| Previous Section | Home Page |
Waiting Lists
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to repeat the waiting list initiative ; and if he will make a statement about the previous initiative.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [pursuant to her reply, 30 March 1990, c. 370] : I understand that there was a misprint in the hon. Member's question as it first appeared on the Order Paper which rendered the reply inappropriate. A revised reply is as follows.
The waiting list initiative is being continued in 1990-91. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. King) on 18 January 1990 at columns 403-04. No decisions have yet been taken about whether to continue the initiative into 1991-92 and beyond.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Battle of the Boyne (Tercentenary)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the tercentenary of the battle of the Boyne will be officially recognised in Northern Ireland this year ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The 12 July 1990 will be a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, as in previous years.
Substantial sponsorship has been provided for a major exhibition at the Ulster museum, entitled "Kings in
Column 877
Conflict", which examines the roles of William the Third, James the Second and Louis the Fifteenth in Ireland in the 1690s.Fair Employment
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether United Kingdom civil servants working in Northern Ireland operate under the same monitoring system and code of practice as that detailed in the written reply to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East of 21 February, Official Report, column 768.
Mr. Cope : All Northern Ireland employers are guided by the code of practice published by the Department of Economic Development on 31 December 1989 and subsequently adopted by the Fair Employment Commission as its first code of practice under the Fair Employment (NI) Act 1989.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether members of harbour boards in Northern Ireland are considered as employees by the Fair Employment Commission in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 20 March 1990] : I am advised that the Commission has not examined the terms upon which members are appointed.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are being taken to rectify and monitor the religious imbalance amongst employees at principal officer grade and above in the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 4 April 1990] : The results of monitoring and the measures being taken to provide equality of opportunity in the Northern Ireland civil service are published in the reports of its equal opportunities unit. Copies of these reports are in the Library. These give details about the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.
Discussions have already taken place with the Fair Employment Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission about the published findings and the future work programme of the equal opportunties unit. It has been agreed that the latter will focus on the level of representation of females and of Roman Catholics in the higher grades in the Northern Ireland civil service.
Training
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he is doing to co-ordinate the efforts of the departments of education and economic development on funding and training, to ensure that young people will receive training to equip them with skills and qualifications sought by employers.
Mr. Needham : The youth training programme is the joint responsibility of the Ministers responsible for the Departments of Education and of Economic Development and there are a number of working groups of senior officials from both Departments which meet on a regular basis to co-ordinate action.
Column 878
Executive Houses
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the executive houses at (a) Beechfield estate, Donaghadee and (b) Enniskeen estate, Craigavon were built ; when the Northern Ireland Housing Executive carried out or proposes to carry out an improvement scheme to houses in both these estates ; and why it was decided to give priority to Enniskeen estate.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The information that it would provide is that Beechfield estate was completed in 1965 and Enniskeen estate in 1971.
Twenty-eight dwellings in Beechfield estate were fully improved in 1985 and a further 18 had central heating installed. Improvements to the remainder of the estate which have yet to be fully assessed are programmed to begin in the 1992-93 financial year. An external maintenance scheme is currently on site.
Enniskeen estate had central heating installed in 1986 as part of the degasification programme. An external maintenance scheme was completed in 1987 and replacement kitchen units installed in 1989. No further improvements are programmed.
Priorities within each Housing Executive region are determined on the basis of the Housing Executive's assessment of the needs of individual estates.
Flooding (Donaghadee)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he proposes to take to stop the regular flooding at Church lane, Donaghadee, near the old people's home.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : No buildings have been affected.
From initial investigations it appears that the flooding is associated with an old culverted millrace which runs through the area. The millrace is not designated within the terms of the Drainage (Northern Ireland) Order 1973. The Department of Agriculture is undertaking further investigations with a view to determining the nature and source of any drainage disability and the person(s) responsible for the millrace.
Flooding, Omagh
The Rev. William McCrea : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons it was decided not to provide the statistical and technological investigations relating to the October 1989 flooding in Omagh to the development officer of Omagh district council.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Following flooding in October 1987 a consultant's report on the flood defences in Omagh was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. The report is private to the Department.
The Department is in the final stages of consideration of the options contained in the report and proposals will be exhibited in line with normal consultation procedures at the offices of Omagh district council. The Department will discuss the proposal with the council at the appropriate time.
