Friday 10 November 2000
Written Answers to Questions (Continued)

HIGHER AND FURTHER EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT

Childcare Workers: Training

Mr Adams asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment what steps he intends to take to ensure the harmonisation, on an all-Ireland basis, of the training of childcare workers.

(AQW 420/00)

The Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (Dr Farren): Following an independent review of childcare training arrangements in Northern Ireland, an action plan and strategic objectives to improve training arrangements in this expanding and evolving sector have been issued this week. That plan has been agreed with the Ministers of Education and of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

A key issue is improving the qualification levels of existing childcare staff and increasing the number and quality of new entrants. This will require concerted action by various stakeholders.

As different qualifications arrangements apply North and South, and as the priority in the North is to improve both quality of training and qualifications levels of staff, harmonisation of North/South arrangements is not practical at present. However, as childcare has an important role to play in economic development both North and South, I have asked officials to explore with their Southern counterparts possible areas for co-operation.

Third-Level Education:
Equality of Opportunity

Mr Adams asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment what assessment he has made of the exemption of third-level education providers from the requirements of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

(AQW 421/00)

Dr Farren: Third-level education providers will not be exempt from the requirements of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. They do not fall within the terms that are specifically defined in section 75(3)(a) to (c) of the Act. However, it is my intention to recommend their designation by the Secretary of State under section 75(3)(d) and their inclusion in the second designation Order, which is currently in preparation.

The tertiary sector welcomes the prospect of designation as a public demonstration of its commitment to equality of opportunity, and officials in my Department are working with sector representatives to see how best they can facilitate them to meet their statutory obligations under section 75.

Irish-Medium Further Education

Mr Adams asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment what funding he has made available for development of further education courses through the medium of Irish.

(AQW 422/00)

Dr Farren: As incorporated bodies, further education colleges are responsible for the management of their own budgets in planning and delivering provision. It is a matter for each individual college to determine whether there is sufficient demand for Irish-medium provision and whether it can offer sufficient support to potential students in terms of lecturing, curriculum resources and assessment arrangements.

Mr Adams asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will detail the number and location of further education places available in childcare training through the medium of Irish at NVQ levels 2 and 3.

(AQW 423/00)

Dr Farren: My Department has confirmed with all 17 local further education colleges that no places are currently provided in childcare at NVQ levels 2 and 3 through the medium of Irish.

In September of this year, one college sought to deliver a number of vocational programmes, including childcare, through the medium of Irish. The college reported a poor response to its recruitment campaign and took the decision not to proceed with the initiative. It remains prepared, nonetheless, to develop Irish- medium education provision should demand so merit.

Department: Special Advisers

Mr Ford asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will provide a list of those appointed as special advisers within his Department, detailing in each case (a) the date appointment was offered, (b) the date employment commenced, (c) the gender of the appointee, (d) whether or not the appointee is disabled, (e) whether or not the appointment was as a result of open competition, and (f) whether the appointee held membership of any political party on the date appointment was offered.

(AQW 461/00)

Dr Farren: I can confirm that I have appointed Mr Brendan Mulgrew as my special adviser and that he has the status of a temporary civil servant. The rest of this response should be taken in that context.

In relation to the specific points raised:

(a) 21 September 2000

(b) 30 September 2000

(c) Male

(d) It is Civil Service policy to afford a high degree of confidentiality to individual monitoring information, including that on disability.

(e) Special advisers are appointed under the Civil Service Commissioners (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, article 3 (2) of which disapplies the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition where an appointment to a situation in the Civil Service is made for the purposes of providing advice to Ministers during a period terminating on or before the end of an Administration.

(f) All civil servants, including special advisers, are entitled to hold membership of a political party, although political activity is restricted according to their role. Information on membership of a political party is not held for special advisers or any other civil servants.

East Down Institute of
Further and Higher Education

Mr McGrady asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment to detail when the economic appraisal in respect of the new building for East Down Institute of Further and Higher Education in Downpatrick will be approved, and when the funding will be made available for the new purpose-built college.

(AQW 473/00)

Dr Farren: The additional information requested from the East Down Institute in respect of its economic appraisal for the Downpatrick campus was received by my Department on 25 September 2000. The revised appraisal included a new preferred option: a new build college on the existing and extended site. This will require detailed examination by my Department’s economic and technical advisers before it can be cleared. The Department hopes to be in a position to clear the appraisal in November 2000.

