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Dogs

17. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the control of dogs in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : Northern Ireland has its own separate legislative provisions in relation to dogs under the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983. The legislation is administered by the 26 Northern Ireland district councils. The system is working well.

Londonderry

18. Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on new commercial and industrial developments in Londonderry.

Mr. Needham : Since 1983 private sector commercial investment in Londonderry has totalled some £40 million either spent, under way or projected on local retail, offices, shops, restaurants and hotel developments. The most welcome recent proposed commercial development is the announcement of a substantial investment in a major town centre shopping complex together with a proposed new hotel development.

Laganside

19. Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions are proposed for the regeneration of Laganside ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Needham : I am pleased to report that the Laganside corporation has made good progress in the regeneration of Laganside.

County Towns

20. Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions he is taking to revitalise county towns in the Province ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Needham : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley, West (Dr. Blackburn) on 1 February 1990, Official Report, Vol. 166, c. 337.

Anglo-Irish Agreement

21. Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Government of the Irish Republic about article 4(b) of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Mr. Brooke : I discussed political matters with Mr. Collins most recently at our meetings on 4 and 21 February. Both Governments have made clear that they wish to encourage political dialogue in Northern Ireland.

28. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent ministerial discussions within the framework of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Mr. Brooke : I met Mr. Collins on 4 and 21 February and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State met Mr. Burke on 15 February. At these meetings, discussions


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centred on important issues with which it had been intended to deal at the postponed conference on 31 January.

Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has had any recent discussion regarding the dismantling of the Anglo-Irish Agreement ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Brooke : No. The Government remain committed to the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the principles it embodies. However, we remain willing to examine any proposals concerning the agreement, particularly if they are likely to command widespread support.

Small Firms

22. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further steps he plans to take to encourage small firms.

Mr. Needham : The Government in Northern Ireland continue to encourage the promotion of enterprise within the Province's small business sector.

Railways

23. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met representatives of Northern Ireland railways ; and what subjects were discussed.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : On 16 January 1990, when policy, financial and operational matters were discussed.

Conservation

24. Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to conserve the environment.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : Northern Ireland has an up-to-date legislative code for nature and countryside conservation. There are 45 national reserves, nine areas of outstanding natural beauty and 24 areas of special scientific interest. We are taking steps to ensure that further designations will be made over the next few years.

The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has embarked on the first stages of the designation of Northern Ireland's first marine nature reserve at Strangford lough.

The Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside provides valuable advice on all these aspects. The Department of the Environment encourages conservation by means of grant aid to voluntary bodies and others and by the provision of educational literature and information in particular at its seven country parks and at countryside centres.

The listing and scheduling procedures for historic buildings and monuments are continuing, and 7,612 buildings have been listed. One hundred and sixty -seven historic monuments have been taken into state care while 1,000 have been scheduled.

The Department of the Environment exercises control over water and industrial air pollution in the Province and has responsibility for oversight of the environmental health functions of the district councils. In general, water and air quality are of a high standard in Northern Ireland.


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The Department of the Environment, as sole planning authority for Northern Ireland, is aware of its responsibilities in the area of conservation. This is reflected in its rural planning policy, in the preparation of development plans and in its consideration of planning applications which involve proposals that would affect the environment.

The Department of Agriculture also has a significant influence on environmental conservation in the countryside. Among other things, it carries out a wide range of environmental research work and gives conservation advice to farmers. It provides positive incentives to farmers to engage in environmentally friendly farming practices under the environmentally sensitive areas scheme. Two such areas have been designated and consideration is being given to further designations.

Housing Executive

25. Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consultations were held between the Department of the Environment and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive about the internal rationalisation proposals and subsequently about the reduction of the regional offices from six to four which is proposed to take effect from 1992.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : I understand that the rationalisation proposals will ensure that the services provided by district offices, which are the normal point of contact for the executive's clients, will be fully maintained and the operation of additional sub-district offices is being considered as a means of bringing services even closer to them.

The Department of the Environment has not yet been formally consulted about the proposals currently being developed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. We know that the executive is considering such a reduction as part of an organisational review for the new decade and has consulted the Northern Ireland housing council, district councils, voluntary housing bodies and the Northern Ireland public service alliance. The Department encourages the executive to improve its organisation to provide its services in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

Kincora Boys' Home

26. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any further information on the Kincora boys' home and the Wallace file that was lost.

Mr. Cope : I have nothing to add to the information contained in the answer given in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel (Mr. Marshall) by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 30 January 1990, Official Report, Vol. 166, columns 110-13, and in a letter written by the Secretary of State for Defence to the same hon. Member, a copy of which was placed in the Library.

Labour Statistics

27. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of unemployment.


