Homepage > The Work of the Assembly > Questions > Weekly Answers Booklet > Friday 4 March 2011

This publication contains the written answers to questions tabled by Members. The content of the responses is as received at the time from the relevant Minister or representative of the Assembly Commission and has not been subject to the official reporting process or changed in any way.

Friday 4 March 2011

Written Answers to Questions

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

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

Inland Watercourses and Waterways

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to list the Departments and agencies which have a statutory role in the management or control of (i) inland watercourses and waterways; and (ii) coastal marine environments.

(AQW 2913/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness): The Department of Environment including the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development including the Rivers Agency, the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and the Department for Social Development have a statutory role in the management or control of inland waterways and watercourses.

The Department of Environment including the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development including the Rivers Agency and the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure also have a statutory role in relation to coastal marine environments.

Social Protection Fund and Social Investment Fund

Mr R Beggs asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in light of the creation of the Social Protection Fund and the Social Investment Fund, for an assessment of how they will avoid the deflection of funds away from similar schemes designed to address deprivation, such as the Department for Social Development's Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.

(AQW 3792/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Social Investment Fund and the Social Protection Fund will be additional and complementary to existing programmes including the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme. Ensuring this will be a key consideration as the schemes continue to be developed.

Budget for the Play and Leisure Policy

Mrs D Kelly asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in light of their Department's draft budget and savings plans, what is the new budget for the Play and Leisure Policy; and for their assessment of how the Play and Leisure Implementation Plan will be taken forward with a budget of £0.55m per year.

(AQW 3804/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The Play and Leisure Policy and Play and Leisure Implementation Plan are cross-departmental matters and all Government Departments have individual responsibility for relevant actions detailed within the Plan.

It is for individual Ministers to address the actions which are specific to their Department and to ensure that the associated resources are in place to deliver on their commitments. The Budget is out for public consultation and the final figure allocated to Play & Leisure has not yet been decided. The £0.55m you refer to relates to savings within the budget for the Play and Leisure Policy. However, the actions remaining within the Plan for OFMDFM will require minimal resources and the savings will not impact on our ability to deliver on those actions.

The impending budget cuts were fully recognised during the development of the Implementation Plan. Nonetheless, we will continue to closely monitor the delivery of the plan so that any potential issues can be identified and addressed at an early stage.

Investment Strategy and the Programme for Government

Mrs D Kelly asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister when the Investment Strategy and the Programme for Government will be published for consultation, given that the Department of Finance and Personel's guidance states that they should have been published alongside the draft Budget.

(AQW 3805/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Our officials have been working with departments over the past number of months on a draft Programme for Government and we, together with our Executive colleagues, need to consider the most opportune timing for consulting upon a draft Programme for Government, bearing in mind the forthcoming elections in May 2011.

An Investment Strategy for 2011-21 is under development and will be published in due course following agreement with the Executive. It is not possible to confirm a date for publication for consultation at this stage.

Special Advisers

Mrs D Kelly asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they have any plans to reduce the number of special advisers within their Department.

(AQW 3855/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Staffing levels across OFMDFM are currently being examined in light of the reduction in operating costs set out in the draft Budget 2011 – 2015 spending proposals. This review will encompass all of the staffing in OFMDFM. The outcome of this exercise will be considered by the Department's senior management team and will be the focus of discussion with Trade Union Side before final decisions are taken.

Independent Complaints Body for Students

Mr P Butler asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the review to establish an independent complaints body to address student’s complaints in further and higher education institutions, including when this body is likely to be established.

(AQW 4327/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Colleges of Further and Higher Education are not currently included in the Northern Ireland Ombudsman's jurisdiction.

A review of the Office undertaken in 2004 recommended that they be included within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction.

Work is currently underway to update and reform the legislation of the Office. A recent public consultation exercise carried out by the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to update the legislation includes the proposal to extend the jurisdiction of the Office to include a number of additional publicly funded bodies such as education bodies .

It is unknown at this stage whether or not the jurisdiction will be extended or the timescale for new legislation being passed.

Gender Quality Unit and Real Fathers For Justice: Meeting

Mr C McDevitt asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the outcome of the meeting between their Department's Gender Quality Unit and Real Fathers For Justice which took place on 8 October 2009; and to detail any progress since this meeting.

(AQW 4509/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: At the meeting, Real Fathers for Justice (RFFJ) raised concerns about various policies and services across government. There was a subsequent exchange of correspondence and OFMDFM officials have offered a further meeting.

On 10 September 2010 a meeting was convened between RFFJ and officials from a number of government departments, following which a detailed, co-ordinated response was provided to RFFJ on all the issues raised.

Race Relations (NI) Order 1997

Mr B Wilson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what progress has been made regarding a review of the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997, since a motion calling for a review received cross-party support in May 2009.

(AQW 4549/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: Since the motion calling for a review of the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997, the Order has been amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 to make it clear that the provisions of the 1997 Order cover cases of both direct and indirect discrimination ie they cover both persons who are put at a disadvantage by a discriminatory provision, criterion or practice and those that would be put at such a disadvantage.

We intend to further amend the 1997 Order at the earliest opportunity to remove the provision that makes it lawful for companies to pay seafarers working on board vessels different rates of pay on the basis of their nationality if the seafarer has been recruited abroad. Insofar as seafarers from EU, EEA and other designated states are concerned, this is in breach of European law.

We refer the member to AQW 4289/11, answered on 17 February 2011, in which we announced that work had begun to develop a new Strategy to replace “A Racial Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland 2005-2010”. We intend that a thoroughgoing review of the 1997 Order take place as part of this work.

Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration

Mr B Wilson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, given that the consultation on the Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration has now closed, what is the timeline for the publication and implementation of a new strategy.

(AQW 4550/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The draft Cohesion, Sharing and Integration Programme is continuing to be developed following the 3-month consultation process which closed on 29 October 2010.

The public consultation afforded everyone the opportunity to comment on the range of issues covered within the draft CSI Programme. Although the consultation formally closed on 29 October 2010, officials granted one more week to allow for late returns to be included in the analysis of the findings.

The consultation attracted 290 written responses and included the wealth of views and material gathered from 11 public meetings and 15 targeted sectoral meetings which were held at a range of locations during September and October last year.

The draft report on the analysis of the consultation responses was completed in early January and the findings will be passed to us shortly to inform our deliberations. We were heartened by the interest, effort and engagement of all those who took part in the consultation and we want to give the views of all those people due consideration as we look at how we will build on and strengthen the document. We intend to have all the responses published on the website in due course along with the results of the analysis.

Afro Community Support Organisation

Mr B Wilson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, given that 2011 is the International Year for People of African Descent, what plans they have to support the Afro Community Support Organisation.

(AQW 4551/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We acknowledge the important work carried out by the Afro Community Support Organisation Northern Ireland (ACSONI) in raising awareness of the contribution being made by people of African descent to Northern Ireland and of issues affecting people of African descent here. We are pleased to have a representative of ACSONI sit on OFMDFM’s Racial Equality Panel to help advise us on good race relations and racial equality.

We understand that ACSONI has applied for both development and project funding from the Minority Ethnic Development Fund which was re-opened recently for new applications. Of course, ACSONI’s applications will have to be judged by the Fund’s Selection Committee alongside applications from other groups.

Shackelton Barracks in Ballykelly

Mr A McQuillan asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) whether the Ministry of Defence has offered to hand over the site of Shackelton Barracks in Ballykelly; (ii) if this offer will be accepted; and (iii) when a decision will be made.

(AQW 4567/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: The former Shackleton Barracks site in Ballykelly is one of four former military bases earmarked within the Hillsborough Castle Agreement for transfer to the Executive and, with the exception of lands at Omagh to be used for an educational campus, subsequent disposal to meet exceptional resource pressures. None of the sites have yet been transferred.

Ensuring that the arrangements for handover represent value for money is a vital concern. Once suitable arrangements are agreed we will expedite the transfer process with the Ministry of Defence.

Ballykinlar Barracks in South Down

Mr W Clarke asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they have had any discussions with the Ministry of Defence regarding the future of Ballykinlar Barracks in South Down.

(AQW 4577/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: nThe Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has not had any discussions with the Ministry of Defence regarding the future of Ballykinler barracks.

Responsibility for Coastguard Provision

Mr W Clarke asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they will seek the devolution of the responsibility for coastguard provision, as is the case with the other 'blue light' services.

(AQW 4578/11)

First Minister and deputy First Minister: We are very concerned about any proposals to potentially close or reduce the capacity of the only coastguard rescue centre here. We visited Belfast Coastguard Rescue Centre on 17 February and saw first hand the vital work which the people there undertake every day.

We will respond to the Coastguard Modernisation consultation which will provide information about local factors which we are hopeful will influence the decisions made by Whitehall Ministers and we will continue to make the case to Whitehall for retaining an adequate coastguard presence here.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Rural Development Programme

Mr P Frew asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (i) whether she will consider raising the Rural Development Programme's minimum procurement threshold of £100; (ii) for her assessment of this threshold; (iii) whether she will allow promoters to accept faxed and emailed quotations; and (iv) whether she will reduce the number of quotations required by promoters when they have received 'nil' responses or refusals to quote.[R]

(AQW 3777/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): I am interpreting this question to refer to Axis 3 of the Rural Development Programme. The procurement criteria applied to Axis 3 is informed by best practice and experience gained through audit and inspection findings and recommended actions of current and previous programmes such as Leader +. This is why the minimum threshold is set at £100 (your points (i) and (ii) ). As a member of a Joint Council Committee you will be familiar with the ongoing engagement between my officials, Joint Council Committee representatives, Local Action Group representatives and JCC Administration Units being undertaken to increase the speed of Axis 3 delivery on the ground. Coming from this engagement officials have undertaken an examination of procurement thresholds, the need for evidence and associated risks in procurement exercises. Consequently the Operating Rules have been revised to afford easement in respect of the evidence of quotations in the light of representations from Promoters. Quotations can now be “sought” rather than obtained. As regards faxed and e-mail quotations, you will also know that my officials are pursuing this, and will report to LAGs and JCC before the end of February (your point (iii). Finally, I will ask officials to consider part (iv), but this may be outside of my remit.

I know you will understand that the overriding purpose of procurement is to achieve probity and best value for the public purse.

You will understand as a member of the Legislative Assembly that the resource being expended in the Axis is public money therefore that the overriding purpose of procurement is to achieve probity and best value for the public purse. Therefore while my Department is content to afford easement this is only possible where risks are minimised and out weighted by outcomes.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what proportion of her Department's budget the £75,000 she intends to cut from the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster represents.

(AQW 4451/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Over the four year budget period, the proposed cessation of the grant to the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster represents 0.03% of the Executive’s proposed draft budget current expenditure allocation to the Department.

Social Exclusion

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to outline her plans to help young people in rural areas facing social exclusion.

(AQW 4452/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Over the past two years my Department has led on a £10 million package of actions to address poverty and social exclusion in rural areas throughout the north including a rural challenge programme to allow rural communities to identify and address local issues relating to poverty and exclusion.

I have recently secured an enhanced commitment from the Executive to target poverty and social exclusion in rural areas and have made proposals to raise overall expenditure to around £16 million over the next four years. My department will play a leading role in identifying how this funding can be put to best use, including looking at how we might best support children and young people facing social exclusion in rural areas. Given the wide ranging nature of poverty and social exclusion, it is likely my Department will continue to work in partnership with others to maximise the impact of the available funding.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how she proposes to help, train and encourage the next generation of farmers without the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster.

(AQW 4455/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development provides education and training for young people who wish to undertake vocational agri-food education. The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) provides a range of education and training programmes designed to meet the needs of these young people and the agri-food sector in the north of Ireland.

Further and Higher education programmes available at CAFRE include programmes in agriculture, horticulture, equine, food and communications. These programmes, enable participants to develop their skills and competences in their chosen area and helps them prepare for a career in the agri-food industry.

As you know, I plan to continue funding the YFCU for a further three years, subject to them providing a suitable business proposal covering specific areas of work that we agreed.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what plans her Department has to review the level of funding to the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster in its final budget.

(AQW 4531/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I met with the YFCU on 17 th February to hear their perspective on the proposed withdrawal of their funding. I have also taken on board the considerable response in the consultation to this proposal, and have decided to continue to fund the YFCU for a further 3 years subject to them providing a suitable business proposal covering specific areas of work which I have agreed with them.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to outline the rationale behind her decision to cut funding to the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster.

(AQW 4532/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Following the Executive’s agreement on a draft budget, I announced my draft budget proposals for DARD for the financial years 2011 – 2015 on the 13 January 2011.

The scale of the current expenditure savings required from DARD is £43 million over the next four years. At the time, I identified that I would not have the resources to do everything I would want to, and to live within the available budget I proposed savings in a number of areas. When I considered the support DARD provides to the YFCU, I didn’t regard it as a priority when set against frontline activity.

I am aware that considerable concern about this draft budget proposal has been raised and that many submissions on the issue have been received.

Having carefully considered the views raised by the YFCU when I met them recently, the budget pressures on my Department and the potential value that a programme of work targeted at specific areas could deliver, I am content to fund the YFCU for a further three years, subject to them providing a suitable business proposal covering the specific areas we agreed.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the level of her Department's funding to the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster in the North Down constituency in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4534/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: In both 2006/07 and 2007/08 I awarded a grant of £75,486 to the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster. In 2008 I awarded the YFCU a grant of £75,000 per year under a 3-year Letter of Offer ending in March 2011. The funding enables the YFCU to deliver a programme of training and personal development for its members and is not attributed directly to any particular Club.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the level of her Department's funding to the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4535/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: In the past 5 years the Department has provided total funding of £376k to the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU).

This equates to the following amounts in each of the past 5 years

2006/07 - £75,486

2007/08 - £75,486

2008/09 - £75,000

2009/10 - £75,000

2010/11 - £75,000

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development why the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster was given such a short time to respond to the proposed removal of funding; and what assessment her Department has made of the impact these proposals will have on this organisation.

(AQW 4562/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Following the Executive’s agreement of a draft budget and the publication of its proposals in December, I announced my draft budget proposals for DARD for the financial years 2011 – 2015 on the 13 January 2011 and the information was published on the DARD website.

Subsequent to this, stakeholders were informed at briefings and by letter, how they might be affected by the budget proposals and were advised how they could respond before the end of the consultation period on 16 February 2011. I was aware that concern about this draft budget proposal had been raised and that many submissions on the issue had been received.

I met with the YFCU to listen to their perspective and we had a very positive engagement and useful discussion. I indicated the areas that I believe are a priority and where the YFCU may contribute to rural communities.

These include Rural Road Safety in conjunction with the GAA, Succession Planning, encouraging the uptake of on-line applications by farm businesses, a schools outreach programme of a cross-community nature and a programme of work to integrate the work of the YFCU into local rural community initiatives,

I have now agreed to fund them for a further 3-year period subject to provision of a suitable business proposal covering these specific areas of work and delivery against measurable outputs.

As with all the proposed savings, this proposal was subject to scrutiny through the process of completing a High Level Impact Assessment (HLIA). Equality Screening was also undertaken and if the proposal was to be taken forward, a full EQIA would have been carried out.

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number and names of individuals that have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4586/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Since assuming my responsibility as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, I have nominated 50 individuals to 7 bodies.

I have set out the detail of these appointments in the table below.

This table includes individuals appointed to the Research and Education Advisory Panel (REAP) which no longer exists.

1. Name of individual	(i) Public Body	(ii). Arms-length bodies	Additional Comments
Dr C Kennedy		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2008
Dr Holywood		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2008
Mr K Campbell		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2008
Mr N Mack		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2008
Mr J McKinley		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2008
Prof David McDowell		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Deputy Chairperson – Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2009
Prof Grace Mulcahy		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2009
Mr James Noble		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2009
Mr John Rankin		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2009
Mr Michael Walker		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Re-appointment - Commenced 1 April 2009
Mr Sean Hogan		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	AFBI Chair – Re-appointment – commenced 1 April 2010
Mr Trevor Hinds		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Candidate successful – Appointment commenced 1 April 2010
Mr Seamus McCaffrey		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Candidate successful - Appointment commenced 1 April 2010
Mr Alan McKeown		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Candidate successful - Appointment commenced 1 April 2010
Mrs Hilda Stewart		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Candidate successful - Appointment commenced 1 April 2010
Mr Kieran Campbell		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Finance member extension of appointment - commenced 1 April 2010
Dr Michael Holywood		Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)	Finance member extension of appointment - commenced 1 April 2010
Mr John Clarke	Drainage Council
Mr Tom Clarke	Drainage Council
Mr Jeff Glass	Drainage Council
Mr Trevor Hinds	Drainage Council
Ms Rosemary Dobbins	Drainage Council
Mr Sean Clarke	Drainage Council
Mr Allan Rainey	Drainage Council
Mr Dudley Hutchings	British Wool Marketing Board		The BWMB is a north of Ireland and Britain -wide body. Appointments require the agreement of all 4 Agriculture Ministers.
Mrs Judith Donovan	British Wool Marketing Board
Mrs Sarah Havlin	Agricultural Wages Board
Mrs Delia Van der Lenden	Agricultural Wages Board
Mr Ian Morris	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Mr Brian Majury	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Mr Harold Henning	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Mr Roy Teggarty	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Ms Margaret Andrews	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Mr Terry Jarvis	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Mr Gordon Irwin	Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Mr Owen Brennan		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Re-appointment
Mr Patrick O’Rourke		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Appointment
Mr Kenneth Sharkey		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Appointment
Mrs Mary McCormack		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Appointment
Mr Phelim O’Neill		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Appointment
Mr Jim Noble		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Appointment and re-appointment
Mr John McGaughey		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Re-appointment
Mr Campbell Tweedie		Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland	Appointment and re-appointment
Mr Colin Coffey	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Re-appointment 2007; extension 2008 - both accepted
Prof. Bertus Rima	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Re-appointment 2007; extension 2008 - both accepted
Dr Sally Shortall	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Re-appointment 2007; extension 2008 - both accepted
Prof. Roderick Blackshaw	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Extension 2008 - accepted
Mr Lewis Cunningham	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Extension 2008 - accepted
Mr. Bernard McKay	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Extension 2008 - accepted
Dr. John Sherlock	DARD Research and Education Advisory Panel		Extension 2008 - accepted

Kilkeel Harbour

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, pursuant to AQW 4372/11, to outline a precise time-frame for when the economic appraisal of the options to address safety at Kilkeel Harbour will be presented.

(AQW 4631/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I presented the results of the economic appraisal of the options to address navigational safety at Kilkeel Harbour in my response to an Assembly Oral Question on 22 February 2011. I have decided that the Fishery Harbour Authority and port users should start work to develop an Enhanced Safety Management System and bring this into operation as soon as possible.

Suicide Prevention

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to outline where suicide prevention sits within her Department's Programme for Government targets.

(AQW 4822/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Back in 2001 my Department helped establish the Rural Support charitable organisation which works within the farming and rural community and provides a 24-hour helpline which offers a listening ear and signposting service to help deal with paperwork, financial issues, stress and feelings of anxiety, including suicide.

My Department is leading on the current Programme for Government target to bring forward a £10m package to tackle rural poverty and exclusion and within this continue to fund Rural Support. As well as supporting their key service this funding enables among other things their active participation in initiatives aimed at preventing suicide and self harm including the inter-sectoral Suicide Strategy Implementation Body which was established to oversee and advise on the implementation of the 2006 DHSSPS Suicide Prevention Strategy “Protect Life”. This strategy contains actions to ensure support services for marginalised groups including rural communities, and to develop a culture of help seeking among people in occupations that have a high risk of suicide.

The wider schemes and initiatives within the anti-poverty and exclusion programme, such as childcare, concessionary transport, community development and the challenge programme local projects will also play a key role in assisting those individuals that have become excluded. Both the Rural Challenge Programme and Axis 3 of the Rural Development Programme are supporting projects from organisations that support those effected by suicide and activities aimed at preventing suicide.

Suicides have a devastating impact on families and communities and we must do all that we can to ensure that support is available for those who may think that suicide is the only answer to their problems.

Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster

Mr P Frew asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in light of her decision to continue funding the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) for the next three years, what are the implications for the Clubs in the final year of the 2011-15 budget period; and whether funding for the Clubs will be available over the entire budget period and beyond.

(AQW 4833/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: The YFCU sought to renew the grant for a further term of three years and this is what I have agreed to. At the end of the funding period in March 2014, the position with regard to the final year of the budget period and beyond will be reviewed. Decisions will then be taken based on the budget priorities at that time, and the delivery of outcomes by the YFCU against the objectives and targets set.

Electric Shock Dog Collar Training Devices

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development whether she has any plans to introduce a ban on electric shock dog collar training devices, given the introduction of the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) Regulations in Wales.

(AQW 4962/11)

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: I would refer the Member back to the Answer that I gave him on this matter on 27 January 2011. I have no plans at present to introduce a ban on electronic collar training devices. The Welfare of Animals Bill, which has now completed its passage through the Assembly and is expected to receive Final Assent shortly, includes the power to make subordinate regulations to secure the welfare of animals. This will provide the power to ban shock collars in future if the evidence shows that it is necessary. DEFRA commissioned research in 2007 into the use of shock collars which is expected to be completed in June 2011. The research will then need to be peer reviewed. When the outcome of that review is available I will consider if a ban on the use of these collars is necessary. Any subordinate legislation would be subject to public consultation, scrutiny by the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and approval by affirmative resolution of the Assembly.

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the number and names of individuals that have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4564/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr N McCausland): A total of 96 individuals have been appointed to Public Bodies under the remit of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure since May 2007.

The names of these individuals are listed per body in Annex A attached.

Annex A

PUBLIC BODY	INDIVIDUAL (Appointment date )
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium - Board of Governors	Mr William Gregory Hamilton Berry (01/01/11)
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium - Management Committee	Mr Eamonn Peter Donnelly (01/11/08)
	Councillor James Ignatius Shields (01/11/08)
	Mr Alastair Peoples (01/11/08)
	Mrs Primrose Eileen Wilson (01/11/08)
	Dr Áine Downey (01/07/08)
	Mrs Sue Hogg (01/07/08)
	Dr Michael McKay (01/01/11)
	Mr Richard Brett Hannam (01/01/11)
Arts Council of Northern Ireland	Mrs Rosemary Kelly (01/07/07)
	Mrs Eithne Benson (01/07/07)
	Mrs Katherine Bond (01/07/07)
	Mrs Lucia Finnegan (01/07/07)
	Mr Anthony Kennedy (01/07/07)
	Mr William H C Montgomery (01/07/07)
	Ms Sharon O’Connor (01/07/07)
	Mr Peter Spratt (01/07/07)
	Mr Raymond Fullerton (01/07/07)
	Mr Damien Coyle (01/12/07)
	Professor Paul Seawright (01/12/07)
	Mr Joseph Rice (01/12/07)
	Mr David Irvine (01/12/07)
	Mr Brian Sore (01/12/07)
	Mrs Janine Walker (01/12/07)
	Professor Ian Montgomery (09/04/08)
Fisheries Conservancy Board	Dr Robert Hanna (01/01/08)
	Mr Mick Cory (01/01/08)
	Ms Hazel Campbell (01/09/08)
	Rev OP Kennedy (14/10/08)
	Mr Edward Montgomery (01/10/08)
	Mr David Cowan (01/12/08)
	Mr Robbie Marshall (15/12/08)
National Museums Northern Ireland	Miss Linda Beers (01/07/08)
	LT Colonel (Rtd) Reginald Harvey Bicker (01/07/08)
	Dame Geraldine Keegan (01/07/08)
	Mrs Wendy Osborne (01/07/08)
	Mr Thomas Shaw (01/07/08)
	Dr Alastair Walker (01/07/08)
	Mr James Neil Bodger (01/07/08)
	Mr Pat Carvill (01/07/08)
	Mr Joe Kelly (01/07/08)
	Dr John Richard Browne McMinn (01/07/08)
	Mr John David William Moore (01/07/08)
	Ms Margaret Anne Peoples (01/07/08)
	Dr Brian Scott (01/07/08)
	Mr Daniel Harvey, member (01/07/08) Chair (01/01/09)
Northern Ireland Library Authority	Dr D S Elliott (01/12/08)
	Mr Patrick Carvill (01/04/09)
	Mr Alastair James McDowell OBE (01/04/09)
	Ms Jane Roberta Williams (01/04/09)
	Councillor Hubert Nicholl (01/08/09)
	Councillor Ms Evelyne Robinson (01/08/09)
	Councillor Jim Rodgers (01/08/09)
	Councillor Patrick Cathal Mullaghan (01/08/09)
	Councillor Ms Carla Lockhart (01/08/09)
	Councillor Samuel Cole (01/08/09)
	Councillor Allan Ewart (01/08/09)
	Councillor Mrs Anne Brolly (01/08/09)
	Councillor Charlie Casey (01/08/09)
	Councillor Mrs Roberta Dunlop (01/08/09)
	Councillor James Ignatius Shields(01/08/09)
	Mr David Roger Dixon, MBE (01/10/09)
	Mr Nigel S Macartney (01/10/09)
	Ms Angela Matthews (01/10/09)
	Ms Helen Elizabeth Roulston (01/10/09)
Northern Ireland Screen Commission	Mr Richard ( Rick ) Hill, Vice Chair (01/01/08) Chair (01/01/09)
	Mr Phillip Morrow (01/09/07)
	Ms Mairead Regan (01/09/07)
	Ms Maria McCann (01/09/07)
	Mr Terry Loane (01/09/07)
	Dr Roger Austin (01/09/07)
	Mr Peter Quinn (01/09/07)
	Mr Tim McKane (01/01/08)
	Ms Ruth Helene McCance (01/01/08)
	Mr James Michael Penny (01/01/08)
	Ms Anne Therese Cormican (01/01/08)
	Ms Kate Smith (01/01/08)
	Mr Brian McMahon(01/04/10)

Sport Northern Ireland	Mr Dominic Walsh Vice Chair (01/01/08) Chair (01/08/08)
	Dr Olive Brown (01/01/08)
	Mr Murray Cowan (01/01/08)
	Mr John D’Arcy (01/01/08)
	Ms Una Duncan (01/01/08)
	Mr Barry Macaulay (01/01/08)
	Mr Brian McCargo (01/01/08)
	Mr Hugh McCaughey (01/01/08)
	Ms Maura Muldoon (01/01/08)
	Mr Danny O’Connor (01/01/08)
	Councillor Jim Rodgers (01/01/08)
	Mr Alan Strong (01/01/08)
	Mr Patrick Turnbull (01/01/08)
	Mr Alan Moneypenny member (01/01/08) Vice Chair (01/10/09)

Libraries NI

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline the criteria which are being used by Libraries NI to assess the viability of public libraries such as the one in Gilford, County Down.

(AQW 4697/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Library services in communities such as Gilford are being considered within Libraries NI’s ongoing strategic Review of the libraries estate.

The criteria being used to identify the viability of public libraries are:

Fit for purpose;
Capable of delivering on the vision of Libraries NI;
In the right location; and
Sustainable.

I would also refer you to the Libraries NI website for additional background information on this Review.

Cultural Tourism Attractions

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what measures he will take to ensure that cultural tourism attractions, such as the Metropolitan Arts Centre, the New Lyric Theatre and the Derry-Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013 celebrations, are successful in delivering their potential economic contribution, given that many of the organisations responsible for the cultural programming of events and venues are subject to the cuts proposed by his Department.

(AQW 4700/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: My Department has provided significant capital investment for both the Metropolitan Arts Centre and Lyric Theatre, investing a total of over £20m in the two projects. These buildings will improve the arts offering in Northern Ireland and I recognise the importance of protecting this investment. The Arts Council will prioritise revenue funding for capital projects such as the Lyric and the MAC to protect the considerable investment which has been made by my Department and other funders.

In relation to the 2013 UK City of Culture, DCAL has not allocated any funding towards the costs of programming the 2013 UK City of Culture celebrations in Londonderry.

The UK City of Culture competition was initiated by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. It was made clear at the outset that no additional funding would be provided to cities bidding for the award, either for the bidding process or for programming, in the case of the successful city.

However I have advocated for the Executive to consider how it might support a collective recognition of the opportunity for Northern Ireland presented by Londonderry’s success.

2011-15 Budget Proposals

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, given that his Department will be subject to the second biggest reduction in funding as a result of the draft 2011-15 Budget, what plans he has put in place to help the arts industry deal with any shortfall in funding and prevent Northern Ireland becoming a no-go zone for the arts.

(AQW 4701/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: The Arts Council’s total resource budget over the four year period of £50.286m represents a 7.7% reduction, against its 2010/11 baseline position. However, on a more positive note, I recently announced a new investment of £4million in the creative industries which will build on the success of the Creative Industries Innovation Fund and help this area of the arts sector.

I appreciate that the Arts Council and the arts sector will face a major challenge and I have met with the Arts Council to discuss the implications of the draft budget and my priorities for the arts.

I will continue to work with my officials, the Arts Council and other stakeholders in an effort to ensure that the impact of cuts is minimised.

My Department has invested heavily in the arts and every effort will be made to ensure the continued success of the arts.

Arts Council Budget Cuts

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure why he is committed to protecting projects such as the Ulster Scots Academy with a potential risk of losing the economic, social and cultural contribution made by creative professionals because of the 23 per cent cuts which are expected by the Arts Council.

(AQW 4702/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: DCAL faces a significant reduction in its budget and this inevitably will impact on how the Department can allocate its budget, including funding for the arts.

The Department's draft proposals include an allocation to the Arts Council which represents a 7.7% reduction over four years, from its 2010/11 baseline position. The Arts Council's budget will receive a modest increase in 2011/12 and will not be reduced until 2012/13.

I am keen to ensure the continued sustainability of the overall arts sector and will take this into consideration in making a final decision about the level of funding for the Arts.

On a positive note, in the draft budget, the Northern Ireland Executive has assigned an additional £4m to help develop the skills and capacity to grow the creative industries.

In relation to the Ulster-Scots Academy, there has been a political commitment since 2003 to make funding available for the project. It remains a significant gap in the cultural infrastructure in Northern Ireland and it is important that the Ulster-Scots sector is given the same respect and recognition as the Irish Language sector.

However whilst the Academy is a Departmental priority, this is not a case of ring fencing, and if cuts are being considered everybody will be treated fairly and equitably.

National Lottery Funding

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure why the Deputy Secretary of his Department stated, at a recent Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action meeting, that Lottery Funding could be used by organisations to meet the deficit in core-funding resulting from cuts to the Arts Council budget, when guidance from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport states that Lottery funding is for one-off projects and should be used in addition to Government funding.

(AQW 4704/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Addressing the NICVA meeting, the Deputy Secretary made two important points. Firstly, he said that in coming to allocations across its service areas, the Department had been mindful of a number of factors, one of which was the capacity of the particular sector to avail of alternative sources of funding, including from the Lottery. Secondly, the Deputy Secretary pointed out that funding for the Arts and Sport from Lottery sources is projected to increase over the over the Budget 2010 period.

My Department fully acknowledges and accepts the principle that Lottery Funding cannot directly substitute for Executive funding. However it is appropriate for Lottery funds to be used to complement or add value to Exchequer funds or to support projects where additionality can be demonstrated. It is, therefore, the case that the Arts sector in general will benefit significantly from Lottery Funding in the near future and so perfectly appropriate for my Department to take this into consideration in allocating draft budgets.

World Police and Fire Games in 2013

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure for an update on the arrangements made for the World Police and Fire Games in 2013.

(AQW 4716/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: A Company Limited by Guarantee which will be sponsored and monitored by my Department has been established to deliver the Games in August 2013 and I have appointed the Chairman and Directors of the Company. The inaugural meeting of the Board of Directors was held on 21 February 2011.

A 2013 Stakeholder Group, chaired by DCAL and incorporating key stakeholders from the Police Service for Northern Ireland, NI Prison Service, NI Fire and Rescue Service, Belfast City Council and Sport NI, managed the 2013 World Police and Fire Games project until such times as a delivery vehicle was established. The Stakeholder Group had identified and taken forward preparatory work on various workstreams including Volunteering, Tourism, Legacy, Transport and Logistics and Sport for the planning and organisation of the Games in conjunction with relevant external bodies and this will now be the responsibility of the Company.

Although no final decisions have been made in regard to the location of any sporting venues for the 2013 Games, an advertisement was placed in the Belfast Telegraph by Sport Northern Ireland on behalf of the Stakeholder Group on Friday 2 nd July 2010 seeking expressions of interest for venue owners wishing to host sporting events.

Sport Northern Ireland has completed Stage One of the Expression of Interest exercise to identify sporting venues that meet the standards required by the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) Federation. Venues both within and outside of Belfast have met the standard and a process to select venues is currently underway. As yet no final decisions have been made.

The selection criteria will include proximity to the Games Village. However, in exceptional circumstances, where there is no suitable venue within Belfast for a particular sport, or where there is an exceptional venue outside of Belfast, other venues will be considered. The Games Village will be located in close proximity to Belfast City Centre.

In relation to the five elite sports facilities there was no requirement from the WPFG Federation for these facilities to be built and as I have already stated there are suitable venues within Northern Ireland that meet the Federation’s standards.

Belfast City Council is currently developing options for venues suitable for hosting the various ceremonies such as the opening and closing ceremonies and will bring forward proposals to the Board of Directors for consideration. However, it should be bourne in mind that there is no requirement from the WPFG Federation to host either of these ceremonies in a stadium.

Belfast City Council on behalf of the Board of Directors are working in conjunction with the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau on how best to meet the accommodation needs of all the visitors expected in August 2013. Options such as the siting of cruise liners as floating hotels are being considered should there be a shortfall in accommodation available for guests.

World Police and Fire Games in 2013

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure whether sporting facilities will be of a sufficient standard to host the World Police and Fire Games by 2013.

(AQW 4717/11)

World Police and Fire Games in 2013

Mr T Lunn asked e Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, given that funding has been withdrawn for the development of the five elite sports facilities, whether alternative facilities can be developed of a standard suitable for the World Police and Fire Games in 2013.

(AQW 4718/11)

World Police and Fire Games in 2013

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure whether an athletics stadium with the capacity to accommodate the number of participants and spectators forecast for the World Police and Fire Games will be in place by 2013.

(AQW 4719/11)

World Police and Fire Games in 2013

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what plans he has to ensure that adequate accomodation exists for the number of participants and spectators who will be travelling to Northern Ireland for the World Police and Fire Games in 2013.

(AQW 4720/11)

Sport NI: Safer Stadia Funding

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure for his assessment of the effectiveness of Sport NI Safer Stadia funding in helping local soccer clubs improve stadia safety and crowd capacity.

