Friday 7 July 2000
Written Answers to Questions (Continued)

Mr Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail for the period since devolution (i) the district councils he has visited; (ii) the dates of the visits; (iii) the subjects discussed.

(AQW 692/99)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr McGimpsey): In the period since devolution I have made two visits to district councils.

At the invitation of the mayor of Ballymoney, I visited the council on Wednesday 14 June 2000 to attend a civic reception in honour of Joey Dunlop’s notable achievement in this year’s Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races. The purpose of this visit was to show my support for Joey Dunlop and the significant contribution he has made to the world of motorcycle racing. No business meeting took place on this visit.

On Friday 23 June 2000 I went to Strabane District Council, visiting the site of the proposed new library in the town, and afterwards attending an informal lunch hosted by the council. During this visit I announced details of my Department’s first capital project — a new £1 million purpose-built library for Strabane. Although the purpose of the visit was to make this announcement, no formal business meeting took place.

Mrs E Bell asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action has been taken to review the Library Service in Northern Ireland.

(AQO  383/99)

Mr McGimpsey: The Department indicated its intention to carry out a review of the Library Service in April. Discussions are ongoing about the terms of reference and methodology for taking this forward.

We will aim to begin the review in the autumn. The first step will be to examine the scope, purpose and value of the public library services in Northern Ireland, building upon work already done on behalf of library services in the Irish Republic and England. I will expect to receive initial proposals within six months. Over the following year I will want to see the development of a more detailed strategy, taking account of the work already achieved by the electronic libraries project for ensuring that library services remain relevant and responsive to the needs of the Northern Ireland people in the information age.

Libraries need to become community information hubs, to open up new ways of lifelong learning, using the new technologies to ensure that even those from the most socially disadvantaged backgrounds do not lose out in this information age.

Mr J Wilson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action he intends to take to restore Lower Lough Erne as a prime trout and salmon fishery.

(AQO  372/99)

Mr McGimpsey: The Department is participating with the authorities in the Republic of Ireland in an EU-funded Erne salmon management programme. The objective of this programme is to reintroduce a self-sustaining population of wild salmon to the Erne to support a quality salmon rod fishery. Information from the work carried out to date indicates that there is good habitat on the Erne tributaries to produce salmon, but the study has identified problems with fish passage downstream of Belleek. I will be addressing this with my counterpart in the Republic of Ireland as a matter of priority.

Trout stocks have not declined to the same extent as salmon. There is good trout fishing on Lower Lough Erne, and I am keen to maintain this as a premier wild trout fishery. A number of measures are in place to sustain and improve trout stocks. A brown trout and coarse fish hatchery has recently been established by the Erne and Melvin Enhancement Company to produce indigenous Lough Erne trout fry for stocking out into the feeder rivers. Prior to this the Department had stocked the lough from the fish farm at Movanagher.

Local angling clubs have received around £131,000 of grant aid from the salmonid enhancement programme for the rehabilitation of trout and salmon spawning and nursery habitats. This should also assist in the improvement of stocks throughout the lower lough. I have bid for further funds for an angling development programme in the next round of EU structural funds, which will be available to clubs and other organisations for further enhancement and stock improvement works.

Electro fishing surveys carried out during last winter on the main rivers flowing into the lough indicated large stocks of juvenile trout. This increase in trout productivity has been confirmed by the number of small trout caught in the lough during the season so far. This is an early indicator of the success of the rehabilitation works.

I am committed to improving salmon and trout stocks in Lough Erne, and the measures outlined above should help to achieve this. I am not, however, complacent, and I recognise that there are problem areas such as the impacts on salmon migration, water quality issues and the effects of zebra mussels, all of which will need to be addressed. I am looking at what can be achieved.

Mr Neeson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if the Department supports the call for Belfast to be made a European City of Culture and what action it will take to promote the issue.

(AQO  385/99)

Mr McGimpsey: I am delighted to say that my Department fully supports the bid to have Belfast designated as European capital of culture in 2008. The experience of Glasgow, which was designated European city of culture in 1990, demonstrated clearly the enormous social and economic benefits we could expect, not only for Belfast but for the whole of Northern Ireland, if the Belfast bid were successful.