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Mr. Needham : At 11 January 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 100,413 unemployed claimants in the Province, representing 14.2 per cent. of the work force. Seasonally adjusted unemployment, which gives a better indication of trends, has fallen by an average of 1,100 per month during the past six months and is now at 14 per cent., which is its lowest level for over seven years.

30. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current rate of unemployment ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Needham : The latest unemployment figures for January 1990 show that there were 100,413 persons claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland and this represented 14.2 per cent. of the total work force. The seasonally adjusted figure, which gives a better indication of trends, is at its lowest level for more than seven years and shows that the strong underlying downward trend in unemployment in the Province is continuing.

36. Mr. Stevens : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are currently self-employed in the Province and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Needham : The most recent estimate derived from labour force surveys and the June agricultural census is that at June 1989 the number of self-employed in Northern Ireland was approximately 70,000.

51. Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are unemployed in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Needham : At 11 January 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 100,413 persons claming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland.

Electricity Exports

29. Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to offer electricity for export to the Republic.

Mr. Needham : None at present. The interconnector between Northern Ireland and the Republic was put out of action by terrorist attacks in the 1970s and has not been restored.

Mutual Understanding

31. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to promote education to improve mutual understanding between the communities in the Province.

Dr. Mawhinney : Major steps are already being taken in this direction through the education for mutual understanding (EMU) programme which is incorporated as a compulsory cross-curricular theme in the new common curriculum. EMU enables young people to learn about and value their own culture and traditions and the culture and traditions of others.

Grant aid under the cross-community contact scheme, introduced in September 1987, has supported joint programmes by about a third of schools and 300 youth groups. The Department of Education for Northern Ireland also supports a number of organisations which promote reconciliation in school and youth groups.


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Community Care

32. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his proposals for community care.

Mr. Needham : Our proposals will be set out in a paper to be published shortly.

Organic Food

33. Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland is taking to encourage the development of organic agriculture in Northern Ireland in response to the increasing demand for organic food.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : Northern Ireland's food is usually more natural since our agriculture is based upon low input with high health standards in livestock and plants.

We are also setting up a demonstration organic farming unit which should encourage and benefit those interested in organic farming.

Rural Development

34. Mr. Barry Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to promote rural development ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : There is a need for a better focus and co- ordinated action towards social and economic development in the most deprived rural areas of Northern Ireland. The inter-departmental committee on rural development will oversee Government policies and programmes in these areas to ensure the maximum impact of existing expenditure with due sensitivity to identified needs in the areas themselves. Opportunities for further action will be consulted. There is a determination to achieve rural improvement.

Ambulance Dispute

35. Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the effects of the ambulance workers' dispute on the emergency services in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Needham : Full accident and emergency care has been maintained by the ambulance service since the dispute began. Some services to outpatient clinics have been affected, but all patients requiring urgent treatment have been transported. No outpatient clinic has been cancelled because of this dispute. It has not been necessary to seek assistance from the RUC or from voluntary aid societies.

Security

37. Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.

44. Mr. Molyneaux : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.


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Mr. Brooke : I refer the right hon. and hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross).

Road Closures

38. Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on road closures between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

50. Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the closure of cross-border roads.

Mr. Cope : The Government recognise that many crossing points between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland serve a valuable social and economic purpose. We are also aware that some crossing points are particularly valuable to terrorists. No crossing point is closed unnecessarily. But the first duty of Government is to protect life. In accordance with that duty, we will continue to support action by the police, assisted where necessary by the Army, to close or reclose border crossings when we are satisfied that this is necessary to protect the lives of those, including many particularly vulnerable members of the community, who live or work in border areas.

Irish Prime Minister

39. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he next expects to meet the Irish Prime Minister ; and what matters he expects to discuss.

Mr. Brooke : I have no current plans to meet the Taoiseach.

Tobacco Products

40. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to stop the sales of tobacco products to children.

Mr. Needham : The sale of tobacco products to children who appear to be under 16 is illegal. Responsibility for enforcing the law rests with the police.

Industrial Development Board

41. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the report of the Northern Ireland Economic Council on the performance of the Industrial Development Board ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Needham : The report of the Northern Ireland Economic Council on the performance of the Industrial Development Board was published on 22 February. The Government welcome the report as a valuable contribution to debate on industrial development in Northern Ireland and will be giving full consideration to its detailed

recommendations.

Police Operations

42. Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when public confidence in policing policy and operations was last discussed with Ministers from the Republic of Ireland within the Anglo-Irish Conference.


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Mr. Cope : This matter was raised at the last conference meeting on 30 November.

Devolution

43. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made in consultations regarding devolution.