Quarrying
The Rev. William McCrea : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount of money paid in grants by the various departments of the
Column 879
Northern Ireland Department of Environment to the quarrying, sand and gravel industries during the period the grant was available ; and what was the breakdown of payments in the Mid-Ulster constituency.Mr. Needham : The Department of the Environment has paid no grants to companies in these sectors. During the past five financial years grants paid to the quarrying, sand and gravel industries in Northern Ireland by the Department of Economic Development were as follows :
|£
------------------------------
1985-86 |3,482,376
1986-87 |1,125,367
1987-88 |160,736
1988-89 |166,788
1989-90 |38,681
|-------
Total |4,973,948
The above figures include the following amounts which were paid to companies in the Mid-Ulster constituency :
|£
------------------------
1985-86 |136,462
1986-87 |36,197
1987-88 |6,212
1988-89 |-
1989-90 |-
|-------
Total |178,871
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the recently established nine posts of director within the Eastern health and social services board were filled ; and how these positions differ in their range of management responsibilities and in salary from the posts that they replaced.
Mr. Needham : As the information requested is complex and detailed, my noble Friend Lord Skelmersdale will write to the hon. Gentleman direct.
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are being made by the Eastern health and social services board, pursuant to the abolition of the area executive team with effect from 1 April to ensure that the day-to-day management of health and social services are maintained at high level.
Mr. Needham : The board's general manager will have a strategic management group consisting of nine headquarters directors to support and assist him in the management of the services. The recently appointed unit general managers took up their posts from 1 April 1990 and will each be responsible to the general manager for the management and provision of services within one of the nine units of management.
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated additional cost in 1990-91 of the current restructuring of the Eastern health and social services board.
Mr. Needham : It is expected that the net effect of the restructuring will be that the board expects to maintain its administration costs at approximately 5 per cent. as in previous years.
Column 880
Enterprise Ulster
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many clients have been asked by Enterprise Ulster to supply additional materials during the course of a job so that it could be completed ; and, where this has occurred, what checks were made to ensure that proper use was made of the materials originally supplied.
Mr. Needham : There are no figures available of the number of Enterprise Ulster clients who have been asked and agreed to the supply of additional materials during the course of a job. Strict checks are carried out by supervisory staff on all materials supplied and used.
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements there are for Enterprise Ulster having been supplied with materials for a client job not all of which have been used to make a payment in lieu of the return of the material.
Mr. Needham : None. Any surplus materials are either returned to the client or, with his agreement, transferred to another job.
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are taken to ensure that the practice of Enterprise Ulster in requiring clients to supply the materials needed for a particular job ensures efficient use of such materials and allows for proper stock control.
Mr. Needham : The use of materials, whether obtained by Enterprise Ulster or supplied by clients, is supervised, controlled and monitored by Enterprise Ulster's supervisors and area superintendents who are trained in efficient materials usage and stock control.
Substitute Teachers
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he received the details from Donaghadee high school of substitutes teaching in the school during the month of February ; when the substitute teachers will be paid for their work during the month of February ; and in which year such payments will be included for tax purposes.
Dr. Mawhinney : Details of the substitute teachers employed in Donaghadee high school during the month of February 1990 were not received in the Department of Education until 21 March 1990. This was two weeks after the due date for receipt of such information and was too late for the normal pay date on 16 March 1990 or the supplementary payroll issued on 20 March 1990.
Special arrangements have been made to issue payment by Friday 6 April 1990 to the substitute teachers for their work during the month of February 1990.
The payment will be made in the 1990-91 tax year and will be included in that tax year for tax purposes.
Enterprise Centres
Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report a list of enterprise centres in Belfast, together with the number of units and the percentage number of units occupied in each centre.
Mr. Needham : The information requested is as follows :
Column 881
Enterprise centre |Number of |Percentage
|units |occupied
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brookfield Business Centre |50 |92
Farset Enterprise Park |26 |39
Glenwood Enterprises Ltd. |36 |86
Townsend Enterprise Park |26 |100
Westlink Enterprises |31 |28
Workwest Belfast |15 |87
Action Resource Centre |12 |100
West Belfast Enterprise Board |11 |82
Community Programmes, Belfast
Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report a list of programmes funded by BAT and Making Belfast Work, the name of the recipient community organisation and the expenditure involved in each case.
Mr. Needham : In view of the large amount of material involved, I will write to the hon. Member and place copies of the information in the Library.
Income Support
Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report the level of expenditure on income support for each social security office in Belfast for the years 1987-88, 1988-89 and from April to December 1989.
Mr. Needham : The available information is as follows :
Weekly Expenditure
Social Security Office |Supplementary | Income Support
|pension/allowance
|6 May 1987 |31 May 1988
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andersontown |286,905.02 |299,539.46
Corporation Street |371,623.59 |438,914.83
Falls Road |282,316.97 |327,328.97
Holywood Road |233,191.10 |284,933.05
Knockbreda |158,308.59 |160,504.29
Shaftsbury Square |191,528.10 |205,144.63
Shankill |122,455.27 |142,669.75
Child Benefit
Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report the total amount of child benefit paid out per constituency for each of the Belfast parliamentary constituencies for the years 1987-88 and 1988-89.
