Mr Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to list the organisations he met in his official capacity during (a) September 2000 (b) October 2000 (c) November 2000 and (d) December 2000, detailing the number of occasions on which he met each organisation.

(AQW 1417/00)

The Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr Durkan): In my official capacity, I have met the following organisations:-

• NICVA, Barnardo’s, Save the Children Fund, NSPCC, Child Care NI
• Economic and Social Research Council
• Polish Monitoring Committee
• Derry City Council Marketing Committee
• Regional Policy Directorate, European Commission

• Delegation from Committee of the Regions
• Construction Industry Forum for Northern Ireland
• Arthur McCabe & Associates
• Construction Employers Federation
• Consultation seminar on Robson indicators*
• Confederation of British Industry
• Services, Industrial, Professional, Technical Union
• Londonderry Chamber of Commerce
• Lady Chair’s reception, Federation of Small Businesses
• Working Group on delivery mechanisms Peace II with representatives from district councils, intermediary funding bodies, district partnership board, district partnerships and NICE

• Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
• Royal Society of Arts
• Building Control Group Committee
• Omagh District Council
• Community Evaluation NI, NICVA, University of Ulster*
• Quarry Products Association
• Changing the Face of Public Purchasing Conference representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (clients of LEDU, IDB and Enterprise Ireland)
• Budget Equality Conferences*

• Strabane District Council
• Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust
• Peace Monitoring Committee including representatives from the equality, environment, voluntary and community, business, agriculture and rural development and fisheries sectors, trade union and sub-regional and local government
• Peace II and the voluntary sector seminar*
• Human Rights Commission Northern Ireland
• Community Support Framework Monitoring Committee including representatives from the equality, environment, voluntary and community, business, agricultural and rural sectors, trade union and local government
• Intermediary funding bodies including representatives from Co-operation Ireland, Community Relations Council, Educational Guidance Service, NIPPA, NIVT, PROTEUS, Playboard, Rural Community Network, Rural Development Council, Training for Women Network and Youthnet

(AQW 1575/00)

Mr Durkan: I have not had any discussions with representatives of the private sector. I have received written representations from Strabane Business 2000, the Association of Riding Establishments in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation on this issue. In addition I have been made aware of the objections of a delegation of independent retailers that lobbied the Assembly on 15 January 2001.

(AQW 1631/00)

Mr Durkan: I have no immediate plans at present to raise the matter of radon designation with Ministers in the Irish Government. There are regular discussions at official level on radon and other environmental protection matters. When further considering the issue of designation and consulting on proposals for extending areas of designation, I will consider relevant provisions in other jurisdictions in these islands.

(AQW 1632/00)

Mr Durkan: ‘Ireland, North and South: A Statistical Profile’ was jointly produced by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Through a process of elimination, they identified major policy areas for which comparable data were readily available for both jurisdictions. These are the policy areas covered by the profile. NISRA is in regular contact with CSO to investigate (i) the potential to provide further comparable statistics for those policy areas already covered by the profile, and (ii) the possibility of new comparable data being identified/produced. It is intended that future editions of the profile will feature greater data coverage arising from these contacts.

(AQW 1644/00)

Mr Durkan: The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency plan to publish a new edition of ‘Focus on Northern Ireland’ in winter 2001. This will include an update of the material included in the section entitled ‘The Two Communities’.

(AQW 1666/00)

Mr Durkan: A focus on our young people is central to the Programme for Government’s vision for the future. The budget for 2001-02 approved by the Assembly on 18 December 2000 contains a number of measures to alleviate child poverty.

Parity with the social security system in Great Britain will be maintained to provide an overall framework within which poverty will be tackled. Nearly £16 million will be spent on the welfare reform and modernisation programme which, amongst other things, will modernise the child support service for lone parents and simplify current assessment procedures.

Real terms increases in the DE, DHSSPS and DSD budgets will enable current programmes that are designed to alleviate child poverty to be maintained and developed. For example, the Budget provides a 10% increase in provision for personal social services in 2001-02. This will maintain the improvements made to children’s services in 2000, expand the Sure Start coverage by almost 50% and provide some additional residential care places in response to the deficiencies identified in the ‘Children Matter’ report.

In recognition of the special needs of children the Executive have also set up a £28 million children’s fund to provide targeted support for children in need and youth at risk over the next three years.