When approved, the next stage will be to consider the scheme in the light of the available capital resources and other capital priorities.

Mr McGrady asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment to detail when approval will be given to East Down Institute of Further and Higher Education in Downpatrick to undertake Higher National Diploma and degree-level courses; and if he will make a statement.

(AQW 474/00)

Dr Farren: All further education (FE) colleges can offer part-time higher education (HE) provision subject to satisfactory franchising arrangements with either a university or an FE college with approval to deliver full-time HE and departmental approval for individual courses. East Down Institute of Further and Higher Education has been offering HE courses on a part-time basis for some time.

In 1999, the institute met the Department’s criteria for approval to offer full-time HE provision for the first time and was eligible to bid for some of the additional 600 HE places under the comprehensive spending review. The institute was successful in receiving approval to deliver a HND in construction.

Training (Standards)

Mrs Nelis asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if, in view of the KPMG report ‘Qualitative Research with Key New Deal Players’ (August 2000), he will detail what steps the Training and Employment Agency will take to ensure that standards of training are consistent throughout Northern Ireland.

(AQW 505/00)

Dr Farren: New Deal provides advice, support and training to those who are most distanced from the labour market. The Training and Employment Agency continuously monitors the programme to ensure that high-quality training is delivered to the long-term unemployed to improve their employability so that they may compete more successfully for available jobs.

Ensuring that the required standard of training is being delivered by all New Deal consortia is important to the success of the programme. When New Deal was first introduced in April 1998, the Training and Employment Agency put in place arrangements for monitoring training delivery. These arrangements are now well established and involve regular inspections of New Deal consortia by the Education and Training Inspectorate, monitoring visits by New Deal personal advisers to ensure that the training agreed with the participant during gateway is being delivered, and an obligation for all New Deal consortia to meet the standards set out in the agency’s quality and performance management framework for New Deal.

In addition, the Training and Employment Agency has commissioned a major programme of surveys to evaluate the impact New Deal has had on improving the employability of participants. The survey to which you refer was the first survey carried out on New Deal. Its purpose was to provide early indicators of how the New Deal 18-24 — which had been in operation for just one year at the time — and the New Deal 25-plus pilots were being perceived by participants, personal advisers, employers, and New Deal consortia.
While the research was useful in identifying potential issues and problems, it was never intended to provide sufficient evidence to make definitive judgements or recommendations. A more substantial qualitative study is currently being undertaken on New Deal and the results will be available early in the new year.

Further and Higher Education (Larne)

Mr O’Connor asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will outline his plans for the provision of a further and higher education facility for Larne and detail what progress had been made to date.

(AQW 512/00)

Dr Farren: Following the decision by the board of governors of the East Antrim Institute of Further and Higher Education to close its Larne campus in June 1999, the institute commissioned an economic appraisal to address the long-term position regarding Larne. The preferred option, a new smaller building on the existing site at a cost of £1·5 million self-financed from the proceeds of the sale of part of the Larne site, was cleared by the Department on 28 February 2000.

Since that time, the institute has demolished the old campus and has appointed a commercial estate agent to handle the sale of the site. A number of sale options are currently being examined and the institute hopes to be in a position to report on progress within the next month.

Higher Education Courses: Funding

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will explain why a student on a higher education course in a further education college attracts less funding than a student doing the same course at university.

(AQW 514/00)

Dr Farren: Further education (FE) colleges and universities are funded by different funding mechanisms. It is very difficult, therefore, to make exact comparisons between them.

In 2000-01, FE colleges received recurrent funding for all their courses, including higher education courses, which was based 50% on the pre-incorporation funding mechanism and 50% on the new further education funding formula. The new formula includes weightings in respect of the subject area and age and category of student, for example, students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and students meeting targeting social need criteria. The funding is provided to colleges in the form of a block grant.

In addition to the block grant, colleges receive funding from a number of earmarked funds. The sector also receives capital funding.

Funding for teaching in the Northern Ireland universities is based on the Higher Education Funding Council for England methodology, which distributes funds according to the numbers of full-time equivalent students (undergraduate and graduate) in each of four subject-related funding bands. The funding so derived is provided to the universities in the form of a block grant that universities allocate according to their own teaching priorities.

It differs from FE funding in that it also includes an element for capital expenditure in support of teaching.

