhéal soláthair ó 45% go breis agus 90%. Ós rud é nach mian le gach tuismitheoir leas a bhaint as áit chistithe réamhscoile dá bpáistí, meastar gur leor an leibhéal soláthair seo chun an t-éileamh a chomhlíonadh.

The aim of the Pre-school Education Expansion Programme (PSEEP) is to provide one year of high quality funded pre-school education, in the year before compulsory education, for every child whose parents wish it. Under this Programme additional provision has been introduced on a phased basis since the 1998/99 school year. Since that time the overall level of provision has risen from 45% to over 90%. As not every parent wants to avail of a pre-school place for their child this level of provision is considered sufficient to meet demand.

While my Department retains policy and budgetary responsibility for the PSEEP, the planning and implementation at local level is the responsibility of the Pre-School Education Advisory Groups (PEAGS) within each Education and Library Board. These groups undertake an annual review of provision in order to ensure that there are sufficient funded pre-school places available to meet the needs of each area.

However, as evidenced by the significant demand for pre-school places this year, the management of this function is a complex process as there is no statistical data available at a local level which provides detailed information on the projected number of children who will be in their final pre-school year i.e. those aged between 3 years 2 months and 4 years 2 months each September.

Whilst statistical projections can indicate a rise in the number of three year olds each year they cannot predict specifically where increased demand will occur. Therefore the P1 number, which is collated as part of the annual School Census, is used as a proxy for the size of the pre-school cohort. This method is considered to be the most accurate way of predicting likely demand in an individual locality. However, the numbers of newcomer children in a given area, and whether parents will request full-time or part-time provision are also factors which cannot be predicted and can impact on the level of provision in an area. Whilst overall there may be sufficient places to meet demand there may be occasions on which supply does not match demand on a geographic basis.

I can assure you that following the high demand for funded pre-school places this year, officials in my Department are working with the Education and Library Boards to ensure that, as far as possible, there will be a funded pre-school place available for every child in their final pre-school year whose parents want them to have one.

Pre-school Places

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Education why some two-year-old children receive a funded pre-school place, whilst some children in their immediate pre-school year do not.

(AQW 1217/11)

Minister of Education: Is é is aidhm don Chlár Fairsingithe Oideachais Réamhscoile (CFOR) bliain amháin d’ardchaighdeán cistithe oideachais réamhscoile a sholáthar, sa bhliain roimh oideachas éigeantach, do gach páiste ar mian lena dtuismitheoirí é.

The aim of the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme (PSEEP) is to provide one year of high quality funded pre-school education for every child in their final pre-school year whose parents want it.

Funded pre-school places are provided in statutory nursery settings and in voluntary/private playgroup settings participating in the PSEEP. Whilst funded places in the voluntary/private sector can only be allocated to children in their final pre-school year, places in the statutory nursery sector have, since the early 1970s under legislation, been open to children from the age of 2 years.

The legislation requires statutory sector providers to give priority to applications from children in their final pre-school year. However, when undersubscribed with applications from appropriate age children, these settings must also, under the open enrolment arrangements, consider applications from younger children and allocate available places during the Admissions process. All applications, irrespective of the age of the child, are processed at the same time in accordance with the department’s published timetable.

As priority must always be given to children in their final pre-school year, the only places in statutory settings that can be offered to underage children who apply are those for which children in their final pre-school year did not apply during the Admissions process.

Pre-school Places

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 605, 606 and 609, when she will be in a position to provide figures in relation to the uptake of pre-school places

(AQW 1239/11)

Minister of Education: Tá na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlann ag bailiú an eolais riachtanaigh faoi láthair. Meastar go mbeidh sé ag mo Roinn roimh i bhfad. Tá súil agam go mbeidh mé in ann freagra substainteach ar AQW 605, 606 agus 609 a thabhairt roimh dheireadh mhí na Samhna.

The necessary information is presently being collated by the Education and Library Boards. It is anticipated that it will be with my department shortly. I hope to be in a position to provide a substantive response to AQWs 605, 606 and 609 before the end of November.

Comparable Service Delivery

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Education what benchmarking exercises her Department conducts to assess its spending profile relative to comparable service delivery in other jurisdictions.

(AQW 1505/11)

Minister of Education: Leithdháiltear acmhainní ar an Choiste Feidhmiúcháin faoi Fhoirmle Barnet. Ina dhiaidh sin, tá sé de dhualgas ar an Choiste Feidhmiúcháin leithdháiltí Ranna a chinneadh ar bhonn an leibhéil chistithe a cuireadh ar fáil do sheirbhísí poiblí anseo. A luaithe a aontóidh an Coiste Feidhmiúcháin ar an bhuiséad atá ar fáil do sheirbhísí oideachais, cinnfidh mé, mar Aire Oideachais, cad é mar a chaithfí na hacmhainní seo de réir mo thosaíochtaí, agus bunófar leithdháiltí ar na heochairphrionsabail de riachtanas agus de chomhionannas.

Resources are allocated to the Executive under the Barnet Formula. It is then the responsibility of the Executive to determine Departmental allocations on basis of the level of funding made available for public services here. Once the Executive agree the budget available for education services it is then a decision for me as Education Minister to determine how these resources should be spent in accordance with my priorities and allocations will be based on the key principles of need and equality.

Policy Screening Process

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Education to detail, for the period from May 2007 to date, (i) the number of policies her Department and its associated bodies have (a) ''screened out'' as having no Equality Impact; and (b) ''screened in'' as having an Equality Impact; (ii) the number of staff involved in the screening process; and (iii) the cost of the screening process.

(AQW 1562/11)

Minister of Education: Ó mhí na Bealtaine 2007 "scag" an Roinn Oideachas amach 20 polasaí nach raibh Measúnacht Tionchair acu agus "scag" sí isteach 6 pholasaí a raibh Measúnacht Tionchair acu.

Since May 2007 the Department of Education has ''screened out'' 20 policies as having no Equality Impact and ''screened in'' 6 policies as having an Equality Impact.

I have been advised by the Chief Executives of educational Non-Departmental Public Bodies that in the same period their organisations "screened out" 27 policies as having no Equality Impact and ''screened in'' 7 policies as having an Equality Impact.

As each policy has different considerations it is not possible to provide a figure for the number of staff involved in the screening process. However, a minimum screening would involve 2 or 3 members of staff (including a member of staff from the organisation’s Equality Unit).

As screening is an intrinsic part of policy making it is not costed separately from any other part of the policy development process.

Teaching Recruitment Exercises

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Education why Education and Library Boards require applicants to have teaching experience within the last four years for current recruitment exercises; and for her assessment of the impact that this has on equality of opportunity, including reference to the findings of any equality screening of this policy.

(AQW 1624/11)

Minister of Education: Chuir na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlann in iúl dom nach bhfuil aon pholasaí a éilíonn taithí mhúinteoireachta in earcú agus i roghnú na múinteoirí agus, mar sin de, ní dhearnadh aon scagadh comhionannais ná measúnacht tionchair chomhionannais.

I have been informed by the Education and Library Boards that there is no policy requiring teaching experience in the recruitment and selection of teachers and therefore no equality screening or equality impact assessment has been carried out.

Middletown Autism Centre

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Education (i) to detail (a) capital; and (b) revenue costs for the Middletown Autism Centre in each year since it opened; (ii) for a breakdown of the contributions made to the centre by (a) Northern Ireland Departments; and (b) the Irish Government in each year since September 2004; (iii) for her assessment of paragraph 6.3.23 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2009 report on the centre; and (iv) if she will help to co-ordinate an opportunity for representatives of the Middletown Autism Centre to give evidence to the Assembly's Education Committee.

(AQW 1664/11)

Minister of Education: Maoiníonn an Roinn Oideachais agus an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna sa deisceart Ionad Choillidh Chanannáin d’Uathachas ar bhonn 50/50, agus ní ranníocann aon roinn eile rialtais sa tuaisceart cistiú.

The Middletown Centre for Autism is funded jointly on a 50/50 basis by the Department of Education and the Department for Education and Skills in the south with no other government department in the north contributing funding.

The overall project to establish the Centre has incurred costs by my Department as detailed in the table below. The figures are given for financial years since 2004 and includes all revenue and capital funding incurred by DE since that date. The south of Ireland has contributed an equivalent amount. The DE Project administration funding associated with the Centre since that date has also been included. The Centre started operating in March 2007.

*Up to 30 Sept 2010

This table excludes costs incurred prior to April 2004.

I accept that paragraph 6.3.23 of Financial Auditing & Reporting: General Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General – 2009 is a fair and accurate assessment of the situation in respect of the Middletown Centre for Autism when the audit was undertaken. I am pleased to note the views expressed by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his overall findings that appropriate corporate governance arrangements are in place at the Centre.

The Middletown Centre for Autism is a joint project by the Department of Education and the Department of Education and Skills in the south. The development of the two key services that have yet to be fully implemented, the Educational Assessment Service and the Learning Support Service, will be considered when drafting the updated, phased multi-annual plan for the future development of the Centre taking account of international best practice and the development of autism services on the island of Ireland since the Centre was established.

To date, the Centre has delivered a broad range of training interventions to over 5,000 professionals and parents across the island. Feedback received on this training has been extremely positive and interest in the forthcoming training events remaining high.

The Research and Information Service continues to progress two island-wide research projects in relation to sensory issues and working memory for those on the autism spectrum. A new research bulletin was also published recently in relation to educational assessment

Representatives from the Middletown Centre for Autism appeared before the Education Committee in November 2008. I am sure the Management Board of the Centre will respond positively should another invitation be extended by the Committee.

Financial Assistance for Taking Children to and from Primary Schools

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Education how many parents are currently being offered financial assistance by the Southern Education and Library Board for taking their children to and from their nearest primary schools.

(AQW 1673/11)

Minister of Education: Tá Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Deiscirt ag cur cúnaimh airgeadais ar fáil do theaghlaigh na 477 páiste atá ag freastal ar an Bhunscoil is cóngaraí dóibh faoi láthair.

The Southern Education and Library Board is providing financial assistance to the families of 477 pupils who are currently attending their nearest Primary school.

Quality of Physical Eduction Provision

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 952/11, to outline the Education and Training Inspectorate's assessment, in reports received by her Department, of the quality of physical eduction provision at (i) Key Stage One; (ii) Key Stage two; and (iii) in post-primary schools.

(AQW 1696/11)

Minister of Education: Cosúil le gach réimse foghlama laistigh den churaclam athbhreithnithe, is é an measúnú de chuid na Cigireachta Oideachais agus Oiliúna (COO) ná go bhféadtar caighdeán an tsoláthair chorpoideachais athrú ó scoil go scoil, i suímh bhunscoile agus i suímh iar-bhunscoile araon. Is é an soláthar is éifeachtaí ná soláthar arb é is príomhthréith ann ardleibhéil ghníomhaíochta, spreagtha, bhainteachta agus baint suilt as na ceachtanna trí ghníomhaíochtaí dúshlánacha éagsúla. Tá fócas soiléir ag na gníomhaíochtaí pleanáilte seo ar fhorbairt na scileanna inaistrithe a chothú agus ar neamhspleáchas sna foghlaimeoirí a spreagadh agus iad ag oiriúnú a scileanna i gcomhthéacsanna atá ag éirí níos dúshlánaí. Sa mhodh is lú éifeacht, tugtar barraíocht treoracha ón mhúinteoir, agus bíonn easpa deiseanna ag na foghlaimaoirí chun a scileanna a chleachtadh agus a fheabhsú.

As with all areas of learning within the revised curriculum, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) assessment is that the quality of physical education provision can vary from school to school, in both primary and post-primary settings. The most effective provision is characterised by high levels of activity, motivation, engagement and enjoyment of the lessons through challenging and differentiated activities. These well-planned activities have a clear focus on promoting the development of transferable skills and encourage independence in the learners as they adapt their skills in increasingly challenging contexts. In the less effective practice the lessons are overly directed by the teacher, with too few opportunities for the learners to practice and improve their skills.

As my earlier answer indicated, I believe that ensuring high quality provision that reflects the statutory requirements of the curriculum and that engages and promotes the enjoyment of young people is important and I will be asking the Education and Library Boards to look at how they can more effectively acknowledge and disseminate the good practice seen in many schools.

Primary Languages Programme

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of Education to list the primary schools currently participating in the Primary Languages Programme, broken down by (i) constituency; and (ii) the languages being taught in each school.

