(AQW 1356/00)

Reply: The Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister has committed £320,000 in the current financial year to assist victims. Final decisions on the allocation of these resources have yet to be made, but it is likely that the emphasis will be on providing practical help and support by contributing to the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund, commissioning research on victims’ needs and supporting specific projects undertaken by the trauma advisory panels and victims’ organisations.

Further significant support to victims will continue to be available through the mainstream programmes run by each of the Departments in the devolved Administration in such important areas as health and trauma support, retraining and reskilling, housing and social security.

The Victims Unit in the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister is currently in the process of finalising a strategic programme designed to meet the needs of victims which will supplement the commitments contained in the draft Programme for Government. The strategic programme will be published in due course.

The devolved Administration has no plans at the moment to implement specific ex-offender programmes. Ex-offender groups will be entitled to apply for support from mainstream and European sources along with other groups aiming to promote social inclusion.

Under the Peace II European programme, victims of violence and ex-prisoners will be regarded as target groups for assistance. The programme will also include a specific measure for victims, with funding of approximately £6·67 million.

(AQW 1387/00)

Reply: Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires Departments to have due regard to the promotion of equality of opportunity between a number of social categories including people of different age. As well as covering older people this category includes children and young people. Departments fulfil their equality obligation through their equality schemes, which incorporate the commitments detailed in schedule 9 to the Act. The Act requires Departments to assess and consult on the impact their policies may have on the promotion of equality of opportunity. Departments are committed in their equality schemes to consult widely with all interested parties on the broad range of their policies.

Departments have made a particular commitment to consult with young people as part of this process. Discussions with groups representing children’s interests have already been held as to how this consultation might take place. In addition, the forthcoming consultation paper on a commissioner for children and strategy for children will consider how best to consult with children and young people.

(AQW 1318/00)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms Rodgers): I am taking the reference in your question to "the last month" to mean the 30-day period ended 12 January 2001, which was the date on which your question was tabled. That being the case, I did not have meetings during that period. However, in November past I met with a number of political representatives accompanied by delegations from the pig industry. I am in regular contact with representatives from the farming unions, who regularly raise issues relating to the pig industry.

During the specific time in question, my officials had a number of meetings with the farming unions and other interested parties regarding the operation of the pig industry restructuring scheme (PIRS). You will, I am sure, now be aware that my officials, in conjunction with the Ulster Farmers’ Union and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers’ Association, are currently holding a series of public meetings on the scheme.

(AQW 1333/00)

Ms Rodgers: At present the only available tests for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle are carried out on the brain or spinal cord tissue of dead animals. Testing is carried out using an EU-approved rapid test, which has been shown to be both sensitive and specific. The level of testing has been set by the EU and is dependent upon the cattle population of each region. As BSE has a long incubation period, older animals present a greater risk of BSE and therefore such animals are being targeted for testing. In Northern Ireland animals aged over 30 months are slaughtered, the carcases rendered and the resultant material incinerated.

(AQW 1341/00)

Ms Rodgers: My Department’s Veterinary Service police the movement of cattle.

The checks carried out include:

• Checks on the animal and public health information system (APHIS) of calf births for correlation between the number of recorded births and the number of breeding cattle in a herd.
• Checks at all ports to ensure that cattle from Great Britain are not transiting Northern Ireland to the Republic
• Surveillance operations at markets
• Liaison with the veterinary authorities in the Republic of Ireland and the RUC.

Where irregularities are found, these are investigated and appropriate enforcement action taken.

(AQW 1363/00)

Ms Rodgers: I last met with representatives of the fishing industry when I attended the Fisheries Council in Brussels on 14 and 15 December, when 2001 total allowable catches were discussed.

(AQW 1364/00)

Ms Rodgers: Under the Agenda 2000 reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP), the concept of rural development has been widened and has assumed greater prominence. New European legislation governing the next round of structural funds now encompasses initiatives such as agrienvironment schemes, support for less favoured area (LFA) farmers, forestry, assistance for processing and marketing, restructuring and capital investment as well as areas which we would have traditionally termed "rural development". This was negotiated at EU level, and it is at this level that any future refocusing of broad agricultural policy will be determined.