Further Education Colleges:
Student Numbers

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will detail the student numbers of further education colleges as measured by (a) full-time enrolments, (b) part-time enrolments, (c) gross student numbers, and (d) net student numbers; and if he will make a statement.

(AQW 515/00)

Dr Farren: I attach a table detailing the numbers in the requested categories.

Enrolments at Northern Ireland Further Education colleges by college expressed by mode of attendance and Full Time Equivalents (FTEs): 
1998/99 - 1999/2000

Source: Further Education Statistical Record / Annual Monitoring Survey

^1. Gross less cost recovery students.

^2. Net less withdrawn students.

^3. Full Time Equivalent data is not presently available for this academic year.

^4. Full and part time figures are based on a snapshot of enrolments @ 1st November in the given academic year.

NVQs and Modern Apprenticeship Training

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will (a) detail the resources allocated to further education colleges to provide National Vocational Qualifications and Modern Apprenticeship training in Northern Ireland, (b) detail the resources allocated for similar courses in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

(AQW 516/00)

Dr Farren: National Vocational Qualifications and Modern Apprenticeships are work-based qualifications and the Department allocates funding to support this training principally through the Jobskills programme.

Further education (FE) colleges receive funding from the Department, either directly or as a subcontractor to training providers funded by the Department, in respect of their involvement in the delivery of the Training and Employment Agency’s Jobskills training programme. The total funding received in relation to Jobskills- supported training during the year ended March 2000, and including the subcontract transactions of which the Department is aware, was some £19·4 million.

Apart from funding for training under the Jobskills programme, colleges receive a block grant for all their course provision. Excluding Jobskills trainees, total student enrolments in 1999-2000, the latest year for which figures are available, were 89,379. Of these, 7,581 (8·5%) were enrolled for National Vocational Qualifications.

Given the colleges’ block grant funding arrangements and the subcontracting component of the Jobskills programme, it is not possible to further detail the resources attributed to National Vocational Qualifications and Modern Apprenticeships.

England, Scotland and Wales each have their own funding system and the information requested about funding in Great Britain is not available. The Department continues to support initiatives in the further education sector to raise the skill levels and qualifications of the Northern Ireland workforce.

In the current year, in addition to the funding mentioned above, the Department has provided earmarked funds of £1 million for the incentive/skills fund and £3·5 million for the strategic investment fund.

Further Education: Capping

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (a) what assessment he has made of capping in the further education sector, (b) what policy he intends to follow in light of the fact that in those subjects where capping has been removed, colleges have failed to recruit sufficient numbers and in those subjects where capping is retained, students are being turned away.

(AQW 524/00)

Dr Farren: It remains Department policy to control the number of publicly-funded full-time higher education (HE) places in the further education (FE) sector. The control is not generally specific to particular subjects and colleges are free to manage recruitment to particular courses and vocational areas within their overall maximum aggregate student number (MaSN) allocation.

The only exception to this policy relates to the additional places secured under the comprehensive spending review and skills funding in order to address skills shortages in vocational areas identified as being important to the development of the Northern Ireland economy. These places were allocated to particular courses in colleges’ bids and cannot be "transferred" within a college’s MaSN allocation to other vocational areas or courses. There has been virtually full recruitment to these courses by all colleges that received an allocation.

It should be noted that there is no restriction on part-time HE provision.

Dearing Report

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will detail why the recommendations of the Dearing Report in regard to the expansion of higher education in the further education sector have not been implemented.

(AQW 525/00)

Dr Farren: The report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (the Dearing Report) made a number of recommendations relating to the provision of higher education (HE) places in the further education (FE) sector.

The report also recognised that in seeking to meet the growing "individual, local and national needs... there may be different circumstances in the different countries of the UK".

In relation to Northern Ireland, any expansion in publicly funded full-time HE provision has a serious resource implication, and my Department has consistently advised that resources will be applied in light of existing priorities. It should be noted that there is no restriction on part-time HE provision.

My Department recently secured significant resources to provide an additional 600 publicly funded full-time HE places across the FE sector in six key vocational areas identified as being important to economic development. In addition, a further cohort of 100 HND places in the vocational areas of software engineering and electronics has also been introduced in the current year. I have also recently announced plans for the piloting of foundation degrees in Northern Ireland and envisage that the further education sector will have an important role to play in their delivery. That aligns with the report’s recommendation that options be examined to address the high levels of demand for HE places in Northern Ireland.