(AQW 1862/00)

Mr Durkan: The respective legal representatives of the First Minister, Deputy First Minister, Minister of Education and Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety have not yet submitted a note of their costs in the court case taken by the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety against the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. At this stage, therefore, no public money has been spent.

(AQO 759/00)

Mr Durkan: At its meeting on 8 February the Executive agreed my proposals to resolve the Health Service deficits through an injection of £18 million of additional funding. It was also agreed that DFP, DHSSPS and OFMDFM should oversee a joint consultancy exercise to examine the origins and consequences of the recent growth of deficits in HPSS boards and trusts and the effectiveness of new arrangements which DHSSPS is currently putting in place to ensure improved transparency and accountability. The conclusions of this review will be brought back to the Executive in the late spring.

(AQO 735/00)

Mr Durkan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a range of tax and expenditure measures in his pre-budget report which will be of benefit to pensioners. These include increases in the basic state pension, the minimum income guarantee for poorer pensioners, and the winter fuel payment. The Executive intend to implement these measures in full in Northern Ireland.

In the draft Programme for Government, published in October 2000, the Executive made a commitment to address fuel poverty and provide free transport for older people.

On 22 January I announced that the Executive were allocating an additional £2 million to the Department for Social Development for action against fuel poverty.

(AQO 758/00)

Mr Durkan: The First Minister and Deputy First Minister met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer recently to discuss a range of issues including the operation of the Barnett formula.

My officials have also had a series of meetings with HM Treasury officials during the spending review process to discuss Northern Ireland’s Barnett-determined funding allocations.

I will continue to seek changes in relation to the Barnett formula and press for funding allocations which fully reflect the higher levels of need in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 774/00)

Mr Durkan: Under the latest allocations for the Peace II programme, agreed by the Executive Committee, victims are specifically catered for within the social integration, inclusion and reconciliation priority. The indicative allocation for carrying out actions for support for victims and survivors of violence under this priority is some £6·67 million including matching Government funding.

(AQO 761/00)

Mr Durkan: The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) includes a question on religion in all major surveys and routinely includes analysis by religion in the published reports on these surveys. Publication of the Labour Force Survey Religion Report for 1999 and a source book of fair employment statistics providing time series covering the period 1971 to 1999 is in progress. In addition, NISRA plans to publish a number of compendia publications over the year ahead including new editions of the Northern Ireland Social Brief and Focus on Northern Ireland, both of which will provide socio-economic statistics according to religion.

(AQO 799/00)

Mr Durkan: The Executive have agreed upon a model for partnership working under Peace II which will evolve directly from the existing district partnerships, and build on their successes. Through district councils, social and economic partners and statutory agencies together developing integrated local area strategies, we aim to promote arrangements which will be sustainable after the programme ends. We hope that these new arrangements will have taken root in all district council areas by local agreement within a framework specified by the Executive by the end of this year.

(AQO 740/00)

Mr Durkan: Negotiations with the European Commission on the Peace II operational programme should be completed by March 2001. Thereafter the availability of funding to district partnerships will depend upon approval of the programme complement by the monitoring committee and the establishment of arrangements by each district partnership to receive and evaluate applications for funding under priority 3 of the new programme.

(AQO 745/00)

Mr Durkan: The Department of Finance and Personnel conducts four monitoring rounds in the course of each financial year during July, October, December and February. Each Department writes to DFP setting out its proposals for changes in the pattern of departmental allocations in response to spending patterns. These can be reductions, increases or reallocations between Departments. Proposals for reallocations are scrutinised jointly by DFP and the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

Mr Gibson asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the steps she is taking to ensure that the Health Service has sufficient resources to invest in new methods of treatment.

(AQW 1568/00)

The Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Ms de Brún): The historic underfunding of the health and social services here has created difficulties in ensuring the adequate provision of services, including new methods of treatment. My Department’s bids for additional resources in the last public expenditure round identified a range of needs including the additional costs of new methods of treatment and it is my Department’s policy to maximise the amount of available resources going to front-line care. The resources made available for health and social services, however, are determined by the Executive and approved by the Assembly and I will continue to press for additional funding.

