(AQW 2969/01)

The Minister of Education (Mr M McGuinness): School meals accommodation at Glastry College is a matter for the South-Eastern Education and Library Board in the first instance. I understand from the Board that its minor capital works budget for this financial year is fully committed and that the upgrade of school meals provision at Glastry is on a list of projects which will have priority next year.

(AQW 3020/01)

Mr M McGuinness: My Department does have a Public Service Agreement target to reduce the number of pupils who are persistent non-attenders at school. Action to achieve the target includes developing good practice materials for the primary sector in promoting regular attendance and in early referral of pupils whose attendance patterns give cause for concern. This work will be informed by drawing on the experience of schools here, in the Republic of Ireland and the UK on effective interventions.

(AQW 3021/01)

Mr M McGuinness: My Department does have a Public Service Agreement target to reduce the number of pupils who are persistent non-attenders at school. Action to achieve the target includes developing good practice materials for the primary sector in promoting regular attendance and in early referral of pupils whose attendance patterns give cause for concern. This work will be informed by drawing on the experience of schools here, in the Republic of Ireland and the UK on effective interventions.

(AQW 3038/01)

Mr M McGuinness: The current curriculum allows young people to be taught about the arts and culture through the programmes of study for Art and Design, Music, Drama, Design and Technology, English and Physical Education, and also through the cross-curricular themes of Cultural Heritage and Education for Mutual Understanding.

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is currently undertaking a review of the curriculum here. CCEA’s proposals for both primary and post-primary education include curriculum areas covering Creative and Expressive Development which are designed to give children greater access to, and to enhance the status of, arts and culture within the curriculum.

In addition to providing a number of syllabuses for GCSE, AS and A level examinations that focus on the arts and culture, CCEA is also involved in a number of competitions and events which all help to promote and celebrate arts and culture among young people here.

(AQW 3042/01)

Mr M McGuinness: Responsibility for drawing up admissions criteria for P1 classes are a matter for the Board of Governors of each primary school but are subject to regulations set by my Department. The regulations specify matters to be included, or not included, in the criteria. My Department also provides advice to schools on issues related to admissions criteria.

(AQW 3046/01)

Mr M McGuinness: All part-time voluntary organisations (including uniformed youth organisations) registering for financial assistance in the Western Education and Library Board must have suitable premises; an appropriate constitution; a child protection policy; appropriate cash handling/recording procedures; be in existence a minimum of 6 months; have a membership of 15 in the 4-25 year age range and be open a minimum of 26 weeks per year and a minimum of 2.5 hours per session (if open between 1 hour and less than 2.5 hours per session, grant is reduced by 25%).

(AQW 3047/01)

Mr M McGuinness: The criteria used with regard to consulting on equality impact assessments are set out in my Department’s Equality Scheme as approved by the Equality Commission.

Section 4.3 of the Scheme states:

"The nature of the policy under review, and its relevance to any particular body or interest group, will determine which organisations are consulted on any given policy. The Department will consult with the Equality Commission and the Community Relations Council, voluntary, community and trade union groups and organisations representing the various categories included in Section 75 on issues relevant to the fulfilment of the Section 75 obligations. The full list of bodies is set out at Annex F. The list is not exhaustive and may be amended or augmented in light of experience. The Department will consult any representative organisation or group which has an interest in its work and/or the impact of its policies on the promotion of equality and good relations."

In any particular case, therefore, it is a matter for my Department to determine which are the most appropriate groups or individuals to consult as part of the equality impact assessment process.

(AQW 3073/01)

Mr M McGuinness: I have been advised by the Education and Library Boards that the numbers are as follows:

(AQW 3137/01)

Mr M McGuinness: I fully appreciate the concerns of principals and vice-principals about their salary arrangements, and the need for appropriate salary differentials to ensure that we have dedicated professionals with the qualities to lead our schools. The terms of reference for an independent inquiry into teachers’ pay and conditions of service, which Teachers’ Side and Management Side of the Negotiating Committee have agreed, provide for an urgent interim report on the impact of the implementation of the Pay Award 2000 on the salaries of principals and vice-principals. I announced on 23 April that I had decided to establish the inquiry, which will be looking at this matter first.

