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Friday 23 March 2001
Free School Meals Mrs Iris Robinson asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 1655/00, to detail, by parliamentary constituency, (a) those schools which provide free meals and (b) the number of pupils entitled to receive free meals at each school. (AQW 2032/00) The Minister of Education (Mr McGuinness): All grant-aided schools make arrangements for the provision of free school meals to those pupils entitled to receive them. A table detailing, by parliamentary constituency, the number of pupils entitled to receive free school meals at each school in October 1999 has been placed in the Assembly Library. Educational Needs of Autistic Children Mrs Iris Robinson asked the Minister of Education to detail (a) the number of autistic children with a statement of special educational need (b) what facilities are available for such children and (c) the number of teachers who specialise in this field. (AQW 2152/00) Mr McGuinness: As I indicated in my Answer to the Member on 8 March, the October 2000 school census show a total of 179 children in nursery, primary and secondary schools, presenting as autistic according to their statements of special educational needs. I will also provide information on the numbers in special schools when these become available. Many autistic children with severe learning difficulties attend special schools where there are appropriate staff and facilities to meet their special educational needs. Depending on the severity of their needs, some of those at mainstream schools may have classroom assistance and be supported either by a peripatetic teacher or an outreach teacher attached to a special school. The number of teachers in each Education and Library Board area trained to cater for the needs of autistic children are as follows : -
British Sign Language Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Education to detail the steps he is taking to ensure that British Sign Language is taught to deaf children in schools. (AQW 2208/00) Mr McGuinness: Local special educational provision for hearing impaired children may be made in mainstream classes in primary and secondary schools, in special education units for the hearing impaired attached to certain of those schools and in Jordanstown Special School for the hearing and visually impaired. Jordanstown is the only local school where sign language is used on a regular basis, although it is provided by teachers and classroom assistants in special units where appropriate. There are several forms of sign language in common use, other than British Sign Language; Jordanstown School uses British Signed English. Council for Catholic Maintained Schools : Members Mr John Taylor asked the Minister of Education to detail (a) the number of persons from outside Northern Ireland who presently serve as Members of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (b) the date on which the Chairman of the Council signed the Annual Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2000 and to make a statement. (AQW 2210/00) Mr McGuinness: One person from outside Northern Ireland presently serves as a Member of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. The Accounts were signed by the Vice-Chairperson on 14 November 2000. The delay was due to the illness and subsequent death of the Chairman, Bishop Michael Dallat. Council for Catholic Maintained Schools : Rent and Rates Mr John Taylor asked the Minister of Education to detail why the item "Rent and Rates" in the Accounts of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools increased from £25,409 to £126,010 in the years ending 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000 respectively and to make a statement. (AQW 2211/00) Mr McGuinness: The office accommodation for Down and Connor Education Committee and the Clogher Diocesan Education Committee was relocated in 1998/99 and 1999/00 respectively. The additional rent and rates costs in the year ended 31 March 2000 can be attributed to the full year rental costs of £25,000 for Down and Connor, a one-off payment of £80,000, in lieu of rent for a 25 year period, for Clogher and the remainder for rates for the Armagh Office. Premises for the Council and the five Diocesan Education Committees were provided free of charge by the Church Authorities to fulfil their commitment to make a significant contribution to the accommodation requirements of the Council during its establishment. In 1995 the Department accepted that the Church Authorities had met their initial commitment and any future accommodation requirements of the Council would be eligible for grant aid. Maintenance Work at Schools Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of Education to detail the backlog of high priority maintenance work in respect of schools in the Parliamentary Constituency of East Antrim. (AQW 2237/00) Mr McGuinness: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Teachers : Employment and Retirement Mrs Iris Robinson asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of (a) teachers employed in each education and library board area (b) teachers who have taken early retirement in each of the last five years and (c) teaching vacancies that remain unfilled over the past twelve months. (AQW 2248/00) Mr McGuinness: (a) The following table details the numbers of teachers currently employed in each Board area:- Board Area Total Teachers
(b) The following table details the total number of teachers who have left teaching during each of the last five academic years on grounds of either Efficient Discharge, Redundancy or Ill-health. Academic Year Total Teachers
(c) The information requested is not held by the Department
of Education, nor is it collated by the relevant employing authorities. Enterprise, Trade and Investment Unemployment Statistics : Upper Bann Dr Dara O'Hagan asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail, by electoral ward, the unemployment rates for the parliamentary constituency of Upper Bann. (AQW 2270/00) The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Sir Reg Empey): Unemployment statistics at Parliamentary Constituency and ward level are only available from the claimant count. While rates are available at Parliamentary Constituency level, they are not available at ward level. Upper Bann Parliamentary Constituency is made up of all of Craigavon District Council and eight of the fifteen wards from Banbridge District Council. Details of the number and rate of claimant count unemployment in Upper Bann Parliamentary Constituency at February 2001 is given in Table 1 and the number of claimants for each ward within this Constituency is given in Table 2. Table 1 Number and rate of claimant count unemployed in Upper Bann Parliamentary Constituency at February 2001.