Tá deacrachtaí cruthaithe ag an easpa maoinithe stairiúil sna seirbhísí sláinte agus sóisialta anseo maidir le soláthar sásúil seirbhísí a chinntiú, modhanna nua cóireála san áireamh. D’aithin éilimh mo Roinne ar áiseanna breise sa dreas caiteachais phoiblí dheireanaigh réimse riachtanas, na costais bhreise a bhaineann le modhanna nua cóireála san áireamh, agus is é polasaí mo Roinne an méid is mó agus is féidir de na háiseanna a chur chuig cúram líne thosaigh. Bíodh sin mar atá, cinntear na háiseanna a chuirtear ar fáil do shláinte agus sheirbhísí sóisialta ag an choiste Feidmiúcháin agus ceadaítear ag an Tionól iad agus leanfaidh mé de bheith ag tathant orthu maoiniú breise a chur ar fáil.

(AQW 1578/00)

Ms de Brún: I am aware of the weight of research evidence on this issue. The World Health Organisation, the Medical Research Council, the Committee on the Safety of Medicine and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have all stated that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism and I have seen no credible evidence to the contrary.

Information about the annual numbers of diagnosed autism cases is not collected centrally.

Tá méid an taighde ar an cheist seo ar eolas agam. Mhaígh an Eagraíocht Dhomhanda Sláinte, an Chomhairle Taighde Míochaine, an Coiste ar Shábháilteacht Mhíochaine agus an Comhchoiste ar Vacsaíniú agus ar Imdhíoned uilig nach bhfuil nasc ar bith idir vacsaín BPB agus uathachas, agus ní fhaca me cruthú creidiúnach ar a mhalairt.

Ní bhailítear eolas go lárnach ar líonta bliantúla na gcásanna fáthmheasta le huathachas.

(AQW 1580/00)

Ms de Brún: There are 108·83 WTE (whole time equivalent) permanent and 5·3 WTE temporary speech and language therapists employed by trusts in the Eastern Board area. The board advises that at the end of December 2000 there were 304 people waiting for assessment and 131 waiting for treatment to commence. There are currently 27·65 WTE vacancies covering permanent, temporary and new initiative posts. Recruitment and retention of qualified therapists has proved problematical for trusts. My Department is reviewing the number of speech and language therapists in training. Currently there is an annual intake of 22 students a year to the University of Ulster.

Fostaíonn iontaobhais 108·83 teiripí labhartha agus teanga buana CAI (coibhéis ama iomláin) agus 5·3 teiripí labhartha agus teanga sealadacha CAI i limistéar Bhord an Oirthir. Measann an bord go raibh 304 duine ag fanacht ar mheasúnú agus 131 duine ag fanacht ar thús a gcóireála ag deireadh Mhí na Nollag 2000. Faoi láthair, tá 27·65 folúntas CAI a chumhdaíonn poist bhuana, sealadacha agus tionscnaimh nua. Bhí fadhb ag iontaobhais teiripithe cáilithe a earcú agus a choinneáil. Tá mo Roinn ag déanamh athbhreithnithe ar líon na dteiripithe labhartha agus teanga in oiliúint. Faoi láthair, glacann Ollscoil Uladh 22 mhac léinn in aghaidh na bliana.

(AQW 1581/00)

Ms de Brún: I refer the Member to written question AQ 1582.

Tarraingim aird an Chomhalta ar cheist scríofa AQ 1582.

Mr McClarty asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline her plans for the site of Coleraine Hospital following its closure.

(AQW 1582/00)

Ms de Brún: When the new Causeway Hospital opens in April 2001, Coleraine Hospital will be surplus to the requirements of the Causeway Health and Social Services Trust. In accordance with Government procedures for the disposal of surplus property, the availability of Coleraine Hospital has been circulated within the public sector. This produced no expressions of interest.

The next step in the procedure is to appoint an estate agent to deal with the disposal of the hospital on the open market. It is considered, however, that the decommissioning of the hospital to facilitate its disposal will take approximately six months. Consequently the appointment of an estate agent will not take place until the autumn.

Meetings between officers of the Causeway Trust and the Valuation and Lands Agency have already taken place and a further meeting has been arranged for 6 September 2001. It is anticipated that after this meeting the Valuation and Lands Agency will be able to appoint an estate agent to complete the disposal of the hospital. It is hoped that this will be achieved no later than 12 months after the transfer of services from Coleraine Hospital to the new Causeway Hospital.

The particulars of sale for the hospital will state that the administration building, formally the workhouse, has been listed as a category B building by the Environment and Heritage Service. It will be the responsibility of the purchaser to address any issues associated with the listed status of the building.