(AQW 4768/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Responsibility for improving safety and crowd capacity at local football grounds rests, in the first instance, with the owners and operators of those grounds. However, for some time, I and my Department have had in place a Safe Sports Grounds initiative the aim of which is to assist the owners and operators of major stadiums to improve safety at their venues. The provision of financial assistance for ground improvements through safer stadia programmes is one part of this initiative and, to date, over £8m has been awarded to football clubs by my Department, through Sport Northern Ireland, for this purpose. As a result of this funding significant structural improvements have been carried out at many local football club venues. In addition to this, funding has also been made available to assist football clubs to improve safety management arrangements. At those grounds where infrastructure and safety management has improved with assistance from safer stadia programme funding, district councils have been able to allocate higher safe crowd capacities in the respective safety certificates.

Olympic Team

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps are being taken to ensure that the Olympic team which represents England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is accurately described as Team UK rather than Team GB.

(AQW 4785/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: I have made representation to the British Olympic Association (BOA) for a change in branding and specifically that the team should be branded as Team UK rather than Team GB.

You had helpfully raised this matter at a UK Sports Cabinet meeting on 9th June 2009, when you were Minister and further to that I raised this issue at the UK Minister’s meeting at the Commonwealth Games, Delhi, and more recently at the UK Sports Cabinet which was held on 15th February 2011. Sports Cabinet agreed that the Chair of the meeting (Alun Ffred Jones) would write to the BOA on behalf of Sports Cabinet to express a collective view that there is merit in BOA considering a name change - from Team GB to Team UK. I am pleased that I have secured the support of the UK Sports Cabinet on this important issue.

Incident During an Irish Cup Match

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (i) what action his Department has taken in response to an incident during an Irish Cup match in April 2010 involving a Ballymena United footballer, as reported in the Anderstown News; and (ii) whether his Department took up this incident with the Irish Football Association when it was first reported.

(AQW 4795/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Responsibility for taking action in response to reported incidents concerning the behaviour of players during any competitive sports match are outside the remit of my Department and entirely a matter for the club concerned and relevant governing body. Furthermore, my Department had no knowledge of an incident during an Irish Cup match in April 2010 involving a Ballymena United football player. Consequently DCAL has taken no action in relation to this matter.

Incident During an Irish Cup Match

Mr P Butler asked e Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps his Department is taking in response to the recent media coverage regarding an incident involving a Ballymena United player during the Northern Ireland versus Scotland soccer match at the Aviva stadium; and whether he or his Department have taken this matter up with the Irish Football Association.

(AQW 4796/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Responsibility for taking action in response to the recent media coverage regarding an incident allegedly involving a Ballymena United player in and around the Northern Ireland versus Scotland football match on 9 February 2011 at the Aviva stadium rests, in the first instance, with the Irish Football Association (IFA). I understand that the IFA is currently investigating the events on that day and that, as a result, the name of one of those allegedly involved in the incident has been given to the Association. The IFA has stated publicly that it is seeking to confirm the identity of this individual and that, if confirmed, it will place a life time ban on the person from receiving tickets to all Northern Ireland international games, home and away. I also understand that the IFA has asked for a police report on the incidents in and around the Aviva Stadium. Given the present position and that investigations are continuing, it has not been necessary for my Department to take this matter up with the IFA.

I have, however, publicly stated that I was extremely disappointed by the behaviour shown on YouTube footage, and reported in the media, which involved a group of approximately 30 people purporting to support Northern Ireland. I have also said that the behaviour of that small group does nothing to promote the good name of football and sport in Northern Ireland to other regions and is totally unrepresentative of the majority of Northern Ireland fans who attended the match against Scotland in Dublin.

Suicide Prevention

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline where suicide prevention sits within his Department's Programme for Government targets.

(AQW 4823/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: There are no specific actions pertaining to suicide prevention in my Department’s Programme for Government targets.

However, DCAL participates in the Ministerial Co-ordination Group for Suicide Prevention.

Local Libraries

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action he is taking to ensure the protection and retention of libraries, in particular those libraries which are successful at providing a service to the local community, such as Greystone library.

(AQW 4834/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: This has been one of the most difficult spending reviews of recent times. DCAL’s draft budget was recently out to public consultation, with a closing date of 16 February and while the draft settlement for libraries is challenging there should be an emphasis on mitigating the impact of the settlement on front line service.

My Department is committed to ensuring that Libraries NI is able to continue to deliver its functions effectively and to meet its existing commitments.

I know that the Libraries NI Board and Senior Management Team have given great consideration to the issue of efficiency savings and income generation in preparing their current Savings Delivery Plans.

However the possible closure of any local library is fundamentally an operational issue for Libraries NI and I wish to emphasise that nothing has been finalised by the Libraries NI Board at this stage.

Libraries: Possible Closure or Reform

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure whether libraries with high levels of footfall and borrowing statistics are at an advantage when they are being reviewed for potential closure or reform.

(AQW 4835/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Library services are being considered within Libraries NI’s ongoing strategic Review of the libraries estate.

The criteria being used to identify the viability of public libraries are:

Fit for purpose;
Capable of delivering on the vision of Libraries NI;
In the right location; and
Sustainable.

The collection of statistics is an important part of the review process as are other examples, such as public consultation which includes fact finding meetings with the public.

I would refer you to the Libraries NI website for additional background information on this Review.

Closure of Local Libraries

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure whether his Department is content that it has exhausted all other possibilities for savings or revenue generation before implementing the closure of local libraries.

(AQW 4837/11)

My Department is committed to ensuring that Libraries NI is able to continue to deliver its functions effectively and to meet its existing commitments.

Permanent Display of Union Flags or Ulster Flags at Stadia

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what discussions his Department has had with Irish League clubs and the Irish Football Association regarding the permanent display of Union Flags or Ulster Flags at stadia.

(AQW 4869/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: The permanent display of Union flags at Irish League and Irish Football Association stadiums in Northern Ireland is entirely a matter for the owners and operators of those grounds. Consequently my Department has had no discussions with Irish League clubs or the Irish Football Association on this issue. I would remind the Member that the Union flag is the official flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Legislation

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail all legislation, since May 2007, that has gone through, or is going through, the Assembly which devolves powers or responsibilities from his Department to local government authorities.

(AQW 4882/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Since May 2007, my Department has not enacted any legislation which devolves powers or responsibilities to local government authorities.

Libraries: Ballynahinch

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to outline the nature of the ongoing refurbishment of Ballynahinch Library; and how much is being invested in this refurbishment.

(AQW 4900/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: The current refurbishment works underway at Ballynahinch library are intended to upgrade and improve the facilities available to the public in a number of ways;

Creating a children’s zone including dedicated children’s PC’s to provide a modern, safe and attractive environment for our younger members.
Providing an accessible (DDA Compliant) and attractive adult library through the reorganisation of internal spaces, new floor/wall covering, creation of a comfortable adult computer area to facilitate extended usage of ICT.
Relocating and upgrading the public and disabled toilet facilities.
Creating a browsing/newspaper and magazine area with comfortable seating and natural light.
Improving staff working conditions by the creation of a new office and staff welfare facilities.
Addressing issues with the previous layout relating to fire escape routes.

These improvements will provide an environment which will allow Libraries NI to deliver enhanced service provision to existing and potential new customers at Ballynahinch library and represents an investment of £110,000 in the property.

Irish League Football Grounds: Spectator Capacity

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what actions have been taken to restrict spectator capacity of Irish League football grounds in the last ten years; and what were the reasons for these restrictions.

(AQW 4915/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has no information on any actions taken in the last 10 years to restrict spectator capacity (ie the number of spectators for which a sports ground has accommodation) at Irish League football grounds. Spectator capacities at sports grounds, including Irish League football grounds, are wholly determined by the physical dimensions, design and lay out of their spectator viewing accommodation. Any restrictions on the physical dimensions, design and lay out of spectator viewing accommodation at Irish League football grounds, and the reasons for these, are entirely a matter for the owners and operators of the venues in question.

Irish Premier League Stadia: Capacities

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the current spectator capacities at each of the Irish Premier League stadia; and how these capacities compare to the capacities of the same grounds ten years ago.

(AQW 4917/11)

Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure: The current spectator capacities of Irish Premier League grounds are a matter, in the first instance, for the owners and operators of those grounds. However, for the purposes of determining which football grounds should be designated as requiring a safety certificate under the Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009, my Department carried out an exercise in 2009 to calculate the estimated official capacities (ie number of spectators for which a sports ground has accommodation) of major sports grounds in Northern Ireland. The table below details the official estimated capacity, at that time, of each of the current Irish Premier League grounds. My Department does not retain information on the capacities of the same grounds ten years ago.

Club	Ground	Estimated official capacity
Ballymena UTD FC	The Showgrounds	8,426
Cliftonville FC	Solitude	6,224
Coleraine FC	The Showgrounds	13,132
Crusaders FC	Seaview	5,473
Donegal Celtic FC	Suffolk Road	8,283
Dungannon Swifts FC	Stangmore Park	4,360
Glenavon FC	Mourneview Park	6,087
Glentoran FC	The Oval	26,556
Linfield FC	Windsor Park	24,734
Lisburn Distillery FC	New Grosvenor	3,786
Newry City FC	The Showgrounds	7,949
Portadown FC	Shamrock Park	5,804

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Capital Spend

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education to detail her Department's capital spend in each of the last ten years.

(AQW 4178/11)

Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane): Coinníonn mo Roinn eolas ar chaiteachas caipitil ón bhliain airgeadais 2001/02. Seo a leanas na sonraí:

My Department holds information on capital spend from the 2001/02 financial year. Details are as follows:

Amount (£m)

2001/02 £112

2002/03 £129

2003/04 £145

2004/05 £150

2005/06 £126

2006/07 £132

2007/08 £158

2008/09 £199

2009/10 £242

Total £1,393

Support Services for Children Who are Deaf

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education what specialist support services are available for children who are deaf, particularly during their early years.

(AQW 4377/11)

Minister of Education: Cuireann gach ceann de na 5 Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlann seirbhísí faoi leith ar fáil do pháistí atá bodhar nó a bhfuil lagú éisteachta orthu.

Each of the 5 Education and Library Boards provide specific services for children who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. These services, which are staffed by qualified teachers of the deaf and other support staff, offer a wide range of support for children and parents from the time of diagnosis, which may be through the New Born Hearing Screening Programme or from referral by other professionals.

Support services, particularly during the early years, include:

support for families to assist them in adjusting to permanent deafness in a child;
provision of information on the nature and impact of deafness;
provision of information to inform families’ decision making about communication approaches and education options;
supporting the development of language and communication in deaf children;
teaching/support to hearing impaired pupils in mainstream schools, special schools and units;
establishment and development of effective use and maintenance of hearing aids/cochlear implants at home;
monitoring and marking progress audiologically, linguistically and developmentally; and
co-ordinating and facilitating contact with other families with deaf children, professionals and voluntary organisations.

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Education to detail the number and names of individuals that have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4447/11)

Minister of Education: (i) Comhlachtaí Poiblí Neamh r annacha (NDPBanna)

Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs)

Name of Body	Number of Appointees	Name of Appointee
Belfast Education and Library Board	12	Cllr David Browne Cllr Briege Brownlee Cllr Marie Hendron Cllr Bob Stoker Rev Norman Hamilton Ms Dinah MacManus Ms Mairead McCafferty Rev John McDowell Ms Carmel McKinney Mr Gerry McMahon Ms Rosemary Rainey Mr Kevin Smyth
North Eastern Education and Library Board	24	Cllr Orla Black Cllr James Brown Cllr Trevor Clarke Cllr Samuel Cole Cllr James Currie Cllr Lynn Frazer Cllr Alexander Gilkinson Cllr Sean Kerr Cllr Evelyn Robinson Rev Amanda Adams Alderman Roy Beggs Ms Muriel Crockett Mr John Devlin Mr Joseph Donaghy Ms Una Duncan Dr David Elliott Rev Selwoode Graham Rev Trevor Jamieson Mr Samuel McCrea Mr Michael Newman Dr Alan Preston Mr Sean Quinn Mr Liam Raven Ms Gillian Scott
Southern Education and Library Board	19	Cllr Charlie Casey Cllr James Cavanagh Cllr Sean Clarke Cllr Phelim Gildernew Cllr Carla Lockhart Cllr Junior McCrum Cllr Sylvia McRoberts Cllr Mick Murphy Cllr Sean Rogers Cllr Philip Weir Ms Roberta Brownlee Mr Plunkett Campbell Dr Peter Cunningham Mr Ciaran Mackin Ms Kay McCaul Rev John McKegney Mr Ronald McVeigh Prof Patrick Murphy Mr John Wilkinson
Western Education and Library Board	17	Cllr Anne Brolly Cllr Maurice Devenney Cllr Mark Durkan Cllr Shaun Gallagher Cllr Derek Hussey Cllr Robert Irvine Cllr Patricia Logue Cllr Declan McAleer Ms Kathleen Bradley Ms Margaret Cooper Mr Peter Duffy Ms Rita Fox Rev Robert Herron Ms Grainne McCafferty Mr Donal McDermott Mr Fintan Murphy Mr Gordon White

(ii) Arms-Length Bodies

Name of Body

Number of Appointees

Name of Appointee

General Teaching Council (GTCNI)

Ms Jennifer Cornyn

Middletown Centre for Autism Ltd

Mr Donal Flanaghan

Prof Mary Hanratty

Mr J H Mullan

Ms Daphne O’Kane

Ms Ethel Ruddock

Electricity

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister of Education how much her Department and its arms-length bodies have spent on electricity in each of the last three available financial years.

(AQW 4461/11)

Minister of Education: Taispeántar sa tábla seo a leanas an caiteachas leictreachais a bhí ag mo Roinn agus ag na comhlachtaí ar neamhchomaoin léi, i ngach bliain le trí bliana anuas.

My department and its arms-length bodies have incurred expenditure on electricity in each of the last three financial years as shown in the following table:

Electricity Expenditure	2007-08 £’000	2008-09 £’000	2009-10 £’000
Department of Education	3	5	4
Belfast Education & Library Board	1,775	2,051	2,216
North Eastern Education & Library Board	2,458	2,898	3,350
Southern Education & Library Board	2,667	3,111	3,695
South Eastern Education & Library Board	2,155	2,224	2,616
Western Education & Library Board	2,535	2,979	3,224
Staff Commission for Education &Lib. Boards	1	1	1
Council for Catholic Maintained Schools	16	22	25
NI Council Curriculum Exams. & Assessment	123	144	144
Youth Council for N I	4	4	5
NI Council for Integrated Education	3	4	4
Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta	1	4	5
Voluntary Grammar Schools	2,315	3,010	2,797
Grant Maintained Integrated Schools	645	766	775
Totals	14,701	17,223	18,861

Remarking of GCSEs and GCE AS Levels

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last three years, to detail (i) the number of applications received for remarking of (a) GCSEs; and (b) GCE AS Levels; (ii) the number which resulted in an upgrade; and (iii) the number which did not result in an upgrade, including the grade before and after the remark, broken down by subject.

(AQW 4471/11)

Minister of Education: Tá sé socraithe agam go gcuirfear an t-eolas a iarradh i Leabharlann an Tionóil.

I have arranged for the information requested to be placed in the Assembly Library.

Over-Subscribed Schools

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education to detail the (i) nursery schools; (ii) primary schools; and (iii) post-primary schools that were over-subscribed for the 2010/11 academic year in the Upper Bann constituency.

(AQW 4472/11)

Minister of Education: Mionsonraítear thíos na scoileanna a bhí ró-shuibscríofa i d toghcheantar na Banna Uachtair sa bhliain acadúil 2010/11.

The schools that were oversubscribed in the Upper Bann constituency in the 2010/11 academic year are detailed below.

The information has been provided from approved enrolment number against actual enrolment at the school census date (8 October 2010) and excludes pupils in receipt of a statement of special educational needs.

Primary Schools :

Seagoe Primary School

Post Primary Schools :

Banbridge Academy
Portadown College

There were no nursery schools or primary schools with nursery units over-subscribed.

Curriculum and Area Planning

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education to detail any communication she has had with the Southern Education and Library Board in relation to the curriculum and area planning in the Lurgan, Craigavon and Portadown areas.

(AQW 4473/11)

Minister of Education: Tá sé curtha in iúl ag an SELB do mo Roinn go raibh roinnt cruinnithe aige le páirtithe leasmhara agus é mar chuspóir acu plean straitéiseach a fhorbairt do na scoileanna i g Córas Dhá Shraith Craigavon.

The SELB has advised my Department that it has held a number of meetings with stakeholders with a view to developing a strategic plan for the schools in the Craigavon Two Tier System. The Board has noted that the two areas of Portadown/Tandragee and Lurgan will be progressed concurrently but with a different approach being adopted in the two locations.

In terms of plans for the Lurgan area, the SELB intends to publish a consultation document on the educational options for the two tier system. It is anticipated that the consultation will take place between 4 March and 27 May 2011. The responses to the consultation will then be considered and any recommendation for the way forward, agreed by the Board, where a significant change is proposed will then be subject to the normal development proposal process.

The SELB also advises that proposals for any other changes in the provision of education for the controlled sector in the wider Craigavon area would also be published at the same time.

Proposed Changes to Educational Transfer

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education for her assessment of the potential impact of the proposed changes to educational transfer on each school in the Upper Bann constituency.

(AQW 4478/11)

Minister of Education: Is iad aidhmeanna agus cuspóirí na socruithe le daltaí a ligean isteach in iar-bhunscoileanna, mar atá leagtha amach i ndoiciméad polasaí na Roinne ar aistriú iar-bhunscoile ó Mheán Fómhair 2010, ná:

The aims and objectives of the arrangements for the admission of pupils to post-primary schools, as set out in the Department’s policy document on post-primary transfer from September 2010, are:

that admissions decisions are fair and give each child the opportunity to reach his/her full potential;

that the overall arrangements for admissions, and within that the respective roles of the Department, the Education and Library Boards, and primary and post-primary schools’ Boards of Governors are clear and understood; and

that post-primary schools’ Boards of Governors achieve robust and accurate admissions decisions.

Children are at the centre of my education reforms, not institutions. The most significant impact of my Department’s transfer policy will be felt by children who, if all schools in the Upper Bann and elsewhere follow my policy, will no longer be subjected to unnecessary, stressful testing in order to access an education to which they are entitled.

Teachers in primary schools also benefit from this policy through being able to focus on delivery of the revised curriculum. Instead of teaching to a test, primary school teachers are now able to ensure that all children in their school have a rich and rewarding primary education that will better equip them for the post-primary phase of their education.

Policy and practice on post-primary transfer for Transfer 2011 is now established. The only change that is under consideration at present is a proposal to discontinue support for funded transfer interviews to take effect from Transfer 2012. This proposal is currently the subject of an equality impact assessment consultation.

School Budgetary Surpluses

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) the impact school budgetary surpluses have on the unit of resource available to existing pupils, in the years the savings are made; and (ii) what steps are taken to ensure that existing pupils are not educationally disadvantaged as a result of budgetary surpluses over a number of years.

(AQW 4484/11)

Minister of Education: Faoin Scéim um Bainistíocht Áitiúil Scoileanna (LMS) tá scoileanna aonair freagrach as a gcuid tosaíochtaí agus caiteachais féin a shocrú.

Under the Local Management of Schools (LMS) Scheme individual schools are responsible for setting their own priorities and spend. Schools operate on an academic year, which crosses the financial year and in many instances curriculum delivery is also over a period of at least 2 years. The operation of LMS makes provision that schools may accumulate savings over a period of several years for specific purposes. Schools need the flexibility that this carry forward provides. Schools should not accumulate excessive savings. The expectation is that any significant savings would be utilised within the timeframe of the 3- year School Development Plan. It is not possible therefore to detail the impact any surpluses may have on existing pupils in the year the savings are made, however no pupil should be educationally disadvantaged as a result of surpluses over a number of years as these surpluses should be used within the 3-year timeframe. It is my belief that money allocated to schools should be used as far as possible for the benefit of the pupils in the schools at that time.

Employment Support Allowance

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 3374/11, why the Employment Support Allowance is not included as part of the criteria in the pre-school application form, given that it is a criteria for free school meals; and (ii) when the review of the application form will be completed.

(AQW 4489/11)

Minister of Education: Mar atá léirithe i m’fhreagra ar do cheist níos luaithe ar an tsaincheist seo, nuair a bunaíodh na critéir don Chlár Leathnaithe Réamhscolaíochta Oideachais (PSEEP) ar dtús, bunaíodh ar na critéir incháilitheachta do Bhéilí Scoile Saor in Aisce (FSM) iad mar gur breithníodh gur modh oiriúnach a bheadh ann sin le díriú ar pháistí ó na cúlraí sóisialta is mó faoi mhíbhuntáiste.

As indicated in my response to your earlier question on this issue, when the criteria for the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme (PSEEP) was originally established it was based on the criteria for eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM) as that was adjudged to be an appropriate method of targeting children from the most socially disadvantaged backgrounds.

At that time there were funded pre-school places available for approximately 45% of children in their final pre-school. It was, therefore, necessary to target the available provision towards those children most in need and to afford them priority in the admissions process, as research shows that children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds benefit most from a quality pre-school experience.

The original targeting process ensured that, in areas of shortfall, children from disadvantaged backgrounds were able to avail of the limited number of funded pre-school places available.

In considering whether to include Employment Support Allowance (ESA) in the current list of benefits under which priority is afforded in the admissions process, it has to be borne in mind that there are now sufficient funded pre-school places available for over 90% of children in their final pre-school year. Any extension to the existing criteria may have the potential to impact unfairly on those children to whom no priority is afforded.

As indicated in my earlier response, as part of the on-going management of the PSEEP, officials intend to look at changes which have been made to the benefit system and consider whether they may be appropriate in relation to the admissions criteria for funded pre-school places. Any change to the criteria would require legislation. This work is scheduled to commence in the next 12 months.

Supervision of Pupils Who Need to Inject Insulin

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education what provision is in place, or is being considered, to ensure the supervision of primary school children who need to inject insulin.

(AQW 4491/11)

Minister of Education: Tá treoir na Roinne i leith diaibéitis le fáil sa cháipéis “Ag Tacú le Daltaí a bhfuil Riachtanais Chógais Acu”.

The Department’s guidance in relation to diabetes is contained within the document “Supporting Pupils with Medication Needs”, which was produced in co-operation with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and in consultation with a range of education and health bodies and professionals and the teachers’ unions. The guidance was distributed to all schools and associated training provided for all Principals in the nursery, primary, post-primary and special school sectors.

A pupil with medical needs will have an individual health care plan (IHP), which reflects the level of medical support needed for the pupil in school. The IHP is drawn up in consultation with the parent, medical professionals and the school to ensure the child’s safety while at school. Such a plan will include a picture of the child, his or her medical condition, contact details of parents and the consultant/GP. It also considers care requirements, including medication to be administered and safe storage, and possible side effects, of drugs.

The school must have written permission from parents to administer drugs as part of the intimate care policy, which sets out the conditions within which medication can be administered. Appropriate training for administering drugs is normally provided by the child’s diabetic specialist nurse who will visit the school.

The guidance “Supporting Pupils with Medication Needs” states that it is good practice to allow pupils who are competent to do so to manage their own medication from a relatively early age, noting that the age at which children are ready to take care of, and be responsible for, their own medicines varies. The Boards have advised that there are a very small number of young children who are not competent to administer their own insulin and so have the support of a general assistant. However, the vast majority of children are able to self-administer and do so in accordance with the above mentioned guidance.

Teaching of Irish in Post-Primary Schools

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail what additional support she has provided for the teaching of Irish in English-medium post-primary schools since May 2007.

(AQW 4523/11)

Minister of Education: Tacaíonn mo Roinn le agus spreagann sí seachadadh gach teanga i scoileanna agus, tá tacaíocht á tabhairt aici d'acmhainní Gaelscolaíochta lena chinntiú go bhfuil scoileanna ábalta ábhar na Gaeilge a sheachadadh.

My Department supports and encourages the delivery of all languages in schools and, has been providing support for Irish Medium resources to ensure schools are able to deliver the subject of Irish language.

On behalf of my Department the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has produced a number of generic resources to support languages at KS3 in the form of guidance, case studies and thematic units. CCEA also offers a range of qualifications for Modern Languages, including GCSE and GCE and since May 2007 has produced a range of support material for Irish which include on-line, printed, recording and audio resource materials. In addition it has also organised a range of events, training, and school visits, to support teachers of the Irish Language in relation to its revised GCE and GCSE Irish specifications.

CCEA has also been taking the lead to increase the range of available Irish Medium curricular resources and in this context has been provided with significant additional resources in the past two financial years to enhance its ongoing Irish Medium Programme and a number of resources already developed or in development from this programme can equally be used to support the teaching of Irish in English Medium schools .

Pupils Who Study Irish

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last five years, to detail the number of pupils who studied Irish at Key Stage 3 in (i) Year 8; (ii) Year 9; and (iii) Year 10, broken down by school.

(AQW 4525/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an Ghaeilge tairgthe mar rogha ábhair ag Eochairchéim 3 i gcuid mhór scoileanna Béarla faoi réimse foghlama na Nua-Theangacha sa churaclam athbhreithnithe.

Irish is offered as a subject choice at Key Stage 3 in many English medium schools under the Modern Languages area of learning in the revised curriculum.

The Department does not collect information on the range of modern languages studied at Key Stage 3 at pupil or individual school level and therefore the information requested is not available.

Irish is, of course, studied by all pupils in Key Stage 3 under the Language and Literacy area of learning in Irish medium schools and units.

Free School Meal Entitlement

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last five academic years, to detail for each primary school in the (i) Belfast Education and Library Board area; and (ii) Western Education and Library Board area, with a free school meal entitlement of more than 40%, (a) the total number of Year 7 pupils receiving this entitlement; and (b) the number of Year 7 pupils who achieved A and B grades in the transfer procedure, as a percentage of the overall number of Year 7 pupils.

(AQW 4542/11)

Minister of Education: Tá sé socraithe agam go gcuirfear an t-eolas a iarradh i Leabharlann an Tionóil.

I have arranged for the information requested to be placed in the Assembly Library.

School Leavers

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last five years, to detail the number and percentage of school leavers from the (i) Crumlin/Ardoyne; (ii) Inner North Belfast; (iii) Ligoniel; and (iv) Upper Ardyone/Ballysillan Neighbourhood Renewal Areas who achieved three or more A Levels at grades A to C.

(AQW 4544/11)

Minister of Education: Níl an Roinn ábalta idirdhealú a dhéanamh i sonraí lucht fágála scoile idir ghráid faoi leith i gcatagóir an ardleibhéil.

The Department is unable to distinguish in the school leavers data between specific grades in the A Level category. The answer includes those with A Levels (or equivalent) at grades A to E.

The answer is contained in the table below.

Number and Percentage of School Leavers resident in the specified Neighbourhood Renewal Areas who achieved three or more A Levels A-E (inc equivalents) 2004/05 to 2008/09

	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
	2004/05		2005/06		2006/07		2007/08		2008/09
Crumlin/Ardoyne	46	19.7	50	22.4	46	19.3	58	30.2	56	30.6
Inner North Belfast	41	23.7	21	13.5	19	14.3	35	23.6	29	24.8
Ligoniel	5	22.7	6	17.1	*	*	7	24.1	7	36.8
Upper Ardoyne/Ballysillan	11	27.5	*	*	8	22.2	10	40.0	7	21.9

* denotes fewer than five pupils

Source: School Leavers Survey

Departmental Expenditure Limit Budget

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Education to detail the total annual cost, to the Departmental Expenditure Limit budget, of a pupil in (i) primary school; and (ii) secondary school, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4560/11)

Minister of Education: Cé nach féidir buiséad iomlán Teorainn Caiteachais na Roinne (DEL) a dhí-chomhbhailiú go dtí an leibhéal seo, soláthraíonn an tábla thíos sonraí maidir leis an chaiteachas tarmligthe agus neamh -tharmligthe athfhillteach in aghaidh an dalta bunscoile agus meánscoile i ngach ceann de na cúig bliana airgeadais ó 2005/06 go dtí 2009/10 (an bhliain airgeadais iomlán is déanaí dá bhfuil sonraí ar fáil).

While it is not possible to disaggregate the entire Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) budget to this level, the table below provides data on the delegated and non-delegated recurrent expenditure per primary and secondary school pupil in each of the five financial years from 2005/06 to 2009/10 (the latest full financial year for which data is available).

In addition, I have also included data on per pupil expenditure in respect of nursery schools in order to provide as complete a response as possible.

Average Expenditure per pupil in:	Financial Year
Average Expenditure per pupil in:	2005/06 £	2006/07 £	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10(v) £
Nursery School (vi)	3,604	3,772	4,100	4,491	4,605
Primary School (i); (ii) & (vi)	3,072	3,060	3,309	3,564	3,696
Secondary School (iii); (iv)& (vi)	4,199	4,406	4,644	4,881	5,287

Notes

Data for Primary Schools includes Nursery Classes within Primary Schools;

Primary School data incorporates expenditure for Controlled; Maintained; Controlled Integrated; Grant-Maintained Integrated & Irish Medium Primary Schools;

Data for Secondary schools includes Preparatory Departments attached to Controlled Grammar and Voluntary Grammar Schools;

Secondary School data incorporates expenditure for Controlled; Maintained; Controlled Integrated; Grant-Maintained Integrated; Controlled Grammar; Voluntary Grammar & Irish Medium Post Primary Schools;

Data included for 2009/10 in respect of Voluntary Grammar and Grant-Maintained Integrated Schools is provisional pending validation by the Department;

Data excludes capital expenditure which is not available in the format requested;

Teacher's Salary Financial Year

Mr A McQuillan asked the Minister of Education whether a school budget financial year is different to a teacher's salary financial year, and if so, to detail the reasons for this.

(AQW 4569/11)

Minister of Education: Maireann bliain bhuiséid airgeadais scoile ón chéad lá de mhí Aibreán sa chéad bhliain go dtí an 31 Márta sa bhliain dár gcionn.

A school budget financial year runs from 1 April in the first year to 31 March in the following year. A teachers' salary financial year also runs from 1 April in the first year to 31 March in the following year. There is, therefore, no difference between a school budget year and teacher salary financial year.

Free School Meal Entitlement

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education to list each (i) boys' primary school; and (ii) girls' primary school which currently has a free school meal entitlement of over 50%.

(AQW 4589/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh sonraithe sa tábla thíos.

The information requested is detailed in the table below.

Single sex primary schools with over 50% pupils entitled to free school meals, 2010/11

School name	school gender	% pupils entitled to free school meals
Edmund Rice (CB) Primary School, Belfast	boys	66.4
Holy Cross Boys' Primary School, Belfast	boys	60.5
Holy Cross Girls' Primary School, Belfast	girls	72.6
Mercy Primary School, Belfast	girls	50.2
Our Lady's Girls' Primary School, Belfast	girls	52.7
Sacred Heart Primary School, Belfast	boys	57.6
St Aidan's Christian Brothers Primary School, Belfast	boys	73.7
St Bernadette's Primary School, Belfast	girls	82.1
Star of the Sea Girls' Primary School, Belfast	girls	60.7

Source: School census.

Note:

Figures include nursery, reception and year 1 – 7 classes.

Free School Meals

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education to detail, for each of the last three years, the number and percentage of Year 8 pupils entitled to free school meals in each grammar school, in the Greater Belfast area.

(AQW 4590/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh ar fáil sna táblaí thíos.

The information requested is contained in the tables below.

Post primary grammar schools located in the Belfast district council area - Year 8 pupils entitled to free school meals (FSME) – 2008/09

School name	Year 8 FSME pupils	FSME pupils as % Year 8 pupils
AQUINAS DIOCESAN GS	5	4.5
BELFAST ROYAL ACADEMY	17	8.3
BLOOMFIELD COLLEGIATE	*	*
CAMPBELL COLLEGE	*	*
DOMINICAN COLLEGE	11	7.3
GROSVENOR GS	6	3.9
HUNTERHOUSE COLLEGE	6	5.9
METHODIST COLLEGE	*	*
RATHMORE GS	5	2.8
ST DOMINIC'S HIGH SCHOOL	16	11.0
ST MALACHY'S COLLEGE	17	11.1
ST MARY'S CHRISTIAN BROTHERS' GS	34	19.2
STRATHEARN SCHOOL	*	*
THE ROYAL BELFAST ACADEMICAL INST.	*	*
VICTORIA COLLEGE	5	3.8
WELLINGTON COLLEGE	10	9.2

Post primary grammar schools located in the Belfast district council area - Year 8 pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM) – 2009/10

School name	Year 8 FSME pupils	FSME pupils as % Year 8 pupils
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School	8	6.8
Belfast Royal Academy	18	8.8
Bloomfield Collegiate	9	8.9
Campbell College	0	0.0
Dominican College	20	13.1
Grosvenor Grammar School	8	5.1
Hunterhouse College	8	7.9
Methodist College	7	2.9
Rathmore Grammar School	5	2.7
St Dominic's High School	31	20.8
St Malachy's College	10	6.4
St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School	42	23.3
Strathearn School	*	*
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution	8	5.2
Victoria College	6	4.6
Wellington College	10	8.9

Post primary grammar schools located in the Belfast district council area - Year 8 pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM) – 2010/11

School name	Year 8 FSME pupils	FSME pupils as % Year 8 pupils
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School	5	4.3
Belfast Royal Academy	13	6.4
Bloomfield Collegiate	8	7.9
Campbell College	*	*
Dominican College	18	12.0
Grosvenor Grammar School	12	7.6
Hunterhouse College	9	8.9
Methodist College	9	3.7
Rathmore Grammar School	10	5.5
St Dominic's High School	19	12.7
St Malachy's College	21	13.6
St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School	45	25.1
Strathearn School	6	5.5
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution	*	*
Victoria College	7	5.3
Wellington College	13	11.7

Source: School census

Note:

‘*’ denotes fewer than 5 pupils.

Greater Belfast area taken to mean Belfast District Council area.

School Leavers in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last three years, to give the number and percentage of school leavers in each Neighbourhood Renewal Area who achieved three or more A Levels at grades A to C.

(AQW 4591/11)

Minister of Education: Níl an Roinn ábalta idirdhealú a dhéanamh i sonraí lucht fágála scoile idir ghráid ar leith i gcatagóir an ardleibhéil.

The Department is unable to distinguish in the school leavers data between specific grades in the A Level category. The answer includes those with A Levels (or equivalent) at grades A to E.

The information is contained in the table below.