Table 2 Number of claimant unemployed in Upper Bann Parliamentary Constituency wards at February 2001.
Areas of Townscape Character Ms Eileen Bell asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the criteria for boundaries adopted within the guidelines for areas of townscape character as stipulated in his Department's Supplementary Planning Guidance. (AQW 2189/00) The Minister of the Environment (Mr Foster): Areas of Townscape Character (ATC) will, where appropriate, be designated within development plans. In establishing the boundary for any such ATC it is of paramount importance to recognise firstly its own distinctive characteristics, normally based on an architectural or historic built form or layout, and also the extent of area to which the control of development afforded by such designation would be necessary in order to respect these characteristics. The proposed boundary of any ATC put forward in a draft development plan would be established from survey work undertaken. The development plan process involves public consultation and following draft plan publication there is opportunity for people to object and the possibility of further consideration through a Public Inquiry. Failure to Display Vehicle Excise Duty Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of people who were sent a notification of intended prosecution for failure to display a vehicle excise licence in the last year for which figures are available and how much revenue was recovered as a result of this action. (AQW 2228/00) Mr Foster: The collection and enforcement of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) are excepted matters. They are carried out in Northern Ireland by DVLNI under the terms of a formal agreement between DOE and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 specifically states that the offences for which the Secretary of State for DETR may institute proceedings. Failure to display a licence is not included in these offences but is an offence under Section 33 of the Act. Enforcement for this offence is a matter for the RUC and I have no information on the number of prosecutions for failure to display a Vehicle Excise Duty licence or the revenue recovered. Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans for future funding of the Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland and if future funding levels will be linked to inflation. (AQW 2230/00) Mr Foster: The Department provided £93k to fund the activities of the Road Safety Council and its local road safety committees in 2000/01. In addition the Department provided £50,000 to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to provide administrative support for the Council. The level of funding is not linked to inflation but is related to an annual programme of activity by the Council agreed with the Department. As with all government programmes, the work and funding of the Road Safety Council is subject to review at five yearly intervals and a review is to be carried out later this year. The level of funding for the Council will form part of that review and I will consider at that time whether to link this to inflation. Planning Applications : High Voltage Overhead Power Lines Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the criteria used when assessing planning applications for new high-voltage overhead power lines. (AQW 2243/00) Mr Foster: My Department’s planning policy on overhead cables is set out in Policy PSU 11 of the publication entitled "A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland", a copy of which is available in the Library. Briefly, planning applications for high-voltage overhead power lines are assessed under land use and visual impact criteria. My Department is progressively replacing parts of the policy framework contained in the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland with a series of new and revised Planning Policy Statements (PPS). When published, the policies in these PPS’s will apply across all of Northern Ireland. Of particular relevance is a proposed PPS on Public Services/Utilities which will provide an opportunity to review policy aspects in relation to the matter of overhead power lines. This is not contained with the PPS programme at present. When undertaking all the essential considerations including comprehensive consultation in the zoning of land for new housing within a development plan, my Department would consider the existence of high voltage overhead power lines as both a physical and environmental constraint. The significance of this constraint would clearly depend on the extent of impact on any given site and there would be circumstances where it would be material in any decision not to zone an area for housing development. Planning Applications : High Voltage Overhead Power Lines Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment to re-assess the planning criteria used to determine the siting of high voltage power lines. (AQW 2244/00) Mr Foster: My Department’s planning policy on overhead cables is set out in Policy PSU 11 of the publication entitled "A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland", a copy of which is available in the Library. Briefly, planning applications for high-voltage overhead power lines are assessed under land use and visual impact criteria. My Department is progressively replacing parts of the policy framework contained in the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland with a series of new and revised Planning Policy Statements (PPS). When published, the policies in these PPS’s will apply across all of Northern Ireland. Of particular relevance is a proposed PPS on Public Services/Utilities which will provide an opportunity to review policy aspects in relation to the matter of overhead power lines. This is not contained with the PPS programme at present. When undertaking all the essential considerations including comprehensive consultation in the zoning of land for new housing within a development plan, my Department would consider the existence of high voltage overhead power lines as both a physical and environmental constraint. The significance of this constraint would clearly depend on the extent of impact on any given site and there would be circumstances where it would be material in any decision not to zone an area for housing development. Planning Applications : High Voltage Overhead Power Lines Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment whether the existence of high voltage overhead power lines are considered when zoning land for new housing developments. (AQW 2245/00) Mr Foster: My Department’s planning policy on overhead cables is set out in Policy PSU 11 of the publication entitled "A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland", a copy of which is available in the Library. Briefly, planning applications for high-voltage overhead power lines are assessed under land use and visual impact criteria. My Department is progressively replacing parts of the policy framework contained in the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland with a series of new and revised Planning Policy Statements (PPS). When published, the policies in these PPS’s