Mrs Nelis asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment to detail, by parliamentary constituency, the expenditure on adult education and training services (excluding capital spending and European Union moneys) for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(AQW 1673/00)

The Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (Dr Farren): This information is not available in the format requested.

Information in relation to the expenditure on adult education and training services (excluding capital spending and European Union moneys), for each of the last five years by parliamentary constituency, is not available and could only be obtained at an excessive cost.

Mr Paisley Jnr asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the progress that has been made since 19 December 2000 to repair railway track and to make a statement.

(AQW 1406/00)

The Minister for Regional Development (Mr Campbell): Translink has advised that in the period since 19 December 2000 no new railway trackworks have been undertaken. However, in relation to the Belfast to Bangor line relay, Translink has advised that project managers have now been appointed and a programme of work agreed. In addition, Translink has pointed out that since the early summer of 2000 it has been engaged on an extensive programme of safety-related trackworks associated with the recommendations of the A D Little safety review. The overall cost of this programme of works is estimated at some £7·6 million. I should also point out that over £22 million of the additional £105 million that I obtained for railways in the Budget for next year and in the indicative allocations for 2002-03 and 2003-04, is expected to be used for trackworks and infrastructure.

(AQW 1456/00)

Mr Campbell: In common with all other areas of Northern Ireland, the water infrastructure in south Down has suffered from significant under investment in the past.

Water Service has initiated a number of detailed assessments of the water distribution system throughout Northern Ireland to identify the improvements necessary to meet modern standards of water quality and continuity of supply to customers. The assessments will be completed progressively over the next five years. It is estimated that the required improvements will cost in excess of £500 million. Subject to the necessary funding, this work is programmed to be carried out on a prioritised basis from 2005 to 2011.

Water Service will, of course, continue with its more modest ongoing programme of replacing or renewing older water mains which are particularly prone to bursting or which lead to poor water quality. In the current financial year, contracts to a total value of £3·7 million are progressing or have already been completed to improve water mains and increase service reservoir storage capacity in the south Down area. A further investment of £2·6 million is planned during the next two years.

In addition to this, other major investment in the south Down area is already under way or is planned. Phase 1 of the Mourne conduit replacement has just been completed at a cost of £17 million. Subject to planning approval, two new water treatment works, to treat water from the Silent Valley, Fofanny and Spelga impounding reservoirs, will be constructed by late 2004 at a cost of some £48 million.

(AQO 643/00)

Mr Campbell: There are three main areas in which the Department is taking action to sustain the retail sector in all areas of Northern Ireland. This demonstrates the need for joined-up government across a number of Departments.

I understand from the Minister for Social Development that the invigoration of our town centres is being examined by an interdepartmental group. This is a wide-ranging review. It includes important matters such as planning policy, transport and housing. It will therefore address issues which are crucial to town centre retailers such as out-of-town shopping and parking arrangements in town centres.

The Department for Regional Development’s regional development strategy is nearing completion, subject to agreement within the Assembly. It contains the spatial development strategy which will encourage the revitalisation and regeneration of small towns and villages in rural Northern Ireland which act as local service centres for their rural catchments. The strategy encourages mutually beneficial cross-border trade, recognising the important roles of the city of Londonderry in this respect and Newry serving as an interregional gateway.

The current policy for retailing and town centres is set out in regional planning policy statement 5 (PPS5) entitled ‘Retailing and Town Centres’ published in June 1996. This promotes the policy "to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of town centres" and "to maintain an efficient, competitive and innovative retail sector". There is a need to review the existing retail policy. The department has included within its programme to commence the preparation of a new retail planning policy during this financial year.

(AQW 1583/00)

Mr Campbell: Approximately 3,000 tonnes of dry sewage sludge generated at waste water treatment works is spread on agricultural land.

The sludge and the soil to which it is applied are sampled and analysed by Water Service for the parameters specified in the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1990. These methods used are in accordance with the code of practice for agricultural use of sewage sludge, which complement the Regulations and are subject to quality assurance procedures.

