(AQW 2984/01)

(a) The number of credit cards in use is as follows:

(b) Expenditure incurred on the cards for the financial year ended 31 March 2002 is as follows:

(AQW 3001/01)

Mr Nesbitt: My Department is taking a number of steps to ensure that information on water testing is shared with European colleagues. The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is involved in a wide range of quality assurance schemes in the chemical analysis of marine and estuarine waters, microbiology, and, marine and freshwater biology. These often have a significant European dimension.

For example, in the area of environmental water quality analysis, EHS participates in the Quality Assurance in Marine Environmental Monitoring in Europe (QUASIMEME) scheme. QUASIMEME regularly organises conferences and technical workshops in particular areas of analysis, which enable information to be shared between participating countries.

On behalf of the UK, EHS supports the technical secretariat of the European Standards Committee working group, (CEN/TC 230 WG 2), which deals with the standardisation of biological and ecological assessment methods. The parent committee, (CEN/TC 230 – Water Analysis) has responsibility for the European standardisation of relevant methods, which automatically become the EU reference methods as required in the EC Water Framework Directive.

Further to the work of the European Standards Committee, a European wide expert network group of over 100 scientists, including EHS representatives, corresponds on specific ecological issues relevant to EU legislation.

EHS is also actively collaborating with Scandinavian scientists in developing ecological assessment methodologies in support of the EC Water Framework Directive.

(AQW 3023/01)

Mr Nesbitt: There are no parts of the Department’s estate not used for departmental or related ancillary purposes.

(AQW 3052/01)

Mr Nesbitt: The meeting held on 11 April 2002, which was also attended by a representative from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, was essentially a fact-finding exercise.

There was an open and frank discussion on the roles of the various interested parties; the relevant policies and current programmes; the issues under consideration, and a general synopsis of the current position.

The meeting concluded with a number of those present being tasked to collate the information they hold and, subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act, to forward it to the other interested parties in order that an overall picture can be formed. No further meeting is proposed at this stage.

I have asked officials from my Department to keep you informed of the findings of the ‘group’ and also any developments that may arise out of their deliberations.

(AQW 3053/01)

Mr Nesbitt: The Department determines who is to be consulted as part of each equality impact assessment in accordance with the advice in the Equality Commission’s Guide to the Statutory Duties. The Department’s Equality Scheme gives officials discretion to consult relevant organisations drawn from the consultation list in the Scheme. Consultation lists are prepared for each equality impact assessment on an individual basis drawing from the Equality Scheme consultation list.

The Department is committed to ensuring that consultation is effective, inclusive and as meaningful as possible. We are continually looking at ways to improve our methods of consultation, and have discussed this with representatives of the main Section 75 Groups.

(AQW 3090/01)

Mr Nesbitt: Further to AQW 2853/00 answered on 18 May 2001, I regret that, because of other pressures, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of my Department was not able to complete during 2001/2 the marketing strategy which, among other things, would have considered the opportunities to promote Carrickfergus Castle.

However, subject to the recruitment of a marketing officer EHS expects to prepare during the current financial year a marketing strategy to promote all its sites and properties.

In developing this strategy, EHS will consider the opportunities for using the Causeway Coast and Glens Regional Tourism Organisation, and similar bodies, to promote Carrickfergus Castle.

(AQW 3124/01)

Mr Nesbitt: I have no plans at present to introduce legislation to restrict the planting of leylandii trees in residential areas.

However, my officials will continue to monitor the position, and consider the need for, and most appropriate means of dealing with leylandii, and other problem trees and hedges.

(AQW 3134/01)

(a) I anticipate that the draft plan will be published during August 2002.

The Ards and Down Area Plan 2015 is the first to be prepared in the context of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS), which was formulated in September 2001.

The Strategic Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 requires the Plan to be "consistent with" the RDS. The requirement of consistency has necessitated extensive discussions and additional work to ensure that the Plan will be consistent with all the approaches to sustainable development required by the Strategy.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) is currently consulting on changes to the Strategic Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 to amend the obligation of consistency to one in which plans are required to be "in general conformity" with the RDS.

It is proposed to introduce a formal procedure whereby DRD will issue a ‘statement of conformity’, to clarify that a development plan conforms with the RDS at draft plan, and at final adoption stage.

Preparation of the Draft Plan Written Statement and supporting technical documentation for the Ards and Down Area Plan is well advanced. Clearance on ‘consistency’ will require consultations with the Department for Regional Development on the completed draft prior to publication.

(b) As a result of these considerations Planning Service now expects to publish the draft Plan in August 2002.