Plans for the period up to 2006 in respect of agrienvironment, private afforestation of agricultural land and LFA support are contained within the Rural Development Regulation Plan (Accompanying Measures) for Northern Ireland, which received its formal approval from the EU Commission at the beginning of December. Expenditure under this plan will total £266 million between 2000 and 2006, representing a significant increase on previous expenditure levels.

Details of proposals for agriculture/rural development under the transitional Objective 1 programme are currently under negotiation with the European Commission. It is expected that funding will be available for processing and marketing, forestry and training, as well as a continuation of the Department’s rural development programme. For the 2000-06 period, the rural development programme will promote comprehensive and integrated action towards the sustainable and equitable development of rural areas and, in doing so, contribute to the economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being of the rural community for the benefit of the whole community of Northern Ireland.

Further funding for agriculture/rural development will come through the Peace II programme, LEADER+ and INTERREG III. Most of these European programmes (with the exception of the rural development plan) are yet to be agreed with the European Commission and, therefore, I cannot yet quantify the level of assistance that will be available.

(AQW 1366/00)

Ms Rodgers: The countryside management scheme opened for an initial round of applications between 24 May and 30 July 1999, but the EU empowering legislation lapsed on 31 December 1999 before contracts could be offered to any of the initial applicants. This scheme was then resubmitted to the EU Commission as a component of the Northern Ireland rural development plan 2000-06 (NIRDP), which only received formal approval from the EU Commission on 4 December 2000. In anticipation of that approval, the draft legislation to give effect to this part of the NIRDP had previously been the subject of consultation with relevant interests. As required by Assembly procedures, a memorandum on the draft countryside management scheme legislation will have to be considered by the Assembly Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.

Subject to the view of the Committee and the making of the legislation necessary to bring the scheme into effect, successful applicants from the original round may enter into agreements with the Department, and steps can be taken to open a further application period during the summer and on an annual basis thereafter.

(AQW 1367/00)

Ms Rodgers: Placed in the Assembly Library are student statistic tables detailing numbers of students who have completed a full-time or part-time course at one of the Department’s colleges in Northern Ireland.

The information has been broken down to show the individual courses and the nationality of the students enrolled.

(AQW 1408/00)

Ms Rodgers: The Department encourages farmers to consider farm diversification as one option when examining strategies for the future development of the family farm. Agrifood Development Service (AFDS) rural enterprise advisers are available to assist farmers in the consideration and development of potential diversification projects.

Greenmount, Loughry and Enniskillen Colleges provide education and training to develop the competences of farmers undertaking farm diversification projects through their lifelong learning courses.

On 20 November 2000 I announced the allocation of up to £150,000 to promote diversification by improving the Department’s farm diversification information, including an enhanced web site and producing an advisory booklet. This work is proceeding and information is also being obtained by providing financial support to a small number of farm businesses and farmers’ groups to investigate aspects of their farm diversification projects to provide practical and relevant case studies for future use.

Presently the Department is considering options for the provision of financial and technical support for diversifying farm businesses under the Peace II and the LEADER+ programmes to be launched later this year.

(AQW 1409/00)

Ms Rodgers: Under EU trade rules there is no requirement to maintain data on the imports of meat and meat products entering Northern Ireland. However, as charges are placed on products coming from third countries the details for this trade are available as follows:

Figures include fresh meat and poultry meat imports.

(AQW 1411/00)

Ms Rodgers: I attend European Union Fisheries Councils where there are particular issues of importance to the Northern Ireland fishing industry. An example would be my recent attendance at the December Fisheries Council when 2001 total allowable catches were the main topic for consideration.

(AQW 1362/00)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr McGimpsey): My Department launched the first in a rolling programme of events to commemorate the bicentenary of the United Kingdom in 2001, in the Ards arts centre/town hall on Monday evening, 22 January 2001 – exactly 200 years after the United Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland first met at Westminster.

The first event featured an inaugural lecture entitled, ‘Castlereagh and the making of the Irish Act of Union’ by Dr Patrick M Geoghegan, author of the recently published academic book ‘The Irish Act of Union: A Study in High Politics 1798-1801’ (Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1999). Monday evening also witnessed the launch of the Royal Historical Society’s ‘Transactions’ publication – the volume contains papers delivered at the Society’s British-Irish Union of 1801 conference, 9 to 11 September 1999, held at the Queen’s University of Belfast and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

A centrepiece exhibition (with a travelling offshoot), a one-day conference, and education workshops for A level students are to follow. These events will be held in venues throughout the British Isles in 2001. A more detailed outline of the rolling programme is set out below.