Number and Percentage of school leavers resident in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (NRAs) who achieved three or more A Levels A-E (inc. equivalents) 2006/07 to 2008/09

NRAs	2006/07		2007/08		2008/09
NRAs	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Andersonstown	51	32.3	64	41.3	67	46.5
Armagh	17	25.4	17	24.6	31	48.4
Ballyclare	*	*	*	*	*	*
Ballymena	13	18.3	11	16.9	19	28.8
Bangor	*	*	7	18.4	7	20.0
Brownlow	20	19.8	33	26.2	26	21.1
Coalisland	8	26.7	9	28.1	16	44.4
Coleraine Churchlands	8	25.8	6	18.8	*	*
Coleraine East	*	*	*	*	5	13.2
Colin	63	21.7	78	25.3	86	30.7
Crumlin / Ardoyne	46	19.3	58	30.2	56	30.6
Downpatrick	9	11.7	9	15.3	20	32.8
Dungannon	5	27.8	*	*	*	*
Enniskillen	14	34.1	9	37.5	16	59.3
Falls / Clonard	48	18.9	49	20.0	64	28.6
Greater Shankill	26	11.9	39	17.6	41	18.1
Inner East Belfast	35	15.0	33	14.8	33	16.6
Inner North Belfast	19	14.3	35	23.6	29	24.8
Inner South Belfast	9	11.8	10	15.2	7	14.3
Ligoniel	*	*	7	24.1	7	36.8
Limavady	*	*	*	*	5	21.7
Lurgan	42	29.4	31	24.0	38	30.6
Newry	26	21.8	38	27.0	42	31.6
Omagh	*	*	10	33.3	9	30.0
Outer North Derry	74	26.2	121	41.6	119	43.0
Outer West Belfast	33	23.9	36	28.6	60	43.8
Outer West Derry	66	37.5	63	38.9	69	53.1
Portadown North West	8	17.4	5	11.9	*	*
Rathcoole	8	10.0	18	17.3	15	18.3
South West Belfast	6	9.8	13	28.9	*	*
Strabane	26	33.8	30	40.5	32	34.4
Triax - Cityside	101	32.3	117	42.1	124	41.3
Tullycarnet	*	*	*	*	*	*
Upper Ardoyne / Ballysillan	8	22.2	10	40.0	7	21.9
Upper Springfield / Whiterock	27	12.7	34	18.4	46	26.7
Waterside	37	25.9	28	24.1	23	20.7

* denotes fewer than five pupils

Source: School Leavers Survey

School Leavers in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last three years, to give the number and percentage of school leavers in each Neighbourhood Renewal Area who achieved five or more GCSE at grades A* to C.

(AQW 4592/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh le fáil sa tábla thíos.

The information is contained in the table below.

Number and Percentage of school leavers resident in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (NRAs) who achieved at least five GCSEs A*-C (inc. equivalents) 2006/07 to 2008/09

NRA	2006/07		2007/08		2008/09
NRA	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Andersonstown	100	63.3	108	69.7	110	76.4
Armagh	43	64.2	40	58.0	43	67.2
Ballyclare	5	31.3	*	*	*	*
Ballymena	23	32.4	20	30.8	28	42.4
Bangor	10	38.5	14	36.8	13	37.1
Brownlow	48	47.5	72	57.1	50	40.7
Coalisland	14	46.7	19	59.4	22	61.1
Coleraine Churchlands	14	45.2	9	28.1	12	44.4
Coleraine East	23	40.4	13	36.1	21	55.3
Colin	162	55.9	164	53.2	164	58.6
Crumlin / Ardoyne	105	44.1	97	50.5	96	52.5
Downpatrick	36	46.8	24	40.7	32	52.5
Dungannon	6	33.3	*	*	*	*
Enniskillen	21	51.2	12	50.0	19	70.4
Falls / Clonard	110	43.3	101	41.2	115	51.3
Greater Shankill	86	39.3	73	32.9	92	40.5
Inner East Belfast	77	32.9	71	31.8	59	29.6
Inner North Belfast	49	36.8	68	45.9	54	46.2
Inner South Belfast	19	25.0	23	34.8	14	28.6
Ligoniel	9	42.9	10	34.5	11	57.9
Limavady	8	22.2	*	*	7	30.4
Lurgan	76	53.1	67	51.9	60	48.4
Newry	56	47.1	67	47.5	74	55.6
Omagh	6	23.1	18	60.0	16	53.3
Outer North Derry	147	52.1	176	60.5	166	59.9
Outer West Belfast	73	52.9	75	59.5	95	69.3
Outer West Derry	106	60.2	97	59.9	86	66.2
Portadown North West	20	43.5	15	35.7	7	25.9
Rathcoole	32	40.0	44	42.3	35	42.7
South West Belfast	10	16.4	24	53.3	14	31.1
Strabane	36	46.8	37	50.0	48	51.6
Triax - Cityside	169	54.0	171	61.5	182	60.7
Tullycarnet	8	26.7	7	18.9	*	*
Upper Ardoyne / Ballysillan	19	52.8	16	64.0	13	40.6
Upper Springfield / Whiterock	75	35.2	77	41.6	90	52.3
Waterside	65	45.5	43	37.1	49	44.1

* denotes fewer than five pupils

Source: School Leavers Survey

Belfast and Derry Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education to detail the number and percentage of Year 8 pupils enrolled in grammar schools in the (i) Belfast; and (ii) Derry Neighbourhood Renewal Area in (a) 2007/08; (b) 2008/09; and (c) 2009/10.

(AQW 4593/11)

Minister of Education: Léadh ar an cheist seo go m baineann sé le líon agus céatadán páistí Bhliain 8 atá ina gcónaí i Limistéar Athnuachana Comharsanachta, agus atá ag freastal ar scoil ghramadaí. Tá an t-eolas ar fáil sa tábla thíos.

This question has been interpreted to relate to the number and percentage of Year 8 children resident in a Neighbourhood Renewal Area, attending a grammar school. The information is contained in the table below.

Year 8 pupils who are resident in NRA areas attending grammar schools, 2007/08 – 2009/10

NRA Area	2007/08		2008/09		2009/10
NRA Area	No of grammar pupils	% of total year 8s	No of grammar pupils	% of total year 8s	No of grammar pupils	% of total year 8s
Not in an NRA	8,140	41.71	8,201	40.24	8,113	40.90
Belfast 1	355	17.46	328	15.44	366	18.08
Derry 2	211	27.26	194	24.84	231	29.24
Regional (including Limavady and Strabane) Development Office 3	140	16.09	157	15.91	153	17.29
Total	8,846	38.14	8,880	36.58	8,863	37.66

Source: School census

Note:

The Belfast neighbourhood renewal area (NRA) is taken as those NRAs that fall within the Belfast Regeneration Office area. This includes the NRAs of Andersonstown, Colin, Crumlin/ Ardoyne, Falls/ Clonard, Greater Shankill, Inner East Belfast, Inner North Belfast, Inner South Belfast, Ligoniel, Outer West Belfast, Rathcoole, South West Belfast, Tullycarnet, Upper Ardoyne/ Ballysillan and Upper Springfield/ Whiterock.

The Derry Neighbourhood Renewal Area (NRA) is taken as those NRAs that fall within the Derry area of the North West Development Office. This includes the NRAs Outer North Derry, Outer West Derry, Triax – Cityside and Waterside. Limavady and Strabane NRAs have not been included in this category.

The Regional Development Office includes the NRAs Armagh, Ballyclare, Ballymena, Bangor, Brownlow, Coalisland, Coleraine Churchlands, Coleraine East, Downpatrick, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Lurgan, Newry, Omagh and Portadown North West. For the purpose of this exercise Limavady and Strabane NRAs have been included in this category; they usually come under the North West Development Office.

Appointments of Head Teachers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of appointments of head teachers made by the South Eastern Education and Library Board, where the appointment was not made by Board members, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4598/11)

Minister of Education: Ceapadh 38 príomhoide trí Choiste Cheapacháin Mhúinteoirí (TAC) Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Oirdheiscirt (SEELB) idir 1 Eanáir 3006 agus 31 Nollaig 2009 agus bhí roinnt baill an Bhoird ina mbaill den Choiste seo.

Between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2009 there were 38 head teacher appointments made by the South Eastern Education and Library Board’s (SEELB) Teaching Appointments Committee (TAC), the membership of which included Board members. Following dissolution of the Board’s TAC on 31 December 2009, 8 head teacher appointments were made by the Principal Interview Panel in 2010, in line with the Board’s revised Teaching Appointments Scheme. There are no Board members on the Principal Interview Panel.

Appointments of Head Teachers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education how many appointments of head teachers have been made by the South Eastern Education and Library Board's Teaching Appointments Committee in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4599/11)

Minister of Education: Tá sonraithe sa tábla thíos líon na bpríomhoidí a ceapadh trí Choiste Cheapacháin Mhúinteoirí Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Oirdheiscirt i ngach bliain le 5 bliana (féilire) anuas.

The following table details the number of head teacher appointments made by the South Eastern Education and Library Board's Teaching Appointments Committee in each of the last five (calendar) years:

Year	Number of appointments
2006	11
2007	6
2008	7
2009	14
2010*	8

*Following dissolution of the SEELB’s Teaching Appointments Committee on 31 December 2009, 8 head teacher appointments were made by the Principal Interview Panel in 2010, in line with the Board’s revised Teaching Appointments Scheme.

Appointments of Head Teachers

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Education who holds the legal authority on appointment of head teachers by the South Eastern Education and Library Board other than the Teaching Appointments Committee.

(AQW 4602/11)

Minister of Education: Caithfidh gach Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann (de bhun Airteagal 153 den Education Reform (NI Order) 1989, arna leasú) Scéim a bheith aige a leagann amach na modhanna oibre ar chóir a leanúint i dtaca le ceapacháin a dhéanann an Bord agus poist á dtabhairt chuig múinteoirí i scoileanna rialaithe.

Each Education and Library Board is required (pursuant to Article 153 of the Education Reform (NI Order) 1989, as amended) to have in place a Scheme for the procedures to be followed in relation to the appointment, by the Board, of teachers to posts in controlled schools.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board is legally responsible for the appointment of Head Teachers in the Board’s area.

Education Provisions on the Statue Book

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education to detail any education provisions on the statue book which have not yet commenced.

(AQW 4612/11)

Minister of Education: Education (NI) Order 1998:

Airteagail 61-64 agus 69 de Chuid VII:

Articles 61-64 and 69 of Part VII. These allow for the transfer of responsibility – as the funding authority for Voluntary Grammar and Grant Maintained Integrated Schools – from the Department of Education to the Education and Library Boards.

Part II of Schedule 6 as it relates to Article 70 (4) (a) and (c) of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986. This will end the Department’s role in granting eligibility to teach for teachers in grant-aided schools and peripatetic teachers.

Education (NI) Order 2006:

Articles 18, 19, 20 and 22. These relate to the provision of education at Key Stage 4 and sixth form and will give statutory effect to the Entitlement Framework policy.

Article 28 (2). This provides that the admissions criteria oversubscribed schools can use “shall not include the academic ability or aptitude of the child”.

Articles 31-34. This relates to the arrangements for the suspension and expulsion of pupils; however Articles 32 and 34 simply restate/clarify previous legislation that remains current.

Article 37. This relates to the terms and conditions of service of the registrar of the General Teaching Council.

Age Weighted Pupil Unit

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) the reasons for the reduction in the cash value of the Age Weighted Pupil Unit, as a result of the proposals to extend free school meal entitlement, set out in the draft Budget 2011/15; and (ii) what this reduction will mean in monetary terms for schools.

(AQW 4618/11)

Minister of Education: Níor tugadh na buiséid dheireanacha ná buiséid na Roinne aonair chun críche go fóill ach beidh sé mar thosaíocht agam fáil réidh lena bhfuil neamhéifeachtach, maorlathas a ghearradh siar agus cosaint a thabhairt do na seirbhísí tús líne an méid agus is féidir liom.

Final budgets and individual Departmental budgets are not yet finalised, but as a priority I will continue to drive out inefficiencies, cut bureaucracy and protect front-line services as much as possible.

As you are aware, I have ring-fenced specific funding for the most vulnerable children and those in greatest need, including funding for the extension of free school meal entitlements for early years. This does not directly result in a reduction in the cash value of the Age Weighted Pupil Unit, but alongside other pressures means that if I am unable to increase the overall level of delegated funding for schools, within the level of resources made available to education, the AWPU cash value may be lower than the current value.

I have lobbied hard around the Executive table on the case for the education budget to be improved and have lodged bids for the Executive to consider.

The levels of funding for education services and therefore the funding available for distribution to schools has not yet been determined. It is therefore not possible to provide an indicator of the monetary impact for schools’ budgets. I have, however, made a difficult decision to propose switching £41 million from the capital budget, specifically to mitigate the pressures on resource and schools budgets in particular. Budgets for schools will be considered further in light of the responses to the consultation on the savings proposals and the decisions of the Executive on the Budget allocations.

Proposed Capital School Projects

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education how much her Department has spent on proposed capital school projects which have not proceeded, including consultant design fees, in each Education and Library Board area, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4619/11)

Minister of Education: Tá 54 tionscadal caipitil a bhaineann le Plean Sheachadadh Infheistíochta (IDP) na Roinne faoi láthair.

There are currently 54 major capital projects remaining on my Department’s Investment Delivery Plan (IDP).

The table below summarises the capital spend to date on these projects in each of the last three financial years broken down by Education and Library Board area as requested. These figures include for professional services, site acquisitions and other costs such as surveys.

	2007/08 £	2008/09 £	2009/10 £	Total £
BELB	104,002	913,241	522,243	1,539,486
WELB	753,102	434,067	15,031,585 *	16,218,754
NEELB	174,762	585,116	86,001	845,879
SEELB	39,921	1,231,889	2,077,534	3,349,344
SELB	542,576	972,608	590,262	2,105,446

* This figure includes the sum of £14,500,000 for the acquisition of the former Clooney army base for the relocation of Foyle and Londonderry College and Ebrington Primary School.

Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education for an update on the work and findings of the Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit in relation to her Department.

(AQW 4620/11)

Minister of Education: Tá athbhreithniú á dhéanamh faoi láthair ag an Aonad um Sheachadadh Fheidhmithe agus Éifeachtachta ar éifeichtacht na seirbhísí oideachais ó thaobh riaracháin agus tacaíochta de. Cloíonn seo leis na téarmaí tagartha a aontaíodh idir mé féin agus an tAire Airgeadais. Is comhiarracht idir an Roinn agus PEDU é an t- athbhreithniú agus tá ag éirí leis.

The Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit is undertaking a review of the efficiency of education administration and support services in line with the terms of reference agreed by myself and the Finance Minster. The review is a collaborative effort between the Department and PEDU. It is progressing well.

PEDU have completed the first stage of the exercise with an initial assessment of a number of areas to identify scope for potential efficiencies. The second stage of the review will examine in greater detail a couple of these areas and produce recommendations on actions to deliver efficiencies. It is too early at this stage to provide conclusions on the work.

Education and Skills Authority

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education, given that the Education and Skills Authority has not been established, what are the implications of the 11 subordinate pieces of legislation linked to the proposed Education and Skills Authority Bill in any future policy direction from her Department.

(AQW 4625/11)

Minister of Education: Áirítear leis an Athbhreithniú ar an Bhille Oideachais um Riarachán Poiblí 12 chlásal ina bhfuil cumhachtaí le fo-reachtaíocht a dhéanamh.

The Review of Public Administration Education Bill includes 12 clauses containing powers to make subordinate legislation. None of those powers may be exercised until the Bill is passed by the Assembly. Three of the clauses (numbers, 12 15 and 43) would replace similar powers in existing primary legislation, and those powers may continue to be used until the Bill is passed.

Development Proposals for Schools

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Education for a list of (i) the development proposals for schools that are currently awaiting Ministerial approval; and (ii) those agreed or rejected in the current year and the previous year.

(AQW 4627/11)

Minister of Education: In 2010, rinne mé cinntí ar 35 Togra Forbartha - Ceadaíodh 29 cinn acu agus diúltaíodh 6 cinn.

In 2010 I made decisions on 35 Development Proposals – 29 were approved and 6 were turned down. There are currently decisions pending on 10 Development Proposals

There have been 2 development proposals published in this current year for which the 2-month statutory objection period is current and clearly decisions are not yet possible on either of these proposals. The tables below provide the detail of each proposal.

School	Proposal	Decision
January - December 2009 publications - decision in 2010
Dromore High School	Post-16 provision should be established at Dromore High School with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
St John's Primary School, Glenn, Newry	Proposed closure of St John's Primary School, Glenn, Newry with effect from 31 August 2010, or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
All Childrens Integrated Primary School, Newcastle	The South Eastern Education and Library Board propose that a single nursery unit should be provided at All Childrens Integrated Primary School to replace the existing reception class. The nursery unit will accommodate 26 full time places. It is proposed that the nursery unit is established at the school with effect from 31 August 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter	Not Approved
Bunscoil an tSleibhe Dhuibh, Belfast	Establishment of an Irish-medium Nursery Unit with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Ballee Primary School Ballymena	To close with effect from 31 August 2010	Approved
St Anne's Primary School, Belfast	Establishment of an additional Nursery Unit with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Not Approved
Gaelscoil an tSeancha Magherafelt	A new grant-aided, Irish Medium primary school be established in Magherafelt from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Gaelscoil Choin Ri Uladh Ballymena	A new grant-aided, Irish Medium primary school be established in Ballymena from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Gibson Primary School, Omagh )	Establishment of a WELCOME Centre for Foundation Stage, Gibson PS, OMAGH, with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
St Joseph's Grammar School, Donaghmore	Proposal to establish an Irish Medium Unit with effect, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Tandragee Nursery School	The number of places be reduced from 78 (26 full time and 52 part-time) to 52 full time places with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Not approved
St Patrick's PS, Dungannon	An additional nursery unit to be established increasing the enrolment to 78 full time places, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Millington Nursery School, Portadown	A third full time unit to be established with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Gaelscoil Ui Neill - New Irish Medium Nursery Unit Coalisland	Proposal to establish a new Irish Medium Nursery Unit, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Gaelscoil na mBeann Kilkeel	Proposal to establish a new grant-aided, Irish Medium PS in Kilkeel, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
St Colman's Primary School, Annaclone, Banbridge	Proposal to establish a Nursery Unit providing 26 full-time places, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Drumnamoe Nursery School, Lurgan	Proposal to establish an additional nursery unit providing 52 full-time places, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter. Date modified to 1 September 2011.	Approved
St Francis' Primary School, Lurgan	Proposal to establish an additional nursery unit to increase enrolment to 78 full-time places, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
St Joseph's Boys' High School, Newry	Proposal to establish 2 Key Stage 3 and 4 Learning Support Centres, from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
St Mary's Primary School, Pomeroy (Irish-Medium Unit)	Proposal to close Irish Medium Unit (Gaelscoil Mhuire), from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Pending
Gaelscoil Leim an Mhadaidh, Limavady	Establishment of an Irish-medium Primary School, with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
St Patrick's PS, Creggan	Proposal for the closure of St Patrick's PS, Creggan, with effect from 31 August 2010, or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
January 2010 - December 2010
St Colmans Primary School, Lambeg	A single unit Nursery providing 26 full-time places be established at St Colman's Primary School Lambeg with effect from September 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter	Not approved
Braniel Primary School, Belfast	Braniel Primary School Nursery Unit should alter its attendance pattern from 78 places to 52 full time places with effect from 31 August 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Not approved
St John the Baptist Girls' Primary School & St John the Baptist Boys' Primary School Belfast	To amalgamate ointo a new co-educational Primary School on the site of the existing St John the Baptist Girls' Primary School with effect from 1 September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Gaelcholaiste Ard Macha, Establishment of an Irish Medium Post-Primary School, Armagh	Establishment of a new grant-aided, Irish-medium post primary school in Arnagh City, from 1st September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter. The school will initially cater for pupils in the 11-16 range	Pending
St Patrick's Boys' Primary School, Downpatrick& Convent of Mercy Primary School, Downpatrick	St Patrick's Boys' Primary School and Convent of Mercy Primary School be amalgamated to form a co-educational Primary School with effect from 1 September 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Approved
Ballycloughan Primary School, Saintfield	The Board proposes that Ballycloughan Primary School should close with effect from 31 December 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
Gaelscoil Ui Dhocartaigh, Strabane	Establish of a Statutory Nursery Unit at Gaelscoil Ui Dhocartaigh, Strabane, with effect from September 2010, or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
Woodburn Primary School Carrickfergus	Establish a new Nursery Unit with 52 part-time places at Woodburn Primary School with effect from 1 September 2011, or as soon as possible thereafter	Not Approved
Gaelscoil na gCrann, Omagh	Establish new Irish medium Nursery Unit at Gaelscoil na gCrann, Omagh, with effect from September 2010, or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
Beechfield Primary School, Belfast	The Board proposes to cease education provision in Beechfield Primary School from September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
Grove Primary School, Belfast	The Board proposes from September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter that primary provision will cease on the Grove site and will be provided for the children of Grove and Seaview Primary Schools on the Seaview site.	Approved
St Anthony's Primary School, Craigavon	It is proposed that an additional (third) nursery unit to accommodate 26 permanent full-time children to replace existing reception provision, be established at St Anthony's primary School, Craigavon, with effect from September 2011 or as soon as possible	Approved
St Joseph's College, Coalisland	It is proposed that an Autism Spectrum Disorder Unit be established at St Joseph's College, Coalisland with effect from 1 September 2010, or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
Derriaghy Primary School	The Board proposes that Derriaghy Primary School will close with effect from 31 August 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter	Approved
Dundonald Primary School	The Board proposes that a single nursery unit should be provided at Dundonald Primary School with effect from 1 September 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter The nursery unit will accommodate 26 full time places.	Pending
St Malachy's High School, Castlewellan	CCMS proposes that an Irish Medium Unit be established at St Malachy's High School with effect from 1 September 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Pending
Gaelscoil an Chaistil, Ballycastle	Establishment of a 26 Place Full Time Nursery Unit, with effect from 1 September 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Pending
Clough Primary School, Ballymena	To increase Nursery provision from the present 16 part-time places to 26 part-time places at Clough Primary School with effect from 1 September 2011, or as soon as possible thereafter.	Pending
Loreto College, Coleraine	Discontinue the use of academic selection as a criterion for entry to the College. With effect from 1 September 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter.	Pending
Ballymoney Nursery School	To increase Nursery provision from the present 26 full-time and 52 part-time places to 104 part-time places at Ballymoney School with effect from 1 September 2011, or as soon as possible thereafter.	Pending
Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagain	Establish an Irish-medium nursery unit from 1 September 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter. This will be a new Irish-medium nursery unit, to be known as Naiscoil Bheann Mhadagain. It will be co-educational, catering for children of pre-school age an	Pending
Bloomfield Collegiate School	To cease education provision in Bloomfield Collegiate Preparatory School on 30 August 2011.	Approved
St Paul's Nursery School and St Paul's Primary School, Belfast	To seek the approval of the Department of Education for St Paul's Nursery School to close and re-open as a 52 full-time place nursery unit of St Paul's Primary School with effect from 1 September 2011 or as soon as possible therefore.	Approved
January 2011 -
Elmbrook School & Erne School	To amalgamate to form a new Controlled Special School on the Derrygonnelly Road, with effect from 1 September 2012, or as soon as possible thereafter.	2-month objection period current
Randalstown Primary School	To convert the existing Reception Class to a Nursery Unit with 26 part-time places at Randalstown Central Primary School with effect from 1 September 2012, or as soon as possible thereafter.	2-month objection period current

Primary School Coaches Programme

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of posts currently under the Primary School Coaches Programme with the (i) Irish Football Association; and (ii) Gaelic Athletic Association.

(AQW 4651/11)

Minister of Education: (i) De réir an eolais is déanaí ó CLG agus ón IFA is é líon na gcóitseálaithe atá fostaithe faoi láthair tríd an Chlár Spórt Curaclaim ná 32 agus 25 faoi seach.

(i) According to the latest information from the GAA and IFA the number of coaches currently employed through the Curriculum Sports Programme is 32 and 25 respectively.

(ii) The budget made available to the GAA and IFA to deliver the Curriculum Sports Programme between 2008/09 and 2010/11 was:

2008/09 £1,135k

2009/10 £1,517k

2010/11 £1,450k

(iii) In terms of a response to the question of future funding for the Curriculum Sports Programme I would refer the Member to my reply to AQW 3879/11 tabled by Mervyn Storey and published in the Official Report on 04 February 2011.

Primary School Coaches Programme

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail the budget allocations for the Primary School Coaches Programme in (i) 2008/2009; (ii) 2009/2010; and (iii) 2010/2011.

(AQW 4652/11)

Minister of Education: (i) De réir an eolais is déanaí ó CLG agus ón IFA is é líon na gcóitseálaithe atá fostaithe faoi láthair tríd an Chlár Spórt Curaclaim ná 32 agus 25 faoi seach.

(i) According to the latest information from the GAA and IFA the number of coaches currently employed through the Curriculum Sports Programme is 32 and 25 respectively.

(ii) The budget made available to the GAA and IFA to deliver the Curriculum Sports Programme between 2008/09 and 2010/11 was:

2008/09 £1,135k

2009/10 £1,517k

2010/11 £1,450k

Primary School Coaches Programme

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education (i) whether she intends to continue funding the Primary School Coaches Programme with the Irish Football Association (IFA) and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 2011/12; (ii) to detail the budget allocation for the Primary School Coaches Programme with the IFA and GAA for 2011/12; and (iii) how many posts will be funded within each sporting body in 2011/12.

(AQW 4653/11)

Minister of Education: (i) De réir an eolais is déanaí ó CLG agus ón IFA is é líon na gcóitseálaithe atá fostaithe faoi láthair tríd an Chlár Spórt Curaclaim ná 32 agus 25 faoi seach.

(i) According to the latest information from the GAA and IFA the number of coaches currently employed through the Curriculum Sports Programme is 32 and 25 respectively.

(ii) The budget made available to the GAA and IFA to deliver the Curriculum Sports Programme between 2008/09 and 2010/11 was:

2008/09 £1,135k

2009/10 £1,517k

2010/11 £1,450k

Amalgamations of Primary Schools and Post-Primary Schools

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last five years, to detail the number of amalgamations of (i) primary schools; and (ii) post-primary schools, broken down by (a) Education and Library Board area; and (b) school sector type.

(AQW 4666/11)

Minister of Education: Mionshonraítear ina iomláine sa tábla thíos an t-eolas a iarradh. Seo achoimre den eolas sin áfach:

The information requested is fully detailed in the table, below. However, to summarise:

In 2006, 2 primary schools amalgamated to form 1 new primary school and 2 post-primary schools amalgamated to form 1 new post-primary school.

In 2007, 8 primary schools amalgamated forming 3 new primary schools.

In 2008, 9 primary schools amalgamated forming 4 new primary schools.

No amalgamations occurred in 2009.

In 2010, 3 post-primary schools amalgamated to form 1 new post-primary school.

In 2011, 2 primary schools have amalgamated to form 1 new primary school

Amalagamations

School	Amalgamated to form	ELB area	School sector (amalgamated school)	Date amalgamated	Primary/Post-Primary
2006
St Malachy's High School, Antrim St Olcan's High School, Randalstown	St Benedict’s College	NEELB	maintained	01/09/06	Post-Primary
Convent of Mercy Primary School St Mary's Boys' Primary School, Rostrevor	St Bronagh’s PS	SELB	maintained	01/09/06	Primary
2007
St Louis PS St Joseph's PS St Mary's PS All Saints PS, Ballymena	St Brigid’s PS and St Colmcille’s	NEELB	maintained	01/09/07	Primary
St James Primary School, Tandragee St Josephs Primary School, Poyntzpass	St Joseph’s and St James PS	SELB	maintained	01/09/07	Primary
Crossgar Primary School Drumaghlis Primary School , Crossgar	Glasswater PS	SEELB	controlled	01/09/07	Primary
2008
Sydenham Infants Strand Primary School Belfast	Victoria PS	BELB	controlled	01/08/08	Primary
St Josephs Primary School, Ahoghill St Patricks Primary School, Aughtercloney	St Paul’s PS	NEELB	maintained	01/04/08	Primary
Killyman Primary School Tamnamore Primary School, Dungannon	Killyman PS	SELB	controlled	01/09/08	Primary
Burnfoot Primary School Dungiven Primary School Largy Primary School	Drumrane PS	WELB	controlled	01/09/08	Primary
2009
No amalgamations
2010
St MacNissi's College, Garron Tower St Comgall's High School, Larne St Aloysius High School, Cushendall	St Killian’s College	NEELB	maintained	01/03/10	Post-Primary
2011
St John the Baptist Girls' and Boys' Primary Schools, Belfast	St John the Baptist Primary School Belfast	BELB	maintained	01/03/11	Primary

Abbey Grammar School Newry

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education, in relation to the land and property at the Abbey Grammar School in Newry, to detail (i) the stage which negotiations with the Christian Brothers have reached; and (ii) the land and property involved.

(AQW 4667/11)

Minister of Education: Glacaim go mbaineann do cheist leis an scoil molta nua le haghaidh St Clare’s Abbey Primary School san Iúr.

It is assumed that your question is linked to the proposed new school for St Clare’s Abbey Primary School in Newry.

I can confirm that the Economic Appraisal for St Clare’s Abbey Primary School has recommended that the new school be built on land currently in the ownership of the Christian Brothers. The land in question includes the former Monastery site and an area to the rear of the former Abbey G.S. site. Officials from my Department have met with representatives of the Christian Brothers as recently as 24 February 2011 to discuss the acquisition of this land for St Clare’s Abbey PS. Final agreement on the way forward has still to be resolved and further discussions on this will be required.

Teachers and Principals Deemed Inadequate or Unsatisfactory

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last five years, to detail the number of teachers and principals in each nursery, primary, secondary, grammar and special school in the (i) maintained; (ii) controlled; (iii) integrated; and (iv) Irish-Medium sector who have been deemed (a) inadequate; and (b) unsatisfactory, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 4675/11)

Minister of Education: Meastar obair an mhúinteora le bheith sásúil nó míshásúil agus is féidir Bord Gobharnóirí na scoile an measúnú seo a dhéanamh trí mhonatóireacht leanúnach ar obair an mhúinteora nó déanfaidh an Chigireacht Oideachais agus Oiliúna measúnú trí theagasc an mhúinteora a choimhéad go díreach.

A teacher’s work is evaluated as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory and can be evaluated as such by the Board of Governors of the school, through ongoing monitoring of the teacher’s work, or by the Education and Training Inspectorate through direct observation of the teacher’s practice.

The number of teachers whose work has been evaluated as unsatisfactory is as follows:

UNSATISFACTORY TEACHING

Board	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009	2009/2010	2010/2011
BELB
WELB	2 Controlled Primary Schools 2 Maintained Primary Schools 1 Maintained Post-Primary (Secondary)		1 Irish-medium Primary School
NEELB			1 Controlled Primary School	1 Integrated Post-Primary (Principal) 1 Integrated Post-Primary (Vice-principal)
SEELB		1 Maintained Post-Primary (Grammar) 1 Irish-medium Primary School
SELB		1 Maintained Primary School	1 Controlled Post-Primary (Secondary) 1 Maintained Primary School	1 Integrated Post-Primary 1 Maintained Primary School 1 Maintained Primary School (Principal)	1 Controlled Post-Primary (Secondary) 1 Maintained Primary School (Principal) 1 Maintained Primary School

Schools Deemed Inadequate or Unsatisfactory

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education, for each of the last five years, to detail the number of nursery, primary, secondary, grammar and special schools in the (i) maintained; (ii) controlled; (iii) integrated; and (iv) Irish-Medium sector which have been deemed (a) inadequate; and (b) unsatisfactory, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 4676/11)

Minister of Education: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh sa tábla thíos.

The information requested is detailed in the table below.

WHERE SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE LEVEL IS INADEQUATE/UNSATISFACTORY

Board	2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009	2009/2010	2010/2011
BELB	1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate 1 Controlled Post-Primary (Secondary) – Inadequate 1 Irish-medium Post-Primary - Unsatisfactory	1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate	1 Controlled Primary School – Inadequate 1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate 1 Special School – Inadequate	1 Integrated Primary School – Inadequate 1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate 1 Controlled Primary School - Inadequate
WELB	2 Maintained Primary Schools – Inadequate 1 Controlled Primary School – Inadequate 1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate 1 Maintained Post-Primary - Inadequate		1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate	1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate 1 Controlled Post-Primary – Inadequate
NEELB		1 Special School – Inadequate		1 Controlled Primary School – Inadequate 1 Maintained Primary School – Inadequate 1 Integrated Post-Primary – Unsatisfactory 1 Controlled Post-Primary (Secondary) – Inadequate
SEELB	2 Controlled Post-Primary (Secondary) – Inadequate 1 Special School – Inadequate	1 Irish-medium Primary School – Inadequate		1 Controlled Post-Primary (Secondary) - Inadequate
SELB	2 Maintained Primary Schools – Inadequate	1 Integrated Post-Primary – Unsatisfactory	1 Maintained Primary School – Unsatisfactory 1 Integrated Post-Primary – Unsatisfactory		1 Maintained Primary School – Inadequate 1 Irish-medium Primary School - Inadequate

Careers Guidance and Planning in Schools

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of Education what discussion she has had with the Minister for Employment and Learning in relation to improving careers guidance and planning in our schools, a key recommendation of the Committee for Employment and Learning's report on its Inquiry into Young People not in Education, Employment or Training.

(AQW 4688/11)

Minister of Education: Tá sé riachtanach go gcuirtear comhairle agus gairmthreoir d’ardchaighdeán ar fáil do dhaoine óga nuair atá socruithe tábhachtacha le déanamh acu faoin oideachas agus faoin saol atá le teacht ina dhiaidh.

Access to the highest quality careers education advice and guidance is vital for our young people at key decision points in their education and beyond. I am committed to that objective and to improving further the quality of careers guidance and planning in schools. That is why, in 2009 along with the then Minister for Employment and Learning, I launched the Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) Strategy, Preparing for Success .

Both the Minister for Employment and Learning and I have charged our officials with ensuring that the recommendations in that strategy are addressed and I am pleased with the level of joint working that has become a feature of delivering the strategy.

In developing careers provision, I expect schools to have in place partnership agreements with the Careers Service that ensure the provision of the most effective support for young people and a new draft Partnership Agreement has been prepared which formalises previous arrangements between schools and the Careers Service.