Mr. Needham : The information is not available in the form requested.
Public Expenditure Belfast
Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he is able to make of the total amount of public expenditure per constituency for the four parliamentary constituencies in Belfast for the years 1982-83 to 1988-89 inclusive.
Mr. Cope : It is not possible for any reliable estimate of public expenditure per constituency in Belfast to be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.
Residential Homes
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) private and (b) public sector residential and nursing homes there are in Northern Ireland ; what is the number of places provided in each sector together with the weekly charges ; and how the charges are being met.
Mr. Needham : The information is as follows :
Column 881
Homes for persons inNursing Homes
need
|Statutory|Private |Statutory|Private
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Premises |126 |97 |- |118
Number of Places |3,988 |1,285 |- |3,353
Notes:
1. At 31 March 1989.
2. At 31 December 1989.
In addition, 40 voluntary homes for persons in need provide 1,271 places and 11 voluntary nursing homes provide 398 places. Standard weekly charges for statutory homes for persons in need range from £171 to £198 depending on the location of the home and whether it is accommodating elderly, disabled, mentally ill or mentally handicapped people.
Residents who are unable to pay the standard minimum charge may pay a lesser amount, determined by their income. The minimum charge is £37.50 which is equivalent to the basic rate of retirement pension less the personal requirements allowance. A resident whose income is less than the basic rate of retirement pension may be entitled to income support to help with the charges.
Column 882
Up-to-date information about weekly charges in independent sector homes is not held centrally. Residents whose income is insufficient to meet the charges may be entitled to income support. As of 9 April 1990, the maximum weekly amounts of income support payable for accommodation and care range from £150 to £210 for homes for persons in need, and from £200 to £245 for nursing homes. In addition, a personal allowance of £10.55 is payable.Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether in view of the increase in the number of residential and nursing homes for the elderly, he will arrange for greater involvement of local people in inspections of such homes and for reports of such inspections to be made to district councils and the units of management of the health and social services boards.
Column 883
Mr. Needham : In "People First", the Northern Ireland policy paper on care in the community in the 1990s, the Department of Health and Social Services has proposed that health and social services boards should set up area inspection units, independent of the day-to-day management of their own homes. They are to inspect and report on standards and quality of care in both statutory and independent sector homes and are to be accountable direct to the area general manager of the board. The units are to include inspectors recruited from outside the board's employment. The Department intends to issue detailed guidance on the establishment of such units and will consult a wide range of interests, including the boards and district councils, during its preparation. Furthermore proposals will issue shortly on the involvement of area health and social services councils in visiting such establishments.Local Government
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, following his consideration of responses to the local government consultative paper, he will be proceeding with legislation in the field of local government in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : We are proceeding with the preparation of a proposal for a draft Order in Council. It should be published for consultation before the end of this year. As indicated in the local government consultative paper, the measures proposed cover three areas of local government work :
(i) the conduct of district council business ;
(ii) the administration of the environmental health and building control services ; and
(iii) competition in the provision of district council services We received over 60 responses to the local government consultative paper. All have been considered carefully. A number of changes to our proposals have been made as a result.
The proposals were discussed by the chairmen of all the district councils in Northern Ireland, meeting under the chairmanship of Councillor Empey, the Lord Mayor of Belfast.
Terrorism
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations are believed to have been responsible for the terrorist killings of Sam McClean and Harold Keys in the Irish Republic after 15 November 1985 ; and if anyone has been made amenable to the courts for these murders.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : Despite the best efforts of the Irish authorities I understand that no one has been made amenable to the courts for these callous murders. In the absence of a criminal conviction it is not possible to say who the murderers were, but in both cases the Provisional IRA is reported to have claimed responsibility.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations are believed to have been responsible for the terrorist killings of Cormac McCabe, John Reid, Stanley Hazelton and Seamus McAvoy in the Irish Republic prior to 15 November 1985 ; and if anyone has been made amendable to the courts for these murders.
Column 884
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : Despite the best efforts of the Irish authorities I understand that no one has been made amenable to the courts for the callous murders of John Reid, Stanley Hazelton and Seamus McAvoy. The investigation into the murder of Cormac McCabe, which is believed to have taken place in Northern Ireland, was conducted by the RUC and has proved similarly inconclusive. In the absence of criminal convictions it is not possible to say who the murderers were, but in the cases of Mr. Reid and Mr. McAvoy the Provisional IRA is reported to have claimed responsibility.