will apply across all of Northern Ireland. Of particular relevance is a proposed PPS on Public Services/Utilities which will provide an opportunity to review policy aspects in relation to the matter of overhead power lines. This is not contained with the PPS programme at present. When undertaking all the essential considerations including comprehensive consultation in the zoning of land for new housing within a development plan, my Department would consider the existence of high voltage overhead power lines as both a physical and environmental constraint. The significance of this constraint would clearly depend on the extent of impact on any given site and there would be circumstances where it would be material in any decision not to zone an area for housing development. Carrickfergus Castle : Running Costs Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the running costs of Carrickfergus Castle in each of the last five years. (AQW 2273/00) Mr Foster: I refer the Member to the answer I gave to AQW 2061-00. Retrospective Planning Approvals Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to AQO 1006/00, whether he will undertake to publish at regular intervals, by district council area, the number of retrospective planning approvals being recorded by the Planning Service. (AQW 2275/00) Mr Foster: As indicated in my previous answer, I have asked officials to start recording this information on the existing database in respect of future cases. This information will be published each year in the Planning Service’s Annual Report and Accounts. Planning Regulations : New Shop Fronts Mr Alan McFarland asked the Minister of the Environment to detail what planning regulations exist to ensure that new shop fronts being constructed in a given town adhere to the character of existing shops. (AQW 2286/00) Mr Foster: The relevant policies are set out in:-
Planning Policy Statement 1 states that applicants for planning permission will have to be able to demonstrate how they have taken account of the need for good design in their development proposals and that they have had regard to relevant development plan policies and supplementary design guidance. This should be done in a manner appropriate to the nature and the scale of the proposals. The ‘Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland’ states that it is the Department’s policy to promote high standards of siting and design within towns and villages. Development proposals in towns and villages are required to make a positive contribution to townscape and be sensitive to the character of the area surrounding the site in terms of design, scale and use of materials. Policies for shop fronts for specific town centres may be included in Town Centre Local Plans. Policy BH8 of Planning Policy Statement 6 states that in the case of an extension or alteration of a listed building, the Department will only grant consent to proposals for the extension or alteration of a listed building where all the following criteria are met;
It also states with regard to conservation areas that the Department will normally only permit development proposals for new buildings, alterations, extensions and changes of use in, or which impact on the setting of, a conservation area where all the following criteria are met:-
the development conforms with the guidance set out in conservation area designation documents. Designated Areas of Townscape Character Mr David McClarty asked the Minister of the Environment to outline what plans he has to expand the number of designated townscape areas within the parliamentary constituency of East Londonderry. (AQW 2311/00) Mr Foster: I have no immediate plans to increase the number of designated Areas of Townscape Character in the East Londonderry Constituency. However, my Department has commenced the statutory process leading to the preparation of a new Area Plan, to be known as the Northern Area Plan, for Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady and Moyle Council areas. This process will provide an opportunity for my Department, in consultation with District Councils and the public, to consider what additional areas might merit being designated as Areas of Townscape Character in the four Districts including Coleraine and Limavady in the East Londonderry constituency. Areas of Townscape Character Mr David McClarty asked the Minister of the Environment to outline the criteria used to designate townscape areas. (AQW 2312/00) Mr Foster: Areas of Townscape Character (ATC) will, where appropriate, be designated within development plans. In establishing the boundary for any such ATC it is of paramount importance to recognise firstly its own distinctive characteristics, normally based on an architectural or historic built form or layout, and also the extent of area to which the control of development afforded by such designation would be necessary in order to respect these characteristics. The proposed boundary of any ATC put forward in a draft development plan would be established from survey work undertaken. The development plan process involves public consultation and following draft plan publication there is opportunity for people to object and the possibility of further consideration through a Public Inquiry. Industrial Waste : Belfast Lough Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to give his assessment on the level of industrial waste currently being deposited into Belfast Lough from the parliamentary constituency of East Antrim. (AQW 2320/00) Mr Foster: My Department does not hold the information requested. However, my officials have made enquiries with councils in the Parliamentary Constituency of East Antrim, namely Larne BC, Carrickfergus BC and Newtownabbey BC. In terms of solid industrial waste only Carrickfergus has a licensed disposal operation for disposal to Belfast Lough. This is at Kilroot Power Station where some 1500 tonnes of furnace bottom, ash, oil grits and soot is disposed of weekly into a purpose built lagoon. Belfast City Council operates and regulates the municipal waste disposal site at Dargan Road. It accepts some 55,000 tonnes of commercial and industrial waste per annum at the facility from various private sources, including sources from within the East Antrim Parliamentary constituency. However, the Council cannot provide a breakdown of this figure which would identify the tonnage specific to the East Antrim Parliamentary constituency. Planning Applications : Telecommunications Masts Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning applications for the erection of telecommunications masts, in each parliamentary constituency, that have been (a) approved and (b) refused in each of the last three years for which figures are available. (AQW 2340/00) Mr Foster: The Planning Service does not record details of planning applications on a parliamentary constituency basis. Details of planning applications by calendar year, including applications for Prior Approval, for telecommunications masts in all district council areas throughout Northern Ireland are set out in the attached schedule. TELECOMMUNICATIONS DECISIONS
* APP / REF APPROVED /REFUSED |
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