Further Education Students:
Literary and Numeracy

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will detail his assessment of the literacy and numeracy standards of students enrolling at further education colleges and give an explanation for the increase in semi-literacy and semi-numeracy standards of students enrolling.

(AQW 526/00)

Dr Farren: I am unaware of evidence to suggest that literacy and numeracy standards of students enrolling at further education colleges are declining.

Evidence from the findings of the International Adult Literacy Survey 1997 indicate that some 24% of the working-age population in NI have low literacy and numeracy skills, compared with 21% in the UK as a whole. The survey also indicated that standards in literacy and numeracy among 16-24-year-olds were higher than for the older age groups.

Tackling poor basic skills is one of the key priorities of the lifelong learning agenda. In order to respond actively to this need, my Department has established a Basic Skills Unit. The unit is providing my Department with a strategic framework designed to address basic skills in Northern Ireland. Work on this issue is ongoing.

East Down Institute of
Further and Higher Education

Mr McGrady asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will detail the progress on the economic appraisal for the capital development project of the East Down Institute for Further and Higher Education in Downpatrick.

(AQW 537/00)

Dr Farren: The additional information requested from the East Down Institute in respect of its economic appraisal for the Downpatrick campus was received by my Department at the end of September 2000. The revised appraisal included a new preferred option: a new-build college on the existing and extended site. This will require detailed examination by my Department’s economic and technical advisers before it can be cleared. The Department hopes to be in a position to clear the appraisal by the end of November 2000. When approved, the next stage will be to consider the scheme in the light of the available capital resources and the capital priorities across the sector.

MKF (Newry): Redundancies

Mr C Murphy asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment if he will detail what action he has taken to assist the workers made redundant by the MKF factory in Newry to regain employment.

(AQW 555/00)

Dr Farren: I am replying to your question detailing action taken to assist the workers made redundant by the MKF factory in Newry to regain employment.

A member of staff at Newry JobCentre has been assigned to offer guidance and help to former MKF employees who wish to re-enter the labour market. To date, eight former employees have availed of the JobCentre services and been submitted to a range of jobs. Outcomes from six job interviews are currently awaited.

David Morrision, Manager, Newry JobCentre, 5-13 Marcus Street, Newry (Tel 028 3025 4154) would be pleased to arrange an appointment for the redundant MKF workers to discuss a wide range of employment and training opportunities. Early entry to New Deal will be available if this is considered necessary to assist particular individuals to re-engage with the labour market.

The closure of MKF and the resultant loss of jobs is deeply regretted.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Department: Special Advisers

Mr Ford asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will provide a list of those appointed as special advisers in his Department, detailing in each case (a) the date appointment was offered, (b) the date employment commenced, (c) the gender of the appointee, (d) whether or not the appointee is disabled, (e) whether or not the appointment was as a result of open competition, and (f) whether the appointee held membership of any political party on the date appointment was offered.

(AQW 445/00)

The Minister for Regional Development (Mr Campbell): Special advisers have the status of temporary civil servants.

In this Department, a special adviser was offered an appointment and commenced duty on 31 January 2000. On the dates of the suspension of devolved government and the resignation of my predecessor Mr P Robinson, the special adviser’s services were terminated. When I took over as Minister he agreed to be reappointed as my special adviser for a period to ensure the maximum degree of continuity in relation to departmental matters. All civil servants, including special advisers, are entitled to hold membership of a political party, although political activity is restricted according to their role. Information on membership of a political party is not held for special advisers or any other civil servants.

I have now appointed a special adviser of my own choosing, who was offered the post on 3 October 2000 and took up the appointment on 9 October 2000.

Both of these special advisers were of male gender. It is Civil Service policy to afford a high degree of confidentiality to individual monitoring information, including that on disability.

Special advisers are appointed under the Civil Service Commissioners (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, article 3 (2) of which disapplies the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition where an appointment to a situation in the Civil Service is made for the purpose of providing advice to Ministers during a period terminating on or before the end of an Administration.

Townlands: Road Signage

Mr Armstrong asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will make it his policy to promote local townlands throughout Northern Ireland with suitable road signage.