(AQW 3144/01)

Mr Nesbitt: The application, seeking approval for the demolition of properties at 5-13 Cheston St and 4,5 & 7 Governor’s Place, Carrickfergus, the retention of the façade of a listed building at 4 Governor’s Place, and the erection of 26 apartments with associated on site parking, was received on 22 December 2000. There are two other concurrent applications for Listed Building Consent and Conservation Area Consent in respect of the development.

Contextual drawings were requested by the Department to ensure a proper assessment of the proposal. After a series of discussions and meetings with the applicant, agent, and officials from the Construction Service and Environment and Heritage Service, it was determined that the Listed Building could be retained without wholesale demolition.

The applicant subsequently agreed at a site meeting on 5 February 2002 to withdraw the application for demolition of the Listed Building, and to submit a fresh application based on retaining the majority of the property.

The current position is that revised sketch proposals have been received, and these have been circulated to consultees for appraisal. A meeting has been arranged between Planning officials and the applicant to discuss the revisions on 9th May 2002.

(AQW 3275/01)

Mr Nesbitt: I am not aware of any information on agricultural land values being directly affected as a consequence of the declaration of Areas of Special Scientific Interest. Agricultural land values are known to react to trends and factors within the industry and I am advised by the Valuation and Lands Agency of the Department of Finance and Personnel, that it is not possible to identify the specific effects of an ASSI declaration. ASSIs are declared under Article 24 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (NI) Order 1985. Article 26 provides for compensation to be paid to any person who shows that the value of his/her estate within the ASSI is less than it would have been if the declaration had not been made. There have been no successful claims to the Department under this Article since the legislation came into operation.

Owners and occupiers of agricultural land within an ASSI may receive payments for income foregone if they chose to enter into a management agreement with the Department. 250 management agreements, many of them in respect of agricultural land, have been successfully negotiated to date.

(AQW 2961/01)

The Minister of Finance and Personnel (Dr Farren): The total number of civil servants in the NI Civil Service on the 1st July in each of the last ten years i.e. 1992 – 2001, is shown in the table below.

The figures above include members of the NICS working in the 11 Northern Ireland Ministerial Departments, serving abroad, and on secondment to other organisations.

They do not include staff in - the NIO, NIO Prisons Admin, PSNI (Civilian Staff), Policing Board, NI Audit Office, NI Assembly; or staff on Career Breaks.

(AQW 2962/01)

Dr Farren: The information requested is as follows:

Notes

(i) The 1992/93 figure covers the period 1 January 1992 to 31 March 1993. Thereafter figures refer to financial year.

(ii) Responsibility for recruitment passed from the Civil Service Commissioners to DFP on 1 December 1996. No separate figures are available for 1996/97 and 1997/98.

(iii) 2000/01 figure includes some 3,000 temporary Census staff.

(iv) Figures exclude industrial and casual staff.

(AQW 2963/01)

Dr Farren: The information is as follows:

* Pay scales for all the grades in the scheme were amalgamated in this year into one continuous pay scale, covering the full range of grades within the administrative scheme that graduates would progress to, following assimilation and promotion etc.

(AQW 2964/01)

Dr Farren: The information is as follows:

Information relates to administrative grades: information on graduate recruitment to other grades is not held.

(AQW 2980/01)

Dr Farren: (a) The Department of Finance and Personnel, its Agencies and NDPBs had a total of 20 credit cards in use during the Financial Year ending 31 March 2002. The breakdown is as follows:

(a) The Department of Finance and Personnel, its Agencies and NDPBs had a total of 20 credit cards in use during the Financial Year ending 31 March 2002. The breakdown is as follows:

(b) The amount spent on each card during the financial year ended 31 March 2002 was as follows:

(AQW 3079/01)

Dr Farren: The criteria used to determine who is consulted are those contained in the Equality Commission’s guidance, on the implementation of the statutory duties which 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 …".

In addition the Department’s Equality Scheme states at paragraph 4.8, "Equality impact assessments will therefore concentrate on those categories where impact has been identified. As new policies emerge within a current main policy area, any necessary equality impact assessment will, as a minimum, concentrate on those Section 75 categories where an impact has already been identified. However additional categories will be addressed as necessary".

The Department is committed to ensuring that consultation is effective, inclusive and as meaningful as possible. We are aware of the difficulties experienced by some groups in the voluntary and community sector as a result of the volume of consultation material being issued. As a consequence we have been in contact with all those on our full list of consultees and asked them to confirm that they wish to remain on it and whether there is an umbrella body that would adequately represent their interests.