A Capital of Culture Steering Group was set up recently to take forward the task of developing the bid. My Department will play a full and positive role on this group.

Mr Close asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action will be taken to ensure that the proposals set out in the recently published Museums and Galleries Northern Ireland (MAGNI) corporate plan will be delivered.

(AQO  384/99)

Mr McGimpsey: My Department is working closely with the management of MAGNI to identify the support which they will require to deliver the programmes outlined in their first corporate plan.

I am fully behind the museums’ new vision for the future. However, its realisation will require time and money and will call for creative and imaginative approaches to fund-raising.

Mr McClelland asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to indicate the nature and duration of support given to the community arts sector.

(AQO  364/99)

Mr McGimpsey: The Arts Council has operated a community arts budget since 1979 and in the current financial year will allocate £686,000 to community arts. The level of Arts Council revenue funding for community arts has risen by a third in the last six years. Since 1995 the council has also spent over £1·5 million of National Lottery funds on community arts and, through the Forum for Local Government and the Arts, has encouraged district councils to increase their spending in this important area.

There have been many other streams of funding available to the community arts sector in recent years, including the Belfast community arts development fund — an initiative of the Belfast Regeneration Office (formerly Making Belfast Work), which provided £1 million over a four-year period—and £0.5 million of European peace and reconciliation money distributed by the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust. Other funders, such as Co-operation Ireland, the Community Relations Council, the European Partnership Boards and the International Fund for Ireland, have contributed to the growth of the community arts sector. This commitment clearly demonstrates the value of community arts in tackling social and economic disadvantage on an inclusive and cross-community basis.

However, many of these initiatives were time-bounded and are now coming to an end, or have already finished. This leaves a question mark over whether the growth in the sector seen in recent years can be sustained. My Department will therefore commission an independent review of the community arts sector, as recommended in the recent review of Arts Council strategy by Professor Anthony Everitt. Such a review will provide, for the first time, a clear and comprehensive description of activity in the sector and its associated funding. It should also provide a realistic assessment of the sector’s financial needs and a basis for establishing an agreed framework for its development and funding.

Dr Adamson asked the Minister of Education how the Council for the Curriculum, Examination and Assessment intends to incorporate Ulster-Scots language and culture into the new curriculum.

(AQW 697/99)

The Minister of Education (Mr M McGuinness): While there are no current demands from within the schools system for Ulster-Scots to be taught as a language, there is already scope within the statutory Northern Ireland curriculum for schools to introduce aspects of Ulster-Scots language, literature and culture in the curriculum as part of the cultural heritage and education for mutual understanding cross-curricular themes. Any school can include this on a voluntary basis where there is demand. I understand that there was previous discussion between representatives of the Ulster-Scots Heritage Council and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, and the staff of the latter are very willing to have further discussions with the Heritage Council, and others, as part of their current review of the curriculum.

Mr ONeill asked the Minister of Education to make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to secure the removal of the air travel tax of £35 per person for youth and cultural exchanges between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and to make a statement.

(AQW 699/99)

Mr M McGuinness: I have been asked to respond to this question as my Department has responsibility for the education and library boards and the Youth Council, through which the vast majority of youth exchanges are facilitated.

Taxation, including air travel taxes, is a reserved matter and not one for this Assembly. I am aware that there are a considerable number of exchanges between the youth sectors North and South, although I understand that most of the transport is undertaken through the use of minibuses. I will, however, make enquiries into the scale of the problem, and I will write to the Member again.

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education if the Department has issued any guidelines on boards of governors within the integrated sector regarding their election and religious composition.

(AQW 735/99)

Mr M McGuinness: My Department issues guidance on the arrangements for the election of parent and teacher representatives to boards of governors of all grant-aided schools, as part of the four-yearly reconstitution exercise.

My Department has not issued any guidelines on the religious composition of boards of governors of integrated schools. The legislative framework for boards of governors of integrated schools is set out in the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, and there are no specific requirements in relation to religious composition.

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