In accordance with the Regulations, Water Service maintains a register of the results of the analysis, the quantity of sludge produced, the type of treatment, the recipients of the sludge and the location of the fields on which it is spread.

Water Service’s compliance with the requirements of the Regulations are subject to audit by the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment.

(AQW 1585/00)

Mr Campbell: The amount of sewage sludge spread on agricultural land has reduced considerably over recent years. No sludge has been spread on land in border regions during the past year.

I will write to the Member giving details of the analyses of soil and sludge samples when sludge was last spread in border regions.

(AQW 1614/00)

Mr Campbell: The table below shows details of the cycle parking provision and the national cycle network on a district council basis.

Footnotes

(AQW 1615/00)

Mr Campbell: As yet, no safer routes to schools projects have been introduced in Northern Ireland. Departmental officials are, however, working in conjunction with other Government Departments and external organisations with a view to introducing at least five safer routes to schools pilot projects in the near future. It is expected that at least one pilot project will be in each education and library board area.

(AQW 1623/00)

Mr Campbell: Since April 1999, 82 existing properties have been connected to the public water supply in the Omagh and Strabane District Council areas. The work involved laying some 16,500 metres of new water main in 28 separate schemes.

A further five water main extension schemes, in the Omagh District Council area, are currently at design or construction stages. These schemes, which involve laying some 3,300 metres of new water main, will enable 13 existing properties to be connected.

(AQW 1634/00)

Mr Campbell: It is the responsibility of property owners and occupiers of lands adjacent to public roads to remove trees or hedges or to lop trees or cut back hedges that endanger or obstruct road users. Indeed, the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 provides that my Department’s Roads Service may serve notices on such persons requiring them to undertake any necessary remedial works. It is an offence for persons not to carry out these works and article 58 of the 1993 Order provides that Roads Service may execute such works and recover its costs from the relevant owners or occupiers. In the circumstances, there is no question of my Department paying persons to comply with their statutory obligations.

(AQW 1653/00)

Mr Campbell: It is a normal feature of combined sewerage systems, which deal with both sewage and storm water, to include overflows. These are designed as safety devices to allow highly diluted but untreated waste water, which is in excess of the sewer capacity, to discharge to rivers or other watercourses, and prevent out-of-sewer flooding. There are a number of these combined sewer overflows which discharge to watercourses in the Jordanstown area.

Water Service is progressing a programme of 105 studies to identify the extent and cost of improvements to the sewerage networks across Northern Ireland to achieve modern capacity and environmental standards. A study has recently been completed for the Newtownabbey and Jordanstown area. This identifies the need for improvements to the sewerage infrastructure including a reduction in the number of combined sewer overflows. The detailed proposals are presently being discussed with the Environment and Heritage Service, whose consent is required for discharges to local watercourses. However, given current funding levels and other priorities, it is unlikely that the general upgrading of the sewerage networks in the Newtownabbey and Jordanstown areas can commence before 2006.

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister for Regional Development to detail the monitoring arrangements in place in the Newtownabbey Borough Council area which prevent sewage from entering the water system.

(AQW 1658/00)

Mr Campbell: It is a normal feature of combined sewerage systems, which deal with both sewage and storm water, to include overflows. These are designed as safety devices to allow highly diluted but untreated waste water, which is in excess of the sewer capacity, to discharge to rivers or other watercourses, and thus prevent out-of-sewer flooding.

There are a number of these combined sewer overflows which discharge to watercourses in the Newtownabbey Borough Council area. These are inspected on a regular basis, usually once a week, to ensure they are operating satisfactorily.

Planned improvements to the sewerage infrastructure will result in a reduction in the number of combined sewer overflows, and will also ensure that they will be required to operate less frequently during periods of heavy rainfall.

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister for Social Development to detail the number of houses in the Strangford constituency that have received insulation measures under the new domestic energy efficiency scheme.