New Build for St Columbus Primary School (Straw), Draperstown

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education for an update on the new build for St Columbus Primary School (Straw), Draperstown.

(AQW 4698/11)

Minister of Education: Tugadh faomhadh maoinithe do 13 tionscadal i mí Lúnasa 2010 agus tá an tionscadal le foirgneamh nua scoile a sholáthar do St Columba’s Primary School ar shuíomh nua ar Bhóthar Corick ar cheann de na tionscadail seo.

A project to provide a new school building for St Columba’s Primary School on a new site at Corick Road, Straw was one of 13 projects approved for funding in August 2010.

Tenders for the construction of the proposed new school were nearing completion in December 2010 when the Trustees advised they were not able to secure the site at Corick Road for construction of the school.

An alternative site on Sixtowns Road has been identified and my officials are in liaison with the school Trustees and their Design Team in an effort to conclude outstanding issues and award the tender as soon as possible.

School Capital Projects

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Education when she expects to make a decision on the commencement of primary and post-primary school capital projects which are currently under consideration in the Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies.

(AQW 4703/11)

Minister of Education: Tá cúig thionscadal móroibreacha bunscoile agus iarbhunscoile a bhaineann le toghcheantair pharlaiminteacha an Fheabhail agus Doire Thoir atá ar Phlean Sheachadadh Infheistíochta na Roinne.

There are five primary and post primary major works projects, in the Foyle and East Derry Parliamentary Constituencies, on the Departments Investment Delivery Plan.

The Draft Budget 2011-15 highlights significant reductions in the capital budget for Education over the next four years. Any investment in new builds, if at all possible, is therefore likely to be intermittent and limited until 2014-15 and it is highly unlikely that any new schools will commence construction in 2011-12 unless additional resources are made available by the Executive.

I want to continue to build much needed new schools, but the rate at which I can do so is totally dependent on the availability of resources. The reduction in the capital allocation will require a comprehensive reassessment of how the limited capital funds available should be deployed on a strategic and prioritised basis to address the most pressing needs. This work will be a priority for my Department in the coming months and when decisions have been reached I will inform schools.

South Eastern Education and Library Board

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of Education if and when she intends to re-establish the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

(AQW 4715/11)

Minister of Education: Níl aon phlean agam faoi láthair le Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Oirdheiscirt a athbhunú.

I have no immediate plans to reconstitute the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

Youth Court Convictions for Sexual Offences

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Education how many pupils in the last three years have been convicted, in a Youth Court, of committing a sexual offence; and what procedures are in place to protect other pupils in the same educational setting.

(AQW 4730/11)

Minister of Education: Ní bhailíonn an Roinn eolas ar dhaltaí ar ciontaíodh as coir ghnéasach iad.

The Department does not collect information about pupils who have been convicted of committing a sexual offence.

When a young person who has been convicted of a sexual offence is to return to school, a multi-agency risk assessment is undertaken. Following the assessment, the agreed arrangements that are put in place are commensurate with the offence that resulted in the conviction.

Schools Displaying the Union Flag

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education how many (i) primary school; and (ii) post-primary school buildings display a Union flag.

(AQW 4794/11)

Minister of Education: Ní choinníonn an Roinn an t-eolas seo. Socraíonn Boird Gobharnóirí na scoileanna iad féin an gcuirfear brait ar crochadh nó nach gcuirfear. Bheinn ag súil, áfach, go n-oibreodh scoileanna ar aon chéim leis na prionsabail atá ag scéimeanna chomhionannais na n-údarás oideachais phoiblí le timpeallacht chomhchuí thacúil a chur chun cinn.

This information is not held by the Department. It is for individual Boards of Governors to decide whether or not to display flags. However, I would expect schools to operate in line with the principles of the equality schemes of public education authorities to promote a supportive, good and harmonious working environment.

Crossroads Primary School, Kilrea

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Education when she intends to make an announcement in relation to seeking tenders for the new build for Crossroads Primary School, Kilrea.

(AQW 4811/11)

Minister of Education: Is tionscadal amháin as 114 tionscadal féideartha atá ag céim an staidéir indéantachta agus breithmheas eacnamaíochta é an tionscadal molta mór oibreacha caipitil le haghaidh Crossroads Primary School. Ní bhaineann na tionscadail seo leis an Phlean Sheachadadh Infheistíochta (IDP) agus níor fógraíodh iad i dtaca le maoiniú caipitil a fháil.

The proposed major capital works project for Crossroads Primary School is one of 114 potential projects at Feasibility Study and Economic Appraisal stage. These projects do not feature on the Investment Delivery Plan (IDP) and have not been announced for capital funding.

The revised Feasibility Study for this project considers options for an amalgamation of Crossroads and St Columba’s Primary Schools.

The Draft Budget 2011-15 highlights significant reductions in the capital budget for Education over the next four years. Any investment in new builds, if at all possible, is therefore likely to be intermittent and limited until 2014-15 and it will not be possible to commence construction of any new schools in 2011-12 unless additional resources are made available by the Executive. I will write to schools to inform them of the position when the budget position is finalised.

Assembly Legislation

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education to detail all legislation, since May 2007, that has gone through, or is going through, the Assembly which devolves powers or responsibilities from her Department to local government authorities.

(AQW 4841/11)

Minister of Education: Níor tugadh reachtaíocht den leithéid seo isteach sa Tionól ó bhí mí na Bealtaine sa bhliain 2007 ann.

No such legislation has been introduced to the Assembly in the period since May 2007.

Adaptive Learning Teaching and Assessment Systems NI

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Education to detail her Department's position in relation to Adaptive Learning Teaching and Assessment Systems NI.

(AQW 4851/11)

Minister of Education: Soláthraítear uirlis measúnaithe ar líne le tacaíocht a thabhairt don mhúinteoireacht agus do mheasúnú diagnóiseach Matamaitice trí Adaptive Learning Teaching and Assessment Systems (NI) Limited (Alta), don tréimhse a mhaireann ó lár na bliana 2007 go lár na bliana 2012, de réir an chonartha atá ann le Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Iarthair agus an maoiniú atá tugtha ag mo Roinn.

Under a contract with the Western Education and Library Board, funded by my Department and covering the period from mid-2007 to mid-2012, Adaptive Learning Teaching and Assessment Systems (NI) Limited (Alta) provides an online assessment tool to support teaching and diagnostic assessment in mathematics.

This tool is available for use by schools on a non-statutory basis. It is one of a range of tools which teachers can use to support their classroom practice. When used over time it can provide useful information about pupils’ progress across a range of mathematical areas. Some 270 schools are currently registered to use the service.

In communications to schools my Department has encouraged them to make use of Alta and other assessment tools to support their work to improve pupil outcomes in the important area of numeracy.

Transfer of £41m from Capital to Revenue Expenditure

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Education whether she sought advice from the Minister of Finance and Personnel and Her Majesty's Treasury before she made the commitment to transfer £41m from capital to revenue expenditure within her departmental budget.

(AQW 4887/11)

Minister of Education: D'aontaigh an Coiste Feidhmiúcháin amharc ar iarratais ó Airí le caiteachas Caipitil a athaicmiú go dtí Acmhainní más rud é, i ndiaidh dréacht-leithdháiltí Buiséid, go mbíonn an brú ar thaobh Acmhainní an bhuiséid go speisialta dian agus doláimhsithe.

The Executive agreed to consider requests from Ministers to reclassify Capital expenditure to Resource if, following draft Budget allocations, the pressures on Resource side of the budget are particularly severe and unmanageable. In this context, I wrote to the Minister for Finance and Personnel on 14 th January requesting Executive agreement to a proposal to transfer £41 million of funding from capital to resource in 2011-12 to minimise as far as possible the impact on the level of funding directly available to schools.

A reply from the Minister for Finance and Personnel confirmed it is important that the Executive consider the overall block position, including proposals put forward by other Ministers, before reaching any decisions and that this matter would be considered by the Executive in their deliberations on the revised Budget. Until the Executive, and ultimately the Assembly, agree the revised Budget I will not be in a position to confirm if this request has been successful.

DE: Arm’s-length Bodies

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Education what impact the establishment of the Education and Skills Authority would have on the funding available for her Department's arm's length bodies.

(AQO 1170/11)

Minister of Education: Bheadh an tÚdarás um Scileanna agus Oideachas freagrach as na feidhmeanna a chomhlíonann na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlann agus comhlachtaí eile faoi láthair.

The Education and Skills Authority would be responsible for the functions performed currently by the Education and Library Boards and other bodies. Its impact would be to reduce significantly the costs of duplication and bureaucracy and so mean a greater share of the education budget could be directed to the classroom. It is very disappointing therefore that ESA has not yet been established given the very difficult financial climate we all are now in.

Schools: Lurgan

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister of Education what plans the Southern Education and Library Board has for the future provision of controlled schools in the Lurgan area.

(AQO 1173/11)

Minister of Education: Tá tugtha le fios ag Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Deiscirt (SELB) gur tugadh chun críche staidéar tosaigh ar sholáthar riachtanas iarbhunscolaíochta na hearnála rialaithe ar an Lorgain, is iad sin na riachtanais a bheidh ann san am atá le teacht, agus go bhfuil sé ar intinn ag an Bhord cáipéis chomhairliúcháin ar na roghanna oideachais atá ar fáil a fhoilsiú.

The Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) has advised that it has completed an initial study on future provision needs of post-primary education in the controlled sector in Lurgan and intends to publish a consultation document on the educational options.

It is planned that the consultation will take after the Assembly Election, in May 2011 . The responses to the consultation will then be considered and any recommendation for the way forward, agreed by the Board, where a significant change is proposed will then be subject to the normal development proposal process.

Education and Library Boards

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Education, given the current economic climate, what actions are being taken to ensure the convergence of services in the five Education and Library Boards.

(AQO 1174/11)

Minister of Education: Tá mé tiomanta go fóill le Údarás um Oideachas agus Scileanna (nó ESA) a bhunú agus tá mé réidh é seo a thabhairt chun cinn chomh luath agus is féidir.

I remain committed to the establishment of the Education and Skills Authority (or ESA) and I am ready to bring this forward at the earliest opportunity.

In the absence of ESA, it is important that we are focused on streamlining administration, removing variability in service delivery and improving educational outcomes through more consistent delivery of key policies. It is imperative that Boards continue to work towards those objectives including the development of models whereby services may be managed regionally. Given the current economic climate it is particularly important that all actions are being taken to release savings through reductions in administration and management costs.

Schools: Information and Communication Technology

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of Education to outline the likely impact that the reduction in spending on Information Communication Technology (ICT) will have on schools.

(AQO 1175/11)

Minister of Education: Soláthraítear ICT sna scoileanna tríd an seirbhís Classroom 2000 nó C2k.

ICT in schools is provided by the Classroom 2000, or C2k, service. C2k gives schools equipment and connectivity as well as safe internet access and curricular and administrative software. The service is free to schools, but has an annual Departmental cost of £50 million.

I believe that savings can be achieved while still allowing schools to have the hardware, software and connectivity that they need to deliver the revised statutory curriculum and to maintain school and pupil records.

C2k consists of a number of contracts with suppliers which are shortly due for renewal, and C2k staff are currently procuring a new single contract to replace them. If the procurement process is accelerated, C2k can terminate the existing contracts early, and take advantage of the reducing market costs of ICT products and services.

Schools will still be able to meet statutory requirements for the revised curriculum and pupil assessment. The service will retain necessary safeguards in relation to internet and data security, and the capacity for data transmission between schools, boards and the Department.

Overall, whilst savings are being proposed for this area, they will be brought about by reducing costs rather than services. C2k will remain available to support the curriculum and the smooth running of schools.

Free School Meals: Western Education and Library Board

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Education how many pupils qualify for free school meals in the Western Education and Library Board area.

(AQO 1176/11)

Minister of Education: Sa bhliain acadúil dhá mhíle is a deich / dhá mhíle is a haon déag (2010/11), bhí ceithre mhíle dhéag, naoi gcead agus trí dalta déag (14,913) a raibh teidlíocht bhéilí saora scoile acu agus na daltaí seo rollaithe in áiteanna maoinithe ar nós ionaid réamhscoile (idir dheonach agus phríobháideach), bunscoileanna agus iarbhunscoileanna a bhí suite i gceantar Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlann an Iarthair.

In the 2010/11 academic year, there were 14,913 pupils enrolled in voluntary and private preschool centres, nursery schools, primary, post primary and special schools located in the Western Education and Library Board area, entitled to free school meals. This equates to 25.9% of pupils attending schools and voluntary or private preschool centres in the Western Education and Library Board area.

For all schools and funded places in voluntary and private preschool centres in the North, 20% of pupils were entitled to free school meals. Last April I announced that the free school meals eligibility criteria would be extended on a phased basis to include full-time nursery and primary school children whose parents are in receipt of working tax credit and have an annual income which does not exceed £16,190 in 2010-11. When the change is implemented in full around 10,000 additional children across the North will be eligible for free school meals.

DE: Budget 2011-15

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of Education to outline the discussions that both she and her Department have had with the Committee for Education regarding the draft Budget 2011-2015.

(AQO 1177/11)

Minister of Education: Foilsíodh sonraí mo Dhréacht Mholtaí um Leithdháilití agus Coigilteas ar 13ú hEanáir.

I published details of my Draft Allocations and Savings Proposals on 13 th January and met with the Committee for Education on 18 th January. I was grateful for the opportunity to set out for the Committee my Budget proposals and the rationale for them. I expressed my hope that we could build a sense of common purpose about the challenges the draft Budget poses for education and hence for our children’s future.

Following letters from the Committee for Education dated 19 th and 20 th January my officials have had two further meetings with the Committee on 25 th and 26 th January. The purpose of these meetings was to address any further issues the Committee had with my draft Budget proposals.

The discussions covered in detail the proposals in my published document including:-

Savings Delivery Plans;

Inescapable Pressures;

Overall position on Resource Budget;

Overall position on Capital Budget;

End Year Flexibility;

Home to School Transport;

ICT in Schools;

Reclassification of Capital to Resource;

ESAIT;

Aggregated School Budget;

Special Educational Needs;

Extended Schools;

Counselling Services;

Youth Services;

Extension of Free School Meals;

Early Years Provision.

The Chairperson forwarded the final response of the Committee for Education’s scrutiny of the Draft Budget 2011-15: Department of Education Draft Allocations and Savings Proposals on 15 th February.

Portadown College

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister of Education whether the proposed reallocation of £41 million of departmental capital funding to the resource budget will have any impact on the new build for Portadown College.

(AQO 1178/11)

Minister of Education: Is tionscadal amháin as caoga is a ceathair tionscadal atá go fóill ar Phlean Deich mBliana Sheachadadh Infheistíochta na Roinne é an tionscadal um thógáil an fhoirgnimh nua le haghaidh Portadown College.

The new build project for Portadown College is one of 54 projects remaining on the Department’s 10 year Investment Delivery Plan (IDP).

I believe we should be continuing to invest in our schools estate and that is the reason I am seeking further resources in this budgetary process.

The Draft Budget 2011-15 highlights significant reductions in the capital budget for Education over the next four years. Unless we secure further resources I am seeking, the school building programme will continue but at a slower rate.

I believe we should be continuing to invest in our schools estate and that is the reason I am seeking further resources in this budgetary process.

There are unallocated resources and I will be seeking to ensure that Education receives the funding so badly needed for our schools. I look forward to the support of all my Executive colleagues in relation to this.

Drumlins Integrated Primary School, Ballynahinch

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister of Education for an update on the new build for Drumlins Integrated Primary School, Ballynahinch.

(AQO 1179/11)

Minister of Education: Ní tionscadal caipitil ar Phlean Sheachadadh Infheistíochta na Roinne é an tionscadal a bhaineann le Drumlins Integrated Primary School.

Drumlins Integrated Primary School is not one of the capital projects on my Department’s Investment delivery Plan. Therefore there are no plans for a new build for this school.

My Department is aware of the difficulties the school finds itself in regarding its currently location and has been working closely with the Board of Governors and the Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) on finding an alternative suitable site for the school. A combined feasibility study and economic appraisal has been commissioned to examine the options for a new site. When this work is completed the options and affordability will be considered

DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Regional Colleges: Industrial Tribunal of Fair Employment Tribunal Cases

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of industrial tribunal or fair employment tribunal cases lodged against each Regional College in which there was (i) a settlement with admission of liability; (ii) a settlement without admission of liability; or (iii) a finding in favour of the applicant, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4420/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning (Mr D Kennedy): The information requested has been supplied by each Further Education College and is attached at Annex A. Annex A

2007/08

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College
Settlement with admission of liability	0	0	0
Settlement without admission of liability	1	1	2
Finding in favour of applicant	0	0	0

2008/09

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College
Settlement with admission of liability	0	0
Settlement without admission of liability	1	1
Finding in favour of applicant	1	0

2009/10

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	North West Regional College	Southern Regional College
Settlement with admission of liability	0	0	0
Settlement without admission of liability	3	3	1
Finding in favour of applicant	0	0	0

Regional Colleges: Industrial Relations Grievances or Complaints

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of industrial relations grievances or complaints lodged by members of staff in each Regional College, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4421/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The information requested has been supplied by each Further Education College and is attached at Annex A.

Annex A

2007/08

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College	North West Regional College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College	South West College
Number of industrial relations grievances or complaints lodged by members of staff	21	4	0	1	6	2

2008/09

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College	North West Regional College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College	South West College
Number of industrial relations grievances or complaints lodged by members of staff	27	6	0	7	9	1

2009/10

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College	North West Regional College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College	South West College
Number of industrial relations grievances or complaints lodged by members of staff	18	13	2	14	9	3*

* 1 case was subsequently withdrawn

Regional Colleges: Industrial Tribunal of Fair Employment Tribunal Cases

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the financial awards made by an industrial tribunal or fair employment tribunal to successful applicants in each of the last three years, broken down by Regional College.

(AQW 4424/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The information requested has been supplied by each Further Education College and is attached at Annex A.

Annex A

2007/08

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College	North West Regional College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College	South West College
Financial awards made by an industrial tribunal or fair employment tribunal to successful applicants	0	0	0	0	0	0

2008/09

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College	North West Regional College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College	South West College
Financial awards made by an industrial tribunal or fair employment tribunal to successful applicants	£1,500	0	0	0	0	0

2009/10

College	Belfast Metropolitan College	Northern Regional College	North West Regional College	South Eastern Regional College	Southern Regional College	South West College
Financial awards made by an industrial tribunal or fair employment tribunal to successful applicants	0	0	0	0	0	0

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number and names of individuals that have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4448/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Since May 2007 my predecessor, Lord Empey of Shandon, and I have made 148 new appointments, 209 re-appointments and 19 temporary re-appointments. A full breakdown for each Public Body and Arms Length Body, including the names of appointees, has been placed in the Assembly Library and on the Department for Employment and Learning’s website ( http://www.delni.gov.uk/ ).

Staff Employed in Further Education Branches

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of staff employed within his Department's Further Education branches in each year since 2004.

(AQW 4527/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The number of staff employed within the Department for Employment and Learning’s Further Education branches in each year since 2004 is as detailed in the table below:

Year	Headcount	Full Time Equivalence
2004	46	43.39
2005	44	42.02
2006	48	44.33
2007	45	42.15
2008	44	41.22
2009	39	36.76
2010	39	37.15
2011	42	39.83

Open University

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many students are currently studying with the Open University.

(AQW 4640/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: In 2009/10 (the latest year for which data are available), there were 4,625 students from Northern Ireland studying through the Open University.

Educational Opportunities in Kilcooley

Mr A Easton asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline any co-operation that exists under the Neighbourhood Renewal programme between the South Eastern Regional College and the Kilcooley Women's Education Centre to improve educational opportunities in Kilcooley.

(AQW 4644/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: There is no formal relationship between the South Eastern Regional College and the Kilcooley Women's Education Centre; however, t here may be scope for Kilcooley Women's Group to collaborate with the local Further Education College, given the mutual benefits to be derived by both parties. The South Eastern Regional College continues to improve educational opportunities in Kilcooley by welcoming students from Kilcooley at its Bangor and Newtownards campuses.

Careers Guidance and Planning in Schools

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what discussions he has had with the Minister of Education in relation to improving careers guidance and planning in our schools, a key recommendation of the Committee for Employment and Learning's report on its Inquiry into Young People not in Education, Employment or Training.

(AQW 4689/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Officials have held regular discussions with Department of Education colleagues since the launch in 2009 of the joint Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Strategy, ‘Preparing for Success’. These discussions have included work on improving careers guidance and planning in our schools.

I can confirm that formal Partnership Agreements are in place, and being delivered, in 259 out of the 261schools across Northern Ireland. These agreements detail the range of services offered by my Department’s Careers Service and provide a framework to ensure all learners in post-primary education have access to high quality Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and to enable young people to become effective career decision makers.

I welcome the recommendation of the Committee’s report on its Inquiry into Young People not in Education, Employment or Training in relation to improving careers guidance and planning in schools. Work is continuing between the two Departments to build on the progress already made. Further work on this will be considered and taken forward under the proposed cross-Departmental strategy.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many people are currently in receipt of Education Maintenance Allowance, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 4696/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The table overleaf details the total number of Northern Ireland domiciled students approved for payment of Education Maintenance Allowance for the current academic year 2010/11, as at 24 February 2011, broken down by Education and Library Board.

Education and Library Board	Approved EMA Applications
Belfast Education Library Board	5,315
North Eastern Education Library Board	4,672
South Eastern Education Library Board	3,467
Southern Education Library Board	5,825
Western Education Library Board	5,359
TOTAL	24,638

Education Maintenance Allowance

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister for Employment and Learning when the consultation on his proposals for Education Maintenance Allowance will commence.

(AQW 4742/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Both my Department and the Department of Education received the findings of the jointly commissioned Review of the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme in Northern Ireland in December 2010. Officials from both Departments are currently assessing the findings of the report therefore no decisions have yet been made on the future of the scheme. I should stress, however, that there are no plans to abolish the Education Maintenance Allowance in Northern Ireland.

I can also confirm that any proposals to amend the current provision of the EMA scheme in Northern Ireland will be subject to a public consultation and appropriate equality considerations, and also taking account of the very difficult budgetary position currently facing my Department. It is intended that the public consultation will commence as soon as practically possible in the new mandate. Prior to that, my Department will be liaising with the Department of Education with the aim of drafting an agreed consultation document.

I can further advise that the Review Report has been shared with the Employment and Learning Committee. The Committee recently wrote to me with a series of proposals relating to this important issue. One of those proposals concerns the need for further pre-consultation engagement and I will wish to give this serious consideration. My Department will also wish to engage fully with the Committee as policy options are developed. Clearly we will want to carefully consider any potential impact on students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, whom I am committed to supporting.

Student Fees

Mr S Moutray asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, pursuant to AQW 4172/11, whether he had any discussions with Members of the House of Lords in relation to student fees, prior to the vote on the amendment moved by Lord Triesman on 14 December 2010.

(AQW 4770/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I had no contact with Members of the House of Lords prior to the amendment moved by Lord Triesman against the approval of the regulations in England to increase the basic and higher level tuition fees to £6,000 and £9,000 respectively.

Residence of the Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University at Lennoxvale, South Belfast

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail all annual costs associated with the residence of the Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University at Lennoxvale, South Belfast, in each of the last two years.

(AQW 4802/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department provides funding to Queen’s University for teaching and learning and research purposes only as specified in the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1993. No funding is provided in respect of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence as it is outside the remit of the above legislation and my Department holds no information on this. The member may consider approaching the University itself for this information.

Programmes to Assist Older People to Return to Work

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) what programmes are available to assist older people to return to work; and (ii) what initiatives exist to remove the barriers preventing older people from engaging in education that would assist in their return to work.

(AQW 4829/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department has a comprehensive range of programmes and services available throughout Northern Ireland to help people of all ages train for, find and remain in work.

The main adult return to work provision is the Steps to Work programme. It assists customers who are at least 18 years old and are unemployed or economically inactive irrespective of whether or not they are in receipt of benefit.

Provision is flexible so it can be tailored to address specific barriers a customer may have to finding employment. Opportunities include –

the option to gain a work related qualification;

relevant work experience through high quality job placements,

assistance with improving essential skills;

if required, help with developing the skills needed to search for work or sustain employment; and,

a self-employment option for those wishing to start their own business.

Through its network of Jobs & Benefits Offices and Jobcentres my Department also offers a full Employment Adviser service together with employment programmes for people with health conditions and disabilities.

Careers Service staff are also available throughout Northern Ireland also through the local office network to provide adults with careers information, advice and guidance. This is designed to help people identify career goals and to source relevant courses to help them achieve those goals.

Further Education Colleges deliver accredited qualifications to meet the needs of learners and employers from Entry level to level 8, and are available to people of all ages and abilities.

In addition, Colleges offer concessions on a means tested basis, for example to people who are in receipt of a number of benefits such as Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Guaranteed Pension Credit and more recently Rates Relief. Also, Colleges have appointed older people’s champions to assist older learners in navigating the process of claiming these concessions.

The Essential Skills of Literacy, Numeracy and ICT from entry level up to level 2 are available free of charge to all adults at Further Education colleges.

ICT in particular aids with essential services for older people for day-to-day living, including access to online information regarding careers and job opportunities

Students who Reside in the Republic of Ireland

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what financial assistance his Department provides for students who reside in the Republic of Ireland and attend university in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 4830/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I can advise that under European Union law, eligible Republic of Ireland domiciled students, indeed all European nationals, studying at a university in Northern Ireland , anywhere else in the United Kingdom or in another member state are entitled to the same level of tuition fee support as a home student in that member state.

For the current academic year 2010/11, a non-means tested tuition fee loan of up to £3,290 is available for eligible Northern Ireland domiciled students and European nationals, including those from the Republic of Ireland, studying at a university in Northern Ireland.

Tuition Fees

Mr P Butler asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the article in the Irish News on 24 February 2011 on tuition fees.

(AQW 4865/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I have said on a number of occasions in this Assembly, that following discussion with my Executive colleagues, I intend to launch a public consultation on a range of tuition fee options.

Student Retention and Achievement Rates

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the average (i) student retention rate; and (ii) student achievement rate of each further education college, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4931/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Retention and achievement rates in the format collected by the Department are detailed overleaf for the most recent 3 years for which data are available

College	2007/08		2008/09		2009/10
College	Retention Rate	Achievement Rate	Retention Rate	Achievement Rate	Retention Rate	Achievement Rate
Belfast Metropolitan	87%	71%	85%	64%	87%	46%
Northern Regional	86%	57%	85%	62%	82%	59%
South Eastern Regional	88%	72%	90%	74%	87%	78%
Southern Regional	93%	63%	93%	72%	92%	72%
South West	88%	79%	89%	76%	92%	76%
North West Regional	89%	62%	86%	66%	85%	56%

Source: Further Education Leavers Survey (FELS)

Notes:

Due to difficulties associated with obtaining data from awarding bodies it is accepted that the achievement rates quoted above are understated. Data quality issues also exist and therefore these figures are used for information purposes only.

Data for 09/10 are provisional and likely to change following further validation discussions with the colleges.

The retention rate is defined as the proportion of final year students who complete their programme of study as a percentage of those who start their final year.

The achievement rate is defined as the proportion of final year students who obtain a qualification as a percentage of final year completers.

Partial achievement is also included within the data (although this accounts for less than 5% of total achievements).

European Social Fund

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning why his Department is unable to fund projects that are successful under Tranche 2 of the European Social Fund.

(AQW 4936/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The second call for Priority One of the NIESF Programme was an open, competitive and time bound call for projects seeking funding from a finite budget through contracts that last for a three-year project period.

The second call was very significantly over-subscribed. 112 applications were received with 100 meeting the minimum quality threshold, bidding for £43.1 million in ESF. In the context of an available budget of just over £30 million, my Department has given due consideration to the equitable distribution of the available funding, and concluded that in the first instance we should ask the top scoring 83 projects to look again at their overall costs. We have offered these applicants some 75% of the amount they bid for. This is with the objective of allowing more projects to be funded in the second call against the finite ESF budget, in the interest of social inclusion and in keeping with the NIESF Operational Programme.

This inevitably meant that 17 projects which met the minimum quality threshold have not been allocated any funding at this stage. Had I simply allocated 100% funding to projects on a merit order basis against the budget sought without seeking efficiencies, only 49 projects would have been funded.

I trust that this answer provides you with the clarification you require.

Bytes Projects

Ms J McCann asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if, and by how much, funding for the Bytes Project has been cut in his Department's spending plans; and for his assessment of the impact of these cuts on Bytes Projects based in West Belfast.

(AQW 4987/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My Department has been a contributory funder to this project over the past six years. My Department’s contribution in Financial Year 2010/2011 was £288,000.

Until the Executive has finalised its budget, I am not in a position to assess the impact that any potential reductions in funding would have on my Department’s ability to continue funding the project at these levels.

Unemployment: Young People

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what new strategies he plans to put in place to respond to the rise in youth unemployment.

(AQO 1185/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Since the start of the economic downturn my Department has put in place a range of support interventions especially for the young unemployed.

Within the Steps to Work programme a number of enhancements have been introduced. These include: provision for unemployed graduates; paid temporary employment opportunities within the community and voluntary sectors under Step Ahead; contingency arrangements for redundant apprentices within specific sectors and an increased range of training available.

In addition, there is a guaranteed training place and financial support for all eligible16 -17 year olds under the Training for Success programme.

My Department continues to make significant investment in the six Further Education Colleges where over one hundred million pounds is focused on full time provision where almost three-quarters of students are in the 16-19 aged cohort.

Careers advisers provide impartial, information, and guidance to clients including to unemployed young people and in doing so endeavour to make contact with 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education, training or employment with the ultimate aim of their re-engagement.

Through our Jobs and Benefits Offices, Jobcentres and contracted Providers my Department provides services to unemployed young people seeking work.

My Department is currently considering recommendations in the recently published NEETS report, in the context of providing a cross-departmental strategic approach to the issue, and I hope to seek Executive agreement in March 2011 to issue a high level framework document for public consultation.

Universities: Fees

Ms A Lo asked e Minister for Employment and Learning what action his Department is taking to ensure that sixth form pupils and schools are being kept informed of the potential changes to university fees.

(AQO 1186/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Subject to discussions with my Executive colleagues the options for Northern Ireland in relation to tuition fees and future student finance arrangements will be set out shortly in a public consultation paper. This will take account of my Department’s budget settlement.

During the public consultation and debate on this very important issue I would be keen to hear from sixth form pupils and from schools and I would encourage them to attend and participate in the consultation process and any associated events.

Additionally, should the new Assembly decide to increase tuition fees following the public consultation, my Department’s Careers Service will ensure Careers Advisers are fully informed of any changes so that they can pass on this information to Sixth form pupils to enable them to make informed choices about their future.

In addition each of the universities will set out information about fees and the level of student support available in its student prospectus.

Joanne Stuart, in both her original report and the update to it, recognised the importance of clear communication and accurate information and my Department will be working with stakeholders on this issue.

Finally, can I say that in trying to communicate the key messages on this issue to stakeholders, we are not helped by inaccurate comments and scaremongering. Moving forward, can I therefore encourage a mature debate on this very important issue as the opposite only serves to mislead school pupils and their parents.

University of Ulster: Magee Campus

Mrs M Bradley asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the expansion of the University of Ulster's Magee Campus.

(AQO 1187/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The university has provided a Strategic Outline Case to support its request for additional undergraduate places at its Magee campus and this is subject to ongoing discussions between my Department, the Department of Finance and Personnel and the university. My Department submitted a bid in the recent Comprehensive Spending Review to support the increase in numbers. The issue of the Maximum Student Number (MaSN) is being considered as part of the wider consultation on the Higher Education Strategy and the potential impact of the future level of tuition fees on student flows will also need to be considered.

I am well aware that all Departments are facing financial challenges in the current climate and I would welcome your support and that of your party for ensuring that sufficient resources are available in my Department’s final budget to meet the bid. This is ultimately a matter for the Assembly.

Lone Parent Earnings Disregard

Mrs C McGill asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he has met with any stakeholder groups to take their views on the Lone Parent Earnings Disregard and its potential role and effectiveness in addressing child poverty and getting parents back to work.

(AQO 1188/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My communication on this matter has been with the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister who put a proposal for a pilot project to me late last year.

I support any action that will help to lift people, and especially children, out of poverty. However, the proposed pilot has been overtaken by events. A new Welfare Reform Bill, recently introduced in Westminster, will introduce Universal Credit in October 2013. This new credit will allow benefit claimants, including lone parents, to keep more of their earnings as benefits will be withdrawn at a uniform rate of no more than 65 pence in every additional pound earned. This change will do exactly what the proposed pilot was designed to test.

I expect Universal Credit to be introduced in Northern Ireland in 2013 as a social security parity measure. To trial a change to a benefits regime which is about to be radically changed would, in my view, not be value for money.

Stuart Review

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what involvement both he and his departmental officials had with Joanne Stuart prior to the release of her most recent report on student fees.

(AQO 1189/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Following the publication of the original Stuart Review in October 2010, Joanne Stuart attended two meetings of the external stakeholder group for the development of future student finance policy to brief them on progress on her updated report. These meetings were chaired by an official in my Department.

On 29 January 2011, I received the updated report on the independent review of variable fees and student finance arrangements from Joanne Stuart. Between that date and the publication of the updated report on 8 February 2011, Joanne Stuart met with me to give an overview of her findings and recommendations.

Officials in the Department provided limited administrative and secretariat support to Joanne Stuart for her work on this independent review, including the update. This involved, for example, the provision of statistical information, financial cost comparisons and clarification of the draft budget position for inclusion in her evidence based updated report.

Queen’s University Belfast and Stanmillis University College: Merger

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the proposed merger of Queen's University Belfast and Stranmillis University College.

(AQO 1190/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: I have stated previously that legislation will not be brought forward to discontinue the College unless the newly merged entity can guarantee respect for the ethos of the Controlled Sector and that officials were exploring with legal advisers how this can be achieved. Advice has now been received and I am now satisfied that the ethos of the Controlled Sector can be protected. I am now fully supportive of the proposal to create a world class School of Education at Stranmillis and I intend to make an announcement in the Assembly and launch a public consultation on the proposed merger in the very near future.

Higher Education: Tuition Fees

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Employment and Learning when he intends to make his decision on the level of higher education tuition fees.

(AQO 1191/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Any decision to increase the cap on tuition fees must be made by the Assembly. Subject to the agreement of my Executive colleagues, the options for Northern Ireland, in relation to tuition fees and future student finance arrangements, will be set out shortly in a public consultation paper.

I would repeat that current legislation provides that aside from any annual inflationary uplift, the decision to increase fees will be for the Assembly to make.