(AQW 450/00)

Mr Campbell: My Department’s Roads Service erects traffic signs to aid the safe progression of traffic and to convey warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions to road users. These traffic signs are either prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 or are authorised by the Department. Townland name signs are not currently prescribed or authorised as mentioned and are not considered necessary for the safety and convenience of road users. Indeed, due to the considerable number of signs that could potentially be involved, their erection could be detrimental to road safety — for example, by causing driver distraction — and could reduce the effectiveness of other traffic signs.

It is not therefore my intent to initiate a policy change.

Department: Consultancy Contracts

Mr Dallat asked the Minister for Regional Development if, for the period since devolution, he will detail (a) the number of contracts for consultancy services that did not have to go out to public tender that have been awarded by his Department, (b) to whom these contracts have been awarded, (c) the number of contracts awarded on the basis of such consultancy advice, and (d) to whom these contracts were awarded.

(AQW 532/00)

Mr Campbell:
Part (a) - 9

Part (b) -

Oscar Faber
Community Technical Aid
Carson Wilson
McGrigor Donald
Transport & Travel Research Ltd in association with Ian Catling Consultancy
Peter Lindsell Associates
The James Black Partnership
Page Setup
Management Accountants in Practice

Part (c) - Nil

Part (d) - Not applicable

Water Filtration Plant (Silent Valley)

Mr Wells asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will detail when work will commence on the construction of the filtration plant to treat water from the Silent Valley reservoir and when will this project be completed.

(AQW 539/00)

Mr Campbell: A contract to design and build the Silent Valley water treatment works is scheduled to be awarded in the spring of 2001. Construction is expected to commence in late 2001 and will take three years to complete at an estimated cost of £35 million. Subject to planning approval, the works will be situated at Drumaroad, between Castlewellan and Ballynahinch.

Consideration is being given as to whether the Kilkeel and Annalong areas, which are currently supplied from the Silent Valley, will in future be supplied from the new works or from the proposed works at Fofannybane, which again is expected to be completed in late 2004 at an estimated cost of £13 million.

A5 Bypass

Mr McMenamin asked the Minister for Regional Development if he will detail when work will commence on the A5 bypass at Strabane, Newtownstewart and Omagh.

(AQW 544/00)

Mr Campbell: I can confirm that, subject to the successful completion of the necessary statutory procedures and the availability of funding, work could commence on both the A5 Strabane bypass stage 2 and the A5 Newtownstewart bypass by late summer 2001.

As regards the A5 Omagh throughpass stage 3, it is likely that public inquiries will be held regarding the draft environmental statement and draft direction order. Depending on the outcome of the inquiries, and subject to the successful completion of other statutory procedures and the availability of funding, work on site could commence in spring 2002.

Public Transport: Overcrowding

Mr McGrady asked the Minister for Regional Development what steps he is taking to prevent overcrowding on public transport in Northern Ireland, particularly regarding the transport of school pupils; and if he will make a statement.

(AQW 545/00)

Mr Campbell: The appropriate carrying capacity of public transport vehicles, including those used for the transport of school pupils, is determined by regulations that are the responsibility of the Department of the Environment. Translink has advised that its internal guidance provides for a maximum capacity when carrying children to school that is less than the legal maximum. That guidance capacity will only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances and never beyond the legal carrying capacity of the vehicle.

The Department for Regional Development provides grant aid to assist Translink to purchase new buses. In this year’s spending review I sought an additional £25 million for bus purchase grants for 2001-02. These resources are needed just to enable Translink to replace vehicles that have reached the end of their useful service lives and would not assist Translink to expand its fleet. However, there are no extra resources for bus purchase grants in the draft Budget presented to the Assembly on 17 October by the Minister of Finance and Personnel. In these circumstances, it is unlikely that Translink will be able to allocate more buses for school transport in the near future.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Department: Special Advisers

Mr Ford asked the Minister for Social Development if he will provide a list of those appointed as special advisers in his Department, detailing in each case (a) the date appointment was offered, (b) the date employment commenced, (c) the gender of the appointee, (d) whether or not the appointee is disabled, (e) whether or not the appointment was as a result of open competition, and (f) whether the appointee held membership of any political party on the date appointment was offered.

(AQW 441/00)

The Minister for Social Development (Mr Morrow): Special adviser — Mr Ian Crozier

Special advisers have the status of temporary civil servants.

d. It is Civil Service policy to afford a high degree of confidentiality to individual monitoring information, including that on disability.

e. Special advisers are appointed under the Civil Service Commissioners (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, article 3(2) of which disapplies the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition where an appointment to a situation in the Civil Service is made for the purpose of providing advice to Ministers during a period terminating on or before the end of an Administration.

f. All civil servants, including special advisers, are entitled to hold membership of a political party, although political activity is restricted according to their role. Information on membership of a political party is not held for special advisers or any other civil servants.