(AQW 1629/00)

The Minister for Social Development (Mr Morrow): The new domestic energy efficiency scheme (DEES) does not come into operation until 1 April 2001. However, under the current DEES scheme, a total of 2,943 jobs have been completed in houses in the Strangford constituency for the period January 1995 to 31 December 2000.

(AQW 1649/00)

Mr Morrow: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, whose chief executive has advised that information prior to the 1995-96 financial year is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The information from 1995-96 is set out in the table below.

Intimidation, in this instance, is defined as a situation where the applicant’s home has been destroyed or seriously damaged as a result of a terrorist or sectarian attack. Alternatively, it may not be reasonable for the applicant to remain in his/her home, because of a serious and imminent risk that he/she or members of their household would be seriously injured as a result of a terrorist attack.

(AQW 1656/00)

Mr Morrow: Every five years the Housing Executive carries out a house condition survey which shows the levels of unfitness in Northern Ireland. The information however, is only broken down to district council level. It is therefore not possible to provide figures exclusive to your constituency as none of the three councils are fully located within its boundaries.

The latest figures available for the three councils are from the 1996 survey and show:

A new survey is due to commence in the summer of this year.

The private sector grants scheme administered by the Housing Executive has played an important part in reducing unfitness to its present level of 7·3% (1996 survey) and will continue to be a key programme. Since 1992 some £305 million has been spent on private sector grant activity throughout Northern Ireland and for the 3 councils that make up your constituency some 458 grant applications, worth around £7·3 million, have been approved between March 1997 and March 2000.

(AQW 1663/00)

Mr Morrow: As at September 2000, there were 169,563 people in receipt of income support, 65,858 male and 103,705 female.

(AQW 1671/00)

Mr Morrow: The appeals service has no immediate plans to simplify the language used in correspondence. However, if Mr Fee is aware of any particular issues or concerns in relation to the language used, I am happy to ask the appeals service to conduct a review in light of those concerns.

(AQW 1688/00)

Mr Morrow: The Child Support Agency is taking the following steps to ensure the ongoing improvement in the standard of its decision-making:

• an accuracy task force was established to improve the overall agency accuracy rate and to support the preparation for the child support reforms. Recommendations made by the task force are already being implemented throughout the agency;
• training has been delivered to all staff on problematic decision-making areas;
• revised training and consolidation process in place for the significant number of new staff joining the agency;
• developed and delivered an "intensive care" training course for staff who have particular problem areas;
• introduced new arrangements for case handling which will speed up information gathering, particularly in cases deemed to have insufficient evidence;
• introduced a new accuracy information database which provides low level detail on adjudication errors;
• developed new accuracy plans for decision-makers; and
• increased numbers of pre-adjudication checks.

In addition to the above steps, an agency quality council has been introduced for the co-ordination and control of all quality initiatives throughout the Child Support Agency.

On a weekly basis, operational staff and managers discuss weaknesses and implement suggestions for improvement.

The standard of decision-making in the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency is significantly better than in Great Britain. This is evident in the cash value accuracy of maintenance assessments, with the Northern Ireland agency achieving 12% higher accuracy in 1999-2000 compared to the Great Britain agency.

However, until the child support reforms are fully implemented the complexity of the current system, coupled with staff inexperience, will continue to make it difficult for the agency to achieve the accuracy targets which I have set for it.

Mrs I Robinson asked the Assembly Commission to detail by directorate the number of staff it employs.

(AQW 1657/00)

The Representative of the Assembly Commission (Mrs E Bell): The Assembly Commission directly employs a total of 231 staff. The Assembly Commission is committed to recruiting all Assembly staff through open competition and at present the total number of staff who have been recruited through open advertisement is 78. In addition the Assembly Commission uses a number of independent recruitment agencies to employ temporary staff pending the outcome of several open recruitment competitions. At present there are a total of 68 temporary recruitment agency staff employed in the Assembly. The distribution of staff by directorate is shown in the table on the following page.