(AQW 1753/11)

Minister of Education: Tá 359 bunscoil atá ag glacadh páirte i gClár Teangacha Bunscoile faoi láthair. Tá líon na scoileanna atá ag glacadh páirte sa chlár mionsonraithe sa tábla thíos de réir toghcheantair agus de réir teanga atá á teagasc. Tá an tábla bunaithe ar theorainneacha athbhreithnithe toghcheantair mar atá leagtha amach sa Chúigiú Tuairisc Thréimhsiúil de chuid Choimisiún na Teorann.

There are currently 359 primary schools participating in the Primary Languages Programme. The number of schools participating in the programme is detailed in the table below by constituency and the language being taught. The table is based on revised constituency boundaries as outlined in the Boundary Commission Fifth Periodical Report.

BELFAST EAST

BELFAST NORTH

BELFAST SOUTH

BELFAST WEST

MID ULSTER

EAST DERRY

FERMANAGH AND SOUTH TYRONE

FOYLE

LAGAN VALLEY

NEWRY AND ARMAGH

EAST ANTRIM

NORTH ANTRIM

SOUTH ANTRIM

NORTH DOWN

SOUTH DOWN

STRANGFORD

UPPER BANN

WEST TYRONE

Education Action Zone

Mr W Humphrey asked the Minister of Education whether she will consider establishing an Education Action Zone for the greater Shankill area.

(AQW 1792/11)

Minister of Education: Ó ceapadh mar Aire Oideachais mé, bhí sé mar thosaíocht dom chun dul i ngleic le tearcghnóthachtáil cibé áit ina maireann sí agus chun comhionannas agus ardú caighdeán a chur chun cinn do gach duine óg.

Since becoming Education Minister, I have made it a priority to tackle underachievement wherever it exists and to promote equality and the raising of standards for all our young people.

My approach is not to focus on individual areas at the expense of others but to ensure support for all our schools in tackling the factors that contribute to educational underachievement in a way that can allow every child across the north of Ireland to reach her or his full potential.

I have therefore introduced a range of interconnected policies to ensure that every child can fulfil her or his potential. These policies include my school improvement policy, the ending of state sponsored testing at the age of 10 or 11, the revised curriculum and entitlement framework, the Extended and Full Service Schools programmes, support for Newcomer and Traveller Children and the Achieving Belfast and Derry programmes. In addition, I will shortly publish the revised literacy and numeracy strategy. My Department has also contributed to the work of the West Belfast and Greater Shankill Integrated Services for Children and Young People (ISCYP) project.

I believe that this is a much more sustainable and effective approach. However, it needs not just the efforts of schools but the support of local communities to succeed. I look forward to the member’s support in encouraging communities in his constituency, and indeed across the north, particularly those like the Shankill that face high levels of social disadvantage, to have high expectations for their young people and to show that they value the importance of getting a good education and support the work of their local schools.

Relationships and Sexuality Education

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Education (i) how many teachers are (i) trained in; and (ii) deliver Relationships and Sexuality Education, broken down by school.

(AQW 1824/11)

Minister of Education: Ní choinníonn an Roinn eolas ar leith ar líon na múinteoirí a oileadh in Oideachas Caidrimh agus Gnéasachta (OCG) ná a sholáthraíonn go rialta é ag an leibhéal scoile.

The Department does not hold specific information on the numbers of teachers trained in or who routinely deliver Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) at school level.

RSE is, of course, embedded in the curriculum. In primary schools it sits within the Personal Development and Mutual Understanding Area of Learning and its delivery is therefore the responsibility of all primary teachers. In post-primary schools Personal Development is a contributory element of the Learning for Life and Work Area for Learning.

To ensure that teachers have the skills and support they need to deliver RSE effectively and sensitively and in a way that reflects each school’s RSE policy, CCEA has developed teaching resource materials to support all aspects of Personal Development throughout all the key stages in the curriculum. These include ‘Living Learning Together’ for Primary and ‘Insync’ and ‘Love Matters’ at Post Primary. These resources were supplied to every primary and post primary school in the north of Ireland and were supported by training provided by the Curriculum Advisory Support Service (CASS) within each Education and Library Board which provided a full training programme during the implementation phase of the revised curriculum.

It is a matter for schools to decide if they require additional support in delivering RSE, including advice from the CASS service within the Education and Library Board or the purchase of materials/programmes from external agencies to support teachers in their delivery of this important aspect of the revised curriculum.

Relationships and Sexuality Education

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Education (i) which schools were included in the most recent inspection of Relationships and Sexuality Education curriculum delivery; and (ii) the number and name of each school which was found to be delivering this part of the curriculum at (a) satisfactory or above; and (b) less than satisfactory.

(AQW 1827/11)

Minister of Education: Bhí measúnú na Cigireachta Oideachais agus Oiliúna (COO) ar Oideachas Caidrimh agus Gnéasachta (OCG) ina dhá chuid, agus ba iad na rudaí a bhí i gceist leis ná (a) cuireadh á thabhairt do cheannairí sinsearacha ar gach iar-bhunscoil chun suirbhé ar líne a chríochnú, agus (b) cuairt á tabhairt ag an COO ar shampla de 25 iar-bhunscoil i mí Aibreáin 2010.

The Education and Training Inspectorate’s (ETI) evaluation of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) was in two parts, which involved (a) the senior leaders of all post-primary schools being invited to complete an online survey, and (b) ETI visiting a sample of 25 post-primary schools in April 2010.

Of the twenty five schools visited during the evaluation, all were delivering this part of the curriculum at a level that was evaluated by the Inspectorate as at least satisfactory.

The Inspectorate has produced a full report on the findings of the evaluation which will be published shortly.

Relationships and Sexuality Education

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Education (i) when the inspection on the delivery of the Relationships and Sexuality Education curriculum will take place in primary schools; (ii) if her Department intends to designate this part of the curriculum as a compulsory inspection area; and (iii) if her Department plans to offer training on this part of the curriculum to Boards of Governors.

(AQW 1831/11)

Minister of Education: (i) Tá sé de rún agam go dtabharfar ar aghaidh suirbhé ar sholáthar RSE, cosúil leis an cheann sin a rinneadh in iarbhunscoileanna, le bunscoileanna. Tá súil ag an Chigireacht Oideachais agus Oiliúna tús a chur leis seo sa scoilbhliain 2011/12.

(i) It is my intention that a survey of RSE provision, similar to the one carried out in post-primary schools, will be taken forward with primary schools. The Education and Training Inspectorate hope to start work on this in the 2011/12 school year.

(ii) It would not be my intention to designate Relationship and Sexuality Education as a compulsory area of inspection. The Department can make requests to ETI to carry out evaluations on specific areas of the curriculum and I am content that this is a satisfactory approach.

(iii) Responsibility for the provision of training programmes for governors rests with the 5 Education and Library Boards (ELBs). While it is important for governors to understand the responsibilities that schools have to deliver the revised curriculum, it is not the practice of the ELBs to offer specific training courses for governors focused on individual strands within areas of learning in the curriculum and currently I have no plans to ask them to do so.

DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Staff Disciplined

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many members of (i) academic; and (ii) non-academic staff have been disciplined in each of the Regional Colleges of Further Education in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1658/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey): Under the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, each College Governing Body is recognised as an employing authority in their own right. On this basis, all employment related issues, including disciplinary matters, are between the employee and the designated institution. As a result, my Department does not hold this information.

I have therefore asked the six Further Education College Directors to respond to you directly on this issue.

Staff Grievance Complaints

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many grievance complaints, relating to (i) academic; and (ii) non-academic staff, have been made in each of the Regional Colleges of Further Education in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1659/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Under the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, each College Governing Body is recognised as an employing authority in their own right. On this basis, all employment related issues, including disciplinary matters, are between the employee and the designated institution. As a result, my Department does not hold this information.

I have therefore asked the six Further Education College Directors to respond to you directly on this issue.

Industrial and Fair Employment Cases

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunal cases are currently pending, relating to (i) academic; and (ii) non-academic staff in each of the Regional Colleges of Further Education.

(AQW 1660/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Under the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, each College Governing Body is recognised as an employing authority in their own right. On this basis, all employment related issues, including disciplinary matters, are between the employee and the designated institution. As a result, my Department does not hold this information.

I have therefore asked the six Further Education College Directors to respond to you directly on this issue.

Industrial and Fair Employment Cases

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline the legal costs as a result of Industrial and Fair Employment cases, related to (i) academic; and (ii) non-academic staff in each of the Regional Colleges of Further Education in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1661/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Under the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, each College Governing Body is recognised as an employing authority in their own right. On this basis, all employment related issues, including disciplinary matters, are between the employee and the designated institution. As a result, my Department does not hold this information.

I have therefore asked the six Further Education College Directors to respond to you directly on this issue.

Industrial and Fair Employment Cases

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many Industrial and Fair Employment related cases, relating to (i) academic; and (ii) non-academic staff have taken place in each of the Regional Colleges of Further Education in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1662/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Under the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, each College Governing Body is recognised as an employing authority in their own right. On this basis, all employment related issues, including disciplinary matters, are between the employee and the designated institution. As a result, my Department does not hold this information.

I have therefore asked the six Further Education College Directors to respond to you directly on this issue.

University Drop-out Rates

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how the drop-out rates at Queen's University and the University of Ulster compared to other UK universities, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 1747/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Data on drop outs within Higher Education are available for full-time first degree entrants and only for those who do not return in the following academic year.

The drop-out rates for full-time, first degree entrants at Queen’s University, the University of Ulster and all UK universities in each of the last three years, are detailed in the table below:

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

University Drop-out Rates

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the drop-out rate in (i) Queen's University; and (ii) the University of Ulster, broken down by (a) school; and (ii) as a proportion of all students within each school, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1748/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Data on drop outs within Higher Education are available for full-time first degree entrants and only for those who do not return in the following academic year. Data are not available by school but can be given by subject.

The drop-out rates for full-time, first degree entrants at Queen’s University and the University of Ulster, broken down by subject, in each of the last three years are detailed in the table below:

Note: Drop out data by subject are only readily available to the Department for the last three years.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Public Open Space Land

Dr S Farry asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how much public open space land is owned by his Department and its associated bodies.

(AQW 1861/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The Department for Employment and Learning and its associated bodies do not own any public open space land.

Retirement Compensation Arrangements

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the retirement compensation arrangements for further education colleges.

(AQW 1922/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Compensation arrangements within Further Education colleges use the Teachers’ Premature Retirement Scheme ("the Scheme") which is operated by the Department of Education (DE).

In order to control the escalating costs, DE introduced changes to the Scheme on the 30th April 2010 through The Teachers’ (Compensation for Redundancy and Premature Retirement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. As a result of these changes, the option of granting premature retirement payments (i.e. added years and early payment of pension) has been deemed unaffordable by all Employing Authorities. The new Regulations allow Employing Authorities to offer severance payments as an alternative to premature retirement payments.

My Department has encouraged the six College employers to adopt a common ‘sector wide’ approach for the purpose of implementing severance payments for lecturers. The college employers submitted a ‘sector wide’ proposal to the Department on 17th September 2010; my Department provided clarification, as requested, on 14^th October 2010 that the proposal is within the parameters of the Teachers’ Premature Retirement Scheme.

This response also advised College employers that any proposal remains subject to discussion with the recognised Trade Unions, using the established negotiating mechanisms.

DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Staff Mileage Claims

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the cost, to her Department, of staff mileage claims in the last financial year.

(AQW 1796/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster): Reimbursements to staff, for mileage undertaken for official business travelling, cost the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment £167,840 in 2009/10.

'Doing Business in the UK and Ireland' Conference

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment why Invest NI is no longer participating in the 'Doing Business in the UK and Ireland' conference in Canada in mid-November 2010.

(AQW 1916/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Invest Northern has not been invited to participate in the 2010 Doing Business in the UK and Ireland Conference in Canada and has had no involvement in the conference in previous years.

China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if her Department will participate in the forthcoming China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing.

(AQW 1949/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: My Department did not participate in the recent China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing.

This year's Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), the third to be held, took place in Beijing on 9 November 2010 and discussions have now ended.

This meeting of EFD was led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with involvement from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, covering discussions on trade and climate change respectively.

Tourism: Causeway Coast and Glens of Antrim

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what action is being taken by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland to promote the Causeway coast and the Glens of Antrim area as new tourist destinations.