1. Inaugural lecture and reception in the Londonderry Room, Ards arts centre/town hall, Newtownards: Monday 22 January 2001 (as noted above).

2. A PRONI-Ulster Museum/MAGNI centrepiece exhibition will be on display in the Ulster Museum from 21 May to 24 August 2001.

3. A one-day academic conference is to be held in the new Millennium Complex, Londonderry in the autumn of 2001.

4. Education workshops for A level students are to be held in the NTL Studio, Belfast Waterfront Hall on Tuesday 16 October 2001.

5. The travelling exhibition will be on display at the Bank of Ireland’s Arts Centre, Foster Place, Dublin 2 from 27 August to 10 September 2001.

6. It is expected that the travelling exhibition will be hosted by a number of district councils (Newry and Mourne, North Down and Larne have already indicated their interest) and that it will tour local venues either concurrently with the centrepiece exhibition and/or in the autumn of 2001 depending on the demand.

7. A bicentenary event is to be held in Mount Stewart, Ccounty Down (at the home of one of the main architects of the Union, Viscount Castlereagh) in late summer 2001. The travelling exhibition is to be on show at the same time.

8. A Castlereagh lecture will be delivered on Tuesday 30 October 2001 in the Palace of Westminster, London. It is expected that the speaker will be the First Minister, David Trimble.

9. Efforts are still ongoing to arrange for the travelling exhibition to be displayed in Westminster Hall, Palace of Westminster, London, in the autumn of 2001.

NB: It should be noted however that a number of the arrangements at this stage are tentative.

(AQW 1370/00)

Mr McGimpsey: The only event which is currently organised is the World Masters Judo Championships in Templemore leisure complex, Londonderry, from 20 to 23 June 2002.

In addition the Department is actively considering a number of other ideas, as follows:

• Hosting the BBC Young Musician of the Year;
• Looking at the possibility of the Belfast Festival being enhanced to feature regularly arts performances or events of at least national significance, marketed and promoted to attract optimum attendances and media coverage; and
• Developing a programme of international exchanges, possibly promoted through the offices of the Arts Council and the British Council which could provide a vehicle for bringing unique artistic and cultural experiences to Northern Ireland.

The Events Company is also considering funding support for the following events in the period 2002-04:

a) Senior British Open Golf Championship

b) Belfast Festival at Queens

c) Cinemagic 2002

d) Northern Ireland Festival of Racing

The company is also negotiating for the:-

• Staging of a Tour of Ireland cycle race
  
• Options for developing a regular summer event at Stormont.

The board of the Events Company will be reviewing its future events portfolio for the period 2002-05 at its March 2001 meeting. This debate will be informed by input from various other bodies, such as Sports Council for Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Belfast City Council.

(AQW 1384/00)

Mr McGimpsey: From the outset, my initiative ‘Creating a Soccer Strategy for Northern Ireland’, has been an open and inclusive one, and I can confirm that all football interests in Northern Ireland have been, and continue to be, involved in the process.

This process has involved widespread consultation with key football interests and the general public and has included:

• key informant interviews with a range of organisations involved in running the game
  
• workshop sessions with district councils, education and library boards, the voluntary youth sector, the media and senior club chairmen
  
• focus group discussions with supporters, coaches and managers
  
• postal surveys of clubs, players and other interested bodies
  
• both a street survey of the general public and a series of five open forums held in different locations across the province.

In addition, a conference workshop is planned for 10 to 12 February 2001, at which some eighty participants, again representing all the key interests in football, will take part.

I also established the advisory panel, detailed membership of which is set out in the attached appendix, to oversee the process of developing a strategy. It brings together a number of people with a wide range of expertise and experience in football, both locally and further afield. In inviting the members to serve, I considered it important that they should do so as individuals rather than representatives of any specific interest they may have.

GERRY ARMSTRONG
Former player for Spurs, Watford and West Bromwich Albion. An ex-Northern Ireland international, and capped by Northern Ireland 63 times, he scored the winning goal in the 1982 World Cup game against Spain and in the same year was presented with the Golden Boot Award. Played for Real Majorca from 1983-85. Is currently the Spanish football analyst and commentator for Sky Television.