(AQW 3183/01)

Mr M McGuinness: I refer to my previous answer to AQO 967/01.

(AQW 2931/01)

The Minister for Employment and Learning (Ms Hanna): East Down Institute of Further and Higher education had 731 enrolments in Information Technology and related courses as at 1st November 2000, the latest date for which figures are available. This equated to 18% of the institute’s total vocational enrolments. There are no restrictions on the number and range of part time or full time FE courses that the institute may offer or indeed the level of part-time higher education (HE) places other than the normal course approval process. Due to financial considerations the number of publicly funded full time HE places is restricted. Should additional resources become available I will review the issue of full-time HE provision on a Northern Ireland basis in line with existing priorities.

(AQW 2955/01)

Ms Hanna: The Basic Skills Innovation Fund was established in 1999 as a key function of the Basic Skills Unit to promote and support innovative approaches in the delivery of basic skills to adults within the wider community. A total amount of £154,886 was awarded for the 2 year period ending 31 March 2002. A detailed breakdown of the projects and degree of support has been placed in the Assembly library for your information.

(AQW 3011/01)

Ms Hanna: Forbairt Feirste does not have Training Organisation status from the Department. Consequently funding for the academic year 01/02 has been provided through the Belfast Institute for Higher and Further Education, a recognised Training Organisation under the Jobskills programme and a partner with Forbairt Feirst in the delivery of programmes.

(AQW 3012/01)

Ms Hanna: The Department has recently taken delivery of research work carried out by Gairm and will now develop a scoping paper to form the basis for consultation with interested groups. The Irish Language Groups identified in the Gairm report and others will be included in the consultation. Any policy implications arising from the review will of course be subjected to a specific consultation on equality in line with the Department’s published practice.

(AQW 3013/01)

Ms Hanna: The Department has recently taken delivery of a research report from Gairm and will now develop a scoping paper which will form the basis of an initial consultation with interested parties. Following contributions from those interested parties I would intend making a statement on future policy development on this issue. I would expect to have that work completed before the summer recess.

(AQW 3014/01)

Ms Hanna: There are two Irish Medium Secondary Schools in Northern Ireland. There is an expectation that relatively few young people achieving the minimum school leaving age will leave school this summer and seek further vocational, educational or training opportunities. Each of those young people will receive careers education and guidance and make a determination on their choice of career development. The small demand to date for Irish Language Medium vocational education and training for school leavers poses a challenge for providers. However Springvale Training Ltd, North West Institute for Higher and Further Education and other Training Organisations have provision and support in the Irish Language.

(AQW 3022/01)

Ms Hanna: There is no part of the Departmental estate, not used for departmental or related ancillary purposes.

(AQW 3119/01)

Ms Hanna: The Department’s "New TSN Action Plan for the period April 2001 – March 2003" makes specific reference to the Measures of Deprivation in Northern Ireland, also known as the Noble Indicators. The Plan states: "The central focus of DEL’s responsibilities is individuals rather than areas", and "DEL will not be targeting its activities by reference to binary maps which divide Northern Ireland into New TSN and non-NTSN areas". In relation to EU Programmes specifically, the Action Plan says" Projects and actions funded under these programmes will complement and add to the Department’s contribution to New TSN". There are eight Measures in Priority 2 of the Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity, agreed by the Executive and the Commission, that reflect DEL’s policy on the Measures of Deprivation in Northern Ireland. To be eligible for assistance projects had to comply with the PBSP Measure criteria which cater for NEW TSN issues.

(AQW 3120/01)

Ms Hanna: The Department received 54 applications for assistance under Measure 2.3 of the Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity. 33 of the 54 applications required economic appraisals. These were undertaken by consultants appointed following a call for tender in line with Government Purchasing Agency requirements. The 33 economic appraisals cost £142,080 exc. VAT.

(AQW 3121/01)

Ms Hanna: The detailed application forms for the Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity, PBSP, helped to establish eligibility for the European Social Fund, ESF, compliance with Section 75 requirements as well as containing specific scoring questions. The applicants were told the scoring questions and their respective marks. The scoring questions included ones which asked the applicants to identify why the project is needed, who the project is for and how it would fit the objectives of the PBSP and the overarching Community Support Framework for Northern Ireland. Once eligibility for ESF and compliance with Section 75 had been established selection was carried out. For individual Measures selection panels, of two officials and an independent non civil servant, scored only the answers provided for the scoring questions. On this competitive basis applications were ranked on the basis of their total scores.

(AQW 3122/01)

Ms Hanna: As outlined in my Department’s New TSN Action Plan (April 2001 to March 2003, copy available in the Assembly Library) the Central focus of DEL’s responsibilities is individuals rather than areas. For example, labour market interventions such as the New Deals and Jobskills Access are designed to meet the needs of specific groups of people wherever they live. Similarly, from the perspective of New TSN, further and higher education are primarily about meeting the needs and aspirations of individuals. DEL, therefore, targets its activities according to the needs of individuals rather than by reference to binary maps which divide Northern Ireland into New TSN and non-TSN areas.

(AQW 3153/01)

(a) There are 19,931 students enrolled at Queen’s University Belfast for the 2001/02 academic year.

(b) Mature students are defined as those aged 25 years and over, or alternatively those aged 21 years and over.

Of the 19,931 students enrolled at QUB for the 2001/02 academic year, 4,932 were aged between 21 and 24 years inclusive and 6,366 were aged 25 years and over.

(c) Of the 19,931 students enrolled at QUB for the 2001/02 academic year, 6,486 students were in their first year of undergraduate study, of which 606 are aged between 21 and 24 years inclusive and 2,028 are aged 25 years and over.

(AQW 2907/01)

The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Sir Reg Empey): [holding answer 25 April 2002]: Invest NI was established on 1 April 2002. The Keynote for Invest NI’s activities will be innovation and entrepreneurship. A key element of this approach has been the establishment of a new Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Team within Invest Northern Ireland with responsibility for implementing the Northern Ireland Business Birth Rate Strategy. The Strategy aims to increase the number of people who aspire to run their own business and then progress from thought to action, and to increase and widen the population base for potential business starts, with specific attention to high-growth/technology based ideas and under-represented groups.

(AQW 2956/01)

(a) There are (i) no Departmental credit cards in use in my Department. There are however, two Government Procurement Cards. (ii) My Department does not have any Executive Agencies. (iii) My Department’s NDPB’s currently hold two credit cards, one in the former Local Enterprise Development Unit (LEDU) and one within the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB). (iv) InterTradeIreland which is one third funded by my Department and two thirds funded by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment ROI, has one credit card.

(b) In the financial year 2001/2002 expenditure on the LEDU card was £92,126.33. NITB had one card in 2001/2002 with spend of £891.39. A second card, issued by the British Tourist Authority to the New York NITB office manager incurred spend of £12,680.68 – this card was cancelled in November 2001. InterTradeIreland card totalled £4,229.14. Expenditure on the two Government Procurement Cards was, card one £150,799.44 and card two £7,641.32.

(AQW 2970/01)

Sir Reg Empey: The latest figures available detailing the proportion of the working age population who have a qualification below NVQ level 4 by District Council Area are included in Table 1 overleaf.

(AQW 2999/01)

Sir Reg Empey: My Department’s estate has, since the former Industrial Research and Technology Unit site in Lisburn moved to Invest NI, been reduced to the Trading Standards Service in Newtownbreda. I can confirm that this property is used only for departmental business.