(AQO 434/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment:

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board promotes the area through its website, www.discovernorthernireland.com and through the Causeway Coast and Glens Masterplan 2004 – 2013. The Causeway Coast and Glens are also featured prominently on Tourism Ireland’s suite of 42 websites in 20 languages, as well as its global advertising campaign.

Employment: Comprehensive Spending Review

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the potential job losses in the public and private sectors over the next four years as a result of the recent Comprehensive Spending Review.

(AQO 435/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Following the announcement of the 2010 Spending Review by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Executive is presently considering how these savings will be applied locally through the Budget process.

What is clear is that Departments will need to make substantive savings over the next four years. However, the net impact on employment will only be known when all Departments have put formal savings plans in place.

Therefore, decisions taken by the Executive will directly impact on how Northern Irelands economy, and more particularly, how the labour market is affected.

EU Funding: JESSICA and JEREMIE

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether she has had any discussions with her Executive colleagues on bringing forward the Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises and the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas initiatives to assist small and medium enterprises and urban development projects.

(AQO 436/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: As the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas (JESSICA) falls under the remit of the Minister for Social Development, I have had no discussions with Executive colleagues on this EU initiative .

The Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises initiative has been extensively researched by my officials in consultation with DFP, other UK Regions and the European Investment Bank.

Employment: Upper Bann

Mr S Moutray asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what steps she has taken to attract new jobs to the Upper Bann constituency over the last six months.

(AQO 437/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Invest Northern Ireland continues to provide assistance to its clients in Upper Bann through a range of programmes designed to encourage improved international competitiveness.

Provisional results show that between April and September 2010, Invest NI made 76 offers of support to its clients in the Upper Bann Constituency.  These offers, which were to both indigenous and externally-owned companies, amounted to over £5 million of assistance and, when implemented, they will lead to total investment in the constituency of almost £17 million and promote over 50 new jobs. 

In addition, during the same time period, Invest NI provided support to 73 new locally-owned business start-up companies.

Broadband: Border Areas

Mr G McHugh asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what action she has taken, in conjunction with her counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, to secure the development of broadband in the border regions.

(AQO 438/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Since 2004, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the Irish Republic, has supported 6 projects in the border area. Those projects, which received Interreg IIIA funding totalling €8 million, developed high-speed connectivity in counties Londonderry, Armagh, Donegal, Monaghan and Louth, and delivered wireless broadband services in counties Tyrone, Monaghan and Donegal.

In addition, DETI funded a project which brought high-speed broadband to Middletown, Co Armagh in 2008.

The border region also benefits from an £18 million investment in Next Generation Broadband services rolling out across the whole of Northern Ireland, funding awarded under the NI broadband fund for new telecoms infrastructure being deployed in border areas including wireless broadband technology and from the direct international telecommunication connectivity brought by Project Kelvin.

Washington Investment Conference

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the success of the recent economic investment conference in Washington.

(AQO 439/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The US-NI Economic Conference, which took place in Washington DC on the 19^th October 2010, was the first event of its kind to be hosted by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the US State Department.

One of our main objectives was to bring together existing US investors in Northern Ireland with the key decision makers from other major US corporations that are considering investing here. In this regard the conference was hugely successful, with senior figures from 16 of our largest American investors such as Terex, Seagate, Dupont, NYSE, Allstate, Caterpillar and Citi talking in glowing terms about the strengths of the Northern Ireland workforce, the competitive cost base, our robust infrastructure and the support received from Invest NI.

I am sincerely grateful to the existing investors who gave up their time to support our efforts and to Secretary Clinton for providing such a high profile platform for investors such as Terex and Dow Chemical to speak directly with their peers about their experience of doing business in Northern Ireland first hand.

I am confident that other investments will be secured as a result of the conference and we have now put in place a co-ordinated and strategic follow-up plan to ensure that we fully maximise the opportunities it has created.

Employment

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the number of public sector jobs which will be lost due to public spending cuts in the next four years and of the impact this may have on private sector jobs in the same period.

(AQO 440/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Following the announcement of the 2010 Spending Review by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Executive is presently considering how these savings will be applied locally through the Budget process.

What is clear is that Departments will need to make substantive savings over the next four years. However, the net impact on employment will only be known when all Departments have put formal savings plans in place.

Therefore, decisions taken by the Executive will directly impact on how Northern Irelands economy, and more particularly, how the labour market is affected.

Presbyterian Mutual Society

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline the details of the Presbyterian Mutual Society rescue package announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

(AQO 441/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The Chancellor confirmed in the Spending Review announcement on 20 October 2010 that Northern Ireland’s Reinvestment and Reform Initiative borrowing facility would be increased by £175 million in 2011-12 to facilitate a loan to the PMS Administrator to assist in implementing a "work out" plan, and an additional allocation of £25 million in respect of the Coalition Government’s contribution to the Mutual Access Fund.

The Coalition Government’s contribution to the Mutual Access Fund may be augmented by further contributions from the Executive and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. These issues have yet to be resolved.

Implementation of the overall solution will require Executive and Assembly agreement, which is planned to be secured as part of the budget process, receipt of EU State Aid Approval, and acceptance of an appropriate Administrator-prepared Scheme of Arrangement by the required numbers of PMS Creditors and Members.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Certificate of Professional Competence

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of the financial impact of additional licensing requirements, such as the Certificate of Professional Competence and other qualifications, for infrequent drivers such as farmers and show jumpers.

(AQW 1689/11)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): EU Directive 2003/59 introduced additional testing requirements for all new (bus and coach) drivers from September 2008 and for lorry drivers from September 2009. Drivers who have completed the new tests and continue to keep their training up to date are issued with certificates of professional competence (Driver CPC) as evidence of their qualifications. The qualification, which requires two additional tests, is for professional drivers i.e. those who drive for hire or reward. The fees for these tests total £85.

Existing professional drivers, who were awarded acquired rights exempting them from the new testing requirement, are required to complete 35 hours of training every five years. The cost of training is market led and not set by Government.

One other qualification which may have an impact on farmers and showjumpers is the European requirement, introduced in 1997, whereby drivers who have passed a category B (car) test since 1997 are only allowed to tow a trailer of a maximum authorised mass (MAM) not exceeding 750 kg, and where the combined weight of the car and trailer does not exceed 4,250 kg. However, it is permissible to increase the weight of the trailer providing the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle and the combination does not exceed 3,500 kg.

To tow a heavier trailer, a driver must pass a category B+E (car plus trailer) test.

The fee for a category B+E test is currently £66, for a test booked for a weekday between 0830 and 1630, or £99, for a test booked for a weekday evening (commencing after 1630 hours) or on a Saturday.

PPS 2

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment for an update on PPS 2.

(AQW 1719/11)

Minister of the Environment: I aim to bring draft PPS 2 – Planning and Nature Conservation to the Executive for consideration in the near future.

Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment whether any areas of green belt in the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan will be moved to PPS 21

(AQW 1721/11)

Minister of the Environment: The Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) 2015 was published in Draft form on 30 November 2004. The Draft Plan proposes a Belfast Metropolitan Area (BMA) Green Belt (Designation COU 1) for the rural area outside the Metropolitan Development and other Settlement Development Limits within the plan area.

Current regional planning policy for the control of development in the countryside is contained in Planning Policy Statement (PPS21). The final version of PPS21 was published on 1 June 2010 by the Department of the Environment. Within this document the countryside is defined as land lying outside of settlement limits as identified in development plans. The provisions of this document will apply to all areas of Northern Ireland's countryside.

PPS21 provides the planning policy context for deciding planning applications in rural areas. It promotes a single tier approach to replace the previous two tier rural policy framework based on Green Belts/Countryside Policy Areas and the remainder of the rural area. The policies and provisions contained within PPS 21 now take precedence over the policy provisions for all Green Belts in existing statutory and published draft Plans (including draft BMAP), with a limited number of exceptions. In effect green belts will no longer exist in Northern Ireland.

A number of objections were received in relation to the designation of the BMA Green Belt and to the non-inclusion of land within the settlement development limits within the BMAP area, and these were discussed at the BMAP Public Inquiry. In July 2010 the Department wrote to the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), objectors and counter-objectors to confirm that it intends to withdraw the proposed BMA Green Belt designation in draft BMAP. The PAC has confirmed that objections to this designation will not be considered by the Commission.

PPS21 now provides the planning policy context for assessing planning applications in rural areas.

Public Open Space Land

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment how much public open space land is owned by his Department and its associated bodies.

(AQW 1725/11)

Minister of the Environment: My Department owns around 1,756 hectares of open space lands managed for access by the public. Full details are set out in the tables below.

Additional areas managed by my Department are leased or subject to management agreements.

COUNTRY PARKS

GOLF COURSES

NATURE RESERVES OWNED BY NIEA WITH PUBLIC ACCESS FACILITIES

HISTORIC MONUMENTS MANAGED BY NIEA WITH ADJACENT OPEN SPACE AND PUBLIC ACCESS FACILITIES

MISCELLANEOUS

Crumlin-Belfast Taxi Service Pilot Scheme

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of the Environment to outline the reason given by Translink for lodging an objection to the Crumlin-Belfast taxi service pilot scheme proposed by West Belfast Taxis.

(AQW 1731/11)

Minister of the Environment: West Belfast Taxis has applied for a licence to operate a stage carriage service to Belfast from Crumlin-Glenavy. However, further particulars are required in support of the application. When all relevant information has been provided, the Department will, as in all such cases, undertake a consultation process, which will include Translink. Since the consultation process has not yet commenced, no response to the consultation has been received from Translink.

Staff Mileage Claims

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the cost, to his Department, of staff mileage claims in the last financial year.

(AQW 1755/11)

Minister of the Environment: The cost of staff mileage claims for my Department in 2009/10 was £950,401.

Illegal Car Dismantling Yard

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment whether an individual who has been prosecuted for running an illegal car dismantling yard or causing environmental damage in a yard would be eligible to apply for a Waste Management licence.

(AQW 1776/11)

Minister of the Environment: Legislation permits such a person to apply for a waste management licence. However the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 requires the Department to assess if an individual is a ‘Fit and Proper Person’ to manage a waste activity when processing a waste management licence application.

NIEA has produced and published a relevant Convictions Policy to assist and provide guidance to staff and the public in relation to an individual’s fitness to operate a waste management facility.

The Agency requires an individual to declare details of all relevant convictions on their application form. It also requests the completion of a Post Conviction Plan. This would set out their intentions on how they would become fully compliant and avoid illegality in the future.

NIEA’s Waste Management Licensing Unit would review the severity of the relevant conviction(s) and determine whether the individual is considered to be a fit and proper person. This assessment will form part of the Agency’s process in reaching a decision on the waste management licence application.

Illegal Car Dismantling Yard

Mr D McKay asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of the current fines for the operation of an illegal car dismantling yard; and whether there are any plans to increase these fines.

(AQW 1778/11)

Minister of the Environment: I am encouraged by the increasing seriousness with which all environmental crimes, including operating car dismantling without waste management licenses, are being viewed by the Courts, on the strength of the cases NIEA is submitting to PPS, which result in convictions. However, it is not within my Department’s remit to comment upon fines being imposed, or attempt to influence their levels, as this would undermine the independence of the judiciary with whom responsibility lies for fixing fines and sentencing. It is within my remit to ensure that the quality of prosecution cases submitted to the Public Prosecution Service is the best possible.

Planning Service Rural Design Guide

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to AQW 1641/11, to outline the composition of the project steering group and any advisory support it receives.

(AQW 1788/11)

Minister of the Environment: The stakeholder group steering the work of the consultancy appointed to bring forward the PPS21 Design Guide consists of the following organisations: Landscape Institute Northern Ireland; Ulster Architectural Heritage Society; P.L.A.C.E (The Architecture & Built Environment Centre for Northern Ireland - Planning, Landscape, Architecture, Community and Environment); The Planning Service (Operations & the Design Team); Rural Development Council; NIEA – Built Heritage; Royal Society for Ulster Architects; Ulster Farmers Union; Women’s Institute and the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG). This work has been project managed and co-ordinated by officials from my Department’s Planning Policy Division.

Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment when he will bring the further consideration stage of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill to the Assembly.

(AQW 1811/11)

Minister of the Environment: My Department is presently seeking the final procedural clearances necessary in order to bring the Bill forward to further consideration stage in the Assembly.

Legislative Programme 2010-11

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his Department's legislative programme for 2010/11, including projected timeframes.