Fishing
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by what means his view on the total allowable catch of each species of fish taken in the areas of sea fished by Northern Ireland sea fishermen is put forward at meetings of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 23 March 1990] : The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea deals with scientific stock assessments which form the basis of advice to the EC Commission, which then formulates proposals for total allowable catches (TACs) to the EC Council of Ministers. The setting of TACs takes place outside the ICES forum.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will carry out a cost benefit analysis on options for placing (a) the new scientific staff for the research vessel Lough Foyle and (b) the new scientific staff for the research vessel Lough Foyle plus the freshwater biological units staff in Coleraine with the existing fisheries research laboratory staff in (i) the existing fisheries laboratory building with necessary alterations and (ii) in the existing fisheries laboratory building and the existing drainage division building in Coleraine with any necessary additions for extensions of the latter building.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 23 March 1990] : Practical options for the establishment of a unified aquatic sciences research division on a single site were subject to investment appraisal before a decision was reached to relocate staff from Coleraine-Antrim to Belfast.
The option of a unified division at the fisheries research laboratory at Coleraine was included in the investment appraisal, except that the incorporation of the drainage division office at Coleraine was not considered a viable option in terms of department planning.
Results of the appraisal showed that over a 25-year period, relocation of staff from Coleraine and Antrim to Belfast, and the location of the scientific staff from the research vessel on the same site would have the lowest discounted net cost compared with other options. This decision is now being put into effect. Further cost-benefit analyses are not contemplated.
Detainees
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons (a) have been detained under terrorism provisions in police custody since October 1989 and (b) have been refused access to a solicitor under section 15 of the Emergency Provisions Act 1987.
Column 885
Mr. Cope [holding answer 3 April 1990] : Three hundred and sixty-one persons were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 between the period 1 October 1989 to 31 December 1989. No person was detained during this period under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1987 ; and no one was refused access to a solicitor.Statistics in respect of 1990 are not yet available.
Local Authority Funding
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table to show for each of the last five years the sums made available to promote each of the major towns in each of the 26 council areas ; and what funds he intends to make available for this purpose over the next three years in each case.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 April 1990] : The information is as follows :
Year |Belfast |Londonderry |Other district
|£ |£ |towns
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |nil |nil |nil
1987-88 |30,000 |nil |nil
1988-89 |74,000 |nil |nil
1989-90 |80,000 |4,000 |nil
1990-91 |82,000 |4,000 |nil
1991-92 |84,000 |10,000 |nil
1992-93 |86,000 |25,000 |nil
1993-94 |88,000 |10,000 |nil
Lough Foyle
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what decrease there has been in the area of farms whose land borders on Lough Foyle between the estuary of the River Roe and Magilligan Point since statistics were first collected ; and what is his estimate of the present-day value of the land lost during that period.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 3 April 1990] : The information requested is not available.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he (a) has had any survey carried out or (b) is aware of any other scientific survey of the intertidal zone off the shore of Lough Foyle between the estuary of the River Roe and Magilligan Point to determine whether that zone has experienced changes in the animal life and vegetation in the last 25 years ; whether he has any record of changes in the type of beach from mud to sand ; and what changes have been noted in the number and species of bird life in the area over these periods.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 3 April 1990] : The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has not undertaken, nor is it aware of other bodies having undertaken, any survey to determine changes in the animal life or vegetation of the intertidal zone between the Roe estuary and Magilligan point. The Department did commission a survey of the intertidal fauna of the entire Northern Ireland coastline. This was a baseline survey and did not refer to any previous work.
Bird counts have been undertaken by other bodies, but the Department does not have details of these counts and has no information on fluctuations in numbers of the various species. The Department does not have any record of changes in the type of beach from mud to sand.
Column 886
European Community Assistance
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of the criteria which applicants will have to satisfy when applying for European grant assistance under each of the headings outlined in the Northern Ireland community support framework document.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 4 April 1990] : The primary requirement for applicants is that their proposals should comply with the specific priorities identified by the EC Commission in its Community support framework for Northern Ireland. These call for : improvement of the physical and social environment ; reduction in the effects of peripherality ; diversification and strengthening of the industrial and tradeable services sectors ; development of agriculture and tourism ; and training to develop Northern Ireland's human resources. The funds available are, of course, limited, and proposals must also demonstrate value for money.
The detailed project criteria form part of the various operational programmes currently being negotiated with the Commission. As these are agreed, the criteria will be made known to those wishing to put forward proposals. Work is also in hand on application guidelines which will be circulated to local partners, and to others on request.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of the current negotiations between his Department and the European Commission in relation to European funding.
| Next Section
| Home Page |