PROF ALAN BAIRNER
Professor in Sports Studies at the University of Ulster. He is co-author of a book entitled ‘Sport Sectarianism and Society in a Divided Ireland’ and co-editor of a book entitled ‘Sport in Divided Societies’. He is involved with the IFA through its community relations programme.

HILARY BRADY
Former Irish hockey player and ex-member of Northern Ireland Women’s football team. President of Pegasus Hockey Club. Head of Development Services in Newtownabbey Borough Council with responsibility for the development of various services, including tourism, sport and the arts. A member of the Sports Council for Northern Ireland.

IAIN DOWIE
Played for Luton Town in 1998 before going on to play for West Ham, Southampton, Crystal Palace and, finally, Queen’s Park Rangers. He has been assistant manager at QPR for the last two and a half years. He has been capped 59 times by Northern Ireland, captained the team on 11 occasions and is the second highest goal scorer for his country.

JIM FLANAGAN
Has been deputy editor of the Belfast Telegraph for approximately the last five years. He is a member of the Northern Ireland football writers’ association and attends local games as often as possible.

BILLY HAMILTON
Has played and managed in the Irish League, mainly for Distillery Football Club, from 1990 to 1995. He has been capped 42 times by Northern Ireland and was one of Northern Ireland’s World Cup 1982 heroes in Spain. He also played in the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.

BRYAN HAMILTON
He has had a 37-year association with football in a variety of capacities. Capped by Northern Ireland 50 times, he succeeded Billy Bingham in 1994 as manager and coach of the Northern Ireland international teams. He has played for Ipswich and Everton and managed teams at every level in the English league. He was recently manager of Norwich City Football Club.

JOHNNY JAMESON
He has had a distinguished career at both Glentoran and Linfield Football Clubs and was a member of the Northern Ireland squad in the 1982 World Cup. He maintains an interest at all levels in the local game.

FELIX McCROSSAN
Played junior football for Strabane and several local teams. Was an Irish League referee and linesman from 1976, and still referees junior football. He organises youth football around the Strabane area and continues to work with the Strabane Intermediate League team. He is also one of the attendants involved with the County Tyrone Milk Cup team.

SAMMY McILROY
Former Manchester United player and Northern Ireland team captain. In January 2000, he succeeded Lawrie McMenemy as manager of Northern Ireland.

NADINE NICHOLL
Currently a PE teacher at Belfast Royal Academy and a former member of the Northern Ireland women’s football team. A past development officer with the Irish Football Association and involved in coaching.

MARTIN O’NEILL
Martin had a long and distinguished playing career in the English league and Northern Ireland’s national team. On retirement he entered management and enjoyed success with Wycombe and Leicester City before moving on to his current position as boss of Glasgow Celtic.

JIM PRICE
Jim Price is a lifelong supporter of Crusaders and an ardent supporter of Northern Ireland, travelling abroad as much as possible in support of the international team. (He is chairman of the official amalgamation of Northern Ireland supporters’ clubs.) Mr Price, who lives in Newtownabbey, is a health and safety instructor with the Construction Industry Training Board.

JIM RODGERS
A Belfast city councillor and currently vice-chairman of the Belfast Education and Library Board. Former chief scout and youth development officer of Glentoran Football Club between 1975-1994. Played soccer for both Bangor and Portadown as well as several junior clubs. Keenly interested in Association Football and has worked closely with several Irish League sides to obtain better training facilities.

PROF ERIC SAUNDERS
Chairman of the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and a former Professor of the School of Leisure and Tourism at the University of Ulster where for over 28 years he headed staff involved in sport and PE. He played a key role in establishing the Northern Ireland Institute of Coaching.

MARTY TABB
Outstanding servant to Irish League football with an exemplary record. Has a great knowledge of the local game and local clubs. Currently youth development officer with Cliftonville Football Club.

STEPHEN WATSON
Sports presenter and commentator with the BBC for just over one year (formerly with UTV for seven years). Football commentator and great supporter of Irish League football. As well as commentating on local matches, attends as a spectator as often as possible.

(AQW 1395/00)

Mr McGimpsey: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland, which has responsibility for the development and promotion of sport in the Province, does not recognise the classification "country sports". The generic term, which would be more normally used is "field sports", which includes fishing, fox-hunting, hare coursing and game shooting, amongst others. I have not received any recent representations from any of these sports. If there is any specific issue regarding these sports, it should be brought to the attention of the Sports Council for Northern Ireland.