Nuair a osclófar Otharlann nua an Chlocháin i Mí Aibreáin 2001, beidh Otharlann Chúil Raithin ina h-áis iomarcach do riachtanais Iontaobhas SSS an Chlocháin. De réir gnásanna an Rialtais do dhíol sealúchais bhreise, scaipeadh eolas ar infhaighteacht Otharlann Chúil Raithin istigh san earnáil phoiblí. Níor cuireadh suim ar bith inti in iúl dá ainneoin seo.

Is í an chéad chéim eile ná gníomhaire eastáit a cheapadh le déileáil le díol na hotharlainne ar an mhargadh oscailte. Síltear, áfach, go dtógfaidh díchoimisiúnú na hotharlainne a chuideoidh chun í a dhiol thart fá sé mhí. Ar an ábhar sin, ní cheapfar an gníomhaire eastáit go dtí an Fómhair.

Bhí cruinnithe idir feidhmeannaigh Iontaobhas an Chlocháin agus na Gníomhaireachta Luachála agus Tailte cheana féin, agus socraíodh cruinniú eile don 6ú Meán Fómhair 2001. Táthar ag súil go mbeidh an Ghníomhaireacht Luachála agus Tailte ábalta gníomhaire eastáit a cheapadh leis an otharlann a dhíol i ndiaidh an chruinnithe seo. Táthar ag súil go ndéanfar seo gan níos moille ná bliain i ndiaidh aistriú na seirbhísí ó Otharlann Chúil Raithin go hOtharlann nua an Chlocháin.

Maífidh mionsonraí na díola don otharlann gur liostáladh an foirgneamh riaracháin, nó teach na mbocht roimhe sin, mar fhoirgneamh chatagóir B ag an tSeirbhís Chomhshaoil agus Oidhreachta. Beidh an ceannaitheoir freagrach as dul i gceann ceisteanna ar bith bainteach le stádas liostáilte an fhoirgnimh.

(AQW 1586/00)

Ms de Brún: Emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), also known as the morning-after pill (Levonelle-2), has been available here on prescription from general practitioners to all women, independent of age, since November 1999 and so has continually been available to girls under 16 years of age since that date. With the introduction of the availability of EHC in pharmacies, pharmacists may only sell EHC to women of 16 and over. A woman of under 16 seeking EHC would be referred to a doctor.

Comprehensive guidance on best practice for the supply of EHC has been sent to all pharmacists by the Pharmaceutical Society here and has been supported by a series of seminars and an education pack on EHC, provided by the Centre for Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education and Training.

Tá frithghiniúnach hormónach éigeandála (FHÉ), ar a dtugtar piollaire na maidine dár gCionn (Levonelle-2) ar fáil ar oideas anseo ó liachleachtóirí ginearálta do gach bean gan spleáchas d’aois ó mhí na Samhna 1999, agus ar an ábhar sin tá sé ar fáil go leanúnach do chailíní faoi 16 bliana ón dáta sin. Ón am a cuireadh FHÉ ar fáil i gcógaslanna, ní féidir le poitigéirí é a dhíol ach le mná 16 bliana d’aois agus os a chionn. Dá mbeadh bean faoi 16 bliana ag iarraidh FHÉ chuirfí ar aghaidh chuig dochtúir í.

Chuir an Cumann Cógaisíochta anseo treoir chuimsitheach ar dhea-chleachtas maidir le soláthar FHÉ chuig gach poitigéir agus i dtacaíocht léi reáchtáil an tAonad Oideachais agus Oiliúna Iarchéime Cógaisíochta sraith seimineár agus d’eisigh sé paca oideachais ar FHÉ.

(AQW 1593/00)

Ms de Brún: (a) The information is not available in the form requested.

However, between 1 October 1998 and 30 September 1999 a total of 102 children were being considered for adoption. The breakdown for each health and social services board area was as follows:

(b) While some looked-after children have been adopted by their foster carers, the exact numbers are not known.

(a) Níl an t-eolas ar fáil san fhoirm a iarradh.

Idir an 1ú Deireadh Fómhair 1998 agus an 30ú Meán Fómhair 1999, bhí machnamh á dhéanamh ar altramú 102 pháiste san iomlán. Seo a leanas an breacadh síos do limistéar gach bord SSS:

(b) Cé gur uchtáil cúramóirí altrama cuid de na páistí ar thug siad aire dóibh, níltear eolach ar na líonta cruinne.