Housing Executive Properties: Access

Mr Ford asked the Minister for Social Development to detail what steps he will take to ensure that the Housing Executive and community organisations using Housing Executive premises comply with the proposed new statutory regulations on access.

(AQW 482/00)

Mr Morrow: The Housing Executive’s disability committee, together with premises managers, programme and accommodation managers, are leading the organisation in efforts to meet its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and, in particular, the requirement for the removal of physical barriers to services by 2004. As to the issue of community organisations using Housing Executive property, until such times as regulations under the 1995 Act are available, I can give no indication as to the responsibilities of the tenant and landlord, respectively, for the work and associated costs in complying with the legislation.

Disability Living Allowance: Applications

Mr Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development if he will detail the number of applications for disability living allowance for each constituency in each of the past five years.

(AQW 483/00)

Mr Morrow: The Social Security Agency does not hold a breakdown of the number of claims based on constituency areas. However, the total number of claims received each year is held.

The total number of claims received for disability living allowance in each of the past five years is as follows:

Sale of Housing Executive Properties

Mr Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development if he will make it his policy to reallocate finance generated through the sale of Housing Executive properties to the local government district where the property was sold.

(AQW 484/00)

Mr Morrow: It would not be possible or practicable to introduce such a policy.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) retains 100% of its estimated receipts from house sales. This year that figure is almost £60 million. That money is already committed for planned capital improvement works to those NIHE estates where there is greatest need, as decided by the NIHE. It is the role of the NIHE to select, prioritise and activate schemes that reflect the greatest need and that can be met from within its budget.

As is required under Government accounting provisions, additional receipts over and above the estimated receipts have to be surrendered to the centre, where they are at the disposal of the Executive Committee and the Assembly for addressing emerging pressures, including housing. Over the past five years or so, of the additional housing receipts that have been surrendered to the centre to be redeployed to other priority spending areas, about one third has been returned to the NIHE.

I am actively pursuing this question of additional receipts and arguing for significant additional resources for the housing programme to meet housing need in Northern Ireland.

Disability Living Allowance:
Disallowed Claims

Mr Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development if he will detail the number of disability living allowance applications rejected in each constituency in each of the last five years and to state how many were overturned on appeal.

(AQW 487/00)

Mr Morrow: The Social Security Agency does not hold a breakdown of the number of claims disallowed, or the number overturned at appeal, by constituency areas. However, the total number of claims disallowed each year is held and for each of the past five years is as follows:

The number of claims initially disallowed but then overturned on appeal each year is also held and for each of the past five years is as follows:

Shankill Road Traders

Mr Dodds asked the Minister for Social Development if he will detail the financial assistance offered to traders on the Shankill Road in the aftermath of the bomb in December 1993.

(AQW 488/00)

Mr Morrow: Belfast Regeneration Office did not provide any direct financial assistance to traders on the Shankill Road in the aftermath of the bomb in December 1993. It did, however, make its offices available, and staff assisted where possible.

Since 1990, Belfast Regeneration Office has provided £136,000 to traders on the Shankill Road as part of a broader assistance package to various traders’ associations throughout Belfast. Support for this project ended in January 2000.

Incapacity Benefit

Mr Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development if he will detail the number of applications for incapacity benefit for each constituency in each of the past five years.

(AQW 493/00)

Mr Morrow: The Social Security Agency does not hold a breakdown of the number of incapacity benefit claims based on constituency areas. However, the total number of claims received each year is held.

The total number of claims received for incapacity benefit in each of the past five years is as follows:

Mr Shannon asked the Minister for Social Development if he will detail the number of incapacity benefit applications which were rejected in each constituency in each of the last five years and to state how many of these rejections were overturned on appeal.

(AQW 511/00)

Mr Morrow: The Social Security Agency does not hold a breakdown of the number of incapacity benefit claims disallowed, nor the number overturned at appeal, by constituency areas. However, the total number of claims disallowed each year is held and for each of the past five years is as follows:

* statistics are not held for April, May and June 1995.

The number of incapacity benefit claims initially disallowed but then overturned on appeal each year is also held and for each of the past five years is as follows:

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