Young People not in Education, Employment or Training Strategy

Mr R McCartney asked the Minister for Employment and Learning when the draft Young People Not in Education, Employment or Training Strategy will be issued for public consultation.

(AQO 1192/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: My officials and those from other relevant Departments are currently working to bring forward a draft cross-departmental strategy addressing the barriers facing young people outside Education Employment or Training. I intend to bring the draft consultation document to the Executive in March for consideration. Subject to agreement by the Executive I would then intend to issue the draft document for public consultation.

Work Programme

Mr F Molloy asked the Minister for Employment and Learning if he has given any consideration to the Work Programme which is to replace the Future Jobs Fund in Great Britain and whether he intends to consider its introduction in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 1193/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: The Work Programme will be introduced in Great Britain in summer 2011. The Work Programme will replace the Flexible New Deal and Pathways to Work initiatives, rather than Future Jobs Fund. The latter was a specific initiative introduced by the previous Government to address some of the unemployment difficulties caused by the economic crisis. The current Government has abolished the Fund and it will close around the end of March this year. Resource constraints did not allow us to match the Future Jobs Fund offering in Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland we currently have Steps to Work as our main “back to work” programme. The principles underpinning Steps to Work are consistent with the Great Britain Work Programme. Essentially it is already available to the same client group as the Great Britain Work Programme. I will however need to see the full detail of the Great Britain Work Programme before I can properly assess its potential for Northern Ireland. The final budget settlement will determine what is affordable and I hope to bring forward proposals later this year. The earliest any changes will be introduced here will be April 2012.

In the meantime I will extend existing Steps to Work contracts for a further year to ensure continuity of provision for the long-term unemployed.

Apprenticeships: Funding

Mr A Maginness asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to outline the rationale behind his decision to withdraw funding for adult apprenticeships.

(AQO 1194/11)

Minister for Employment and Learning: Furthermore, employers can upskill their staff through the Skills Solution Service which I have established to help employers develop a tailored programme of training.

DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Air Fares Incurred by Departmental Staff

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the total cost of first class and business class air fares incurred by departmental staff in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4460/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mrs A Foster): The Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment has spent the following amounts on Business Class travel in the last three financial years. The Department did not use first class air travel in this period.

2007 – 2008 £51,560.65

2008 – 2009 £57,895.92

2009 – 2010 £69,496.58

Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre at Castle Espie

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how much her Department, or its agencies, has invested in the redevelopment of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre at Castle Espie.

(AQW 4686/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment has provided investment totalling £314,204 towards the redevelopment of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre at Castle Espie.

Broadband Speed in Lagan Valley

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how much has been spent on upgrading the broadband speed in the Lagan Valley constituency since May 2007.

(AQW 4763/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Over the period 2007/08 to 2010/11 my Department has invested some £32.5m to deliver improvements in the internal and international connectivity of the telecommunications infrastructure across all of Northern Ireland enabling the delivery of broadband services, via various technologies, with speeds ranging between 512 kilobits per second and 100 megabits per second. Unfortunately, due to the nature of these investments, it is not possible to break figures down into constituency areas.

Home Loan Management Call Centre

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what measures are in place to assist the Home Loan Management call centre in Derry in accessing new contracts, following a number of redundancies on 1 March 2011.

(AQW 4991/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: As Enterprise Minister, I am keenly aware of the importance of Homeloan Management Limited (HML’s) investment to the Northern Ireland economy and can assure you that every effort is being made to minimize the impact of the redundancies announced by the company. As you are aware HML is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society (SBS) and part of the extensive SBS Group.

In regards to what measures are in place to assist HML, I can confirm that officials in Invest NI continue to work closely with the company to assist them in as many ways as possible to help win new contracts. In October 2010 I met with HML’s Chief Executive to discuss their future strategy and the challenges the company face in accessing new contracts in extremely difficult trading conditions.

During this meeting I reiterated the continued support of both the Department and Invest NI in helping HML sustain and grow their investment in Northern Ireland. Over the last number of months, Invest NI has facilitated a series of introductory meetings to key influencers and potential clients in Dublin. In addition, Invest NI has provided financial support for bespoke in-market research and expert consultancy support which has helped HML identify new business opportunities in the Republic of Ireland.

I can assure you that my Department and Invest NI will continue to work closely with HML. In particular to build on the strong relationships, both locally, and with the top management team in SBS, to showcase the breadth of skills and capability in the Northern Ireland workforce which will support HML’s future growth plans.

Invest NI

Mr B McCrea asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of Invest NI's current commitments of financial support and its offers of financial support which have not yet been accepted in this financial year.

(AQO 1140/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Invest NI has not been immune from the current budget tightening. For example, over the 2007 CSR period, the Invest NI budget for financial assistance increased by 31%, however, in the 2010 Spending Review period the draft budget is forecast to fall by 28%.

The management of a reducing budget is complicated by the fact that grant support will draw down expenditure over a number of years, with on average only 15% being required in the first year of investment. The rising budget from 2008 to 2011 facilitated an increase in the total value of financial support offered by Invest NI, but has also created budget commitments that must be managed within the reducing annual allocation.

Consequently my assessment is that Invest NI will be under budget pressure during the early part of the next Spending Review period.

Finally, based on the projects under consideration in the current financial year, I am confident that none will be lost due to a lack of available financial assistance.

Strangford: Telecommunications

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if she is aware of any action being taken by British Telecom to upgrade the telecoms infrastructure in the Strangford constituency.

(AQO 1141/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Under my Department’s £50m Next Generation Broadband Project BT is upgrading street cabinets across 33 designated areas covering the whole Strangford Constituency. By end January 2011, work in 22 of these areas had been completed. The remaining areas will be completed by May 2011. BT will also complete upgrades to 39 cabinets in the Newtownards exchange area by the end of this month as part of its UK-wide Next Generation Access Programme. In addition, BT has just announced a multi-million pound investment to upgrade a further 783 street cabinets across Northern Ireland, it is estimated that 38 of these cabinets are within the Strangford Constituency.

Presbyterian Mutual Society

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the process by which Presbyterian Mutual Society shareholders and creditors will receive repayments of their savings.

(AQO 1142/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Work is currently underway on a significant number of important steps which must be completed before payments can be made. These include, in particular, making the necessary legislation for both the proposed loan and Mutual Access Fund schemes, finalisation of the necessary legal and contractual arrangements for their delivery, the Administrator securing creditors’ and members’ agreement to the proposals as part of his formal Scheme of Arrangement, and finally, securing EU State Aids approval to the Executive’s proposed loan.

Unemployment

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the latest monthly increase in unemployment figures which suggests that Northern Ireland has had the largest increase of the 12 UK regions, while unemployment in the UK as a whole, over the same period, has fallen by almost 10%.

(AQO 1143/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The claimant count statistics for January show that Northern Ireland has 59,100 claimants, an increase of 1% on the previous month. The UK experienced a smaller increase of 0.2%.

Northern Ireland’s claimant count also increased over the year by 6.5% (compared to a fall of 9.7% in the UK), however, the NI unemployment rate is only marginally above the UK (8% compared to 7.9%). Furthermore, the rate remains well below those for the European Union (9.6%) and the Republic of Ireland (13.9%).

It is in this context that there is a need to rebuild and rebalance the local economy. Which is why as part of my draft spending proposals, I intend bringing forward a package of measures which will allocate £19 million to support the promotion of 5,000 jobs in Northern Ireland.

Invest NI: Green New Deal

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what steps Invest NI has taken to assist the delivery of a Green New Deal.

(AQO 1144/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: I am very supportive of the main aims of the Green New Deal in increasing energy efficiency, helping those who are finding paying for energy difficult and providing the opportunity for job creation. There are, however, a number of important aspects of the Green New Deal proposals which need further consideration.

The Department for Social Development is leading the Executive’s response and my department is represented, at a senior level, on the steering group assessing the proposals.

Investment

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the impact of the economic downturn on the level of inward investment.

(AQO 1145/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Despite the global economic crisis, I am encouraged by the upturn in interest for investment in Northern Ireland. The pipeline of new Foreign Direct Investment projects looks much more promising than 12 months ago and Invest NI is confident of meeting not only its annual inward investment targets, but also its targets over the three years of the current Programme for Government.

Investors are responding to the value proposition, for example in October 2010, we brought together two dozen Chief Executives from amongst the largest existing U.S. investors in Northern Ireland such as Seagate, Allstate, Caterpillar and Citi, along with senior representatives from key U.S. target companies. The conference was hugely successful and a co-ordinated and strategic follow-up plan was put in place to maximise the opportunities it created.

There have been a number of significant announcements recently from companies such as Citi, Rigney Dolphin, Herbert Smith, Allen and Overy, SQS and Kana. The decisions by these internationally renowned companies to come to Northern Ireland for the first time, or to expand their existing operations here shows the ability of the Northern Ireland proposition to compete globally.

Although the current market for Foreign Direct Investment is subject to global economic forces, Invest NI remains encouraged by its pipeline of projects, particularly within the financial services and business services sectors.

Invest NI: Social Economy

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how many social economy projects Invest NI has funded in the last five years.

(AQO 1146/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Invest NI has funded 176 social economy projects in the last five years through its Social Entrepreneurship Programme. In addition to the financial support offered to these groups to start up, they received, alongside an additional 469 groups, advisory support with their business ideas and business plans.

Invest NI: North Antrim

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how much funding Invest NI has allocated to the North Antrim area over the last five years.

(AQO 1147/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: The Invest NI funding to the North Antrim Area over the last five financial years is summarised in the table below:

Financial Year	Invest NI Assistance in North Antrim (£)
2006/07	2,780,000
2007/08	2,007,000
2008/09	2,532,000
2009/10	3,829,000
2010/11	4,537,000
Grand Total	15,685,000

Renewable Energy

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for her assessment of the renewable energy industry.

(AQO 1148/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Renewable energy is vital in helping us reduce our carbon emissions in the electricity sector and in contributing towards security of supply. However, it also creates significant opportunities for local companies in terms of supplier chain development as evidenced by Harland and Wolff’s contract with Siemens to manufacture the substations for an offshore wind farm in Wales. I am also greatly encouraged that Northern Ireland can become an important investment location for the renewables industry as demonstrated by the recent DONG Energy announcement at Belfast Harbour.

Investment: South Antrim

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how many site visits by prospective Invest NI clients have taken place in the South Antrim constituency in the last 12 months.

(AQO 1149/11)

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: In the last full financial year (1 st April 2009 – 31 st March 2010), Invest NI facilitated 4 potential inward investor visits to the South Antrim Constituency, with 2 further visits facilitated to date in this financial year. In addition Invest NI also facilitated 1 site visit by an indigenous non Invest NI client to the South Antrim Constituency.

Invest NI remains in contact with the visitors in order to pursue any investment opportunities. However, we are conscious of the impact of the current economic conditions on investment decisions. Furthermore, securing an inward investment project is the end point of an extensive process which may span a considerable period (18 to 24 months) and involve a number of visits to Northern Ireland.

Invest NI’s role is to promote Northern Ireland as an attractive and viable location for new inward investment opportunities. Whilst Invest NI makes its best efforts to ensure a spread of investment across the region its role is to promote Northern Ireland as an entity. Ultimately, the final location decision rests with the investor. If the investor seeks information on specific areas within Northern Ireland then Invest NI will work with the local stakeholders to best promote the area.

Between 2002-03 and 2009-10, 76% of Invest NI assistance in the South Antrim constituency related to locally-owned businesses, helping them to set up or expand their operations or to undertake business innovation projects. During this time, Invest NI support to locally-owned South Antrim companies amounted to £39.6 million, generating total investment in the constituency of £213 million. In the last year, Invest NI has supported significant projects in the constituency by companies such as Mivan, the Camden Group, Fortress Diagnostics and Schrader.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Cyclists (Protective Headgear) Bill

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of the Environment to provide an estimate of the costs that are likely to be incurred by his Department if the Cyclists (Protective Headgear) Bill is implemented.

(AQW 4512/11)

Minister of the Environment (Mr E Poots): The Private Members’ Cyclists (Protective Headgear) Bill was introduced to the Assembly on 13 December 2010 and is now at Committee Stage. If implemented as currently drafted, the Bill requires expenditure by my Department in two main areas. These are (1) funding the establishment and running of an adjudicators appeal system and (2) funding a campaign to further promote the use of cycle helmets and to raise awareness of the provisions of the Bill.

I have not received an estimate of the costs from the sponsor of the Bill. Nor has my Department produced such an estimate at this early stage. However, I do expect the cost to be significant.

The costs of the adjudication process will include accommodation, administration and staff costs, as well as adjudicator remuneration. The public awareness campaign will involve planning and funding a campaign over a three year period, the cost of which will be determined by the forms of advertising media required to deliver an effective advertising campaign at that time.

Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment, for each of the last four years, to list (i) each instance where a developer has entered into a planning agreement as outlined in Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991; and (ii) what was required of the developer in each case.

(AQW 4541/11)

Minister of the Environment: (i) In each of the last 4 years, the details of each instance where a developer has entered into a planning agreement as outlined in Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland ) Order 1991 is detailed below in Annex A. The period covered runs from 2007-2011 and records a total of 40 applications. This information is based on records extracted from a live data base.

(ii) The database records the date, address and planning reference only. In order to provide details of what was required of the developer in each case would require a manual search of each of these 40 application files. This manual search could not be carried out in the timescale available. However, a manual search of five of the applications provides an indication of the requirements of the developer under these Agreements. These requirements are detailed below in Annex B.

ANNEX A

ARTICLE 40 PLANNING AGREEMENTS
2007
DATE	ADDRESS	REF NUMBER
22/02/2007	51 Seacoast Road, Limavady	B/2002/0591/O
08/05/2007	20 Ballybogey Road, Ballymoney	D/2001/0152/F
21/05/2007	20b Mountstewart Road, Greyabbey	X/2006/0492/F
20/06/2007	53 Quarterlands Road, Killinchy	R/2005/1423/F
31/07/2007	The Castle off Harbour Road, Ballintoy	E/2004/0055/O
04/09/2007	To the rear of 105 Edenticullon Road, Hillsborough	S/2004/1136/F
31/05/2007	Sandy Bay Marina, 7A Shore Road, Ballinderry	S/2002/1123/O
26/04/2007	87-89 Ballinlea Road, Ballycastle	E/2002/0115/O
26/04/2007	99 Whitepark Road, Ballintoy	E/2003/0218
26/04/2007	29 Clooney Road, Tobermore
26/02/2007	St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast	H/2002/0846
01/10/2007	Lands Adjacent to 49 Loughries Road, Newtownards	X/2005/0349/F
25/10/2007	Derelict buildings at junction of Shore Road Ardglass	R/2005/0579/F
21/11/2007	47 Portna Road, Kilrea	H/2005/0614/F
18/12/2007	Gorteade Road, Upperlands	H/2006/0198/F
18/12/2007	129 Newbridge Road, Ballymoney	D/2006/0462/F
2008
DATE	ADDRESS	REF NUMBER
21/03/2008	Victoria Square Regeneration Project, Belfast	Z/2005/1536/F
29/04/2008	17 Hillhead Road, Glenavy	S/2006/1235/F
01/05/2008	35m SOUTH West of no. 3 Quintin Bay Road Portaferry	X/2004/1217/F
14/05/2008	Clare Park, Clare Road, Ballycastle	E/2004/0433/F
09/07/2008	225m North West of Tullyougher Quarry, Carnlough	F/2004/0502/F
11/09/2008	Lands to the rear of no 141 Moneysharvin Road, Maghera	H/2007/0489/F
06/10/2008	Land 140m North East of 160 Moss Road Kilkeel	X/2007/0489/F
06/11/2008	Aghaleague, Drummacalara and Drumkeen Ederney	L/2003/2002/O
08/12/2008	Victoria Bridge Strabane	J/06/0773 & 0881
13/10/2008	Belfast City Hospital	Z/2005/1585/F
21/11/2008	Dundela Football Club	Z/2004/0133/O
24/10/2008	Wilgar Park, Wilgar Street , Belfast	Z/2004/0133/O
12/12/2008	H25 Lands at Drumahow , Londonderry	A/2001/0165/O
2009
DATE	ADDRESS	REF NUMBER
18/03/2009	Finnebrogue estate, Downpatrick	R/2006/0814/F
22/05/2009	Adjacent to 11 Wateresk Road, Dundrum	R/2006/0698/F
12/08/2009	125 Lisburn Road, Ballynahinch	S/2007/0040/F
12/08/2009	31 Magherafelt Road, Moneymore	I/2004/0918/O
17/08/2009	151 Glenravel Road, Ballymena	G/2005/1457/F
24/08/2009	Amendment to Clare Park, Clare Road, Ballycastle	E/2004/0433/F
02/06/2009	H1B/C lands, Galliagh, Londonderry	A/2004/0071/O
09/10/2009	QUB Playing Fields, Dub lane, Belfast	Z/2007/2061
08/12/2009	Gasworks Ormeau Road, Belfast	Z/2005/0606
2010
DATE	ADDRESS	REF NUMBER
19/03/2010	Lands to rear of 21-41 Belfast Road, Newtownards	X/2003/1142/O
18/05/2010	Housing site north and west of Beeches, Drumahoe	A/2004/0165/O
2011
DATE	ADDRESS	REF NUMBER
N/A	N/A	N/A

ANNEX B

Requirements of the developer under Article 40 Agreements taken from a sample of 5 applications.

Planning Ref. S/2007/0040/F: Ensure that accommodation will be used for holiday letting purposes only and not as a permanent place of residence

Planning Ref. I/2004/0918/O: Ensure the permanent cessation of all mining operation or the winning and working of minerals carried out at the quarry and compliance with the requirements of the restoration conditions attached to a previous planning approval

Planning Ref. Z/2007/2061: Ensure that the profits from the sale of housing land are used to finance the improvement works to the sports facilities within 2 years of the final completion of the sale of the housing land

Planning Ref. Z/2005/0606: Control the use of parking spaces to deter long commuter car parking and to include restrictions on the leasing of contract spaces

Planning Ref. X/2003/1142/O: Provide long term maintenance of the Flood Compensation Scheme to avoid its failure and prevent flooding on the housing site and to surrounding area

Ballymagorry Waste Water Treatment Works

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to AQW 3997/11, to detail how the decision to approve planning application J/2006/0942F, for 49 houses, half of which are built and occupied, was agreed on 3 October 2006, given that Ballymagorry Waste Water Treatment Works is operating at full capacity.

(AQW 4545/11)

Minister of the Environment: Planning permission was granted in November 2007 because at that time there was a scheme in the Capital Works Programme to upgrade the Waste Water Treatment Works, due for completion by 2011. An informative was attached to the decision notice which advised the applicant that: - waste water treatment and/or sewerage system capacity is not available for the proposed development. A scheme exists on the Capital Works Programme and is programmed for commencement within the next 2 to 3 years and for completion within the next 4 years. The developer may consider an agreed phased construction programme in agreement with Northern Ireland Water and/or temporary treatment in agreement with the relevant statutory agencies.

My officials understand that consent has been granted for 27 dwellings to connect to the sewerage system in a phased approach (Phase 1). A separate application for a further 22 dwellings is pending (Phase 2).

Banbridge/Newry Area Plan

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of the Environment why the term 'prematurity to the release of the Banbridge/Newry Area Plan' continues to be used by the Planning Service as a reason to refuse an application, given that the publication of the Plan is over 12 years behind schedule.

(AQW 4547/11)

Minister of the Environment: Where a Plan is under preparation or review it may be justifiable in some circumstances to refuse planning permission on the grounds of prematurity in order to safeguard the integrity of the development plan process. Guidance in relation to the circumstances in which refusal is justified is set out in the Joint Ministerial Statement (JMS) dated 31 January 2005.

The Banbridge/Newry & Mourne Area Plan has reached an advanced stage of preparation. The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) has concluded the oral hearings into objections to the draft Plan and the Commissioners are currently considering the information presented before completing their report and making their recommendations to the Department. Until the Department has adopted the plan, following receipt of and consideration of the PAC report, the consideration of the issue of prematurity remains an essential element in the determination of planning applications.

Improvement, Collaboration and Efficiency Programme

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the total earmarked in the draft Budget for the Improvement, Collaboration and Efficiency Programme in each of the next four years.

(AQW 4597/11)

Minister of the Environment: No funding has been earmarked in the draft budget for the Improvement, Efficiency and Collaboration (ICE) programme in each of the next 4 years.

This programme is a local government led initiative to be delivered on a self-financing basis and I am currently waiting on a report outlining the outcome of the sector's work, which is aimed at creating closer collaboration and driving out deliverable improvements and efficiencies across councils.

Area Plan for South Antrim

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister of the Environment (i) what is the current status of the Area Plan for South Antrim; and (ii) how the Area Plan relates to (a) the Regional Development Strategy; and (b) the production of local development plans by councils.

(AQW 4650/11)

Minister of the Environment: The extant Area plan coverage for the proposed new council grouping of South Antrim, which comprises Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Areas, is contained within the Antrim Area Plan 2001, adopted in June 1989 and the draft Newtownabbbey Area Plan 2005 published in March 1993. Whilst both plans have passed their notional end dates they remain a material consideration to be taken into account in determining planning applications.

Both of these Plans pre-date the Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025 (RDS) which was published in 2001, DRD are currently carrying out a 10 year review. Under the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (as amended) Area Plans adopted since 2003 must be in ‘general conformity’ with the RDS.

Antrim, Ballymena and Larne Area Plan 2016 commenced in 2001 and in May 2002 an Issues Paper was published for consultation. In anticipation of the transfer of planning functions to councils I announced in July 2009 that work on this plan and other area plans which had not reached draft plan stage, would cease.

Newtownabbey is one of the 6 Districts contained in the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) which was published in November 2004. Following a Public Inquiry, the Planning Appeals Commission Report into objections to the Plan is expected in March 2011. Upon receipt of the report my Department will consider the Commission’s recommendations and prepare the Plan for adoption. It is anticipated that the Plan will be adopted in 2012. BMAP received a Statement of Conformity with the RDS on 17 November 2004.

In line with the proposed transitionary provisions of the new planning legislation, responsibility for the completion of work on draft plans prepared by my Department will stay with the Department. Responsibility for the preparation of any new local development plans will, at the time the legislation is commenced, pass to the Councils.

To assist this process, during 2010, I agreed that a number of Pilot preparatory studies would be progressed. In this respect, my Department in association with the Transition Committees worked in collaboration with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Councils. The intention was that these studies would inform the local development plans for the new council areas, enabling them, when powers transfer, to bring forward new development Plans within a much shorter timescale.

Driver and Vehicle Agency

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of the Environment, in relation to the Driver and Vehicle Agency Compliance and Road Transport Enforcement Unit, to detail (i) the current number of staff vacancies; (ii) how long each vacancy has existed; (iii) how many formal requests have been made (a) within his Department; and (b) to the Civil Service to fill each vacancy.

(AQW 4674/11)

Minister of the Environment: There are 12 vacancies in Driver and Vehicle Agency Compliance and Road Transport Enforcement Unit. The table below provides further details of each vacancy, including the length of time each vacancy has existed.

In all instances the Department takes the lead in filling vacancies with individual business areas issuing a request to Departmental HR through a formal application process. Only one such formal request is required within this Department in respect of each vacancy.

I can confirm that no formal requests have been made to the Civil Service to fill each vacancy.

Grade	No of Posts	Length of Time Vacant at 1 March 2011
HPTO Regional Enforcement Manager	1	5 months
HPTO Enforcement Policy & Strategy	1	4 months
Traffic Examiner (EO2 grades can be considered)	2	1 year, 5 months
Senior Traffic Examiner (The filling of these vacancies is currently on hold pending the outcome of a Grading Review)	2	2 years, 1 month
PTO Enforcement Officer	6	1 year, 5 months
Total	12

PSV Licence

Mr J O'Dowd asked e Minister of the Environment why a new owner of a vehicle which already has a valid PSV licence has to apply for a new PSV licence, when the licence is valid for a year from the date of issue.

(AQW 4699/11)

Minister of the Environment: The transfer of PSV from one taxi driver to another is swift and straight forward. There is no additional road worthiness test involved and there is no charge. However, it is important that the process is regulated so that the Department can ensure that holders of PSV licences and taxi plates are also licensed taxi drivers and the Department has an accurate record of who is operating each licensed taxi. I have no plans to change the current arrangement.

Illegal Dumping at Ballyloughan Road, Castlewellan

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of the Environment whether the Northern Ireland Environment Agency has received any allegations of illegal dumping at Ballyloughan Road, Castlewellan, and to provide details of when the allegations were received and any investigations carried out.

(AQW 4706/11)

Minister of the Environment: NIEA was advised in Autumn 2010 of alleged illegal waste offences at Ballylough Road, Castlewellan. As the investigation is still ongoing, I am unable to provide you with further details, as to do so could compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation or the rights of those under investigation.

Historic Buildings Grant Aid Scheme

Mr K McCarthy asked the Minister of the Environment (i) whether the temporary suspension on new applications for the Historic Buildings Grant-Aid Scheme will be lifted in April 2011; and (ii) whether the Scheme will be reinstated in full.

(AQW 4747/11)

Minister of the Environment: The Department will review the temporary suspension on processing new applications for Grant-Aid to listed historic buildings once its budget for 2011-12 is known.

It is not possible at this stage to state whether or not the suspension will be lifted then and whether or not the scheme will be reinstated in full.

Colin Area of Belfast

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of the Environment to detail what percentage of the overall budget of Lisburn City Council was spent in the Colin area of Belfast, in each of the last four financial years.

(AQW 4754/11)

Minister of the Environment: This information is not held centrally by my department. The budget allocated to a particular ward or area would be a matter for the individual council as they are an independent statutory body.

Drink Drive Offenders Course

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the provider of the Drink Drive Offenders course available for convicted drivers in exchange for a reduced disqualification; (ii) the costs that have been incurred in providing this course since its introduction; and (iii) whether the convicted driver pays a fee towards the cost of the course.

(AQW 4765/11)

Minister of the Environment: Courses for drink drive offenders commenced on 1 April 1998 at which time the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) was appointed by my Department as sole course organiser, with input provided by partners including the police, Road Safety Education Officers, and either the Campaign Against Drinking and Driving or the Road Trauma Support Group.

The PBNI continued to provide courses until 1 October 2008 when, following a Central Procurement Directorate (DFP) led competition for a new course provider, the TTC Group (Telford Training Consultants) was appointed sole course provider. TTC Group continues to provide courses across Northern Ireland.

There is no direct cost to DOE other than in relation to staff time contributed through participation in the Courses for Drink Drive Offenders Working Group whose role it is to govern course arrangements. The group meet on a quarterly basis. Previously, Road Safety Education Officers contributed time to each course organised by PBNI.

In 2007, PBNI advised my Department that, following reprioritisation of work and continuing funding issues, it wished to withdraw from providing the courses. This coincided with plans for my Department to hold a competition for a new course provider that ultimately led to the appointment of the current provider.

Since the scheme began in April 1998, every convicted drink driver who chose to attend a course has had to pay a course fee. Under the present contract, TTC Group delivers courses on a not-for-profit basis but where costs are fully recovered through course fees paid by each attendee. The current full fee is £155 and the concessionary fee is £110.

Planning Bill

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of the Environment whether clause 103 of the Planning Bill allows for an area of landscape to be designated a conservation area.

(AQW 4832/11)

Minister of the Environment: Yes, but only where the landscape is of special architectural or historic interest and where is desirable to enhance or preserve its character or appearance.

High Hedges Bill

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister of the Environment whether the High Hedges Bill will deal with hedges blocking neighbouring sight splays.

(AQW 4907/11)

Minister of the Environment: The High Hedges Bill does not deal with hedges blocking neighbouring sight splays as this is already dealt with by the Department for Regional Development, Roads Service, who has powers under Article 50 of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993, to serve a notice on the owner/occupier, requiring them to remove or cut back the tree or hedge so as to remove the danger or obstruction.

NI Enviroment Agency

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister of the Environment why his Department has decided not to carry out a review of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, as had been agreed by a previous Minister.

(AQO 1162/11)

Minister of the Environment: The then Minister of the Environment, Minister Foster announced in May 2008 that a review of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency would take place in 2011. My predecessor subsequently informed the Assembly in November 2008 that time needed to pass for the work of the Agency to be properly assessed and that the review would not take place in the lifetime of this Assembly. This remains the position.

Local Government Funding

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to provide an estimate of the level of funding his Department will require to enable councils to carry out their workload over the next four years. [R]

(AQO 1163/11)

Minister of the Environment: My Department currently provides funding to councils by way of the:

General Grant;

Emergency Planning grant;

Strategic Waste Infrastructure Funding (SWIF);

Rethink Waste Fund; and

Local Air Quality grant.

The General Grant comprises of two elements, the derating and resources element. My Department is responsible for the resources element of the general grant. As a consequence of the 6% reduction in my Department’s budget allocation, as set out in the Executive’s draft Budget 2011-15, I have applied this adjustment to the indicative budget available for the Resources element of the General Grant, thereby providing £18.3m of funding in 2011/12.

The Emergency Planning Grant has been reduced from £600k to £400k reflecting the reduced costs required to fund emergency planning officers in councils.

In respect of the Strategic Waste Infrastructure Fund , I can confirm that over the four budget years, £2.3 million will be allocated to assist each of the Waste Management groups to bring their projects to financial close.

Furthermore, £9.3 million will be allocated to the Rethink Waste Fund which will provide funding to councils for initiatives which will boost waste recycling and reuse.

Finally, £1.05 million per annum has been made available to councils since 2001 in respect of the Local Air Quality Grant, not all of which has been taken up year on year. I can therefore confirm that the Grant will be reduced over the next four years as proposed in the recent budget consultation.

Waste Management Consultations

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister of the Environment how much the three waste management groups have spent on consultations over the last five years.

(AQO 1164/11)

Minister of the Environment: Most Waste Management Group expenditure on consultations in the period between April 2005 and March 2010 arose in relation to their legislative obligation to consult on behalf of their district councils on the revised Waste Management Plans that they published in 2006.

The three Waste Management Groups advise that their overall spend on consultations during this period amounted to £92,041.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

Trade Union Posts

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to list any Trade Union posts that receive funding from the public purse.

(AQW 4297/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr S Wilson): DFP has 4 Trade Union posts that receive funding from the public purse:

1 x NIPSA Departmental Secretary

2 x NIPSA Assistant Departmental Secretaries

1 x Administrative Support in NIPSA Office.

Rating on Vacant Properties

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline the criteria being used by Land and Property Services to determine which vacant properties are rateable, including the criteria used to determine the standard of the structure and habitability of the property.

(AQW 4610/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: A vacant or unoccupied domestic property is not rateable under legislation currently in force. The one exception to this is where rental property is subject to a payment agreement; in that case rates are payable whether the property is occupied or not.

The general position will change once the rating of empty homes is introduced on 1 st October 2011. From that date Land & Property Services will administer the provisions recently set out in the new statutory regulations. For all vacant houses which already have entries in the valuation list, liability for vacant rating will commence on 1 st October, unless a qualifying exclusion applies. As new properties become ready to value after that date they will be entered in the valuation list in line with the statutory regulations.

The criteria which will determine whether a vacant house is rateable after 1 st October, can be summarised as follows:

for houses with an existing entry in the valuation list the presumption will be that they are capable of beneficial occupation and therefore rateable; and

(ii) new houses will require a Completion Notice to be served on the owner and this notice will specify a date of up to 3 months ahead from which liability to rates will begin.

In each case ratepayers can mount a challenge if they believe that the assumptions made by Land & Property Services are unreasonable.

Draft Budget 2011-15 Consultation

Ms M Ritchie asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel (i) to outline the (a) number; and (b) nature of the responses he has received to the draft Budget 2011-15 consultation; and (ii) whether he will publish these responses.

(AQW 4721/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The draft Budget public consultation has received 5,695 responses via the Budget website. In addition, my office has received a further 1,335 responses.

The majority of the responses relate to Arts (5,451) and Health (1,394) funding.

My officials are working through the responses received and have published consultation responses and names of those who responded on the Budget website. Some individuals and organisations have requested that their details are not released and I will of course respect their wishes on this.

In addition, individual departments will have received further consultation responses and it will be for them to decide on the publication of the respondents details. A summary of all the consultation information will be used to inform the revised Budget process, and will be published after the Executive has considered its findings.

Deaths by Suicide

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many people have died by suicide in each constituency in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4748/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The table attached gives the number of deaths registered due to either ‘suicide and self-inflicted injury’ 1 or ‘undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted’ 2 by Assembly Area that the deceased was resident in for each year between 2005 and 2009.

1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes X60-X84, Y87.0

2 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes Y10-Y34, Y87.2

Table 1: Number of registered deaths due to ‘suicide and self-inflicted injury’ and ‘undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted’ by Assembly Area of the deceased, 2005-2009.

Assembly Area	Registration Year 3
Assembly Area	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Belfast East	9	9	14	10	11
Belfast North	16	24	20	25	23
Belfast South	15	16	13	14	12
Belfast West	11	22	22	29	26
East Antrim	8	12	14	12	10
East Londonderry	4	11	11	14	15
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	19	16	18	12	19
Foyle	12	28	14	20	18
Lagan Valley	15	14	4	10	8
Mid Ulster	20	20	12	15	14
Newry and Armagh	15	17	19	31	18
North Antrim	9	17	8	10	12
North Down	7	4	8	10	9
South Antrim	12	14	9	11	12
South Down	14	20	13	16	6
Strangford	11	11	10	7	13
Upper Bann	10	12	18	15	16
West Tyrone	6	23	15	21	17
Unknown	-	1	-	-	1
Northern Ireland	213	291	242	282	260

3 Mortality data is based on the year of registration of the death rather than the year of occurrence. Events such as suicide are likely to be referred to the coroner. This process can take some time therefore a significant number of these deaths recorded may have occurred prior to the registration year.

Rates Bills

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel what research has been carried out to establish how many lone pensioner households are currently not availing of the 20 per cent discount off their rates bill.

(AQW 4759/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Land & Property Services uses information from the Family Resource Survey to estimate Lone Pensioner Allowance uptake rates. Survey information from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) indicates that there are approximately 41,000 owner-occupiers aged 70 or over living alone. 15,000 of these potential claimants are in receipt of full Housing Benefit and/or Rate Relief and therefore have no reason to claim Lone Pensioner Allowance. Of the remaining 26,000 potential applicants, LPS administers Lone Pensioner Allowance to just over 20,000 claimants. Based on these figures, LPS considers that the uptake level of Lone Pensioner Allowance is high, at around 77 per cent.