(AQO 443/11)

Minister of the Environment: My Department has produced legislation in 2010/11 covering a wide range of issues including the environment, road safety, planning and local government. With the approval of my Executive colleagues, I have introduced seven Bills into this Chamber: The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010; the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010; the High Hedges Bill; the Waste and Contaminated Land (Amendment) Bill; the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill; the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill; and the Local Government (Finance) Bill.

Two of these achieved Royal Assent in January and March of this year; four Bills are currently in Committee Stage; and one is moving to Further Consideration Stage. The projected timeframes for achieving Royal Assent for these Bills will be dependent on the completion of the various stages through this House.

My Department has also and will continue to bring forward a comprehensive range of subordinate legislation the projected timeframes for which are dependent on many factors. Members of the Environment Committee have been and will continue to receive Forward Work Programmes for each sitting which sets out my Departments intentions in respect of subordinate legislation.

Planning Applications

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of the Environment what steps he is taking to avoid any possible conflict, in relation to planning applications, between his Department, the Planning Service and the legal system.

(AQO 453/11)

Minister of the Environment: I should first of all say that the Planning Service is an integral part of my Department and not a separate and distinct entity, as the question would suggest. My Department’s responsibility is to determine planning applications in accordance with prevailing policy and the law and, in doing so, to act reasonably and with due process. It is, of course, open to third parties to seek relief from the courts if they believe that my Department has failed to do so.

Climate Change

Mr A Maginness asked the Minister of the Environment to outline the initiatives on climate change exclusive to his Department that are currently in place.

(AQO 454/11)

Minister of the Environment: My Department has responsibility for climate change policy and is the Northern Ireland lead on a range of national, EU and international climate change matters working with UK government departments on policy formulation and legislation.

In order to address climate change issues in Northern Ireland in a holistic manner my Department has brought forward various pieces of legislation and policy including the Climate Change Act, Planning Policy Statement 18 on renewables and the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme. On this scheme the UK Government has unilaterally announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review that it is to cease the revenue recycling element of the scheme resulting in a loss of approximately £20m per annum to Northern Ireland organisations over half of which emanates from Northern Ireland Departments. I am very concerned at this and have asked for a full explanation of the rationale.

On adapting to the impacts of climate change, my Department is also providing the Northern Ireland input to the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and has established the Northern Ireland Climate Change Impacts Partnership.

However dealing with climate change is the collective responsibility of all Northern Ireland Executive Ministers and in August 2010 I chaired the first meeting of the Executive’s Cross-Departmental Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions which was established by a decision of the Executive. This group is primarily tasked with developing an action plan setting out the strategic approach and actions to be taken across Departments to meet the Programme for Government target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% on 1990 levels by 2025.

Drivers: Penalty Points

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of the Environment what progress has been made in relation to mutual recognition of penalty points between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

(AQO 455/11)

Minister of the Environment: A study on the practical feasibility of co-operation between the UK and Ireland on lesser infringements of road traffic law (penalty points) was carried out in mid-2008 by Department for Transport’s in-house consultancy service. This feasibility study clarified details of the different penalty points systems in GB, NI and the Republic of Ireland and how they relate to the respective judicial and administrative systems. It also looked at the practical implications of co-operation on penalty points e.g. the impact on courts, enforcers and the respective driving licence authorities.

Mutual recognition of penalty points is a complex issue, with practical difficulties, and will, therefore, take time to bring to completion. Unlike driving disqualifications, there is no agreed international framework dealing with the recognition of penalty points for driving offences. In addition, there is currently no aggregation of penalty points between NI and GB and the introduction of this would be a necessary precondition of any similar penalty point recognition between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

My officials are continuing to liaise closely with colleagues in GB and the Republic of Ireland to establish what actions can be undertaken to move this issue forward.

Local Government: Waste Management

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of the Environment what consideration he has given to introducing an incentive scheme, similar to the Renewable Obligations Certificates Scheme used in renewable energy generation, to encourage local councils to reach and surpass their waste management targets.

(AQO 456/11)

Minister of the Environment: While I have not given consideration to the introduction of an incentive scheme along the lines suggested my Department has brought forward a number of measures which encourage local councils to reach and surpass their waste management targets.

The Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS), introduced in 2005, sets annual allowances for the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) which Councils can send to landfill. The allowances are set to ensure that NI meets its commitments for landfill diversion under the Landfill Directive. Councils which landfill more BMW than their allowance risk being fined under the scheme.

Recycling targets are set at a Northern Ireland level, and with a household recycling rate in 2008/9 of 34.4% Northern Ireland is on track to meet the Waste Management Strategy recycling target of 35% by 2010. To support this effort I have made over £5m available in the current financial year through the Rethink Waste Capital Fund to incentivise councils to invest in recycling infrastructure. In addition, revenue funding of £240K has also been provided to district councils and other key stakeholders to assist projects aimed at increasing the re-use of resources that would otherwise be treated as waste, or at preventing waste arising. These funds are encouraging councils and others to treat waste as a valuable resource and assist in meeting EU obligations on landfill diversion and forthcoming EU recycling targets.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

Staff Salaries

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many staff employed (i) within each Department; (ii) within non-Departmental Public Bodies; (iii) external and arms length Government agencies; and (iv) Government-owned companies, earn more than the First Minister and deputy First Minister; and to list the positions and the salary received in each case.

(AQW 552/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): The figures requested are detailed on the table overleaf. Full details of the positions held and salary received in each case could only be compiled at disproportionate cost and have therefore not been included.

The salary used for comparison purposes in this response is the salary payable in the role of First Minister and deputy First Minister in 2009-2010 totalling £114,535, comprising the element payable as a Ministerial Office Holder at this level of £71,434 plus the basic annual salary payable to a Member of the Legislative Assembly of £43,101. Salary payable to the First Minister as an MP and the subsequent abatement of the MLA element of pay has not been taken into account in this comparison.

Salaries in Excess of £114,535

Personnel Suspended from Duty

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of personnel currently suspended from duty in each Department and their respective agencies; and the cost to date in salaries of each case.

(AQW 1243/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The information requested is provided in the table below. Figures presented include both industrial and non-industrial permanent staff in the twelve Ministerial Departments and their respective Executive Agencies. The information has not been broken down by Department as individuals may have been identifiable and this information is protected by Data Protection legislation.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how much has been spent in total on each Department's staff salaries, including associated agencies, in the lastest financial year.

(AQW 1277/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The total spent on staff salaries in each Department, including associated agencies, in the latest financial year of 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, is demonstrated in the table overleaf.

Canteen Facilities

Mr P Givan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to list the government buildings which have canteen facilities that do not include rent, rates and utility costs in the price of their products; and for an estimate of the annual cost of this subsidy to the public purse.

(AQW 1394/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The list of government buildings with canteen facilities is detailed overleaf.

Rent, rates and utility costs for canteens are not held separately and to apportion them meaningfully would incur disproportionate cost.

Remuneration of Chief Executives and Senior Management

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what percentage of the remuneration of (i) chief executives; and (ii) senior management in each Department and its associated arms-length bodies is (a) salary; and (b) bonuses or performance-related pay.

(AQW 1541/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The remuneration of (i) Chief Executives; and (ii) senior management of all Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments and their associated arms-length bodies is 100% salary and 0% bonuses or performance-related pay with the exception of

1. the current position within PSNI is that the Senior Management Team has 99.32% salary and 0.68% bonuses; and
2. the current position with regard to Prison Governors is that they can receive a non-consolidated performance related payment of up to 2% as part of their salary.

Civil Servants aged between 57 and 65 years old

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many civil servants in each Department are aged between 57 and 65 years old, broken down by grade.

(AQW 1708/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of civil servants, aged between 57 and 65 years old, is set out on the attached table. The figures show staff headcount, broken down by Department and analogous grade level, at 1 April 2010 prior to the devolution of policing and justice. In some cases it has been necessary to threshold or suppress numbers to maintain individual confidentiality.

NICS Staff in the 11 Ministerial Departments aged 57 to 65 (inclusive)at 1 April 2010

Notes:

• Data at 1 April 2010, sourced from HR Connect
• Age taken as at 1 April 2010
• Data includes Permanent Staff only
• Data excludes Staff on Career Break
• ≤ Occupied cells with a value less than or equal to 3 have been thresholded to maintain individual confidentiality
• # Number has been suppressed to avoid disclosing another number that is too small to publish

Administrative Officers

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3175/10, how many of the 466 Administrative Officers retired on the grounds of (i) age; and (ii) ill-health.

(AQW 1709/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of Administrative Officers, Administrative Assistants and EO2s who retired on (i) age and (ii) ill-health grounds between 1 February 2003 and 31 January 2009 is set out in the table overleaf.

Unpaid Commercial or Business Rates

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 502/11, what was the amount of unpaid commercial or business rates in each of the last three years broken down by local council area.

(AQW 1717/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The non-domestic rates unpaid for Northern Ireland by district council area at 1 November 2010, split by year of assessment, are as follows:

The figures may not total exactly due to rounding.

These figures are not the non-domestic rates that were outstanding at the end of each financial year. It is therefore not correct to use the figures to state that non-domestic ratepayer debt doubled between 2008-09 and 2009-10. The figures rather show the age of unpaid rates at 1 November 2010.

Land & Property Services continues to pursue all unpaid rates, whilst recognising the genuine financial difficulties of many ratepayers. The Agency seeks to agree payment arrangements with ratepayers where possible.

LPS had reduced the £157 million total prior year ratepayer debt to £102 million at 01 November 2010.

Civil Service Salaries

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many staff employed within the Civil Service currently earn over £21,000 per annum.

(AQW 1720/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The total number of staff employed within the Northern Ireland Civil Service currently earning over £21,000 per annum is fourteen thousand, eight hundred and twenty-six (14,826).

Pleural Plaques

Ms A Lo asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel when he plans to introduce legislation to allow people who have contracted pleural plaques to pursue compensation.

(AQW 1723/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: My Department consulted on the Damages (Asbestos-related Conditions) Bill (Northern Ireland) 2010 from 9 July to 6 September 2010 and will shortly be seeking final Executive agreement to introduce the Bill to the Assembly at the end of this month.

Administrative Assistants

Mr G Savage asked e Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3175/10, how many of the 256 Administrative Assistants retired on the grounds of (i) age; and (ii) ill-health.

(AQW 1803/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of Administrative Officers, Administrative Assistants and EO2s who retired on (i) age and (ii) ill-health grounds between 1 February 2003 and 31 January 2009 is set out in the table overleaf.

Administrative Assistants

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3175/10, how many of the 5,517 Administrative Assistants left on a career break.

(AQW 1804/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate costs.

EO2s

Mr G Savage asked e Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3175/10, how many of the 281 EO2's retired on the grounds of (i) age; and (ii) ill-health.

(AQW 1805/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The number of Administrative Officers, Administrative Assistants and EO2s who retired on (i) age and (ii) ill-health grounds between 1 February 2003 and 31 January 2009 is set out in the table overleaf.

Administrative Officers

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3175/10, how many of the 2,406 Administrative Officers left on a career break.

(AQW 1806/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate costs.

EO2s

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3175/10, how many of the 460 EO2s left on a career break.

(AQW 1840/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate costs.

Public Open Space Land

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how much public open space land is owned by his Department and its associated bodies.

(AQW 1873/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Department’s only relevant land is the land within the Stormont Estate. This land consists of 99.7 hectares, or 246.6 acres

Civil Service Staff

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of Civil Service staff at each grade in each Department in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1875/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The information requested is set out in the attached tables. In view of the large number of grades within the Northern Ireland Civil Service the tables of permanent staff show general service and analogous grades.

Staff Headcount by Analogous Grade Level - 1 April 2006

Notes:

Data sourced from HRMS

Data includes Staff in the 11 Ministerial Depts and their Agencies.

Includes Permanent Staff only

Excludes Staff on Career Break

Other: Industrial Staff

Staff Headcount by Analogous Grade Level - April 2007

Notes:

Data sourced from HRMS

Data includes Staff in the 11 Ministerial Depts and their Agencies.

Includes Permanent Staff only

Excludes Staff on Career Break

Other: Industrial Staff

Staff Headcount by Analogous Grade Level – 1 April 2008

Notes:

Data sourced from HRMS for previous years.

Data includes Staff in the 11 Ministerial Depts and their Agencies.

Includes Permanent Staff only

Excludes Staff on Career Break

Other: Industrial Staff

Staff Headcount by Analogous Grade Level - 1 April 2009

Notes:

Data sourced from HRConnect

Data includes Staff in the 11 Ministerial Depts and their Agencies.

Includes Permanent Staff only

Excludes Staff on Career Break

Other: Industrial Staff

Staff Headcount by Analogous Grade Level – 1 April 2010

Notes:

Data sourced from HRConnect

Data includes Staff in the 11 Ministerial Depts and their Agencies.

Includes Permanent Staff only

Excludes Staff on Career Break

Other: Industrial Staff

Abolition of Rate Relief for Students

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the reasons for the delay in the higher education institutions, including Queen's University Belfast, receiving the monies saved by the abolition of rate relief for students, which were to be transferred into alternative forms of student support.

(AQW 1876/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The closure of the student rate relief scheme was agreed to in July 2009 by the Northern Ireland Executive. The Executive also agreed to protect existing claimants so long as their household circumstances remained the same.

In terms of redirecting savings achieved, the Executive were advised that a favoured option was supplementing the DEL Student Support funds operated by the Universities, pending the outcome of the wider DEL review into student support structures. This was to occur as and when savings materialised and the Department was careful to point out that this may take time.

Following approval of the business case, actual savings from closure of the scheme should flow from DFP to DEL as they occur. Land and Property Services, who administer the remnants of the rates scheme, expect a rapid drop out rate now that we are into the new academic year for most students. Indeed LPS wrote to each and every eligible household recently to check continued entitlement and this exercise has been completed recently. The majority of current claimants are expected to leave the scheme because of household changes.

Pleural Plaques

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for an update on the progress of legislation to allow people with Pleural Plaques to claim compensation.

(AQW 1878/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: My Department consulted on the Damages (Asbestos-related Conditions) Bill (Northern Ireland) 2010 from 9 July to 6 September 2010 and will shortly be seeking final Executive agreement to introduce the Bill to the Assembly at the end of this month.

Legal Services

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what procedures and guidelines are in place for Departments on the tendering and appointment of firms for legal services.

(AQW 1905/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: All procurement by Departments must comply with Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy. In line with this policy Departments must carry out procurement by means of a Service Level Agreement with a Centre of Procurement Expertise.

In support of this policy the Central Procurement Directorate has developed a suite of Procurement Guidance Notes for Departments and Centres of Procurement Expertise. These include guidance on various stages in the tendering process including the selection, and the evaluation, of tenders and the provision of information to tenderers following the award of contract.

There are no specific procedures and guidelines on the tendering and appointment of firms for legal services.

Vacant Properties in the North Down Constituency

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many properties are currently vacant in the North Down constituency; and what is the total rateable value of these properties.

(AQW 1955/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Land & Property Services’ (LPS) records are held by District Council area, not parliamentary constituency. The answer therefore provides figures for the North Down Borough Council area.

LPS records show that the number of properties recorded as vacant in the North Down Borough Council area on 07 November 2010 was as follows:

Vacant domestic properties are not rated; vacant non-domestic properties are rated at 50% liability, subject to a number of exclusions and exemptions.

Properties move into and out of occupation on a daily basis, and there is often a lag in ratepayers informing LPS of changes to occupancy. LPS continues to work closely with District Councils and other organisations to ensure the maintenance of accurate records of occupation and vacancy; the implementation of Rating of Empty Homes on 01 October 2011 will be preceded by a programme of work to ascertain ownership details for vacant domestic properties to facilitate billing.

St Andrews Agreement: Capital Investment

Dr A McDonnell asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for his assessment of the British Government's delivery of the £18 billion capital investment package agreed at St Andrews.

(AQO 457/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: As Members will be aware the UK Government has stated that the £18 billion capital investment package agreed at St Andrews is on track to be delivered. However, I would strongly question this assertion.

By the end of 2010-11 the Northern Ireland Executive will have spent £9.1 billion since 2005/06. I anticipate that we will have spent an additional £4.6 billion by the end of the next Budget period – this also includes investment funded by RRI borrowing and planned capital receipts. So by the end of 2014/15 I expect us to have delivered £13.7 billion worth of capital investment in Northern Ireland since 2005.

In other words, we would need to spend well over £4 billion in the two years following this Spending Review period to achieve the £18 billion UK Government commitment. This is simply unrealistic.

Social Partnership

Mr M Durkan asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for his assessment of the need to develop a formal social partnership model to address the current economic difficulties.

(AQO 458/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: As Members may be aware, we already have formal legislative and administrative arrangements in place that require full consultation with key stakeholders on all policy development matters in Northern Ireland. This includes requirements for full impact assessments. I can also assure Members that I personally engage and consult with business leaders, the trade unions, and the voluntary and community sectors on a regular basis.

This will continue, and I plan to publish the draft budget for consultation in the near future so that the views of all stakeholders, and indeed the wider public, can be sought and reflected in our future plans.

It is also important that the role of the Assembly and its committees is not diminished. Therefore, I see no need to develop a further model which would add yet another tier of administration and bureaucracy to Government, particularly at a time when we need to seek public sector efficiencies.

Capital Budget

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether he has any plans to divert funds from current revenue to capital spend in light of the British Government's cuts to the capital budget.

(AQO 459/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The capital position is very tight given the Spending Review settlement.

The public expenditure rules do in fact allow for switching from current expenditure to capital and I would be prepared to consider offering Ministers greater discretion in this respect.

However, large scale capital projects are usually very costly. Given the tight current expenditure position, it is unlikely that it will be feasible for a single department to reclassify a large amount of current expenditure to fund such capital projects. A balance will therefore have to be struck.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Mr F Cobain asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to provide an update on the Executive's financial position following the Comprehensive Spending Review.

(AQO 462/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Chancellor’s Spending Review announcement, on 20 October 2010, set the Northern Ireland Executive’s DEL for the 4 year period from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

The Executive’s Resource DEL allocation is £9,836.7 million in 2011-12, £9,858.9 million in 2012-13, £9,927.1 million in 2013-14 and £9,985.4 million in 2014-15. This is a real terms decrease, against 2010-11, of -2.4%, -4.3%, -6.1% and -8.0% in each year.

The Executive’s capital DEL allocation over the same period is £903.4 million, £858.9 million, £780.6 million and £803.8 million. This equates to a real terms decrease, against 2010-11, of -27.5%, -32.6%, -40.3% and -40.1% in each year.

The Executive’s Resource and Capital DEL includes allocations relating to policing and justice functions. It does not reflect the total resources available to the Executive as it excludes items such as regional rates and RRI borrowing.

European Commission Fines

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what discussions he has had with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding fines imposed by the European Commission in relation to the Single Farm Payment Scheme.

(AQO 464/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: I have engaged with the Agriculture Minister on a number of occasions on both the financial implications of the disallowance and the measures which DARD can put in place to minimise the risk of future penalties. My officials continue to monitor the situation closely and are working with DARD officials to ensure the best resolution for the Executive.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for his assessment of how the recent Comprehensive Spending Review will impact on public spending.

(AQO 468/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Chancellor’s Spending Review announcement, on 20 October 2010, set the Northern Ireland Executive’s DEL for the 4 year period from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

In terms of current expenditure the Northern Ireland Resource DEL budget will fall by 8% real terms by 2014-15. The situation is even more worrying in terms of capital investment where the Northern Irelands Capital DEL budget will fall by 40.1% in real terms by 2014-15.

Unwelcome and challenging though these reductions are, they are not unexpected. The Spending Review outcome is much as I have predicted and it is for this reason that I have been asking departments to produce savings plans early in the budget process.

Now we know the outcome, there must be no more delay. The Executive needs to decide on their strategic priorities going forward and agree a draft budget. This needs to be done within the next few weeks if we are to allow adequate time for public consultation. A final budget needs to be in place by January at the latest to provide the degree of certainty departments and their arms length bodies need.

St Andrews Agreement: Capital Investment

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether the £18 billion capital investment agreed at St Andrews is guaranteed.

(AQO 471/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: As members will be aware the UK Government has stated that the £18 billion capital investment package agreed at St Andrews is on track to be delivered. However, I would strongly question this assertion.

By the end of 2010-11 the Northern Ireland Executive will have spent £9.1 billion since 2005/06. I anticipate that we will have spent an additional £4.6 billion by the end of the next Budget period – this also includes investment funded by RRI borrowing and planned capital receipts. So by the end of 2014/15 I expect us to have delivered £13.7 billion worth of capital investment in Northern Ireland since 2005.

In other words, we would need to spend well over £4 billion in the two years following this Spending Review period to achieve the £18 billion UK Government commitment. This is simply unrealistic.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Occupational Therapy

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many people are currently waiting to be assessed by an Occupational Therapist in (i) the Western Health and Social Care Trust area; and (ii) the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area.

(AQW 1655/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey): The information is not available in the format requested.

Clinical Excellence Awards

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 89/11, whether any of the £20 million will be allocated to Clinical Excellence Awards.

(AQW 1656/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: No element of the £20m funds received in the June Monitoring round will be spent on the Clinical Excellence Awards.

Childminder Registration

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what is the current average waiting time for a childminder to be registered by a Health and Social Care Trust; and how many new applicants are awaiting registration.

(AQW 1679/11)

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

NHS: Operations

Mr P Girvan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much the Health Service has paid to private consultants or teams, in the last 15 months, to conduct operations that have not been carried out by the 13-week target time.

(AQO 479/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information on expenditure is not held in a form which enables disaggregation of expenditure between patients who have waited longer than 13 weeks and patients who have waited fewer than 13 weeks.

I remain committed to making progress on reducing waiting times and access to services that people need in a timely manner. However, limited resources continue to pose a significant challenge in meeting waiting time targets. In particular, indecision on the part of the Executive on funding Swine Flu and the imposition by this Assembly of a budget reduction of £130m over the past 15 months have directly impacted on waiting times. Nevertheless I will continue to press for much needed additional funding to invest in our health service.

Mid-Ulster Hospital

Mr F Molloy asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what plans he has to enhance services at the Mid-Ulster Hospital.

(AQO 480/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Mid Ulster Hospital will continue to play a key role in providing hospital services to the people in the local community. I would expect that Mid Ulster will be able to meet, in conjunction with colleagues in Primary Care, some 70% of the local population’s healthcare needs.

Day surgery services will continue, as will a wide range of outpatient clinics held by Consultants from the acute hospitals along with nurse led clinics and services provided by Physiotherapy and Dietetics. A significant number of inpatient rehabilitation beds are also planned which will enable people recovering from surgery or other medical conditions to have convalescence and rehabilitation locally as soon as they are able to leave the acute hospital setting.

Neurology: Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Mr A Maginness asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he has had any discussions with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust regarding the reduction in neurology beds.

(AQO 481/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The delivery of services at the Royal Victoria Hospital is a matter for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust as the service provider. The Trust is currently engaged in a programme of modernisation within the neurology service and this includes a review of bed utilisation. As a result, the Trust has reduced the number of neurology beds from 23 to 16 in October 2010, thereby bringing the neurology service into line with comparable peers in other parts of the UK.

The Trust has provided me with an assurance that the changes being implemented will not result in any deterioration in the delivery of neurology services at the Royal, nor will they have any impact on the acute neurology services at the Mater or City hospitals.

I have not personally had any discussions with the Belfast Trust about the reduction in the number of neurology beds.

Allied Health Professions

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline his proposals for a regional strategy for the Allied Health Professions.

(AQO 482/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department is developing a Strategy for the Allied Health Professional (AHP) services. This will set out priorities for the next five years and provide a framework for commissioners, service providers and service users. The strategy will aim to ensure services are person-centred, safe and effective, and that they maximise the ultilisation of the resources.

In recent months a number of AHP strategy development workshops involving key stakeholders were held across Northern Ireland. Work has commenced to draft the strategy based on four strategic themes and underpinning principles which were identified at the workshops. I expect a draft strategy to be published for consultation early in 2011.

Derry: Life Expectancy

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps his Department is taking to address the lower life expectancy that exists in the most deprived wards in the Derry City Council area compared to other areas.

(AQO 483/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department, through the Public Health Agency, is taking action in the Derry City Council area - and across Northern Ireland - to improve health and wellbeing, and to reduce inequalities in life expectancy. The PHA is working with the statutory, community and other sectors to take action in the areas of greatest need to address a range of lifestyle issues such as smoking, obesity, accidents, alcohol and drug misuse, and mental health and suicide.

In addition partnership working is seeking to address the factors that affect life expectancy which go beyond the HSC, such as living conditions -for example fuel poverty, working environment, education, community cohesion, and environmental factors.

Eating Disorders

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what support is currently available through Heath and Social Care Trusts for young people with eating disorders.

(AQO 484/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: A dedicated multi-disciplinary team is available to each Trust area and these provide comprehensive assessments and treatment of young people who present with Eating Disorders. Treatment interventions are tailored to the individual needs of the young person and their families. The teams offer a range of therapeutic interventions including individual therapies such as Cognitive, Behavioural, Psycho-Therapeutic and Psycho-Education on management of an Eating Disorder, Family Therapy and Nutritional Education.

Individuals requiring in-patient care can be admitted to an appropriate bed in a local hospital while those with more complex needs can now be treated at the new Beechcroft Regional CAMHs Unit at Forster Green.

Revenue Budget

Rev Dr R Coulter asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of his Department's likely revenue budget position following Budget 2010.

(AQO 485/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The outcome of the UK Spending Review and its impact at Block level means that difficult decisions will have to be made. However, the Block has benefited from the protection afforded to Health in England and that provides an opportunity for the Executive to do similar here. I will not, however, be in a position to outline the impact of funding for my Department until the Executive agrees the Budget allocations for my Department. But what I can say is that by the end of this Budget 2010 period it would take £5.4bn per annum to provide a safe and fit for purpose health service. That is £1.1bn more than the current budget before any cuts are made. The extent to which my budget falls short of this means that radical changes to the delivery of services will be necessary.

I passionately believe in a National Health Service which is fit for purpose and provides our citizens with the service the deserve and I hope that every MLA in the house will join me in fighting for the funding I need to provide that.

Prescriptions

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the benefits of free prescriptions.

(AQO 486/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The founding ethos of the National Health service was that care would be provided free at the point of delivery. My decision to abolish prescription charges means that everyone can now access the essential prescription medicines they require without having to be concerned about their ability to pay.

Prior to April 2010 an unacceptable inequality prevailed, with some people suffering serious conditions such as cancer or mental health problems and even some of those recovering from transplant surgery may have had to incur financial hardship to pay for their prescription drugs.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Legal Services

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Justice how much his Department and its agencies have paid for legal services to date; and to detail the firms engaged.

(AQW 1511/11)

Minister of Justice (Mr D Ford): The Department of Justice (DOJ) came into existence on 12^th April 2010.

Expenditure on legal services shown below is from 1^st April 2010 to

30^th September 2010 as, under Machinery of Government rules, the DOJ will account for expenditure from 1 April 2010.

It should be noted however that the amounts shown include expenditure for legal services provided to business areas and agencies prior to devolution, as well as since.

DOJ core

From 1 April to 30 September, the DOJ core spent £63,597 on legal services procured externally. This includes £11,834 paid to the Crown Solicitor’s Office, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury Solicitors.

The following firms were engaged, at a total cost of £51,763 :

• Cleaver Fulton Rankin
• Fitzsimmons Kinney and Mallon Solicitors
• Harte Coyle Collins Solicitors
• Jones Cassidy Jones Solicitors
• MAH Consultants

Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS)

From 1 April to 30 September, NIPS spent £112,567 on legal services procured externally. This includes £102,246 paid to the Crown Solicitor’s Office and the Treasury Solicitors.

The following firms were engaged, at a total cost of £10,321 :

• Madden & Finucane
• Merrill Legal Solutions

Compensation Agency

From 1 April to 30 September, the Compensation Agency spent £198,884 on legal services procured externally. This includes £60,793 paid to the Crown Solicitor’s Office. The remainder was paid to External Counsel. No legal firms were engaged.

Forensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI)

From 1 April to 30 September, FSNI spent £329 on legal services procured externally. This was paid to the Crown Solicitor’s Office.

Youth Justice Agency (YJA)

From 1 April to 30 September, YJA spent £15,036 on legal services procured externally. This includes £14,536 paid to the Crown Solicitor’s Office.

The following firm was engaged, at a total cost of £500 :

• Fitzsimons, Kinney, Mallon Solicitors.

Northern Ireland Courts & Tribunals Service (NICTS)

From 1 April to 30 September, NICTS spent £322,437 on legal services procured externally. This includes £111,970 paid to the Crown Solicitors Office; £61,375 paid to Counsel on behalf of the Official Solicitor, in cases where the Official Solicitor has represented the interest of a child and where without such representation the Courts would be unable to fulfil their domestic and international obligations in respect of the child’s rights and £83,397 paid to Counsel on behalf of the Coroners Service, for presenting evidence at inquests in complex cases.

The following firms were engaged, at a total cost of £65,500

• Bird & Bird LLP
• Jones & Cassidy Solicitors
• Wragge & Co LLP

Convictions for Violence in Ardoyne

Mr W Humphrey asked the Minister of Justice how many people have been convicted, to date, in relation to the violence that took place in Ardoyne over the twelfth period; and, of those arrested, how many resided in North Belfast.

(AQW 1711/11)

Minister of Justice: I commend the PSNI for their remarkable restraint and professionalism in the face of such violence and for the success they had in terms of arrests and charges. I can advise that of the 48 individuals arrested to date, 40 reside in North Belfast. Information is not yet available on convictions for these offences and it is, in any event, likely to be some time before all such cases have completed due criminal process.

Dog-fouling Offences

Mr T Burns asked the Minister of Justice to detail (i) the number of dog-fouling offences in each of the last five years; (ii) the number of prosecutions brought against these individuals; (iii) the number of subsequent convictions; (iv) the total of any fines imposed; and (v) any other sanctions imposed.

(AQW 1728/11)

Minister of Justice: As the Member should be aware, the information requested is a matter for local authorities, not the DOJ.

Prison Review Team

Mr P Givan asked the Minister of Justice when he expects the Prison Review Team to complete the first stage of the review and whether this report will be made public.

(AQW 1752/11)

Minister of Justice: The review team plans to complete the first stage of its review by Christmas, with a view to publishing the report in January.

Staff Mileage Claims

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Justice to detail the cost, to his Department, of staff mileage claims in the last financial year.

(AQW 1756/11)

Minister of Justice: The Department of Justice came into existence on 12^th April 2010. Details of staff mileage claims before that date are a matter for the previous department.

Stolen Agricultural Machinery

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Justice what measures he is taking to address the problem of agricultural machinery that is stolen from farm businesses in Northern Ireland and sold in the Republic of Ireland.

(AQW 1758/11)

Minister of Justice: I have recently met with the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development to discuss the issues of rural crime and machinery theft.

At a regional level my Department is represented on both the Interdepartmental Committee on Rural Policy and the Rural White Paper Project Board to ensure that issues around rural crime are reflected in the development work on a Rural White Paper.

At a local level a number of Community Safety Partnerships, working in partnership with the relevant District Policing Partnership and PSNI, provide crime prevention advice to address rural crime and improve security around farms.

There are a range of innovative schemes to tackle theft of farm vehicles and machinery, such as trailer marking and ultra-violet torch schemes, tailored to the particular needs of the farming community.

Local PSNI Crime Managers maintain regular contact with their counterpart in An Garda Síochána for the investigation of cross border thefts of agricultural machinery.

In addition, the Department of Justice is leading on the development of a new Community Safety Strategy and I will consider what more needs to be done to tackle rural crime as part of the forthcoming consultation.

Theft of Agricultural Machinery

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Justice to detail the number of convictions for theft of agricultural machinery in each constituency in (i) 2000; (ii) 2005; (iii) 2009; and (iv) 2010 to date.

(AQW 1759/11)

Minister of Justice: I regret the information requested is not available. Court conviction data do not contain background information in relation to offences committed and it is therefore not possible to separate out the number of convictions for theft of agricultural machinery from other theft offences.

Prisoners' Earnings

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Justice to detail (i) how much prisoners are currently paid in prisoners' earnings; (ii) the criteria used for awarding such earnings; and (iii) in what circumstances earnings would be deducted or withdrawn.

(AQW 1787/11)

Minister of Justice: I refer the member to AQW 880/11 which was answered on 18 October and is available in Hansard.

Further to part (iii) of AQW 880/11 when a prisoner is not fully engaging with the NIPS Progressive Regime and Earned Privileges Scheme (PREPS), their regime level may be lowered resulting in a reduction of payment. The ‘incentive payment’ component of any earnings may also be removed if there is clear documented evidence that a prisoner is not fully engaging with his or her sentence plan.

Prisoners' Earnings

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Justice how much has been paid in prisoners' earnings in each of the last five years and from which budget this is paid.

(AQW 1789/11)

Minister of Justice: I refer the member to AQW 880/11 which was answered on 18 October 2010 and is available in Hansard.

Prisoner earnings are paid from the Programme Budget.

Railway Line Bomb in Lurgan

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister of Justice whether he has had any discussions with the PSNI in relation to the recent railway line bomb in Lurgan.

(AQW 1809/11)

Minister of Justice: I meet with the Chief Constable and his senior officers on a regular basis and have received briefings on a range of security issues, including recent attacks.

Desertcreat College Development

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Justice to provide details on the implementation of the Desertcreat College development.

(AQW 1810/11)

Minister of Justice: The plan to complete the new training college in Cookstown is dependent upon (i) gaining DFP approval of the business case, and (ii) funding being available following the outcome of the budget process.

Subject to those requirements, the timeline for construction is as follows:

• Design completion and procurement prequalification - January 2011 to October 2011.
• Detailed procurement process leading to appointment of contractor - October 2011 to March 2012
• Construction of college - March 2012 to March 2014.

Desertcreat College Development

Mr P McGlone asked e Minister of Justice to detail the projected cost of the Desertcreat College development; and to outline the total committed costs to the project by each relevant Department.

(AQW 1812/11)

Minister of Justice: The college will cost approximately £142m to build and is based on funding from a range of sources: DOJ £100m (PSNI £90m and NI Prison Service £10m); DHSSPS £30m; and proceeds from the sale of PSNI assets £12m.

The Desertcreat Training College remains a priority. However, funding cannot be confirmed until the current Budget process is concluded.

Prison Receptions on Fine Warrants

Mr P Givan asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 1250/11, to detail the cost to the Prison Service of the 1778 prison receptions on fine warrants.

(AQW 1816/11)

Minister of Justice: It is not possible to make an accurate estimate of the cost. Although fine defaulters make up around one third of all receptions into prison, as the average time spent in custody is only a few days, there is usually a maximum of 25-30 held at any one time.

Alcohol Consumption at Sports Matches

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Justice what discussions and presentations of evidence led his Department to suggest flexibility in the provision of regulated time periods for alcohol consumption at different types of sports matches.

(AQW 1880/11)

Minister of Justice: The policy review "A consultation on proposals for new sports law and spectator controls" elicited a number of responses for the regulation of alcohol consumption at different types of sports matches.

A view was expressed that un-regulated access to alcohol can contribute to unacceptable levels of anti-social behaviour and disorder both inside and outside grounds. Some called for clarification of aspects such as how the proposals would apply to registered clubs inside grounds and how "private" viewing facilities might need to be accommodated; others drew attention to the potential commercial harm that an outright ban could have on clubs. Views were expressed that private viewing facilities should be accommodated differently from terracing; others that consumption on the terraces should still be permitted.

In response to the differing views expressed and issues to be addressed across differing sports, a flexible approach was deemed to be the better model to offer to the Assembly. A flexible approach would permit any resulting legislation to be tailored and commenced in accordance with need and in consultation with the relevant sporting bodies, police and the Justice Committee.

My Report on Responses and Way Forward published in August 2010 contains details of the responses and representations received.

http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/public-consultations/archive-consultations/responses_to_consultation_on_proposals_for_new_sports_law_and_spectator_controls.htm

Violent Disorder at Sporting Events

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Justice if he intends to bring forward, or to update existing legislation to address violent disorder between participants and coaching staff at sporting events.

(AQW 1881/11)

Minister of Justice: The criminal law on violence, assault and disorder applies equally to events on sports pitches as it does to events off them. Without specific reference to sporting events, participants or coaching staff, I have included in the Justice Bill (at Clause 56) a provision to increase the maximum custodial penalty that a magistrates' court may give for common assault or battery from 3 months to 6 months.

Review into Youth Justice

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Justice to whom the team conducting the review into youth justice will report its findings.

(AQW 1932/11)

Minister of Justice: The Review Team will report its findings to me, as Minister of Justice.

DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Contracts

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 910/11, how many audits were carried out over the period covered by these contracts; and who carried out these audits.

(AQW 1642/11)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): In answering this question the scope has been limited to the periods referred to in the answer to AQW 910/11.

The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) Group has had two audits of procurement practice carried out in the period referred to. These were conducted by Translink Internal Audit. During the period annual audits were also carried out on the NITHC financial statements in line with applicable law and audit standards.

In Roads Service, over the period stated, there were two audits completed by DRD Internal Audit Branch in these contract-related areas. In addition, the Northern Ireland Audit Office carried out the annual audits of the Departmental & Roads Service Accounts.

Capital Spend on Roads, Buses and Railways

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the capital spend on (i) roads; (ii) buses; and (iii) railways in each of the last three years.

(AQW 1665/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s total Capital Spend on roads, buses and railways in each of the last three years is set out in the table below.

* Roads Capital Expenditure in 2009/10 includes structural maintenance activities which were reclassified from Resource spend to Capital spend in 2009/10. This arose from the change in accounting treatment which moved reporting to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). These activities were previously classified as Resource spend in 2007/08 and 2008/09.

Rapid Transit System

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development, given that the Greater Nottingham area is of a similar size to Greater Belfast, whether he or his officials were ever in contact with local government officials from Nottingham, or visited the city, prior to making their decision on a bus based rapid transit system.

(AQW 1666/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Neither I nor my officials were in contact with or visited Nottingham prior to making my decision on a bus based Rapid Transit system for Belfast. However, along with Departmental officials and members of the Committee for Regional Development, I visited several well established public transport schemes in the Netherlands. Those visits helped to demonstrate the success of bus based Rapid Transit systems in providing quick and efficient access into city centres and a real alternative to car travel.

Northern Ireland Regional Transport Strategy

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development whether he intends to send his officials to Nottingham to gather information to inform proposals for the new Northern Ireland Regional Transport strategy and the Belfast Metropolitan Transport strategy, in light of the fact that Nottingham was voted best city in Britain for public transport usage.

(AQW 1667/11)

Minister for Regional Development: In developing the new Regional Transportation Strategy, officials from my Department have been informed both by lessons from across these islands and also international best practice.

There are no plans for officials to visit Nottingham at this time.

I hope to bring a new Regional Transportation Strategy to the Executive early 2011 prior to public consultation.

Belfast to Newry Road

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the total cost of upgrading the Belfast to Newry road.

(AQW 1669/11)

Minister for Regional Development: There have been a number of major improvement projects to upgrade the Newry to Belfast road over the past seven years. These projects, together with approximate costs, are listed in the table below:-

Donard Avenue in Newtownards

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the timescale for the widening of the cul-de-sacs off Donard Avenue in Newtownards and the estimated cost of this scheme.

(AQW 1685/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it has no plans to widen the cul-de-sacs off Donard Avenue in Newtownards.

Belfast to Dublin Railway Line

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development how much has been spent on (i) repairing; (ii) maintaining; and (iii) upgrading the Belfast to Dublin railway line in each of the last five years.

(AQW 1732/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The table below provides details of both the additional Capital Expenditure (upgrades) and Repair and Maintenance investment carried out on the Belfast to Dublin line in the last 5 years.

Since repair and maintenance are not accounted for separately on Translink’s systems, a single figure has been provided for both elements.

The table above does not include expenditure on Rail Infrastructure and Stations which benefits passengers on the Belfast to Dublin service. Over the last five years this totals £16.2million.

Proposed Track Relay for the Coleraine to Derry Railway Line

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the estimated cost of the proposed track relay for the Coleraine to Derry railway line.

(AQW 1735/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The estimated cost of the proposed project to upgrade the Coleraine to Derry railway line is £75m.

Free Travel Passes for Staff

Mr L Cree asked the Minister for Regional Development whether his Department provides free travel passes to its staff for use by their families; and the costs of providing this benefit in each of the last three years.

(AQW 1739/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I can confirm that my Department does not provide free travel passes to staff for use by their families.

Staff Mileage Claims

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the cost, to his Department, of staff mileage claims in the last financial year.

(AQW 1754/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The amount paid by the Department for Regional Development for staff mileage claims in the last financial year was £2,530,570.

This excludes all overtime mileage and industrial staff standard mileage claims as these are not easily identifiable and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Northern Railway Corridor

Mr P Frew asked the Minister for Regional Development if he can offer an assurance that the development of the Northern Railway Corridor will remain a priority and that bids for funding will be made within the Capital Programme.

(AQW 1820/11)

Minister for Regional Development: You will appreciate the difficult financial context under which we are currently operating. However, as evident from the discussions which followed the completion of the Northern Railways Corridor report, I am committed to developing the Northern Railways Corridor. Capital bids have been made as part of the CSR to fund the Coleraine to Derry track relay and the purchase of 20 new trains, which will provide additional services on the Belfast to Derry line.

Fife Circle Line in Scotland

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Regional Development what consideration his officials have given to examining the Fife Circle Line in Scotland and whether this would be a suitable template for a circular rail route to serve Belfast, Lisburn, Antrim, Templepatrick and Glengormley.

(AQW 1835/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My officials have not examined the Fife Circle Line in Scotland. My current priority with regards to investment in railways is to maintain, improve and upgrade the existing railway lines in the region.

Given the current constraints on capital funding, there are no plans for a circular rail route to serve Belfast, Lisburn, Antrim, Templepatrick and Glengormley. However, should the economic situation improve I will be open to consider any such proposals to improve public transport here.

Coleraine to Londonderry Track Relay

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the proposed scheme for the Coleraine to Londonderry track relay.

(AQW 1856/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The Economic Appraisal for the Coleraine to Derry Track Renewals project is currently being assessed by DFP to confirm that it demonstrates Value for Money. When that assessment is complete, I will consider giving approval for the project to proceed taking account of available capital funding provided to my department and Executive views on the priority to be attached to this project.

The programme timetable envisages work commencing on site in 2012 and be completed in 2013. The line would be closed during this period. Depending on the timing of the approval, it may be possible to reschedule the work to take account of Derry being City of Culture in 2013.

Rock Face on the A2

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development what plans there are to secure the rock face on the A2 in the vicinity of Downhill to prevent further road closures.

(AQW 1914/11)

Minister for Regional Development: While my Department does not own the cliffs involved in the rock fall, Roads Service has, after discussions with the owner, engaged specialist services to assess the rock face at the location of the latest rock fall in the vicinity of Downhill, and that work has now commenced to remove loose rock from the cliff face. Roads Service will also be considering options for the installation of additional measures to mitigate against further rock falls at this location. Any final proposals will require consultation with the appropriate stakeholders, as any measures proposed along this coastline must consider the impact on this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They will also have to be prioritised against the many other competing demands on Roads Service’s work programmes and finite resources.

It is hoped that the road can be re-opened by 15 November 2010. However, this will be dependent on the weather and further examination of the rock face, and the main determining factor informing this decision will be ensuring the safety of road users.

While it is impossible to predict the extent and location of rock falls in this area, Roads Service will continue to adopt a risk based approach to managing the area. The 3km stretch of road adjacent to the cliffs at Binevenagh is inspected for evidence of rock falls twice weekly, and records are kept of all rock fall occurrences. This information is regularly reviewed by Roads Service, and action is taken where there is evidence of recurring activity at specific locations, or where specific assessments recommend protection measures.

Seacoast Road, Downhill

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development why the Seacoast Road, Downhill has been closed for over a week and may be closed for a further two weeks.

(AQW 1957/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the A2 Seacoast Road at Downhill has been closed due to rock fall in the vicinity of Downhill.

While my Department does not own the cliffs where the latest rock fall occurred, Roads Service has, after discussions with the owner, engaged specialist services to assess the rock face at this location and that work has now commenced to remove loose rock from the cliff face. Roads Service will also be considering options for the installation of additional measures to mitigate against further rock falls at this location. Any final proposals will require consultation with the appropriate stakeholders, as any measures proposed along this coastline must consider the impact on this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They will also have to be prioritised against the many other competing demands on Roads Service’s work programmes and finite resources.

It is hoped that the road can be re-opened by 15 November 2010. However, this will be dependent on the weather and further examination of the rock face, and the main determining factor informing this decision will be ensuring the safety of road users.

While it is impossible to predict the extent and location of rock falls in this area, Roads Service will continue to adopt a risk based approach to managing the area. The 3km stretch of road adjacent to the cliffs at Binevenagh is inspected for evidence of rock falls twice weekly, and records are kept of all rock fall occurrences.

This information is regularly reviewed by Roads Service, and action is taken where there is evidence of recurring activity at specific locations, or where specific assessments recommend protection measures.

Upgrade of the Shore Road, Ballyhalbert

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Regional Development what works are scheduled for the upgrade of the Shore Road, Ballyhalbert.

(AQW 1981/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the Shore Road, Ballyhalbert has been identified for inclusion on its future programme of resurfacing works. The timing of this work will depend on the availability of funding and other competing priorities. However, this work is likely to be completed in 2011/2012 financial year.

A2 Seacoast Road, Downhill

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Regional Development what action he is taking to (i) expedite the reopening of the A2 Seacoast Road, Downhill; and (ii) to advise motorists and local residents of progress being made in relation to this work.

(AQW 2005/11)

Minister for Regional Development: While my Department does not own the cliffs involved, Roads Service, has after discussions with the owner, engaged specialist services to assess the rock face on the A2 Seacoast Road, Dunhill following the latest rock fall in the vicinity of Downhill. Work has commenced to remove loose rock from the cliff face and officials will also be considering options for the installation of additional measures to mitigate against further rock falls at this location. Any final proposals will require consultation with the appropriate stakeholders, as any measures proposed along this coastline must consider the impact on this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They will also have to be prioritised against the many other competing demands on Roads Service’s work programmes and finite resources.

It is hoped that the road can be re-opened by 15 November 2010. However, this will be dependent on the weather and further examination of the rock face, and the main determining factor informing this decision will be ensuring the safety of road users.

With regard to advising motorists and local residents of progress being made, Roads Service fully appreciates the importance of keeping motorists and local residents advised of progress. A media statement was issued to the press on Friday 5 November 2010, advising the public of the position regarding the road closure and diversions. It is anticipated that a further media statement will be issued later this week, when specialist contractors have completed the removal of loose material from the rock face and when it is hoped, a date on which the road can be reopened can be confirmed.

While it is impossible to predict the extent and location of rock falls in this area, Roads Service will continue to adopt a risk based approach to managing the area. The 3km stretch of road adjacent to the cliffs at Binevenagh is inspected for evidence of rock falls twice weekly, and records are kept of all rock fall occurrences. This information is regularly reviewed by Roads Service, and action is taken where there is evidence of recurring activity at specific locations, or where specific assessments recommend protection measures.

DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Community Faiths Forum

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister for Social Development whether any equality proofing was undertaken in line with departmental equality obligations in relation to the appointment of a pilot Community Faiths Forum.

(AQW 546/11)

Minister for Social Development (Mr A Attwood): The DSD pilot Community Faiths’ Forum is an initiative launched in May 2010 and managed by the Churches Community Work Alliance (Northern Ireland) (CCWA (NI)), a regional organisation with whom DSD has an ongoing funding relationship to promote social action by local church and faith based organisations.

This is a time-bound (23 months) project involving a very modest budget of approximately £25,000 per year with forum members formally invited to participate by CCWA (NI).

An EQIA was considered but not deemed necessary. An Equality screening exercise indicates that in consulting with and beyond the four main denominations, working closely with CCWA (NI) and leaders of faith groups actively involved in social action projects, and colleagues in OFMdFM in relation to potential minority faith members, officials are content that, given the pilot nature of this limited and innovative exercise of engagement with the faith sector, that there are no adverse equality issues or negative impacts upon any section of the community.

It is worth noting that the pilot forum members will consider issues arising from consideration of membership and representation should the pilot forum be extended or expanded following the period of the current pilot. In the meantime the forum will welcome participation from all/any recognised faith groups, whether they have or have not affiliation to any individual forum member, to share or make a presentation on their work at future forum meetings. To avail of such an opportunity individuals or groups should contact the Community Faiths’ Forum manager at CCWA (NI) or officials in the Voluntary & Community Unit of DSD. I am willing to develop the membership of the Pilot Forum but believe that it should work quickly given its initial 23 months time-frame.