Mr. Brooke : Since the answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 1 February, I and my colleagues have had a number of exploratory meetings to discuss the scope for political progress within Northern Ireland, both with the leadership of the main constitutional political parties and with the Irish Government. I expect to have further such meetings.

Vehicle Examinations

45. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the waiting time for an official vehicle examination ; and if he will make a statement on procedures for such examinations.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : The average waiting time for a vehicle inspection appointment has been reduced from six weeks in August 1989 to four weeks at the present time. The annual inspection of private cars, heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles is carried out by the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland, in 15 purpose-built centres.

Economic Growth

46. Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the trend of growth of the economy in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Cope : The Northern Ireland economy, like the United Kingdom economy, has experienced sustained growth since 1981. Latest figures show an impressive growth of manufacturing output recently. The prospects for 1990 are substantially dependent upon economic conditions in the United Kingdom economy as a whole.

Belfast

47. Mr. Charles Wardle : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on commercial and industrial development in Belfast.

Mr. Needham : I am pleased to report that in recent years commercial and industrial development in Belfast has reached unprecedented levels.

Terrorism

48. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of terrorist incidents since 3 November 1989.

Mr. Cope : Since 3 November 1989 there have been 137

terrorist-related incidents, 13 of which resulted in fatalities.

Integrated Education

49. Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how he proposes to offer opportunities for integrated education ; and if he will make a statement.


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Dr. Mawhinney : Part VI of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, which came into operation on 20 February 1990, makes provision to facilitate the development of integrated schools. Under the new legislation, it is now possible for the Government to give financial support to integrated


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schools being set up from new and for parents of pupils at existing schools to vote that integrated status should be sought for their schools.

The statutory duty is also placed upon the Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the development of integrated education.


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Nuclear Magnetic Facilities

52. Mr. A. Cecil Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray facilities will be available in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Needham : An assessment of need is at present being undertaken by the Eastern board. Subject to satisfactory completion, a magnetic resonance imaging service will be considered with other priorities for funding in the 1991-92 year.

Drug Education

53. Mr. Rathbone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on drug education in schools.

Dr. Mawhinney : Schools have an important role in discouraging young people from getting involved in drugs.


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As part of health education, which recent legislation includes as a compulsory element of the common curriculum for all schools in Northern Ireland, children will be taught about the serious risks inherent in the misuse of drugs and other harmful substances. This will build on what is already good practice in many schools.

Musgrave Park Hospital

Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current waiting time for those residing in each of the health and social services boards in Northern Ireland for hip replacements and other similar orthopaedic operations at the Musgrave Park hospital, Belfast.

Mr. Needham : The information is not available in the form requested. Details of the waiting list and times broken down by referring hospitals are as follows :


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Months waiting                                                                                                                                           

Reference source |0 to 2          |3 to 5          |6 to 8          |9 to 12         |13 to 23        |24+             |Totals                           

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Armagh           |-               |5               |3               |-               |-               |2               |10                               

Ballymena        |7               |10              |4               |9               |12              |6               |48                               

Ballymoney       |1               |1               |-               |-               |-               |-               |2                                

BCH              |12              |19              |10              |14              |16              |10              |81                               

Coleraine        |3               |1               |-               |-               |1               |-               |5                                

Con Ref          |-               |1               |7               |1               |-               |-               |9                                

Craigavon        |4               |7               |4               |5               |5               |4               |29                               

Downpatrick      |7               |7               |-               |4               |5               |1               |24                               

Dungannon        |-               |5               |-               |1               |5               |5               |16                               

Enniskillen      |5               |15              |5               |13              |11              |-               |49                               

Larne            |3               |11              |4               |3               |3               |3               |27                               

Lisburn          |2               |3               |3               |-               |1               |1               |10                               

Magherafelt      |6               |1               |-               |1               |1               |1               |10                               

Mater Hospital   |4               |2               |3               |-               |-               |2               |11                               

Musgrave Park    |2               |5               |1               |1               |-               |3               |12                               

Newry            |4               |6               |5               |4               |5               |8               |32                               

Newtownards      |3               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |3                                

Rheumatology     |-               |-               |1               |1               |-               |2               |4                                

RVH              |16              |44              |12              |17              |13              |6               |108                              

UHD              |4               |5               |2               |2               |3               |2               |18                               

Whiteabbey       |5               |6               |4               |-               |6               |-               |21                               

                 |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------                          

Totals           |88              |154             |68              |76              |87              |56              |529                              

European Commission

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he next expects to meet representatives of the European Commission ; and what matters he proposes to discuss.

Mr. Cope : My colleagues and I frequently have meetings with EC Commissioners, but no such meetings are currently planned.

Health Service

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to take a decision on the provision of a new hospital for the Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle district ; and if he will make a statement.


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