LPS continues with a range of activities to encourage ratepayers eligible for benefits and reliefs, to claim them. This work is supported by recently-implemented data sharing powers.

Invesigation into Families Acting for Innocent Relatives

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 2249/11, (i) for an update on the Special European Union Programmes Body's invesigation into Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) in respect of (a) the failure to adhere to conditions associated with its funding set out in the original letters of offer; and (b) other irregularities; (ii) for his assessment of the implications for FAIR of the revocation of the letters of offer that were previously issued to the organisation; and (iii) whether any of these matters have been, or will be, referred to the PSNI.

(AQW 4808/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) has referred an audit report on FAIR’s PEACE III funded projects to the PSNI. The PSNI is currently conducting an investigation. No further comment can be provided until the investigation is completed.

Suicide Prevention

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline where suicide prevention sits within his Department's Programme for Government targets.

(AQW 4824/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: My Department has no targets in relation to suicide prevention.

However, the Department is aware that suicide prevalence is a societal rather than solely a health issue, and supports the cross-departmental actions in the Protect Life Strategy Action Plan and the work of the Ministerial Co-ordination Group for Suicide Prevention comprising representatives from DHSSPS, DE, OFMdFM, DRD, DEL and DCAL.

Budget 2011-15

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether any additional funding is likely to be allocated to Departments when the Budget 2011-15 is finalised; and if so, for an estimate of the likely additional allocation to each Department.

(AQW 4868/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: Ministers are currently working through the Budget Review Group (BRG) to identify all possible new sources of revenue that might be allocated to departments as part of the Final Budget determination.

However it is critically important that all revenue sources are deliverable. It would be misleading and counterproductive to allocate additional resources to departments that were not actually within the gift of the Executive to deploy.

Transfer from Capital to Revenue Expenditure

Mr D McNarry asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether he is aware of the proposals from the Minister of Education to transfer £41m from capital to revenue expenditure; and whether this is allowed by his Department and compatible with the practice and desires of Her Majesty's Treasury.

(AQW 4876/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: I am aware of the proposals from the Minister of Education to transfer from capital to revenue expenditure in 2011-12. The scope to transfer funding from capital to current within the Northern Ireland block is limited to the amount of funding which has been reclassified in the opposite direction. Other Ministers have made proposals and any decision on amounts to reclassify is for the Executive to make in finalising the budget.

Draft Budget 2011-15

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel for his assessment of the impact of the draft Budget 2011-15 on voluntary organisations that rely on funding from Government Departments.

(AQW 4914/11)

Minister of Finance and Personnel: There are a wide range of voluntary organisations working across the public sector in Northern Ireland that rely, to varying degrees, on financial support from Executive Departments.

The degree to which the draft Budget allocations will impact upon these organisations will depend largely on the decisions taken by individual ministers to prioritise funding within individual departmental boundaries.

I would hope that ministers will safeguard allocations to those voluntary organisations that are delivering and assisting in the delivery of critical front-line public services.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Press Offices

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the annual running costs, for the latest available year, of the press offices in (i) his Department; (ii) the Regional Health and Social Care Board; (iii) each Health and Social Care Trust; and how many staff are employed at each location.

(AQW 1344/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Mr M McGimpsey): Not all organisations have dedicated press offices; rather they may have communications staff whose role includes press office type functions. The costs associated with, and the number of staff employed in these type of roles, are shown in the table below.

	2009/10 £’000	Numbers of Staff (WTE)
DHSSPS	278	8
HSC Board	339	7.21
Belfast HSC Trust	127	3.46
Northern HSC Trust	92	2.0
South Eastern HSC Trust	90	2.0
Southern HSC Trust	105	3.0
Western HSC Trust	110	3.0
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service	13	0.25

Locum Doctors

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much was spent in each Health and Social Care Trust area on locum doctors in (i) 2006/07; (ii) 2007/08; and (iii) 2008/2009.

(AQW 2701/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The cost of locum doctors is set out in the table below. Information prior to 1 April 2007 relates to legacy Trusts and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

HSC Trust	2008/09 £m	2007/08 £m
Belfast HSC Trust	7.4	6.5
Northern HSC Trust	7.6	4.7
South Eastern HSC Trust	2.4	1.4
Western HSC Trust	5.2	4.7
Southern HSC Trust	4.7	2.9
Total	27.3	20.2

Locum doctors are professionally-qualified, medical practitioners used in each Health and Social Care Trust on a temporary basis to ensure continuity of care for the patient.

Staff Nurse Salaries

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what the average salary of a staff nurse is per annum; and to detail the pay grades applicable to all nursing staff employed in the Health Service.

(AQW 2766/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Under the Agenda for Change pay arrangements a newly qualified nurse is paid at pay Band 5. The starting salary point on the Agenda for Change pay Band 5 is £18,152. The average basic pay for all Band 5 nurses in the Health and Social Care is £25,729.

Pay grades for all qualified nursing staff range from Agenda for Change pay Band 5 to pay Band 8C. Details of the basic salary applicable to these grades can be found at www.nhsemployers.org .

Fractures Due to Bad Weather

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much it has cost the Health Service to treat and care for patients who have suffered fractures due to bad weather in each of the last three financial years.

(AQW 2780/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: A&E, outpatient, primary care, community and personal social services may be provided to patients suffering fractures as the result of bad weather.

As such, it is not possible to provide the total cost of treating and caring for patients who have suffered fractures due to bad weather.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked e Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety , pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Patient and Client Council who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2871/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Patient and Client Council; (i) The Chief Executive earns between £50,000 and £100,000. (ii) No staff member earns over £100,000.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2872/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service; (i) there is 1 Medical Consultant, 1 Specialty Doctor and 3 Administrative Managers earning between £50,000 and £100,000; (ii) 1 Medical Consultant earns over £100,000.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety , pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2925/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency; (i) the Chief Executive, 1 Manager and 3 Social Services staff earn between £50,000 and £100,000; (ii) No staff member earns over £100,000.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 2927/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: A total of 60 staff in the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service earn between £50,000 and £100,000. The positions are outlined in the table below.

Position	No. of Staff
Station Commander	3
Assistant Group Commander	27
Group Commander	18
Area Commander	6
Assistant Chief Fire Officer	2
Deputy Chief Fire Officer	1
Director	3

The Chief Fire Officer earns in excess of £100,000.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 3026/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Northern Ireland Practice and Educational Council for Nursing and Midwifery (i) the Chief Executive, 4 Nursing & Midwifery staff and 1 Manager earns between £50,000 and £100,000; and (ii) no staff member earns over £100,000.

Staff Salaries

Mr J Craig asked inister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 2281/11, to detail the positions held by staff within the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority who earn (i) between £50,000 and £100,000 per annum; and (ii) in excess of £100,000 per annum.

(AQW 3027/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority; (i) the Chief Executive, 1 Director, 2 Social Services staff, 2 Nursing staff and 1 Medical staff member earn between £50,000 and £100,000; (ii) 1 Senior Medical staff member earns over £100,000.

Financing Trade Unions

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much his Department has contributed to financing Trade Unions representing staff employed in his Department and its Arms-Length Bodies in each of the last five years.

(AQW 3186/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department has contributed 100% of the costs in each of the last five years for one full time member of staff as a Trade Unions official to represent staff employed in the DHSSPS. My Department also makes an annual contribution to the costs associated with the running of a central Trade Union Office for the non-medical trade unions. The costs in the each of the last five financial years are as follows: 2009/10 - £71,000, 2008/09 - £45,000, 2007/08 - £24,000, 2006/07 - £32,000 and 2005/06 - £45,000.

Each of my Department’s Arms Length Bodies through their Facilities Arrangements meets the cost of “time off” for staff to undertake accredited trade union representation. Details on the level of spending by each ALB for accredited trade union representation is not held centrally by my Department and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Accident and Emergency Unit at the Antrim Area Hospital

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients waited on trolley beds in the Accident and Emergency Unit at the Antrim Area Hospital on each day between 23 December 2010 and 4 January 2011.

(AQW 3250/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The number of people being cared for in A&E in the Antrim Area Hospital, while waiting to be admitted to hospital after a decision was made to admit, on each day between 23 December 2010 and 4 January 2011 is listed in the table below.

Length of time waited has been provided in the answer to help put figures into context, as there will always be a period of time required to arrange a suitable hospital bed following the decision to admit a patient from A&E.

Arrival Date	< 2 hours	>= 2 Hours
23/12/2010	49	13
24/12/2010	42	2
25/12/2010	31	2
26/12/2010	49	11
27/12/2010	44	16
28/12/2010	27	38
29/12/2010	25	51
30/12/2010	27	29
31/12/2010	20	40
01/01/2011	30	29
02/01/2011	20	25
03/01/2011	12	37
04/01/2011	20	36

Source: Northern Health & Social Care Trust

Home-Start Armagh Outreach Programme

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what plans he has to ensure that the Home-Start Armagh outreach programme receives sufficient funds to allow its services to continue for the foreseeable future.

(AQW 4031/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department, through the Health and Social Care Board, is currently providing financial support to Home Start Armagh and Dungannon. This funding is delivered through the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and, as I understand it, will continue in 2011/12.

Stroke Patients

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, over the last 12 months, what percentage of people who have suffered a stroke were assessed within 90 minutes for suitability for thrombolysis; and how this statistic compares to 2007.

(AQW 4440/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Following the approval of NICE guidance on the use of thrombolysis for stroke patients in 2008, Trusts are administering thrombolysis to individual patients within the licensed guidelines.

Arrangements to monitor the timeliness of the administration of thrombolysis have recently been put in place and it is expected that this information will be available within the next month.

Cost of Home Births and Hospital Births

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what is the average cost to the Health Service of a (i) home birth; and (ii) hospital birth.

(AQW 4441/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The average cost of a home birth is not held centrally and as such is not readily available.

The average cost of a hospital birth in 2008/09 (which is the latest information available) was approximately £2,290.

Fire and Rescue Service Regional Control Centre

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the running costs of the Fire and Rescue Service Regional Control Centre in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4444/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested is provided in the table.

NIFRS Regional Control Centre: Running Costs

	2005/6	2006/7	2007/8	2008/9	2009/10
Cost (£000s)	1,732	1,890	1,936	2,098	2,200

Meals on Wheels

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the role played by the Meals on Wheels service in increasing the number of patients being able to remain in their homes rather than in residential care.

(AQW 4457/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Last year some 4,678 people, including some of the most vulnerable people in our society, availed of the service and I have no doubt that without this service many of these people, especially those living in more rural areas, might have needed to be admitted to hospital or residential care.

Meals on Wheels services are provided by the Health & Social Care (HSC) Trusts where a needs assessment shows that the person is experiencing a temporary or long term inability to prepare a meal. Meals can be provided directly by the HSC or by the independent sector, either within the person’s own home, in the form of a cooked or frozen meal, or in a day care setting.

The Trust will assess the potential risks to a person’s safety that preparing a meal would pose, will determine if the person will require assistance with feeding and take into account whether or not there is carer or companion who is willing to provide support around meal provision.

The eligibility criteria for the Meals on Wheels service have remained unchanged over the last three years.

Meals on Wheels

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the eligibility criteria for receiving ‘Meals on Wheels’ in each Health and Social Care Trust area; and whether the criteria has changed over the last three years.

(AQW 4458/11)

The eligibility criteria for the Meals on Wheels service have remained unchanged over the last three years.

Meals on Wheels

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many new Meals on Wheels clients have been accepted in (i) Carrickfergus; (ii) Larne; (iii) Moyle; and (iv) Newtownabbey, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4459/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested is not available.

Adoption

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many children have been put up for adoption in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4487/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I would refer the Member to my reply pursuant to AQW 3684/11.

Future Funding of Homestart

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety when he intends to make an announcement on the future funding of Homestart.

(AQW 4488/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department, through the Health and Social Care Board, is currently providing financial support to locally-based Home Start schemes with the exception of Home Start Ards, Comber and Peninsula. This funding is delivered through the Health and Social Care Trusts and, as I understand it, will continue in 2011/12. I have strongly encouraged the Home Start Ards, Comber and Peninsula scheme to engage direct with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust about funding as the Department does not interfere in these matters.

My Department also provides core funding to the Home-Start regional office for central administration costs and there are no current plans to withdraw this funding.

Type 1 Diabetes

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many children of primary school age have Type 1 diabetes.

(AQW 4490/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The information requested is not available.

Patients Receiving Medication

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of the adequacy of using the Royal Mail's recorded delivery facility to ensure that patients receive their red or amber medication when they require it; and whether there is a back-up system in place to ensure that incidents such as severe weather or security alerts do not prevent patients receiving medication at the required time.

(AQW 4502/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Red list drugs are prescribed and supplied through the hospital service and there is a range of dispensing arrangements made in consultation with the relevant specialties. I have been advised by the Trusts that postage of red and amber medications is used when a patient or patient representative cannot collect the medication in person and when other delivery options are limited.

The Trusts are generally aware if postal services are disrupted and during such times, where possible, would delay posting until normal services resume. Alternative arrangements can be made with individual patients using either Trust transport, collection from other hospitals more local to the patient and in urgent/extreme cases, delivery direct by taxis or Trust contracted couriers.

I have assurances from the Trusts that they will endeavour to maintain communication with patients who will generally be made aware of when supplies are being posted. The arrangements in place also try to avoid the need for immediate delivery and always aim to ensure that supplies are posted before they are required by the patient.

Pharmacy at Whiteabbey Hospital

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what proposals the Health and Social Care Board has presented to him on the potential relocation of the pharmacy at Whiteabbey Hospital; and for his assessment of the impact these proposals would have on (i) the level of care within the hospital; and (ii) out-patients who rely on the dispensing of red and amber level medication from that pharmacy.

(AQW 4506/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I have been advised by the Trust that an overall strategic site review of Whiteabbey Hospital has been undertaken as a result of the Acute Services Reform Changes. The dispensing, distribution and collection arrangements for pharmaceutical products at Whiteabbey Hospital have been further reviewed and this review has highlighted areas where there is duplication of activity, services and resources at another site(s) within the Trust.

The proposal currently out for consultation with Trade Unions and potentially affected staff is to streamline all of the Whiteabbey Hospital site dispensing, distribution and collection activities for pharmaceutical products and provide these service elements via Antrim Hospital Pharmacy Department as appropriate. The existing pharmacy top-up service to all wards and departments in Whiteabbey Hospital site will continue to be provided. The proposal is also for the development of enhanced clinical pharmacy input to the remaining two inpatient wards on the Whiteabbey Hospital site, and ultimately to implement a One-Stop Dispensing service for each of these remaining wards. This will facilitate enhanced patient safety and benefits for nursing and medical staff. Future requirements for patients who collect red and amber medicines from Whiteabbey Hospital pharmacy have been assessed and appropriate arrangements have been organised.

Pharmacy at Whiteabbey Hospital

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether the proposal to relocate the pharmacy at Whiteabbey Hospital to the Antrim Area Hospital has been assessed to ensure that out-patients who attend Whiteabbey Hospital or the Royal Victoria Hospital will continue to have the required access to red and amber level medication; and how patients unable to present themselves at Antrim Area Hospital will acquire their required medication.

(AQW 4507/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I have been advised by the Trust that there are two groups of patients who collect red and amber medication from Whiteabbey Hospital pharmacy. The first group are patients treated for multiple sclerosis who attend Royal Victoria Hospital site in the Belfast Trust (74 patients). The second group are patients treated for erectile dysfunction (80 patients). Potential supply mechanisms for both groups of patients have been assessed and patients are being contacted on an ongoing basis to ensure satisfactory arrangements are in place.

The Northern Trust has not been advised of any patients unable to collect medication from Antrim Area Hospital. If this does occur each case will be addressed by the interface pharmacist for specialist medicines to ensure a satisfactory arrangement for the patient.

Pharmacy at Whiteabbey Hospital

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether the Health and Social Care Board is currently in negotiations with (i) staff; and (ii) Trade Unions regarding the proposal to relocate the Whiteabbey Hospital pharmacy.

(AQW 4508/11)

A proposal for the delivery of comprehensive pharmaceutical services to Whiteabbey Hospital is currently out for consultation with both Trade Unions and potentially affected staff in line with Trust Management of Change Human Resources Framework.

Good Management, Good Records Consultation Document

Mr C McDevitt asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the cost of producing the 'Good Management, Good Records' consultation document which was published in 2004; and for his definition of “protecting front-line services”.

(AQW 4510/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The design and printing costs for the production of the “Good Management, Good Records” consultation document in 2004 amounted to £5,550. No other costs are held by the Department.

The ‘front-line’ in health, social care and public safety is a complex concept which comprises a closely integrated team of staff who have direct contact with patients, clients and families, together with other staff who provide a wide range of critical support activities to facilitate that direct contact. Without adequate support services, the quality and effectiveness of the direct contact services would be greatly reduced or impossible to deliver. Examples of essential activities provided in support of direct contact and service provision would include: pathology, imaging, medical/case records management, estates, personnel, finance and ICT.

In this context, protecting front-line services is wider than just protecting those health and social care professionals who have direct contact with patients, clients and families. It means securing adequate funding for all of the critical activities which facilitate that direct contact and which are integral to the effective and efficient running of the entire health, social care and public safety system.

Re-Admitted Patients

Mr W Humphrey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients who presented to accident and emergency departments in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in the last twelve months had to be re-admitted at a later date.

(AQW 4515/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: It has been clarified by the member that this question refers to the number of unplanned re-attendances at A&E departments in the Belfast HSC Trust in the last twelve months.

Between 1 February 2010 and 31 January 2011, there were a total of 10,693 unplanned reattendances at A&E departments in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust .

Altnagelvin Hospital Appointments

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (i) for each of the last twelve months, how many appointments at the Altnagelvin Hospital were transferred to the North West Independent Hospital in Ballykelly because Altnagelvin did not have the capacity to process the appointments; and (ii) what was the average waiting time for the appointments at Ballykelly compared to the waiting times at Altnagelvin.

(AQW 4516/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: (i) Information on the number of patients transferred for outpatient assessment in the Independent Sector is collated on a quarterly basis. The number of patients transferred from Altnagelvin Hospital that subsequently attended a first outpatient appointment at the North West Independent Hospital in Ballykelly, between the quarters ending March 2010 and the quarter ending December 2010 is given in the table below.

Quarter Ending	No. of Patients
QE Mar ‘10	1140
QE Jun ‘10	3
QE Sept ‘10	0
QE Dec ‘10	242

Source: Western Health and Social Care Trust

(ii) All patients transferred to the North West Independent Hospital are awaiting an appointment at the Trauma and Orthopaedic specialty. The table below shows the number of patients waiting for a first outpatient appointment at the Trauma and Orthopaedic specialty by length of time waiting (in time bands) at both the North West Independent Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital at the 11 th February 2011.

	0-6	> 6 - 9	> 9 - 13	> 13 - 26	> 26	Total Waiting
	Patients waiting for a first T & O Outpatient appointment by weeks waiting P
No. waiting at North West Independent Hospital	85	30	31	51	11	208
No. waiting at Altnagelvin hospital	574	113	150	276	70	1183

Source: Western Health and Social Care Trust

P - Data are currently provisional

The median waiting time for the T & O specialty at both the North West Independent Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital was ‘6 – 9’ weeks.

Cancer Services Framework

Mr A Easton asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety when he will publish his Department's Cancer Services Framework.

(AQW 4536/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department launched the Service Framework for Cancer Prevention, Treatment and Care on 25 February 2011 for the purpose of implementation planning by HSC Board commissioners. The final phasing of implementation will be known by December 2011.

Nappies in Maternity Wards

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for an estimate of how much his Department has spent on (i) nappies for each hospital maternity ward; and (ii) the disposal of nappies in each maternity ward, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4548/11)

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

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked e Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the number and names of individuals that have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4563/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In my capacity as Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety I have appointed a total of 140 individuals since May 2007;

140 to public bodies;

NIL to other arms-length bodies.

Individual names as detailed on Table 1 attached.

Table 1 NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS APPOINTED TO DHSSPS PUBLIC BODIES SINCE 8 MAY 2007

1	Dr Richard Adams
2	Cllr Mrs Elizabeth (Beth) Adger
3	Mr Paul David Archer
4	Dr Ronald Atkinson
5	Cllr Tim Attwood
6	Mr Albert Samuel Baird
7	Mrs Hazel Baird
8	Mrs Anne Balmer
9	Cllr David Donaldson Barbour
10	Mr James Barbour
11	Mr Niall Birthistle
12	Mr William Harry Black
13	Mr William Joseph Blake
14	Mrs Roberta Brownlee
15	Ms Geraldine Campbell
16	Cllr Michael Carr
17	Dr Ian Wellington Carson
18	Mr Patrick Carvill
19	Cllr John (Sean) Brendan Clarke
20	Dr William (Ian) Clements
21	Mr Alexander Hall Coleman
22	Mr George Brian Compston
23	Dr Griselda Cooper
24	Dr Paul Brian Coulter
25	Mrs Monica Culbert
26	Mr Patrick Fergus Cullen
27	Mr Jim Currie
28	Ms Geraldine Donaghy
29	Mrs Diane Margaret Drennan
30	Ms Lynda Eagleson
31	Mrs Anna Eggert
32	Ms Isobel Elliott-Knox
33	Mrs Julie Erskine
34	Ms Norma Evans
36	Mrs Judith Eve
37	Mrs Geraldine Fahy
38	Ms Maureen Ferris
39	Mr William Fulton Gillespie
40	Mr Robert Alan Gilmore
41	Miss Francesca Mirianne Graham
42	Mrs Siubhan Grant
43	Mr Gerard Guckian
44	Mr Alan David Hanna
45	Professor Mary Bridget Hanratty
46	Dr Jeremy John Moore Harbison
47	Mrs Margaret Harte
48	Ald George (Arnold) Hatch
49	Mrs Eva (Eleanor) Hayes
50	Mr Glenn Robert Houston
51	Mr Errol Victor Hutchinson
52	Mr John Alexander Kenneth Irvine
53	Mr Gregory George Irwin
54	Dr John Gordon Jenkins
55	Mrs Harriett Elizabeth (Lilian) Jennett
56	Cllr Mervyn Jones
57	Ms Miriam Karp
58	Mr John Keanie
59	Miss Elaine Kelly
60	Dr Greg Kelly
61	Dr Shelia Kelly
62	Mrs Elizabeth Kerr
63	Mr Milton Kerr
64	Mrs Ruth Laird
65	Mrs Catherine (Ruth) Lavery
66	Mr Stephen James Leach
67	Mr Jim Lennon
68	Miss Agnes Philomena Lunny
69	Mrs Lorraine Lindsay
70	Mrs Mary MacDonnell
71	Mr Charles Jonathon Mack
72	Mr Thomas Mahaffy
73	Mr Sean Edward Mahon
74	Mrs Elizabeth Anne Mahood
75	Dr John Marley *
76	Cllr Oliver Patrick Molloy
77	Mr John Edward Mone
78	Prof Treen Carson Michael Morris
79	Dr Connor Mulholland
80	Cllr Patrick (Cathal) Mullagan
81	Mr Harry Murray
82	Mr Patrick Eugene McAteer
83	Mr James McCall
84	Dr May McCann
85	Mrs Hilary Rose McCartan
86	Mr Patrick Anthony McCartan
87	Mr Allen McCartney
88	Mrs Gillian McCaughey
89	Mr Robin McClelland
90	Mrs Sara (Sally) Jane Elizabeth McConnell-Campalani
91	Prof Patrica McCoy
92	Dr Melissa Theresa McCullough
93	Dr Robert Henry (Harry) McGuigan
94	Cllr Sean McGuigan
95	Dr Joe McKee
96	Mr Brendan McKeever
97	Mr Jim McKeever
98	Mr Sean McKeever
99	Mr Colm Cathal McKenna
100	Prof Hugh McKenna
101	Mr Norman McKinley
102	Mrs Christine McLaughlin
103	Mrs Ann McMahon
104	Mrs Florence McMahon
105	Mrs Maire Theresa McMahon
106	Ms Mary McMahon
107	Mr Charles Brain McMurray
108	Mrs Deirdre McNamee
109	Cllr Stephen Nicholl
110	Mrs Mary Theresa O’Boyle
111	Ms Kerry O’Halloran
112	Mrs Sally O’Kane
113	Mrs Winifred Anne (Una) O’Kane
114	Mr Malachy O’Loane
115	Mr Ronnie Orr
116	Miss Angela Paisley
117	Mr Jim Perry
118	Mr Arthur Rainey
119	Prof Lesley Regan
120	Mr Colin Reid
121	Cllr Martin Reilly
122	Ald Mrs Geraldine Ann Rice
123	Mrs Soibhan Rooney
124	Mrs Rena Shepherd
125	Cllr James (Seamus) Ignatius Shields
126	Mr Austin Bernard Douglas Smith
127	CllrMrs Marion Smyth
128	Mrs Mary Janice Smyth
129	Dr Trevor Martin Spratt
130	Mr Alistair Steenson
131	Mr Jim Robert Stewart
132	Prof Robert William Stout
133	Mr Thomas Gerry Strong
134	Mrs Eleanor Taggart
135	Mrs Paula Tally
136	Dr Vinod Tohani
137	Dr William (Robert) Thompson
138	Mrs Eileen Marian Thomson
139	Cllr Trevor James Wilson
140	Ms Kyriakoulla Yiasouma

Waiting List for Disease Modifying Therapy Treatment

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what the current waiting times are for patients on the waiting list for Disease Modifying Therapy treatment.

(AQW 4600/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The waiting times for Disease Modifying Therapy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 31 st December 2010, the most recent quarter for which information is available, is outlined in the table below.

	0 – 13	> 13
	Length of time waiting for DMT for MS (in weeks)
Number waiting for DMT for MS	28	3

Source: HSC Trusts

Disease Modifying Therapy Treatment

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients in each Health and Social Care Trust area are currently (i) receiving Disease Modifying Therapy treatment; and (ii) awaiting Disease Modifying Therapy treatment.

(AQW 4601/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Information on waiting times for Disease Modifying Therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, together with the number of patients currently receiving these therapies, are collected on the basis of patient residence, specifically the former Health and Social Services Board area of residence.

Information on the number of patients receiving these therapies at the 31st December 2010 is outlined in the table below:

Former HSSB of residence	Number of patients receiving DMT for MS @ 31 st Dec 2010
Former HSSB of residence	Number of patients receiving DMT for MS @ 31 st Dec 2010
Former Eastern HSSB area	434
Former Northern HSSB area	336
Former Southern HSSB area	224
Former Western HSSB area	177

Source: HSC Trusts

Information on waiting times for these therapies is outlined in the table below:

Former HSSB of residence	Length of time waiting for DMT for MS (in weeks) at 31 st December 2010		Total waiting
Former HSSB of residence	0 - 13	> 13	Total waiting
Former Eastern HSSB area	11	0	11
Former Northern HSSB area	8	0	8
Former Southern HSSB area	3	0	3
Former Western HSSB area	6	3	9

Source: HSC Trusts

Psychiatric Care

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what level of psychiatric care is available in West Tyrone for children under 16 years old.

(AQW 4605/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Western Trust has a dedicated Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) which provides psychiatric care for children and young people up to the age of 18. The service is consultant led and consists of a multi-disciplinary team of experienced mental health practitioners that includes psychiatry, psychology, nursing and social work staff.

Psychiatric Care

Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the level of psychiatric care provision which is available to children aged 16 years old and under who have presented with emergency psychiatric care requirements.

(AQW 4607/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Individuals presenting at A&E departments with emergent psychiatric requirements will receive a Psychosocial Assessment as part of triage. If the person has been assessed as high risk then mental health services will undertake an urgent assessment. The follow up process for individuals assessed as high risk is case dependent and will be determined following assessment by mental health services.

Options may include admission to a mental health inpatient unit, allocation to mental health services for further assessment/treatment, sign posting, or referral to GP.

Individuals assessed as low risk are referred to mental health services for next day appointment.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidance

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to explain the rationale behind setting aside National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance as outlined in the draft Budget 2011-15.

(AQW 4613/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: I have not made a final decision regarding setting aside National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance. My Department’s consultation paper on the Draft Budget proposals simply highlights a number of potential implications and that may have to be considered in order to manage future expenditure within the proposed draft budgets.

Based on current proposals, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety faces a shortfall against assessed need of £800 million by 2014/15. This will present significant challenges in order to deliver on the overall objectives for health, social services and public safety and maintain the current level of services.

People Diagnosed with Arthritis

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how people diagnosed with arthritis have benefited from his Department's policies in the last four years.

(AQW 4614/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: My Department’s policy has been to provide a wider range of more responsive and accessible services in the community to deliver the support that people with arthritis need to manage their condition. In support of this, I issued for public consultation on 28 February a draft Policy Framework to support people living with long term conditions in Northern Ireland.

My Department has also sought to improve access to specialist drugs for arthritis. Over the past four years more than £15 million has been invested in biologic drugs and the rheumatology infrastructure to support their delivery. The number of patients receiving biologic treatment has more than quadrupled since 2006 to almost 2,000 at January 2011, and waiting times for treatment have reduced from around two years to 9 months currently.

My decision to abolish prescription charges from 1 April 2010 has enabled many people with arthritis to access the prescription medicines they require without having to be concerned about their ability to pay.

Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor Drugs

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients have received Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor drugs since they were introduced by his Department.

(AQW 4615/11)

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

Fire and Rescue Service

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the value of the equipment and materials which have been purchased by the Fire and Rescue Service from Apaseal (NI) Ltd, Newry in the last twelve months; (ii) the tender price of this equipment; and (iii) the equipment's current location.

(AQW 4624/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) has purchased equipment and materials to the value of £94,231.10 from Apaseal (NI) Ltd in the last twelve months.

The tender price for this equipment was £89.412.74. The additional £4,818.36 expenditure relates to non-contract items.

The equipment is distributed across several NIFRS facilities, including Transport workshops at NIFRS HQ in Lisburn, Central Fire Station in Belfast, Crescent Link Fire Station in Londonderry and the seven Mobile Transport Workshop vans.

Ballymena Health and Care Centre

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether the proposed Ballymena Health and Care Centre is provided for in his Department's spending plan; and when the Centre will be completed.

(AQW 4628/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has submitted a business case for the development of a new Health and Care Centre in Ballymena which is currently being assessed. Until the business case has been approved and I have confirmation of the available funding to both build and operate the new facility following finalisation of Budget 2010, I cannot confirm the timeframe for the commencement or completion of this project.

Departmental Procedures and Protocols

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what procedures and protocols are in place when officials from his Department are giving interviews or speaking to the media.

(AQW 4647/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Officials from my Department are able to speak to the media on departmental policy and on issues which relate to their particular professional areas of expertise.

As required by the Departments Order (Northern Ireland) 1999, Section 4, officials act under my direction and control, and hence any statement on behalf of the Department is in my name and subject to my approval as Minister. Officials also must always adhere to the NICS Code of Ethics and hence any statement they make must reflect the principles of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartialty.

Orthodontist Services

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what is the (i) current waiting time; and (ii) target waiting time for orthodontic surgery after a patient has been seen by a specialist; and what action his Department has taken to reduce this waiting time.

(AQW 4649/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Patients who have received an outpatient assessment with an orthodontic consultant and who subsequently require surgery will receive this surgery within the oral surgery specialty. The number of patients waiting for oral surgery, and the length of time waiting at 30th September 2010, the most recent quarter for which official data are available, is outlined in the table below:-

Patients waiting for admission for oral surgery by weeks waiting at 30th September 2010
0-6	>6-13	>13-21	>21-26	>26-36	>36
394	153	98	25	13	0

Source: DHSSPS Inpatient Waiting Times Dataset

Surgery for orthodontic purposes, which is included within the oral surgery specialty, is subject to the 2010/11 Priorities for Action target relating to waiting times for inpatient treatment. This states that by 31 st March 2011, the majority of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks for inpatient or day case treatment, with no patient waiting longer than 36 weeks. At the 30 th September 2011, 136 patients were waiting longer than 13 weeks for oral surgery, 19.9% of the total number waiting within this specialty. No patients were waiting longer than 36 weeks.

Health and Social Care Trusts are continuing to explore opportunities to undertake additional activity to reduce waiting times by March 2011. The Health and Social Care Board monitors performance to ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved by March 2011.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidelines

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of how the Health Service compares to the guidelines issued in February 2004 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence which recommend that up to three full cycles of IVF or ICSI should be provided on the basis of clinical need.

(AQW 4682/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: In Northern Ireland, the health service aspires to provide three cycles of fertility treatment as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; however, financial constraints currently make this unachievable. The current provision of one publicly funded cycle of treatment is comparable to many other areas of the United Kingdom. In addition, in Northern Ireland, access criteria are wider and allow more people to access the service than in many other regions.

It is hoped that it will be possible to introduce a cycle of frozen embryo transfer in the future; however, this and further expansion of the service will be dependent on funding availability.

Fertility Treatment

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps he intends to take to reduce waiting times for patients seeking fertility treatment.

(AQW 4734/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Considerable investment has been made in the fertility service in recent years. In 2009, one-off funding of £800k was allocated to reduce waiting lists. This was followed by additional recurrent funding of £1.5m to ensure that no one waits longer than 12 months for treatment from the time of being placed on the waiting list.

This additional funding will also allow the Belfast Trust to create enough capacity for new patients to be seen within 9 weeks by the end of March 2011, and for review patients to be seen in 3 months by the end of June 2011. This will shorten the overall time from new referral to treatment from approximately 24 to 17 months by the end of March 2012.

Armagh and Dungannon Home Start

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 4031/11, if he can give a commitment that his Department will provide funding specifically for the outreach element of the work of Armagh and Dungannon Home Start.

(AQW 4979/11)

Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Responsibility for commissioning services at a locality level rests with the Health and Social Care Trusts, and projects should engage direct with them about funding issues. The Department does not interfere in these matters. It is for the Trusts to determine the level of funding that they make to individual groups, based on assessed need, the resources they have available to them and their priorities at that time.

I understand that the Southern Health and Social Care Trust is currently providing financial support to the Armagh and Dungannon Home Start project, which includes the Armagh Outreach scheme, and this funding will continue in 2011/12.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Electricity

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister of Justice how much his Department and its arms-length bodies have spent on electricity in each of the last three available financial years.

(AQW 4465/11)

Minister of Justice (Mr D Ford): The Department of Justice came into existence on 12th April 2010. Details of electricity expenditure before that date are a matter for the previous department.