External Research Bodies

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development how much the Housing Executive has spent on commissioning external research bodies in each of the last five years; and to list the external research bodies which were used.

(AQW 1321/11)

Minister for Social Development: The figures detailed below show the amount spent by the Housing Executive on commissioning external research bodies in each of last five financial years and the research bodies commissioned are also listed.

Research into housing conditions is a statutory requirement for the Housing Executive and this is mainly undertaken through House Condition Surveys. The majority of this is accounted for by employing qualified chartered surveyors and Environmental Health Officers on short term contracts to undertake the necessary surveying/supervising work for the House Condition Survey – they are perhaps not external bodies as such – but have been included in the above figures for the sake of completeness.

External research bodies commissioned were as follows:

Adrian Jones Social research

Building Research Establishment

Chinese Welfare Association

Council for the Homeless Northern Ireland

Design for Homes

Erics Ison

Fiona Boyle associates

Healthy Cities

Integer

Integrated Marketing Solutions

(Ipsos) Mori Ireland

Jo Lavis

MacBride International

Millward Brown Ulster

National Energy Services

North Harbour Consulting

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Perceptive Insight

Property News

Queen’s University of Belfast

Research and Evaluation Services

RPS

Rural Community Network

Social Research Centre

Solutions Together

STEP

Travellers Support Group

University of Birmingham

University College Dublin

University of Glasgow

University of Ulster

University of York

Staff Away-days

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the cost to the Housing Executive of staff away-days in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) conference rooms; (ii) travel; (iii) accommodation; and (iv) food and subsistence costs.

(AQW 1325/11)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested as the Housing Executive cannot disaggregate the cost of conference rooms, accommodation and food as these are negotiated as a package. The table below details the aggregate cost for accommodation/conference rooms, food, travel and subsistence costs:

Note

Away days are classed as Business Planning and include a training element.

The increase in events in 2008 and 2009 is due to the Modernising Programme.

Housing Executive Away-days

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development how many Housing Executive away-days in each of the last five years have been held in (i) Housing Executive premises; and (ii) hotels or conference centres.

(AQW 1326/11)

Minister for Social Development: Dependant on the numbers of staff involved and the availability of rooms, the Housing Executive will use internal accommodation, community conference facilities or hotels for away days. The number of away days over the last five financial years are as follows:

Note

Away days are classed as Business Planning and include a training element.

The increase in events in 2008 and 2009 is due to the Modernising Programme.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development what assessment he has made of the financial effect of the proposed benefit changes announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

(AQW 1600/11)

Minister for Social Development: The financial effects of the benefit reforms announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review are currently being considered. It may be that hundreds of millions of pounds will be cut in benefits in Northern Ireland as a result of the Chancellors two budgets. A full assessment will be made on an ongoing basis and when the forthcoming White Paper is published.

I have already raised my concerns about the particular difficulties we face in Northern Ireland, during recent discussions and meetings with Iain Duncan Smith, Lord Freud and Chris Grayling and will continue to do so. I have grave concerns about proposals which will have adverse consequences for anyone who, through no fault of their own, is unable to find a job, bearing in mind the particular economic climate and other circumstances which are particular to this region.

I have instructed officials to establish a Strategy Working Group, comprised of officials and key stakeholders from the Voluntary, Community and Advice Sector, to assist me in determining what the likely impact of the proposed reforms may be. We will also explore how benefit reforms can be delivered to ensure the maximum benefit to people in Northern Ireland, develop operational flexibilities, identify if proposals should be implemented or how they might be phased, mindful of parity.

Development Site at Foyle Street in Derry

Ms M Anderson asked e Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 1030/11, how much money his Department has spent on the development site at Foyle Street in Derry in the last ten years.

(AQW 1693/11)

Minister for Social Development: My Department has spent £1,053k on the Foyle Street site over the past 10 years. This figure is broken down in the following table:

In 1999 the Department was forced to take legal action against the Development Company which it had granted a licence to construct a hotel on the site in 1996 following the company’s failure to progress the scheme. This was resisted by the company leading to protracted legal action in both the High Court and Lands Tribunal which ended with the Department successfully repossessing the site in 2005. However the total cost of this, which included compensation of £557k and legal fees, was some £675k:-

The expenditure on the site also includes the purchase of an additional portion of land from DRD Roads Service and the relocation of BT and NIE services to enhance the site and make it more attractive to prospective developers. These costs will be recovered in the premium obtained for the site when it is marketed.

A further £134k will be spent in the current financial year to create a shared space which will include a small urban park. This will form an important link between the new public realm in the Guildhall Square and the Peace Bridge.

Supported Living Accommodation

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Social Development for a breakdown of the provision of Supported Living Accommodation for people with severe mental health conditions in each District Council.

(AQW 1745/11)

Minister for Social Development: The table below details the provision of accommodation based support services by District Council area delivered through the Housing Executive’s Supporting People programme:-

Regeneration of Limavady

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Social Development when he will publish plans for the regeneration of Limavady; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

(AQW 1771/11)

Minister for Social Development: My Department in partnership with Limavady Borough Council, DOE Planning Service and DRD Roads Service has appointed the RPS Group to prepare a regeneration master plan for Limavady town centre. The project began on 10 May 2010 with the master plan due for completion by 31 March 2011.

This confirms that DSD acknowledges the need to develop an agreed regeneration strategy, in respect of which I will comment, when the plan is published.

Staff Mileage Claims

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Social Development what was the cost to his Department of staff mileage claims in the last financial year.

(AQW 1800/11)

Minister for Social Development: The cost to my Department of staff mileage claims in the last financial year totalled £962,941 which amounts to approximately £128 per staff member per annum based on 7,498 staff.

Regeneration of Dromore Town Centre

Mr P Givan asked the Minister for Social Development what plans he has for the regeneration of Dromore town centre.

(AQW 1839/11)

Minister for Social Development: There are no current plans in place for the regeneration of Dromore town centre. However, a meeting with officers of Banbridge District Council is planned to discuss the possibility of future regeneration projects. Approval of funding for any project will of course depend on the amount of capital funding for urban regeneration which can be secured by the Department and on the outcome of an appraisal of any proposed scheme.

My Department previously funded an environmental improvement scheme for the square in the town centre in 2008, at a cost of £174k.

Masterplan for Shaftesbury Square

Ms A Lo asked the Minister for Social Development what were the outcomes of the discussion the Department had with the South Belfast Area Partnership in relation to developing a further masterplan for Shaftesbury Square and its surrounding neighbourhoods.

(AQW 1862/11)

Minister for Social Development: My officials are actively seeking a meeting with the South Belfast Partnership Board on this issue. I believe that Shaftesbury Square and its local neighbourhoods could benefit from the new approach to area planning introduced by the Concept Masterplans and I look forward to hearing the outcome of these discussions. I have asked my officials to provide you with an update following a meeting.

NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY COMMISSION

Assembly Staffing

Mr D Kinahan asked the Assembly Commission to detail the number of people currently employed in each Assembly Directorate, broken down by grade and pay scale.

(AQW 1630/11)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Mr P Ramsey): The number of permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) employees is detailed in Table 1 below:

At 30 September 2010 a further 14 agency staff were in also post across the organisation.

For each grade below Assembly Grade 1, a pay scale applies with members of staff on differing pay points. The pay scales that apply to each of these grades are given in Table 2. Based on the audited accounts for 2009/10, the pay for the Clerk / Director General (AG1) was in the range £110,000 to £115,000.

Assembly Secretariat Expenditure

Mr D Kinahan asked the Assembly Commission to detail the costs incurred by each Assembly Directorate in each year since May 2007.

(AQW 1631/11)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Rev Dr R Coulter): Expenditure for the Assembly Secretariat is broken down into four distinct categories which are used for expenditure reporting namely Staff Salaries, General Administrative Expenditure (GAE), Non Cash Costs and Capital. Capital projects often encompass more than one Directorate so their costs are not attributed to a specific Directorate. Similarly, Non Cash Costs (such as depreciation of assets and notional charges) are not allocated to a specific Directorate.

The tables below are based on the current structure for the Assembly Secretariat (which was introduced in April 2008). Costs associated with Members (such as Members’ salaries or allowances) are excluded except those costs which are incurred on Committee Business. The summary table shows the total Non-Cash Costs and Capital for the period.

The organisational entities within each Directorate are as follows;

General Administrative Expenditure

Mr D Kinahan asked the Assembly Commission to detail the amount spent on (i) electricity; (ii) heating; (iii) water; (iv) printed materials; (v) paper; (vi) newspapers and magazines; (vii) repairs and maintenance; and (viii) the purchase and maintenance of electronic devices in each year since May 2007.

(AQW 1632/11)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Mr P Ramsey ): These expenditure items fall within the category of General Administrative Expenditure. Expenditure is not routinely recorded under the exact descriptions noted above for all items. The amount of expenditure incurred for each of these categories is detailed in the Table below:

Additional Plenary Sitting

Mr K McCarthy asked the Assembly Commission to detail the total cost of the additional plenary sitting on 25 October 2010.

(AQW 1674/11)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Mr S Neeson): The Assembly was summoned by the Speaker following notice from the required number of Members. The sitting lasted just over two hours. The current position is that unit costs are not produced for each plenary sitting session of the Assembly. Given that the additional sitting took place during a working week when the building was open and no staff had to be recalled, there were no significant or quantifiable additional costs to the Commission for the sitting on 25 October 2010.

REVISED WRITTEN ANSWERS

Friday 12 November 2010

(AQW 1178/11)

The table below details the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure’s (DCAL) official estimated capacity (ie number of spectators for which a sports ground has accommodation) of each of the sports grounds identified in the Schedule to the Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009. This official estimated capacity has not been changed or reduced since inspections were carried out in 2009 by Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) on DCAL’s behalf and in accordance with Article 4(4) of The Safety of Sports Grounds (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

I am aware, however, that as a result of the introduction of the Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009, 17 of the grounds listed in its Schedule have, to date, been issued with safety certificates by their District Council under Article 4 (5) and Article 5 of the Safety of Sports Grounds (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. These certificates specify, subject to certain conditions being satisfied, the number of spectators that the owners of the venues in question may safely admit into the grounds including into terraced and seated accommodation. Information on the numbers of spectators that Councils have determined may be safely admitted at present into these areas is also set out in the table below.

^*The District Council’s estimation of the safe capacity at Ballymena UTD FC is expected to be increased to 3,050 when the Warden St stand opens shortly

^**This estimate was made in 2009 when part of Ravenhill Rugby Ground was under reconstruction and certain areas, under construction, had no accommodation (accessible or otherwise) for spectators. The safety certificate issued by Belfast City Council in 2010 post dates this estimate and the completion of these construction works.

It should be noted that SNI, which is responsible for discharging overseeing functions under paragraph 5 of the Explanatory Memorandum to The Safety of Sports Grounds (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, is carrying out assessments of all safety certificates issued by District Councils. Part of the purpose of these assessments is to enable SNI to evaluate the remedial actions, in terms of physical safety and safety management; ground owners may need to take to increase the number of spectators that they may safely admit into their grounds in line with their actual attendance demands.

(AQW 510/11)

I have been advised by the Education and Library Boards that pupils are only transported by taxi where;

• the child has specific needs (behavioural or medical) which deem bus transport unsuitable usually within a statement for special education needs;
• specialist pupil conditions apply, for example sensory sensitivity or autism, which may require individual or small group transport;
• when all space has been utilised on Board buses;
• where no Board or private vehicles operate to certain special schools; and
• where times allocated by the schools are outside of normal school times and there are no Board buses available.

Tá na costais a thabhaigh gach Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann i leith daltaí a iompar i dtacsaithe ar scoileanna speisialta, i ngach bliain le dhá bhliain anuas dona bhfuil figiúirí ar fáil san fhormáid a iarradh, mar atá soláthraithe sa tábla thíos. Níl na figiúirí don bhliain 2009-10 ar fáil go fóill;

The costs incurred by each Education and Library Board to transport pupils to special schools by taxi, in each of the last two years for which figures are available in the format requested, are as provided in the table below. The figures for 2009-10 are not yet available;

Figures in £000s

* not available

The Education and Library’s policy states that "escorts are provided, where required, to ensure the safety of children on the recommendation of the Designated Special Education Officer".

As a contractual requirement, all private hire contractors must only supply personnel who have been Access NI checked.

All escorts when present and drivers are also subject to an enhanced Access NI criminal record check