(AQW 3010/01)

The balance of 249 Critical Care registrants cannot be identified by Parliamentary Constituency due either to postcodes which could not be matched during analysis (53) or non-availability of postcodes (196).

(AQW 3049/01)

Sir Reg Empey: Selective Financial Assistance offered by IDB to client companies in East Londonderry for the years 1998/1999, 1999/2000 and 2000/2001is shown in the following extract from table 3.4 of IDB’s Annual Report for 2000/01. Equivalent data for 2001/2002 is in the process of being compiled and will be available later in 2002.

(AQW 3050/01)

Sir Reg Empey: Through Invest Northern Ireland, my Department will implement the Northern Ireland Business Birth Rate Strategy incorporating a range of initiatives, which will assist many new entrepreneurs into sustainable businesses thus increasing the number of business starts in Northern Ireland, including the East Londonderry constituency.

The Northern Ireland Business Start Programme, funded by Invest NI, Councils and EU has recently been relaunched. The programme provides support to new locally focused businesses and is delivered in East Londonderry by Coleraine Enterprise Agency.

Invest NI will continue to market Northern Ireland as an investment location. We will encourage perspective investors to visit all areas of Northern Ireland including East Londonderry and promote the capabilities of all our educational establishments including the UU at Coleraine and its science park at major exhibitions and conferences.

Invest NI, the University of Ulster and the Councils of Coleraine and Derry are exploring the possibility of marketing the North West as a Science Park Region.

(AQW 3051/01)

Sir Reg Empey: The criteria used to determine who is consulted is that contained in the Equality Commission’s guidance, approved by a former Secretary of State, on the implementation of the statutory duties and states, "Consultation must be carried out with relevant interest groups as well as the Equality Commission, other public bodies, voluntary, community, trade union and other groups with a legitimate interest in the matter …". The DETI Equality Scheme notes that in consulting on any matter to which this Scheme relates, the Department will write to bodies listed within the Scheme’s consultation list. DETI is committed to ensuring that consultation is effective, inclusive and as meaningful as possible and is working with OFM/DFM and relevant organisations in this regard.

(AQW 3141/01)

Sir Reg Empey: Electronic communication and service delivery is not just about using IT to deliver existing services but rather to take a fundamental look at what is being delivered, how it is being delivered and what improvements could be made having considered the service from the customers viewpoint. Ultimately e-Business will improve communication, deliver services with wider access, faster and more cost effectively to the public.

We are applying this approach to Companies Registry where a project is underway which will result in transforming the business from a paper-based facility into an electronic registry with the capacity to support the search, registration, filing and updating and regulation of registered documents using ‘e’ capabilities. A public consultation on the Companies Registry e-Business project will issue in May 2002 and will include a section dealing with equality issues. The project will act as the ‘e’ exemplar for DETI and will be used to develop a generic framework for implementing change across DETI.

In addition we have developed an Internet presence providing information directly to the public and have established an Editorial Board to ensure that DETI’s web sites are developed and maintained with useful and relevant information. We have taken the lead in running a pilot for Electronic Records and Document Management and have published the lessons learned to the rest of the NICS. Implementation of EDRMs is a key plank in DETI’s plans to bring structure to information holdings and facilitate the access to information that is guaranteed by the Freedom of Information Bill.

DETI has developed an IT Strategy which ensures that the same technology underpins multiple delivery channels so that solutions can be tested in-house before unleashing on the public. We have consolidated and upgraded our infrastructure, had it successfully security accredited and have trained staff in using the new facilities. In addition we have structured ourselves around the integration of business and technical expertise to create the synergy necessary to make a difference through electronic service delivery.

In summary we are making steady progress with our plans for electronic service delivery. Our approach is very much centred on ensuring that the services and information we provide are designed to meet customer needs and in so doing we expect to meet the targets set.