Republican Parade in Rosslea

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice (i) whether he intends to hold an inquiry into the collapse of the recent case of three men charged with assaulting three police officers, and other related offences, at an illegal dissident republican parade in Rosslea on 13 April 2009; and (ii) if he will make a statement on this matter.

(AQW 4530/11)

Minister of Justice: The Public Prosecution Service and the judiciary operate independently from Government and do not fall within my Ministerial portfolio. I do not therefore plan to hold an inquiry or make a statement on this matter.

Republican Parade in Rosslea

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, in relation to the collapse of the recent case of three men charged with assaulting three police officers, and other related offences, at an illegal dissident republican parade in Rosslea on 13 April 2009, to detail the total cost of this case, including (i) judicial and administrative costs; (ii) defence legal aid; and (iii) all other associated costs.

(AQW 4533/11)

Minister of Justice: Some of the costs associated with this case are not yet known – for example the legal aid costs may not be submitted for some months. Not all agencies hold cost information at case level and therefore have provided estimated costs.

The table below sets out the estimated costs associated with the prosecution of this case.

Cost Type	Estimated Cost
PSNI Prosecution	£3,268
PPS Prosecution	£500
Defence (Legal Aid Costs)	£10,755
Court (Judiciary and Staff Costs)	£1,355
Facilities (e.g. Courtroom Accommodation)	£400
Total	£16,278

Legal Aid for Repeat Offenders

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice if he will consider carrying out and publishing an audit of the amount of legal aid paid out for repeat offenders.

(AQW 4537/11)

Minister of Justice: An audit of the amount of legal aid paid out could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost as the Legal Services Commission’s records do not allow easy identification of repeat offenders.

It would be possible to obtain information on defendants from the Courts and Tribunals Service’s information system. However, it would then be necessary to conduct a manual exercise to match the information on defendants with the payment details in the Commission’s system to enable costs to be calculated for individual defendants. Such an exercise would involve checking some 30,000 legal aid certificates annually with each certificate generating between one and three payments to defence team members.

The cost of conducting an audit of this nature would outweigh the benefit that might be gleaned from the audit.

New Build for Magilligan Prison

Mr G Campbell asked e Minister of Justice how much has been spent to date on the preparation and presentation, and all other associated costs, of the business case for a new build for Magilligan Prison.

(AQW 4546/11)

Minister of Justice: The total costs spent to date on the preparation and presentation, and all other associated costs, of the business case for a new build for Magilligan Prison is £3,785,000.

Prisoner Costs

Ms D Purvis asked the Minister of Justice to detail the total annual cost, to the Departmental Expenditure Limit budget, of a sentenced offender in (i) Maghaberry Prison; (ii) Magilligan Prison; and (iii) Hydebank Wood, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4561/11)

Minister of Justice: The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not record separate costs for sentenced and remand prisoners and therefore it is not possible to identify the annual cost of a sentenced prisoner in each of the last five years.

However, the table below sets out the average cost per prisoner place for both sentenced and remand prisoners in each of the last five years for each of the three Northern Ireland Prison Service establishments.

Average Cost Per Prisoner Place, by establishment

Year	Maghaberry	Magilligan	Hydebank Young Offenders Centre & Females
2005-06	£75,897	£60,809	£69,722
2006-07	£79,381	£61,783	£82,047
2007-08	£77,465	£57,268	£73,731
2008-09	£69,032	£52,891	£74,098
2009-10	£69,032	£52,890	£74,100

The cost per prisoner place is calculated by dividing the operating expenditure for each establishment by the average total available places defined as Certified Normal Accommodation.

Suicides and Attempted Suicides in Prisons

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice to detail the number of (i) suicides; and (ii) attempted suicides recorded in each prison in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4566/11)

Minister of Justice: (i)Table A shows the summary of self-inflicted deaths in custody for the period 2006 – 2010, for each establishment. Five cases are still awaiting the cause of death to be established by the Coroner; these cases have been included in the figures in Table A and have been clearly marked. A further two cases in 2009 have been recorded by Maghaberry, although the deaths occurred outside the establishment; one death occurred in hospital following a ligature incident in the prison; and one in a police holding suite following the prisoner being detained by police while on temporary release.

Table A RECORDED SELF-INFLICTED DEATHS

Year	Maghaberry	Magilligan	Hydebank wood
2006		1
2007	1
2008	2*
2009	1* 2**	1*
2010			1*

*- Cause of death not yet established by Coroner

** - Death occurred outside of prison, but recorded by last known establishment.

(ii) Table B shows the number of attempted suicides recorded in each prison in each of the last five years. The overall increase between 2009 and 2010 (+54) is indicative of improved reporting and recording facilities which were introduced in January 2010 using the Prisoner Record Information Systems Management (PRISM).

Table B RECORDED ATTEMPTED SUICIDES

Year	Maghaberry	Magilligan	Hydebank Wood (Female)	Hydebank Wood (Male)
2006	9	1	-	-
2007	4	2	1	-
2008	5	-	-	2
2009	7	1	-	7
2010	44	4	11	10
Total	69	8	12	19

Case Number 10/121229

Lord Morrow asked e Minister of Justice for a breakdown of the total cost of case number 10/121229.

(AQW 4568/11)

Minister of Justice: Some of the costs associated with this case are not yet known - for example the legal aid costs may not be submitted for some months. Not all agencies hold cost information at case level and have therefore provided estimated costs.

It is understood from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) that it is not possible to produce accurate costings for particular cases since the amount of time required to take individual decisions as to prosecutions will vary depending on a range of factors including the complexity of the case and the extent of the case papers. Some costs are identifiable, for example, the fees paid to prosecuting counsel, however, in relation to this matter there are no such costs as all proceedings were conducted by a Public Prosecutor from the PPS.

The table below sets out the estimated costs associated with magistrates’ court case number 10/121229.

Estimated costs associated with case number 10/121229

Cost Type	Estimated Cost
PSNI Prosecution	£913
PPS Prosecution	N/K
Defence (Legal Aid Costs)	£3,628
Court (Judiciary and Staff Costs)	£266
Facilities (e.g. Courtroom Accommodation)	£60
Total	£4867

Television Systems and Games Consoles for Prisons

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Justice, for each of the last three years, how much the Prison Service has spent on purchasing (i) satellite/cable television systems and subscriptions; (ii) games consoles, such as Xbox; and (iii) games for these consoles for use by prisoners.

(AQW 4594/11)

Minister of Justice: Table A below shows the amounts spent in each of the last three years on purchasing (i) satellite/cable television systems and subscriptions, (ii) games consoles and (iii) games, for use by prisoners.

Table A

YEAR	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
Satellite/cable TV systems & subscriptions	nil	nil	nil
Games consoles	nil	£1,705	£495
Games for consoles	nil	£198	Nil
TOTAL	nil	£1,903	£495

The game consoles and games were purchased by Hydebank Wood YOC to provide recreational activity and mental stimulus for evening association on the landings. Consoles were also placed in the Child Centred and Extended Family Visits unit.

Convictions for Knife Crime

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice to detail the number of convictions for knife crime in each of the last three years, broken down by court division.

(AQW 4604/11)

Minister of Justice: The information sought on convictions for knife crime is not available in the format requested. Court conviction data do not contain background information in relation to offences committed. It is therefore not possible to separate out the number of convictions for certain offences, such as murder, in which a knife was involved. It is possible only to provide conviction statistics for those offences which, in their definition, refer to an ‘offensive weapon’ or ‘article with blade or point’ (of which knives will be one sub-category).

These are:

Armed with offensive weapon with intent to commit offence;

Possessing offensive weapon in public place;

Possessing article with blade or point in public place;

Possessing article with blade or point on school premises;

Possessing offensive weapon on school premises.

Table 1 below gives the number convicted by court division for the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest year for which figures are currently available). Data are collated on the principal offence rule; only the most serious offence for which an offender is convicted is included.

Table 1: Offensive weapon offences – number convicted by court division 2004-2006

Court division	2004	2005	2006
Belfast	52	62	77
Antrim	45	41	41
Ards	25	17	26
Armagh and South Down	8	21	23
Craigavon	18	24	23
Fermanagh and Tyrone	13	18	29
Londonderry	20	26	23
Total	181	209	242

Foreign National Prisoners

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice to detail the number of foreign national prisoners due to be deported on release.

(AQW 4606/11)

Minister of Justice: Since January 2011, two foreign national prisoners due for deportation have been transferred from our custody to that of the United Kingdom Borders Agency (UKBA).

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) currently holds four sentenced prisoners with Deportation Orders on their file. Once a foreign national prisoner is transferred from the custody of NIPS to that of UKBA, NIPS has no further involvement in the case.

Magherafelt Magistrates Court: Motoring Charges

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister of Justice why motoring charges which were scheduled to be heard at Magherafelt Magistrates Court recently were withdrawn.

(AQW 4626/11)

Minister of Justice: I understand that the charges in this case were withdrawn because the defendant is now deceased.

Solicitor Advocates

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Justice for his assessment of the impact on case load of the introduction of Solicitor Advocates into the higher courts.

(AQW 4638/11)

Minister of Justice: The provisions in the Justice Bill will allow solicitors who become authorised by the Law Society, extended rights of audience in the High Court and Court of Appeal. It is not anticipated that there will be an impact on caseload in the higher courts as a result of these provisions.

Solicitor Advocates

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Justice where the training of Solicitor Advocates will be carried out.

(AQW 4639/11)

Minister of Justice: The education, training and experience which a solicitor must possess in order to become authorised to exercise extended rights of audience in the High Court and Court of Appeal will be a matter for the Law Society to prescribe in Regulations. Consequently, it will be for the Law Society to determine where the training will be facilitated. These Regulations, will however, require the concurrence of my Department after consultation with the Attorney General.

Knife Crime

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how many convictions for knife crime in each of the last three years involved (i) minor injury; (ii) serious injury; and (iii) death, broken down by court division.

(AQW 4664/11)

Minister of Justice: The information requested is not available. Court conviction data do not contain background information in relation to offences committed. It is therefore not possible to separate out the number of convictions for certain offences, such as murder, in which a knife was involved or determine the level of any injury caused.

Visitation Rights for Prisoners

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice to outline the difference in visitation rights for (i) remand; and (ii) sentenced prisoners.

(AQW 4665/11)

Minister of Justice: Remand prisoners are permitted two visits per week. Sentenced prisoners are permitted one visit per week. Upon reaching “enhanced” prisoner status, which is the highest prisoner regime level under the Progressive Regimes and Earned Privileges Scheme (PREPS), a sentenced prisoner can apply for one extra visit per month.

Sentenced prisoners appealing sentence may also, on application from their legal adviser, be permitted one “appeal” visit per week.

Probation Board Members and Staff

Mr W Humphrey asked the Minister of Justice, for each of the last three years, to provide details of (i) Probation Board members; and (ii) Probation Board staff, broken down by (a) gender; (b) religious background; and (iii) age.

(AQW 4708/11)

Minister of Justice: The details are as follows:

(i) Probation Board - breakdown of Board Members, taken on 1 January, over the last 3 years:

(a) Gender

	2008	2009	2010
Male	62%	69%	69%
Female	38%	31%	31%

(b) Community Background

	2008	2009	2010
Non-determined	8%	8%	0%
Protestant	46%	54%	62%
Roman Catholic	46%	38%	38%

	2008	2009	2010
36-45	8%	8%	8%
46-55	30%	23%	38%
56-65	54%	46%	46%
66+	8%	23%	8%

(ii) Probation Board Staff - breakdown of all employees, taken on 1 January, over the last 3 years by:

(a) Gender

	2008	2009	2010
Female	67%	67%	70%
Male	33%	33%	30%

(b) Community Background

	2008	2009	2010
Non-determined	9%	8%	7%
Protestant	45%	45%	44%
Roman Catholic	46%	47%	49%

	2008	2009	2010
18-25	1%	2%	3%
26-35	14%	17%	21%
36-45	31%	31%	29%
46-55	32%	31%	30%
56-65	20%	18%	16%
66+	2%	1%	1%

The 2011 annual monitoring returns have not been completed to date.

Parades Commission

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 4170/11, whether he discussed the NI Parades Commission's response to illegal dissident republican parades with its Chairman.

(AQW 4772/11)

Minister of Justice: The issue of illegal parades was discussed at my meeting with the Chairman of the Parades Commission on 9 February.

Counter Terrorism Budget

Mr S Anderson asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 4161/11, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the UK Government's recent announcement of real term cuts to the Foreign Office's international counter terrorism budget on the ability of the security service to address attempts by terrorist organisations to purchase weaponry for use in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 4773/11)

Minister of Justice: The issues referred to are excepted matters and as such remain the responsibility of the Her Majesty’s Government.

Case Number 10/11679

Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 4402/11, in relation to case number 10/11679, to provide a breakdown of the estimated £740.00 PSNI prosecution costs.

(AQW 4775/11)

Minister of Justice: The basis of the PSNI’s estimated costs contained in AQW 4402/11 and any further breakdown is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board.

You may therefore wish to direct your question to the PSNI.

Policing/CCTV Personnel

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister of Justice to detail any proposals in relation to the positions currently filled by civilians working as policing/CCTV personnel for the period 31 March 2011 to 31 May 2011.

(AQW 4842/11)

Minister of Justice: The filling of positions as policing/CCTV personnel is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board.

You may therefore wish to direct your question to the PSNI.

CrimeMapper Website

Mr P Weir asked the Minister of Justice what consideration he has given to having the CrimeMapper Website extended to Northern Ireland.

(AQW 4918/11)

Minister of Justice: The consideration of the CrimeMapper Website is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Policing Board.

You may therefore wish to direct your question to the PSNI.

Part-Time Reserve Gratuity Payments

Mr P Frew asked the Minister of Justice for his assessment of the impact on Part-Time Reserve gratuity payments if all payments are not processed by the end of the 2010/11 financial year.

(AQW 4971/11)

Minister of Justice: The value of individual payments under this scheme is dependent on the number of eligible applications, so the verification process, which has taken longer than expected, has to be complete before the payment process commences. All of the cash payments may not now be made before the end of the 2010/11 financial year. However, it will be possible to accrue the full costs of the scheme this year and therefore there will be no impact on the available budget.

DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Electricity

Mr J Spratt asked the Minister for Regional Development how much his Department and its arms-length bodies have spent on electricity in each of the last three available financial years.

(AQW 4495/11)

Minister for Regional Development (Mr C Murphy): The amounts the Department and its arms-length bodies have spent on electricity in each of the last three financial years are as follows:

Year	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10
Expenditure (£)	33,539,388	45,552,207	47,558,589

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the number and names of individuals who have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4503/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Since May 2007 I have appointed three Non-Executive Directors to the Board of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company and reappointed four Non-Executives (including the Chairman).

I have made 10 appointments in respect of the Chair and Non-Executive Director positions on the Board of Northern Ireland Water. Of these, three were reappointments and five were interim appointments.

I have made 17 appointments to Belfast Harbour Commissioners, five to Derry Port and Harbour Commissioners and 13 to Warrenpoint Harbour Authority.

Details are set out below. They do not include Executive members appointed to Boards by virtue of their posts.

(i) Public Bodies

Name of Body	Name of Individual	Date Appointed
Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company	Non-Executive Directors John Trethowen	1 July 2008
	Sean Hogan	1 July 2008
	Angela Coffey	1 July 2008
	Reappointment of Non-Executive Directors Veronica Palmer, Chairman	1 July 2008
	Gerry Lennon	1 July 2008
	Ruth Laird	1 July 2008
	John Doran	1 July 2008
Northern Ireland Water	Declan Gormley	7 July 2008
	Don Price	7 July 2008
	Chris Mellor, Chair	1 April 2009
	John Ballard	1 April 2009
	Ruth Thompson	1 April 2009
	Peter Bunting *	30 June 2010
	Kevin Steele *	30 June 2010
	Lawson McDonald *	30 June 2010
	Mairtin O Muilleoir*	30 June 2010 (resigned with effect from 7 December 2010)
	Padraic White, Interim Chair	6 August 2010

* Interim Non-Executive Director

(ii) Other Arms-Length Bodies

Name of Body	Name of Individual	Date Appointed
Belfast Harbour Commissioners	Mary McMahon	1 January 2008
	Steve Pollard	1 January 2008
	Ronnie Foreman	1 January 2008
	Noel Brady	1 January 2008
	Trefor Campbell	1 January 2008
	Peter Dixon	1 January 2008
	Peter Curistan	1 January 2008
	Samuel Ross Reed	1 January 2008
	David Russell	1 January 2008
	Cllr Tom Hartley	1 January 2008
	Cllr Alban Magennis	1 January 2008
	Cllr David Browne	1 January 2008
	Cllr David Rodway	1 January 2008
	Patrick Convery	22 July 2008
	Cllr Danny Lavery	22 July 2008
	Cllr Cathal Mullaghan	29 July 2010
	Len O’Hagan, Chair	1 January 2011
Derry Port and Harbour Commissioners	Garvan O’Doherty, Chair	8 February 2010
	Joe McKeever MBE	8 February 2011
	Roy Devine	8 February 2011
	Peter Sheridan	8 February 2011
	Dolores O’Reilly	8 February 2011
Warrenpoint Harbour Authority	James Stewart CBE, Chair	1 October 2007
	Cllr Josephine O’Hare	1 October 2007
	Kieran Campbell	1 October 2007
	Gerard McGivern	1 October 2007
	Cllr William Burns	1 October 2007
	Cllr. Michael Ruane	1 October 2007
	Bonnie Horsman	1 October 2008
	Bill Luney	1 October 2008
	Sean Hogan	1 October 2008
	Peter Fitzsimmons	1 October 2010
	Alan Stephens	1 October 2010
	Brian Reid	1 October 2010
	Cllr Michael Carr	15 November 2010

Cost of Grit and Salt

Mr P Weir asked e Minister for Regional Development to detail how much Roads Service has spent on grit and salt in each of the last five years.

(AQW 4538/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the total amount spent on salt in each of the last five financial years is detailed in the table below:

Expenditure on salt in the last five years
Financial Year	Expenditure
2005/06	£850,350
2006/07	£676,640
2007/08	£964,727
2008/09	£1,845,893
2009/10	£2,213,002
Total	£6,550,612

Roads Service uses grit for a variety of purposes, including winter service activities, but it has not maintained records of the total amounts spent on grit for each work category during the last five years. It is therefore unable to provide the Member with details of the amount spent on grit in connection with winter service activities in each of the last five years.

Blue Badges

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Regional Development whether it has been possible to determine how many Blue Badges were issued in 2010 to people who were deceased.

(AQW 4552/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service advises that there are currently 101,000 Blue Badge holders in the North and that each badge is valid for 3 years. It also advises that 67% of Blue Badge Holders are over the age of 64 and it is therefore highly likely that some Blue Badge holders may die within the 3 year term of their badges.

While it is possible that an applicant for a Blue Badge could die within the 15 day period between receipt of an application for and the issue of a Blue Badge, Roads Service has no knowledge of any such cases during 2010. It also has no evidence of any applications for a Blue Badge being made in a deceased person’s name over the past 10 years.

B8 Route Between Crossan Road and the Village of Mayobridge

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister for Regional Development on what date work is due to commence on the construction of a new footpath on the B8 route between Crossan Road and the village of Mayobridge.

(AQW 4553/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it is currently assessing a recently submitted request for the provision of this footway in Mayobridge. Upon completion of this assessment, a decision will be taken as to whether the scheme merits inclusion in a future programme of work when compared with other similar and competing requests.

Speeding on the A2 Route

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister for Regional Development what plans he has to address the concerns of residents, parents and pedestrians in relation to speeding on the A2 route, particularly in the 30 mph zone near the major roundabout at the A2/A50 junction.

(AQW 4555/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I would advise the Member that speed limits are enforced by the PSNI and, if drivers are exceeding the speed limits at particular locations then this should be brought to the attention of the PSNI. However, I have asked Roads Service officials to refer this matter on to the local PSNI Traffic Branch for its attention.

A2 Dualling Project

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail any plans his Department has for the lands vested for the A2 dualling project.

(AQW 4570/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has, in recent years, been continuing with the development of the A2 Shore Road Greenisland scheme. Unfortunately, there is insufficient funding within the four year draft budget up to 2015 to allow construction of the scheme to proceed, given other competing priorities.

While the Vesting Order to affect the compulsory purchase of land required for the scheme has not been completed, Roads Service has been required to purchase a number of properties along the Shore Road, Greenisland under Planning Blight Legislation.

My Department’s Roads Service is currently formulating a longer term management strategy for these properties. In the meantime, the Department will manage the properties in accordance with its policies and consideration will be given to the disposal of any land that is deemed surplus to scheme requirements.

Footpath from Greenisland to Jordanstown

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development if there are any plans to provide a footpath from Greenisland to Jordanstown.

(AQW 4571/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Road’s Service has advised that there are existing footways on both sides of the A2 Shore Road from Station Road, Greenisland to Jordanstown. The landward side has a continuous footway, however the shore side footway, which is narrower in places, does at one location taper away to become discontinued for a short length of approximately five metres.

The proposed A2 Shore Road, Greenisland scheme incorporated a new 3.5m wide combined footway/cycle lane on the shore side and a 2.5m wide footway on the landward side. However, following the substantial reduction in the Executive’s overall capital funding from the Treasury over the next four years, I am unfortunately unable to progress plans to start construction on the A2 scheme during this four year budget period to 2015.

Roads Service has further advised that it currently has no other plans for improvements to the footways along this section of the Shore Road, Greenisland.

Private Roads within a Development

Mr D Kinahan asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) what action he is taking to ensure that private roads within a development are adopted by Roads Service if the developer goes into liquidation; and (ii) if he is taking any action to end private road agreements between Roads Service and developers.

(AQW 4574/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I can advise that, where a street within a development has been determined for adoption, my Department’s Roads Service uses statutory powers and procedures, under the Private Streets (NI) Order 1980, to adopt such streets, if the developer goes into liquidation.

With regard to private road agreements, the Private Streets (NI) Order 1980 makes provision for a street to remain private, under an Article 24 agreement, if the developer makes such a request and my Department is in agreement. Such an arrangement may be appropriate in certain circumstances, for example, at a gated development. However, it would not be suitable where the street is a through route. I have no plans to end this option, but my Department’s Roads Service will continue to ensure that the facility is only exercised, where appropriate.

Cycle Lane Between Carrickfergus and Jordanstown

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development if there are any plans to introduce a cycle lane between Carrickfergus and Jordanstown.

(AQW 4576/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that it plans to make provision for cyclists within the proposed A2 Shore Road, Greenisland scheme. This will take the form of a shared pedestrian/cycle track from Jordanstown to Station Road. At Station Road, it is proposed that vehicular traffic will veer off the line of the existing Shore Road, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to use the bypassed section of the existing Shore Road, which will be relatively free of traffic.

However, you will be aware that this scheme has been postponed as a result of the reduction in capital funding and it will not be possible to provide these cycling facilities until after 2015, in conjunction with the construction of this road scheme.

In the interim, during the 2011/12 financial year, and subject to the availability of funding, Roads Service proposes to create 1.25km of new cycling facilities from Seapark to Sloefield Road. Roads Service also plans to investigate if there is any opportunity to provide further facilities for cyclists along the 1.5km stretch from Sloefield Road to Carrickfergus.

Capital Road Schemes

Mr R Beggs asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) all current multi-million pound capital road schemes under consideration by Roads Service; (ii) the estimated value of each scheme; (iii) the current planning status of each scheme; (iv) the estimated number of vehicles travelling on each scheme route per day; (v) the value of any funding paid, to date, for properties affected by each of the proposed schemes; (vi) which schemes are located on a Trans-European Network; and (vii) which schemes are prioritised under the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan or the Regional Development Plan.

(AQW 4588/11)

Minister for Regional Development: A table containing details of all the current multi-million pound capital road schemes, under consideration by Roads Service, has been placed in the Library.

With regard to the planning status of these schemes, I should advise that in recognition of its responsibilities and the provisions of relevant legislation, including the Roads (NI) Order 1993, my Department’s Roads Service does not require planning approval for work to the trunk road network. However, major works schemes are subject to public consultation during the Direction Order and Vesting Order procedures and the development of the Environmental Statement. If appropriate, a Public Inquiry is held. Accordingly, the Planning Status column of the table placed in the Library, indicates if a Public Inquiry has been held or if statutory orders have been published.

Bus Lanes on the A1 North Bound

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister for Regional Development if he would consider providing 500 metres of bus lanes on the A1 north bound approaches to the Hillsborough and Sprucefield roundabouts.

(AQW 4603/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that the A1 north bound approaches to the Hillsborough and Sprucefield roundabouts are not considered suitable locations for bus lanes.

The approach to the Hillsborough Roundabout has the benefit of a hard shoulder. However, in light of the relatively small number of buses using this route and the costs of undertaking works necessary to comply with safety requirements, Roads Service does not consider the scheme would represent a good use of resources when it is prioritised against other schemes competing for funding.

There is no hard shoulder on the approach to the Sprucefield Roundabout and there is a high volume of traffic at this location. Converting a traffic lane to a bus lane would lead to queues and substantial delays to all traffic, which would, in turn, make it difficult for buses to reach the bus lane.

NI Water: Pension Packages

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development how many early retirement packages at management level are currently being considered by NI Water; and to outline the proposed pension packages on offer in each instance.

(AQW 4621/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that a total of 20 formal applications for Voluntary Early Retirement are currently being considered for employees at management level. The pension package on offer in each case will vary dependant upon each employee’s reckonable period of service and reckonable salary. T he level of benefits payable will also depend on the terms of the NICS PCSPS (NI) variant scheme or NIW Pension scheme that each employee is a member of. The range of schemes that employees may currently be a member of are:

Classic NICS Pension Scheme;

Classic Plus / Premium / Partnership NICS Pension Schemes;

NIW Premium Scheme; and

NIW Partnership Scheme.

Former Chief Executive of NI Water

Mr J Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development whether he is aware of the recent interview given by the former Chief Executive of NI Water to the BBC Spotlight programme; and if it is in breach of the agreement entered into when he resigned from NI Water.

(AQW 4622/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that the BBC Spotlight interview given by the former Chief Executive of NIW is not deemed to be in breach of the terms of the agreement entered into when he resigned from NIW.

Dualling of the A26

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister for Regional Development whether the dualling of the A26 from Glarryford to the Drones Road junction is provided for in his Department's spending plan; and when the project will be completed.

(AQW 4629/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service is progressing plans for the provision of a 7km stretch of dual carriageway on the A26, between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Road. This is one of the major projects included in the ten-year Investment Delivery Plan for Roads.

Unfortunately, the funding levels envisaged in the draft budget will not enable construction to commence in the next four year period. The timing of delivery will be dependent on the allocation of finances beyond the Budget 2010 period. However, in the meantime, Roads Service will continue to develop the scheme through the normal statutory processes.

A5 Western Transport Corridor

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development whether he will consider redirecting his Department's funding for the A5 Western Transport Corridor to the completion of the A2 Shore Road scheme should a newly elected government in the Republic of Ireland decide to withdraw its financial input from the A5 scheme.

(AQW 4641/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The draft budget for the four year period to 2015 allows for construction of the A5 and A8 schemes. This funding is ring-fenced and takes account of the Irish Government’s contribution. In the unlikely event of funding from the Irish Government being withdrawn, consideration for construction of the A2 Shore Road, together with other major priority roads projects, would be dependent on the funds made available to my Department.

Ports Legislation

Miss M McIlveen asked e Minister for Regional Development for an update on any proposed ports legislation being developed by his Department.

(AQW 4642/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Primary legislation (a Harbours Bill) and secondary legislation (a series of Harbour Orders) implementing the outcome of the Ports Policy Review have been drafted.

A draft Harbour Order to transfer the ownership of Coleraine Harbour from Coleraine Harbour Commissioners to Coleraine Borough Council has also been developed and consulted upon. The draft Order will be subject to the affirmation of the Assembly.

There is insufficient time available to bring forward these items of legislation during the current Assembly. They are, therefore, matters that will have to be taken forward under the next Assembly.

Dualling of the A26

Mr M Storey asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the dualling of the A26, including how this project will be affected by the draft Budget 2011-15.

(AQW 4661/11)

A32 Schemes

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister for Regional Development, in relation the (i) Shannaragh Scheme; (ii) Cornamuck Scheme; and (iii) Drumskinney Scheme on the A32, to detail (a) the current position on each scheme; (b) the proposed cost of each scheme; and (c) when each scheme is due to be completed.

(AQW 4662/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service is currently developing several improvement schemes along the A32 between Omagh and Enniskillen.

I can advise that the current position, in relation to the schemes specifically referred to, is as follows:

Shannaragh Scheme:	The design work is substantially complete and Roads Service has just published the draft statutory orders. The estimated cost for this scheme is £7 million.
Cornamuck Scheme:	The design work is well advanced for this scheme which has an estimated cost of £5.1 million.
Drumskinny Scheme:	Advance site works were carried out in 2009/10, with completion work to be undertaken during year 2011/12, subject to the availability of funding. The estimated cost for this scheme is £1.4 million.

Roads Service remains committed to delivering a programme of improvement works along this route. However, the timing of further works will be dependent on the availability of finance.

NI Water and Translink: Audit Processes and Systems

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the audit processes and systems which are used by (i) NI Water; and (ii) Translink.

(AQW 4672/11)

Minister for Regional Development: (i) I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, External Auditors are appointed to give an opinion on the annual financial statements prepared by the company. The External Auditor’s opinion for 2010/11 will for the first time also include a Regularity opinion in accordance with the Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) requirements. In addition the External Auditors carry out an audit on information provided to the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation: Regulatory Accounts, parts of the Annual Information Return and the Principal Statement. The External Auditors were appointed via a competitive tender process and the appointment was approved by the NIW Board and the Department for Regional Development (DRD) in accordance with governance requirements.

In accordance with HM Treasury/DFP requirements, NIW also has an independent Internal Audit Function. The internal audit processes and methodology are in accordance with the International Professional Internal Auditing Standards and also, since NIW’s reclassification as a NDPB, with HM Treasury Government Internal Audit Standards (GIAS). Only one area remains to be addressed to demonstrate full compliance with GIAS which is in relation to the assurance rating definitions currently used by NIW. It has been recognised by the DRD that NIW’s current five scale assurance ratings are in no way inferior to the assurance ratings stipulated by DFP, however, it has been agreed with DRD that to ensure consistency with the core Department and it’s Agencies / other arms length bodies, the DFP assurance ratings will be applied from the beginning of the new financial year (2011/12). In accordance with GIAS there is an annual assessment of the Internal Audit function by the Audit Committee and an external independent assessment once every five years.

The Reporter appointed by the Regulator (NIAUR) is also engaged to provide an independent audit of the Annual Information Return (AIR) and other deliverables under the Regulatory Licence.

(ii) In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, External Auditors are appointed to give an opinion on the annual financial statements prepared by the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC). It is hoped that the External Auditor’s opinion for 2010/11 will, for the first time, also include a Regularity opinion similar to any public body whose accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The External Auditors for NITHC were appointed via a competitive tender process and the appointment was approved by the NITHC Board. NITHC is subject to value for money audits undertaken by the Comptroller and Auditor General and NITHC accounts are open to inspection by Comptroller and Auditor General. Where appropriate the Department may commission from the NITHC external auditor additional reports providing assurance about the financial systems within NITHC.

In accordance with HM Treasury/DFP requirements, NITHC also has an independent Internal Audit Function. The internal audit processes and methodology are in accordance with the International Professional Internal Auditing Standards and with HM Treasury Government Internal Audit Standards (GIAS). In accordance with GIAS there is an annual assessment of the Internal Audit function by the Audit Committee and an external independent assessment once every five years. An external assessment of internal audit arrangements in NITHC was carried out within the last two years.

Translink: New Buses

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail (i) the cost incurred by Translink in purchasing new buses for the Newtownards District Office area in each of the last three years; and (ii) the number of new buses purchased.

(AQW 4679/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Newtownards depot took delivery of the following number of new buses in each of the last 3 years and the costs are detailed as follows:

	2007/08	2008/09	2009/2010
Number of buses	7	5	3
Cost £’000	898	690	381

Future of NI Water

Lord Empey asked the Minister for Regional Development what discussions he has had in the last 12 months with the Minister of Finance and Personnel in relation to the future of NI water; and the outcome of any such discussions.

(AQW 4684/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I met with the Minister of Finance and Personnel in February 2010 to discuss the PC10 Final Determination and the implications for water funding and governance arrangements. I have also met him on a number of occasions to discuss my Department’s budget – which includes future funding for water and sewerage services.

Following my statement to the Assembly about future governance arrangements for NIW on 13th September 2010 the permanent secretaries of DRD and DFP met in December to discuss my short term and long term proposals at my request.

The outcome of all these discussions is that the Executive (of which both the Minister of Finance and I are members) agreed that I should prepare a Bill which would give effect to my short term proposals. As part of the approach I set out in my statement officials are preparing an options paper on long term governance and I intend to put my proposals to the Executive before the Assembly is dissolved.

Belfast Harbour Commission

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Regional Development, pursuant to AQW 4195/11, whether he or his Department has indicated that the Executive could receive £125 million over the next four years and ongoing dividends from ports, if so, in what circumstances was an indication given.

(AQW 4687/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have indicated to the Executive, in the context of the development of the draft Budget 2010, that I believe it could be possible to achieve a funding stream of up to £125m in value release from Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

EWAY

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister for Regional Development (i) if he can offer an assurance that the Comber Greenway will not be used for the EWAY section of the Belfast Rapid Transport scheme; and (ii) for an update on the EWAY section of the Belfast Rapid Transport scheme, including the proposed route, mode of sustainable transport and when it will commence.

(AQW 4692/11)

Minister for Regional Development: The Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for Belfast Rapid Transit confirmed that bus based Rapid Transit is viable for Belfast and recommended the implementation of a pilot network connecting East Belfast, West Belfast and Titanic Quarter with and through the city centre. The SOC recommended that the route in East Belfast should utilise the Comber Greenway.

My Department is in the process of securing external support to complete the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the pilot Belfast Rapid Transit network. The OBC will identify the preferred options for Belfast Rapid Transit in terms of the network routes, procurement strategy, commercial/business model and fare system. Identifying the preferred options will allow the Department to undertake the necessary public consultation, impact assessments and appraisals on the scheme. The OBC will consider all route options for the pilot network, including both the Comber Greenway and Upper Newtownards Road options for EWAY. The OBC will also provide confirmation of the budgetary requirements and timescales for the identified preferred option.

My Department, in preparation for the OBC process, has completed survey data collection work and is preparing preliminary designs for all route alignment options. The preliminary designs will form part of a public awareness exercise, which is anticipated to take place in 2011, as part of the OBC process. This will give everyone an opportunity to comment on the options for Belfast Rapid Transit, including the route alignment options.

Resident Parking Schemes

Mr Pól Callaghan asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the introduction of resident parking schemes, particularly in the Derry City Council area.

(AQW 4741/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department’s Roads Service has advised that a Residents’ Parking Scheme for the Bogside area of Derry is currently at the legislative stage.

Enterprise Rail Service

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail any timetable changes that are planned for the Enterprise Rail service in the next six months.

(AQW 4743/11)

Minister for Regional Development: Translink advise that no timetable changes are planned for the Enterprise rail services in the next six months.

In December 2010 a Dundalk stop was introduced to the 0800 hrs Belfast-Dublin service and additional stops at Lisburn were introduced to a number of morning and evening Enterprise services.

Also, an additional cross border service is scheduled to commence before end March 2011 where Iarnród Éireann will introduce a departure from Newry to Dublin at 0645 hrs Monday to Friday. NI Railways will provide a connecting service departing Portadown at 0615 hrs and may eventually provide connection to Belfast.

Departmental Funding

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the level of funding (i) his Department; and (ii) its agencies, have allocated to organisations working with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, in each of the last four financial years.

(AQW 4798/11)

Minister for Regional Development: My Department, including its agency Roads Service, has not allocated any funding, in each of the last four financial years, to organisations working with the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community.

My Department works with every citizen regardless of background, including sexual orientation, on an equal basis and is committed to fully living up to its statutory duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

NI Water's Leakage Allowance Policy

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development what consideration he has given to reinstating NI Water's leakage allowance policy for farm water supplies.

(AQW 4831/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that it is not considering reinstating the leakage allowance policy for farm water supplies. It would be inequitable to treat farm water supplies in a different manner to water used for any other non-domestic purpose.

The current arrangements for dealing with payment for water lost from customers’ pipes were developed in 2008 after considering the measures operated by other water companies. In these arrangements, all non-domestic customers who are billed on a metered basis will be charged for the water that has been recorded by the meter, whether used or lost through leakage within the property. However, billed customers who have experienced a leak, and who are connected to the public sewer, can apply for a reduction of the sewerage bill (which would otherwise be levied) in recognition that the leaked water would not have returned to the sewer. Agricultural properties are not commonly connected to public sewers and therefore do not receive sewerage bills.

NIW is not responsible for the supply pipe within the customer’s property and encourages property owners to regularly check for leaks and to protect and maintain their private pipes. It is not reasonable to expect other customers or the taxpayer to bear the cost of water wastage arising from leaks on private pipes – be that farm supplies or otherwise.

Seagahan Dam, Armagh

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the fishing rights arrangements for Seagahan Dam, Armagh.

(AQW 4875/11)

Minister for Regional Development: I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water that it leases the fishing rights of Seagahan Dam on a 3 year basis and the annual rental consideration is negotiated by its agents the Land & Property Services, an executive Agency within the Department of Finance and Personnel. The lease for the current 3 year period, which commenced in January 2011, has been agreed with Armagh Fisheries Ltd, 50 Ballinahonemore Road, Armagh BT60 1HY

DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Housing in Northern Ireland

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister for Social Development to outline how the total number of houses, including occupied houses, completed but unoccupied houses, incomplete houses and houses with planning permission but not yet started, corresponds to the need for housing in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 4486/11)

Minister for Social Development (Mr A Attwood): Unfortunately much of this information is simply not available in the format the Member requested.

I can report however that as of the 31 March 2010, there were approximately 743,500 homes in Northern Ireland, of which 698,300 were occupied. In terms of housing need, I can only comment on the need for social housing and in 2009/10 1,838 new social homes were started, the largest for a decade. The Housing Executive however estimates that with the waiting list approaching 40,000 applicants, 2,500 new homes are needed each year.

In terms of planning permissions, the member may wish to ask the Minister of the Environment about this issue although I understand that as there can be duplicate approvals in place for individual sites, the information may not be available to answer that question.

I am awaiting information on incomplete houses, which I had asked my Department to provide and will forward further information in due course.

Complaints from Housing Executive Tenants

Mr F McCann asked the Minister for Social Development (i) how many complaints from tenants were received by the Housing Executive and Housing Associations between 17 December 2010 and 3 January 2011 in relation to problems associated with the severe winter weather; (ii) how many tenants were left without running water for more than two days during this period; and (iii) how many were left without a working heating system for more than two days during this period.

(AQW 4497/11)

Minister for Social Development: In relation to the Housing Executive they have advised as follows:

No complaints were received regarding difficulties faced during the cold weather period through their formal complaints procedure.

Some people were without water due to burst pipes and heating problems and some were due to problems relating to NI Water and some were a combination of both.

Some people were left without a working heating system for more than two days and they provided around 5,000 homes with temporary heaters.

In relation to Housing Associations the details are as follows:

One complaint was received from a tenant due to their property being flooded and the time taken to render it habitable again.

As far as Housing Associations are aware, 255 tenants were left without running water for more than two days. Most were due to problems relating to NI Water.

As far as Housing Associations are aware, 83 tenants were left without a working heating system for more than two days.

Town Centre Regeneration

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development how much has been spent on town centre regeneration in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each year was spent in (i) Londonderry; and (ii) Belfast.

(AQW 4579/11)

Minister for Social Development: The figures requested are as follows –

Table 1 Town Centre Regeneration spend from 2007 to 2010

	Amount £k	%	Amount £k	%	Amount £k	%
	2007/08		2008/09		2009/10
Belfast	24,074	43.83%	20,989	44.69%	27,931	58.41%
North West	5,985	10.89%	10,412	22.17%	11,759	24.59%
Other Regional Towns	24,874	45.28%	15,560	33.13%	8,131	17.00%
Total	54,933	100%	46,962	100%	47,821	100%

Figures are shown gross and include expenditure on Comprehensive Development Schemes, Urban Development Grants, Public Realm, Promotions, Maintenance, Integrated Development Schemes, Ilex and other resource expenditure.

Fluctuations due to Comprehensive Development acquisitions and Public Realm Schemes.

Appointments to Public Bodies and Arms-Length Bodies

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number and names of individuals that have been appointed to (i) public bodies; and (ii) arms-length bodies since May 2007.

(AQW 4584/11)

Minister for Social Development: There have been 49 appointments of which 34 were reappointments (R) made to DSD public bodies since May 2007, as shown in the table below. The number of reappointments to the NIHE Board reflects the annual statutory nominations from the Housing Council. In relation to the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board, the reappointments were made pending the abolition of the Board.

(i)

Name	Public Body
Mr M Butler (Chairman) (R) Mr D Morrice (Chairman) Mr D Morrice (R) Mr P Keers Mrs P Wilson Mr D Haslett Ms J Sloan	Charities Advisory Committee
Mr T McGrath Mr P Sloan Mr W Rader Ms A Chada Ms R Connelly Mr P McDonagh Mr P Cavanagh	Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Mr K Murnaghan (R)	Vaughan Charity Trust
Mr B Rowntree (Chairman) (R) Ms A Henderson(R) Mr E O’Neill(R) x 3 Mr J Speers(R) x 3 Ms J Palmer(R) x 3 Mr B Curran(R) x 3 Ms M Wilson(R) Ms E Dunbar Ms A Coffey Mr K Millar	Northern Ireland Housing Executive Board
Mr S Millar (R) Dr M Curran(R) x 2 Ms H Fair(R) x 2 Dr A Jones(R) x 2 Ms M Kane(R) x 3 Dr N Stratton(R) x 2 Dr R Tubman(R) x 2 Dr EM Whitehead(R) x 2	Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board for NI

(ii) Nil.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr C Lyttle asked the Minister for Social Development how many people in the East Belfast constituency will be affected by the removal of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance from care home residents.

(AQW 4668/11)

Minister for Social Development: I am pleased that the proposal to remove the mobility component from those in residential care does not appear on the face of the Welfare Reform Bill. This is something which I have lobbied strongly for. I will continue to make representations to both Lord Freud, the Welfare Reform Minister and Maria Miller, Minister for the disabled, in Westminster, for measures which protect the vulnerable in our society.

At January 2011 the number of Disability Living Allowance claimants in the East Belfast constituency who are in state-funded care homes/residential homes and are currently receiving the mobility component is 126. This is 1.6% of the Disability Living Allowance liveload in East Belfast constituency (7,713).

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister for Social Development in which Housing Executive properties will the 3,000 carbon monoxide detectors, as announced in his recent statement, be located.

(AQW 4681/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive currently has 3,675 dwellings with a Solid Fuel Room Heater appliance. However, approximately 950 of these appliances will be replaced by 31 March 2011. In relation to the remaining 2,725 dwellings that will continue to have a Solid Fuel Room Heater, the Housing Executive will install a fixed battery operated carbon monoxide alarm to provide early warning of a potential problem. This work is expected to be completed by 31 March 2011. The following table provides a breakdown of those 2,725 properties:-

Housing Executive District Area	Number
Belfast
East Belfast	113
North Belfast	215
Shankill	182
South Belfast	24
West Belfast	46
South
Armagh	52
Banbridge	24
Dungannon	46
Fermanagh	38
Lurgan	71
Newry	37
Portadown	190
South East
Bangor	66
Castlereagh	133
Downpatrick	48
Lisburn Antrim Street	155
Lisburn Diary Farm	39
Newtownards	187
West
Collon Terrace	159
Limavady	146
Magherafelt	6
Omagh	33
Strabane	19
Waterloo Place	195
Waterside	66
North East
Antrim	91
Ballycastle	10
Ballymena	55
Ballymoney	8
Carrickfergus	29
Coleraine	108
Larne	13
Newtownabbey 1	58
Newtownabbey 2	63

Cold Weather Payments: South Antrim

Mr P Girvan asked the Minister for Social Development how much has been paid out in cold weather payments over the last three years in Antrim, Crumlin, Newtownabbey and Ballyclare.

(AQO 1094/11)

Minister for Social Development: Cold Weather Payments are triggered when the average daily temperature is, or is forecast to be zero degrees Celsius or below for s period of seven consecutive days.

The temperature measurements are made by the Meteorological Service at its seven weather stations across Northern Ireland at Aldergrove, Ballykelly, Castlederg, Glenanne, Katesbridge, St Angelo (Enniskillen) and Stormont. Each of the seven weather stations cover a pre assigned range of post code areas.

When a Cold Weather Payment period is triggered, all qualifying customers living within one of the post code areas covered by the relevant weather station(s) are automatically issued with a payment. Information on the number and amount of payments made is only available by weather station.

This year, Antrim, Ballyclare and Crumlin come within scope of the Aldergrove weather station whilst Newtownabbey is covered by the Stormont weather station.

Five separate £25 payments amounting to an estimated £3.05 million have been made to those qualifying customers living in the post codes covered by Aldergrove. Two separate £25 payments amounting to an estimated £3.28 million have been made to those covered by the Stormont weather station.

In previous years the temperature information underpinning the triggering of Cold Weather Payments was based on five weather stations at Aldergrove, Ballykelly, Castlederg, Katesbridge and St Angelo (Enniskillen). Antrim, Ballyclare, Crumlin and Newtownabbey all came within scope of the Aldergrove weather station.

No payments were made in 2008/09 to those living within Aldergrove’s post code catchment area whilst three separate £25 payments were made in 2009/10 amounting to an estimated £5.82 million.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister for Social Development how many people in South Antrim receive the lowest rate of Disability Living Allowance.

(AQW 4691/11)

Minister for Social Development: Disability Living Allowance consists of a care component which can be awarded at higher rate, middle rate or lower rate and a mobility component which can be awarded at higher rate or lower rate. Some people will be entitled to receive just one component; others may get both depending on how the disability affects them.

The table below shows the numbers of people in South Antrim, whose Disability Living Allowance award, at May 2010, contains the care component, mobility component, or both components at the lower rates.

Category of Disability Living Allowance Award	Numbers of People
Lower rate care only	592
Lower rate mobility only	156
Higher rate care and lower rate mobility	705
Middle rate care and lower rate mobility	1839
Lower rate care and higher rate mobility	800
Lower rate care and lower rate mobility	171
Total	4263

Belfast Regeneration Office

Mr W Humphrey asked the Minister for Social Development when the Belfast Regeneration Office plans to develop its sites on the (i) Shankill; (ii) Crumlin; (iii) York; and (iv) Shore Roads.

(AQW 4705/11)

Minister for Social Development: My aim is to help regenerate these areas of Belfast by disposing of such sites for development in line with the Department’s priorities, as soon as possible. Current market conditions are limiting the interest of the private sector for development sites as evidenced by several recent attempts to market sites throughout the city. My Department will shortly make a further attempt to stimulate the private sector by advertising the former Probation Board premises on the Lower Shankill Road at Malvern Street as a development opportunity. The level of interest in this competition will help to determine how my Department will progress the other sites in its ownership.

Single Glazing

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the (i) number; and (ii) percentage of Housing Executive properties in each of the Coleraine Office districts which have single glazed windows.

(AQW 4709/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive has advised that (i) there are currently 1402 dwellings within their Coleraine district with single glazed windows and (ii) this is approximately 46% of the total local district stock of 3077 dwellings.

Rural Dwellings: East Londonderry

Mr G Campbell asked the Minister for Social Development how many rural dwellings in the East Londonderry constituency were declared as unfit at 31 December 2010.

(AQW 4710/11)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested as the Housing Executive does not routinely collate information by parliamentary constituency. However, the Housing Executive has advised that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s 2009 House Condition Survey provides information relating to unfitness levels by the proposed new local government boundaries. Figures are therefore available for the Causeway Coast area which comprises the Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle areas. The House Condition Survey estimates that approximately 600 rural dwellings were unfit in 2009 within the Causeway Coast area.

Funding Awarded to REACT

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 4030/11, for what purpose was the £140,373.44 funding awarded to REACT used.

(AQW 4711/11)

Minister for Social Development: Under the Areas at Risk programme, the Lisanally and Alexander areas of Armagh were identified as areas of disadvantage and marginalisation to be targeted for a time-bound programme of community support. Following a detailed community audit, REACT, an experienced local community development organisation, was appointed in July 2008 to take responsibility for the planning, co-ordination and management of a two-year support programme.

Two posts, a full-time Project Co-ordinator/Community Development Worker and a part-time Finance and Administration Officer were funded to provide support and development of local community projects in the Lisanally and Alexander areas along with associated running costs.

St Joseph's High School, Newry

Mr M Brady asked the Minister for Social Development why he informed me that he would not be conducting a meeting on the issue of a new sports pitch for St. Joseph's High School in Newry yet he subsequently met with another MLA on this issue on 9 February 2011.

(AQW 4712/11)

Minister for Social Development: My visit to St Joseph’s High School in Newry on 9 February 2011 was organised on foot of an invitation from the School Principal, through a local MLA, to highlight the very good work underway within the Education/Community partnership and to acknowledge the support which DSD gives to Newry. During the visit the School Principal made a presentation on the school playing field project and while I and my officials see the merits of the project would bring, the proposal requires to be developed. I was pleased to take up the invitation issued by the Principal to visit the school, which I understood was communicated in a letter to a Newry and Mourne MLA.

Dunclug Community Fund

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development whether the remaining money in the £500,000 dedicated Dunclug Community Fund, which was set up in 2007, will be made available in the 2011-12 financial year.

(AQW 4713/11)

Minister for Social Development: Dunclug Dedicated Community Fund was established in November 2006 as part of the Dunclug Action Plan and covers a four year period from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2011. Of the £500,000 allocated to the dedicated community fund, £382,292.92 has been allocated to specific projects and £117,707.08 remains unspent. I will consider the possibility of extending the community fund in the context of budget discussions and decisions.

Dunclug Action Plan

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development when he will action the recommendation in the Dunclug Action Plan to create a new link road between Dunclug Park and Dunclug Gardens.

(AQW 4714/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive had originally included plans to redesign the road layout in Dunclug as part of wider environmental improvements within the Dunclug Estate. The subsequent reduction in capital funding for housing has meant that many of these Environmental Improvement Schemes have had to be postponed. I will be happy to advise the member if that situation changes and this work can proceed at some future stage.

Housing Executive

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Social Development why the Housing Executive has agreed to provide a downstairs shower room at property in Belfast but has refused to provide downstairs sleeping arrangements.

(AQW 4724/11)

Minister for Social Development: There are space standards to be applied for wheelchair bedrooms to allow for turning space, carers etc. and, following a feasibility study and completion of drawings; it was found that the available space would only realistically accommodate the shower room/ wc with a ramp. There was not enough space for a bedroom without impacting on existing rooms in the property and it would be very unlikely that a ramp could be fitted in whatever space would be left. A vertical lift arrangement would therefore best suit the needs of the family and would also allow access to the upstairs of the home. I would be happy to investigate and provide more details about this specific case if the Member wishes to write to me.

Properties in Suffolk and Lenadoon: Security Locks

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Social Development whether the Housing Executive has any plans to fit security locks on the doors and windows of properties in the Suffolk and Lenadoon areas of Belfast.

(AQW 4733/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive has advised that it does not fit security locks on any windows within its dwellings. Push button locking handles are fitted with a positive auto latch closure. Key operated locks are not permitted. Doors fitted to Housing Executive dwellings have suitable three or five point locks. In addition they have advised that all fitted windows and doors comply with current standards and specification relating to security and health and safety.

Panel Members at Benefits Oral Appeal Tribunals

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the current reimbursement rates paid to independent panel members at benefits oral appeal tribunals, including subsistence and travel rates.

(AQW 4737/11)

Minister for Social Development: Panel members are paid on a half day sessional basis, with each session comprising a minimum of two up to a maximum of four hearings, depending on complexity. The current fees payable to panel members are detailed below.

	Fee per session £
Legal Member (Chairman where more than one member on the panel)	£206
Medical Member (GP)	First 40 sessions	41st session onwards up to 31st March
Medical Member (GP)	£155	£185.50
Medical Consultant	£185.50
Financial Member	£151
Member with experience of disability	£96

The Appeals Service has two Primary venues which are in Belfast and Omagh. Panel members are allocated one of these venues as their permanent station. All travelling expenses for journeys to and from home to designated primary venues are included in the basic sessional/daily fee. Secondary venues are extensively used by The Appeals Service, as temporary satellites, to provide a more effective service to the public. Travel and subsistence expenses including car parking fees can be paid when attending a secondary venue. Mileage and subsistence rates are payable at the Northern Ireland Civil Service current rates which are:

Mileage Rates	Day Subsistence Rates
40 pence per mile	Over 5 hours £4.25
	Over 10 hours £9.30

Rinnalea Gardens in Lenadoon

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister for Social Development when the homes in Rinnalea Gardens in Lenadoon will have their windows replaced with double glazing.

(AQW 4740/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive has advised that the window replacement scheme in the Rinnalea/Lower Lenadoon area of West Belfast is programmed as a local area priority scheme for 2011/12. There are 170 properties included in the scheme, at an estimated cost of £430,000. It is hoped that the scheme, which will take four to five months to complete, will start in early 2012. This is dependent on funding being available.

Housing Executive Board

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Social Development, in relation to the appointment of the current Housing Executive Board, (i) how many times the positions on the Board were publicly advertised; (ii) how many people applied for the positions after each advertisement; (iii) how many candidates were appointed; (iv) whether he received any advice from departmental officials regarding appointments to the Board; and (v) whether this advice was acted upon.

(AQW 4744/11)

Minister for Social Development: I assume the Member is referring to the public appointments made to the current Housing Executive Board, which resulted from a public appointments competition during 2009/2010.

(i) The positions were publicly advertised in local newspapers on 18 and 19 June 2009 and again as a result of an extended competition on 9, 11 and 12 February 2010. In addition they were advertised on the Departments web site from 18 June 2009 to 17 July 2009 and from 9 February 2010 to 4 March 2010.

(ii) Following the advertisements of 18 and 19 June 2009, 48 applications were received with a further 64 received following the February 2010 advertisements.

(iii) As a result of the competition three public appointments were made to the Board of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

(iv) In accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice a Selection Panel, including an independent member, conducted the appointment process. Following interviews by the Selection Panel, a list of candidates deemed suitable for appointment was submitted to my predecessor, Margaret Ritchie MLA, for consideration.

(v) The responsibility for appointments lies solely with the Minister who accordingly appointed three members to the Board of the Housing Executive to fill the vacant posts.

Home Improvement Grants

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the total funding awarded through home improvement grants, excluding Disabled Facilities Grants, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 4749/11)

Minister for Social Development: The table below details the total amount of expenditure in relation to grant aid in each of the last three years, excluding Disabled Facilities Grants.

Grant Type	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10
Grant Type	£	£	£
Renovation	12,043,430	11,058,656	9,737,840
Replacement	3,755,931	3,448,582	3,411,913
Repair	1,174,478	916,477	1,285,863
Minor Works Assistance	9,623	0	3,240
Houses in Multiple Occupation	1,871,178	1,509,384	2,448,239
Home Repair Assistance	9,050,725	6,632,714	4,784,763
Group Repair	3,393,760	2,501,010	1,641,649
Total	31,299,125	26,066,823	23,313,507

Rural Dwellings: North Down

Mr P Weir asked the Minister for Social Development how many rural dwellings in the North Down constituency were declared as unfit at 31 December 2010.

(AQW 4751/11)

Minister for Social Development: The information is not available in the format requested as the Housing Executive does not routinely collate information by parliamentary constituency. However, the Housing Executive has advised that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s 2009 House Condition Survey provides information relating to unfitness levels by the proposed new local government boundaries. Figures are therefore available for the Ards and North Down areas. The House Condition Survey estimates that approximately 400 rural dwellings were unfit in 2009 within these areas.

Redevelopment of the Village Area, South Belfast

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister for Social Development what consultation and discussion he has had with other Departments in relation to the regeneration of the Village area in South Belfast.

(AQW 4780/11)

Minister for Social Development: Our plans for the regeneration of the Village area in South Belfast are quite comprehensive and have involved a number of meetings and discussions with several other Departments and their Agencies. These include:

- Department of Finance and Personnel: regarding the economic appraisal for the Urban Renewal Area and Land and Property Services regarding valuations for properties within the redevelopment area;

- Department of Regional Development: Road Service and Northern Ireland Water; regarding the formation of the concept plan;

- Department of Education: regarding plans for schools amalgamation in the area; and

- Department of the Environment: Planning Service; regarding the formation of the concept plan.

Assistant Director of Housing Regeneration Technical Support

Mr P Maskey asked the Minister for Social Development (i) to outline the areas of work that the recently dismissed Assistant Director of Housing Regeneration Technical Support in the Housing Executive was involved in; and (ii) whether he was involved in (a) the Red Sky contract for West Belfast; (b) the Nelson Street project; or (c) the Land for Houses Scheme.

(AQW 4810/11)

Minister for Social Development: The Housing Executive has advised that in relation to (i) the officer was the Assistant Director, Estate Services, which is part of the Housing and Regeneration Division. The post holder was responsible for the headquarters policy, guidance and oversight activities in four main technical areas – the Energy Services Unit, Response Maintenance and Emergency Planning, Grounds Maintenance and the Asbestos Management Unit.

In relation to (ii) the Housing Executive has further advised that:-

the officer would have been involved as part of the Housing Executive team that considers issues that arise from time to time in respect of response maintenance contracts, including those held by Red Sky.

the officer had no involvement in the Nelson Street project.

the officer had no involvement in the Land for Houses scheme.

Funding for Social Housing

Mr T Lunn asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on funding for social housing.

(AQO 1099/11)

Minister for Social Development: There is no doubt we face very challenging times and if we are to continue to meet the needs of our most vulnerable citizens then we have to be ever more innovative and creative in finding ways to deliver more for less. This year the budget allocation for the Social Housing Development programme will provide 2,000 new starts, the highest for a decade. We have increased the percentage of private finance coming into each individual housing scheme, so that more houses can be built for a given amount of government grant. Housing associations have started to access new private finance streams through the European Investment Bank and Bonds Market. These more attractive deals will filter through into more efficient housing provision. We will build a higher percentage of new homes on land already in government ownership, so that land costs are reduced

We also have in place a new Procurement Strategy, with collaborative working by housing providers that is now starting to deliver greater efficiencies in the Social Housing Development Programme. We have already identified how this can be extended into other areas of housing to reduce costs still further.

The draft budget represents a 30% cut in the housing budget over the next four years. However because the revenue reductions were not as severe this top line figure masks the true impact on the capital budgets. On a like for like basis for example the Social Housing Development Programme budget has reduced by over 50%. This will undoubtedly lead to a reduction in the number of new homes that we will be able to start for those on the waiting list.

While the reductions in the revenue budget allocation are significant these reductions will be partially offset through rent increases and the falling loan repayments.

I am pleased that I have been able to protect parts of the housing budget that tackle Fuel Poverty, provide support for those who need help to live independently in the community and help disadvantaged communities through Neighbourhood Renewal. Within regeneration discretionary activities such as consultancy, Professional & Technical costs and Promotions will be targeted to achieve the desired savings. Whilst reflecting a commitment to maintain Neighbourhood Renewal at its current level, indeed a potential increase is being considered. Organisations that receive funding will be routinely encouraged to identify opportunities to collaborate, share services and merge to reduce costs and protect service.

However, overall this is not a good budget for the future of social housing and if there are no further increases to it we will inevitably see an increase in both the waiting list for new housing and the numbers of homes failing to meet decent home standards.

I am pleased that funding has been made available to address the Bamford issues of people being inappropriately cared for in long stay hospital environments as opposed to living independently but this is about the only positive part of the overall housing capital budget which has reduced by 40%. These reductions will impact on all capital programmes and will further delay many of the existing maintenance programmes the Housing Executive would have expected to start.

Housing and Regeneration

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister for Social Development for his assessment of the funding available for housing and regeneration projects over the next four years

(AQO 1100/11)

While the reductions in the revenue budget allocation are significant these reductions will be partially offset through rent increases and the falling loan repayments.

DSD: Contracts

Mr T Burns asked the Minister for Social Development for an outline of the potential use of social clauses in his Department's contracts.

(AQO 1101/11)

Minister for Social Development: On my instruction formal guidance was issued on 6 December in my Department and its Arms Length Bodies that from 1 January 2011 those who are awarded contracts to build social housing or undertake major urban regeneration projects will be required to provide work experience for the unemployed. For every £0.5m of labour value, the main contractor will be required to provide a work placement opportunity for an unemployed person through the Department for Employment and Learning’s Steps to Work Programme or equivalent. This new requirement will apply both to all new contracts and to existing contracts being renewed. Up to January 2011, all new construction works contracts arranged by Centres of Procurement Expertise have included minimum requirements to recruit one apprentice per £2m of capital value and to recruit one long term unemployed person per £5m of capital value. Lowering the threshold as I have instructed will increase the opportunities for the unemployed to get back to work.

There are 3 ways this can be achieved through the Steps to Work Programme:

- by two 3 week placements of practical work experience;

- by a 26 week placement of work experience which includes working towards a level 2/3 vocationally related qualification; or

- by a 26 week placement of work experience which includes working towards an essential skills qualification.

My instruction is already impacting on the projects being delivered in my Department.

In Housing, Local company T&A Kernoghan, undertaking work for Clanmill Housing Association at the Bass Brewery site, have recently taken on four placements from the local area. Three of the placements are 13 week work experience placements with a 52 week placement for an unemployed person who is working towards a NVQ Level 2 in joinery. The Bass Brewery scheme is an existing contract and pre-dated the 1 Jan 2011 target date. The 4 work placements are the result of a voluntary arrangement between Clanmil Housing Association and T&A Kernoghan.

In Urban Regeneration, a voluntary arrangement was reached with the contractor of the recently completed Derry City Centre Public Realm project whereby he and one of his sub-contractors provided employment for two long-term unemployed people as well as an electrical apprenticeship for one young person. In a number of projects such as the Colin Gateway, Anderstown Road scheme and the Dungannon Public Realm requests have been made to include voluntary agreements with the contractors to provide work experience for the unemployed. In addition the potential for clauses to be included in revenue contracts to maximise the impact on the unemployed is currently being explored.

I have also instructed that a similar social clause be considered for all other contracts such as maintenance; warm homes; and consultancy contracts where possible.

I am determined to ensure that my Department’s spending on procurement incentivises training and work experience opportunities for the unemployed and regenerates communities. Procurement is a key driver for delivering sustainable development and I am committed to ensuring that my Department’s spending on procurement will contribute to the social, economic and environmental well-being of every citizen of the North.

Girdwood Barracks, Belfast

Mr W Humphrey asked the Minister for Social Development what progress he, or his Department has made in delivering a masterplan, that is agreed by all communities in the area, for the Girdwood Barracks site.

(AQO 1102/11)

Minister for Social Development: I and my Ministerial predecessor have consulted with political representatives from across the community in North Belfast during 2010 to see whether we could reach a consensus on an agreed masterplan. The current draft masterplan provides for an integrated comprehensive approach to the redevelopment of both Girdwood and the former Crumlin Road Prison, which is the responsibility of OFMDFM. To date it has not been possible to achieve a consensus on this prime site which holds the potential to boost the regeneration of inner North Belfast by providing much needed jobs and social housing. However, my Department remains determined to promote those elements of the draft masterplan over which we can exert direct influence such as social housing on the Girdwood site and Belfast City Council’s proposed community hub. Moreover, to address housing need there have been particular housing interventions in the Lower Falls (e.g. Ross Street flats), the Lower Shankill (Masterplan addressing housing and other needs) and Lower Oldpark (local plan). I believe in responding to need and I hope any further proposals on Girdwood are acknowledged and welcomed.

Housing Executive: Fireplaces

Mr D McKay asked the Minister for Social Development whether the Housing Executive intends to review the policy on the opening of fireplaces in its properties.

(AQO 1103/11)

Minister for Social Development: The retention of open fires after the installation of gas or oil heating is contrary to existing Housing Executive heating policy and the opening up of blocked up fire places is not within current policy options. I have asked the Housing Executive to undertake a heating policy review to consider its approach to all heating systems and control. The review will consider initial and regular maintenance costs, effectiveness, ease of use, health and safety and environmental/sustainability issues.

The Housing Executive installs heating systems with high efficiency boilers and controls to ensure that annual running costs remain lower than for solid fuels and the heating policy is designed to reduce carbon emissions from their properties.

City of Culture 2013

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Social Development what funds his Department has allocated to the Derry-Londonderry City of Culture 2013.

(AQO 1104/11)

Minister for Social Development: I was the only Minister who bid for new capital monies for the City of Culture 2013 and the Executive has provisionally allocated £5 million in each of the years 2011-12 and 2012-13 from Invest to Save funds. However, confirmation of the availability of these funds is subject to the final endorsement by the Executive based on recommendations by the Finance Minister. I have submitted the necessary supporting documentation to the Department of Finance and Personnel and I am hopeful of a positive outcome. My Department also anticipates spend of £1.1m resource monies through Ilex towards City of Culture 2013. I have asked officials to develop proposals and plans for these monies, which are at an advanced stage. Given the importance of 2013 Culture City, it would be a negative signal if these monies were in any jeopardy.

Charity Commission

Mr J Craig asked the Minister for Social Development for his assessment of the costs of around £800,000 incurred by the Charity Commission to date, given that it has no legal remit.

(AQO 1105/11)

Minister for Social Development: T he Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s (CCNI’s) legal remit was established under Part 2 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

My assessment is that costs have been reasonably and necessarily incurred by the CCNI, over an 18 month period, in carrying out the necessary preparations for its work as the first regulator of charities in Northern Ireland.

From the outset it was anticipated that costs would be in the region of £800k per annum. The Charities Commission in England & Wales had a total net operating cost of £31.4 million in 2009/2010 and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, a net operating cost of £2.8 million in 2009/2010.

My Department’s investment to date has positioned the CCNI to take on new powers of investigation and regulation that come into operation on 18 February 2011.

The work of the CCNI will provide much needed oversight, accountability and support to the charitable sector in Northern Ireland. There are at least 7,000 charities in Northern Ireland – indeed perhaps many more. This fact confirms the need for regulation and, where necessary, investigation. It cannot and must not be done on a shoe string. The costs of the Commission are appropriate and its role should be affirmed.

REVISED WRITTEN ANSWERS

Friday 4 March 2011

(AQW 3971/11)

My Department currently has no plans to introduce such a national register.

(AQW 4109/11)

The information requested has been included in the following table. It details the pass and fail rates for all driving tests in each of the last three financial years, including the period from 1 April to 30 December 2010, broken down by test centre.

All Driving Test Categories	2010-11 Apr to Dec		2009-10		2008-09		2007-08
All Driving Test Categories	Pass %	Fail %	Pass %	Fail %	Pass %	Fail %	Pass %	Fail %
Armagh	60.9%	39.1%	62.8%	37.3%	50.7%	49.3%	61.3%	38.7%
Ballymena	62.4%	37.7%	60.9%	39.1%	64.8%	35.2%	60.3%	39.7%
Belfast (Balmoral)	59.2%	40.8%	59.2%	40.8%	53.2%	46.8%	52.1%	47.9%
Belfast (Dill Road)	66.0%	34.0%	71.0%	29.0%	55.3%	44.7%	55.4%	44.6%
Coleraine	69.8%	30.2%	65.0%	35.1%	66.0%	34.0%	42.4%	57.6%
Cookstown	64.1%	35.9%	64.6%	35.4%	59.3%	40.7%	54.9%	45.1%
Craigavon	62.9%	37.2%	64.1%	36.0%	57.2%	42.8%	69.2%	30.8%
Downpatrick	71.7%	28.4%	70.1%	29.9%	61.3%	38.7%	60.8%	39.2%
Enniskillen	74.1%	26.0%	72.9%	27.2%	68.9%	31.1%	67.3%	32.7%
Larne	58.0%	42.1%	56.8%	43.3%	53.1%	46.9%	51.7%	48.3%
Lisburn	62.7%	37.3%	62.6%	37.4%	52.7%	47.3%	53.8%	46.2%
Londonderry	55.1%	44.9%	54.7%	45.4%	55.2%	44.9%	45.6%	54.4%
Newry	65.0%	35.0%	63.9%	36.1%	58.6%	41.4%	57.9%	42.1%
Newtownards	63.0%	37.1%	65.2%	34.9%	58.7%	41.3%	55.7%	44.3%
Omagh	69.0%	31.0%	70.3%	29.7%	62.3%	37.7%	61.1%	38.9%
Overall	64.24%	35.76%	64.25%	35.75%	58.49%	41.51%	56.62%	43.38%

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