(AQW 3084/01)

Dr Farren: The voluntary scheme for redemption of ground rents under the Ground Rents Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 will come into operation this summer. At that time, householders who want to secure the freehold to their properties will complete an application form obtainable from the Land Registry and return it with evidence of title, a receipt for the last payment of ground rent, and remittance of the compensation payable under the Act. At the same time the householder will give notice to the rent-owner that the compensation money will be obtainable from the Land Registry. When the Land Registry is satisfied that all the requisite information has been accurately supplied, it will issue a ‘certificate of redemption’ which will enable the householder to have his or her interest registered as freehold.

The timescale for the Land Registry’s part in this process will to some extent depend on take-up, but we hope it will be possible to complete a normal case within a few weeks.

Charitable trusts which receive ground rents will be affected by the Act in the same way as other landowners.

A guidance booklet on applications under the Act will be published nearer its implementation. In the meantime, an Office of Law Reform factsheet on the Act is available at http://www.olrni.gov.uk

(AQW 3101/01)

Dr Farren: I have not raised the matter of radon designation with Ministers in the Republic and have no plans to do so at present. However, as my predecessor indicated in a previous written answer on this issue on 14 February 2001, regular contact does take place at official level both on radon and other environmental protection issues.

(AQW 3289/01)

Dr Farren: In my Statement to the Assembly on 22 April following the Chancellor’s Budget, I highlighted a major discrepancy between what we received via Barnett and what would be needed to match the planned growth in health spending in England.

It has come to my attention that the figures used in our Press Release, and in the Statement to the Assembly, did not reflect the full picture and were inaccurate in that they did not take account of the additions for Personal Social Services in England, which will lead to some further Barnett Consequentials over the planned period. As such, the extent of the disparity has been overstated.

Officials in Treasury, DFP, OFMDFM and DHSSPS are currently checking the details fully and full clarification will be provided as soon as possible. On behalf of my Department I owe an apology to the Assembly for the need to amend and clarify the position and will do so as soon as possible.

(AQW 2676/01)

The Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Ms de Brún): Food Safety and Public Health protection in this area are matters for the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The normal criteria for allowing harvesting of cockles are two consecutive negative results ie absence of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison toxins from samples tested at the laboratories of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Developments Veterinary Sciences Division.

Following the second negative result the FSA permitted cockle harvesting to resume in Strangford Lough on 19th April 2002.

Is ábhar don Ghníomhaireacht Caighdeán Bia (FSA) sa réimse seo é Sábháilteacht Bia agus cosaint Sláinte Poiblí. Is iad na gnáthchritéir do cheadú fómhar ruacan a bhaint ná dhá thoradh diúltacha as a chéile, is é sin, gan aon tocsainí Nimhe Sliogéisc is siocar leis an mBuinneach a bheith i samplaí a thástáiltear ag saotharlanna Rannóg Eolaíochtaí Tréidlíochta na Roinne Talmhaíochta agus Forbartha Tuaithe.

Tar éis an dara toradh diúltach cheadaigh an FSA leanúint d’fhómhar ruacan a bhaint i Loch Cuan an naoú lá déag d’Aibreán dhá mhíle agus a dó.

(AQW 2726/01)

Ms de Brún: Treatment using the drug ‘Herceptin’ may only be initiated by cancer specialists in a hospital setting. As there is no specific allocation made for hospital pharmacy, it is not possible to say how much is attributable to the prescription of this drug.

Ní fhéadann ach saineolaithe ailse tús a chur le cóireáil i suíomh otharlainne ag úsáid an druga ‘Herceptin’. Mar nach bhfuil airgead ar leith tugtha do chógaisíocht otharlainne, ní féidir liom a rá an méid áirithe a thugtar leis an druga seo a ordú.

(AQW 2815/01)

Ms de Brún: The amount of funding spent by each Health and Social Services Trust on the provision of services on the physical and sensory disability and mental health Programmes of Care for each of the past three years is shown in the following tables:

The percentage of each Trusts’ total expenditure in each year which these amounts represents is as follows:

Taispeántar sna táblaí a leanas méid an mhaoinithe caite ag gach Iontaobhas Seirbhísí Sláinte agus Sóisialta ar sholáthar seirbhísí Cláir Chúraim um míchumas fisiceach agus céadfach agus um shláinte meabhrach le gach bliain le trí bliana anuas:

Tá na suimeanna seo léirithe mar chéatadán de chaiteachas iomlán gach Iontaobhas i ngach bliain mar a leanas: