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NORTHERN IRELAND
Youth Work Funding
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what will be the level of funding of youth work in Northern Ireland next year; what was the expenditure in the current financial year; and if he will make a statement. [8640]
Mr. Ancram: Funding figures for 1996-97 allocations to the youth service in Northern Ireland are subject to parliamentary approval. It is anticipated that there will be a rise in the budget of the Youth Council for Northern Ireland of 2.5 per cent. on the planning figure of £2,161,000 for 1995-96.
Funding for the youth service in Northern Ireland is also included within the block grant allocations of the local education and library boards. The determination of the levels of funding and allocation of these funds rests with the individual boards.
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The Government have also agreed to provide additional funding for youth organisations under the European Union special initiative for peace and reconciliation. A sum in the region of 5 million ECU for the intermediary funding body for the youth sector has been included in the operational programme. The Government will provide additional funds to meet up to 25 per cent. of the total cost of projects funded under this initiative.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has for capital expenditure on further education in Belfast. [8641]
Mr. Ancram:
Further education projects such as that planned at the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education compete with projects in other sectors for a place in the annual capital new starts programme. The 1996-97 programme, which will be announced shortly, will be constructed from schemes with a high priority which are sufficiently advanced in planning within the total education estate.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what will be the level of the funding of higher education in Northern Ireland in 1996-97; what was the expenditure in 1995-96; and if he will make a statement on the impact of the settlement on the unit of resource in higher education. [8639]
Mr. Ancram:
The Department of Education for Northern Ireland is advised on the funding of the two Northern Ireland universities by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It will be some weeks yet before HEFCE is in a position to advise the Department on the levels of funding for the 1996-97 academic year. Until the funding allocations are known, it is not possible to assess the impact on the unit of resource.
Total recurrent and capital funding to the Northern Ireland universities in the 1995-96 academic year will amount to some £117 million.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Royal Ulster Constabulary divisional station in the city of Armagh has been provided with a Union flag; what advice has been issued to the Royal Ulster Constabulary of the days on which the Union flag should be flown; for what reasons the Union flag is not flown on such days at Armagh Royal Ulster Constabulary station; and if arrangements will be made to fly the Union flag at this Royal Ulster Constabulary station. [9208]
Sir John Wheeler:
The Union flag is flown over all RUC buildings, including Armagh RUC station, in accordance with RUC instructions. These instructions require that the flag be flown from 8 am to sunset on 19 specified occasions throughout the year. Armagh RUC station has been provided with a flag for this purpose.
Mr. Beggs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the target numbers for enrolment at each grant-maintained integrated school in Northern Ireland;
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and which of these schools have reached their target number. [9306]
Mr. Ancram:
Development proposals for new grant-maintained integrated schools are expected to demonstrate the potential for minimum enrolments of 100 pupils in primary schools after about seven years of operation and 300 pupils in secondary schools after about five years of operation. All new schools that have been in existence for these periods have in fact exceeded these minimum figures.
Mr. Beggs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the present religious composition of pupils in the enrolment at each grant-maintained integrated school in Northern Ireland; [9307]
Mr. Ancram:
Parents of pupils attending grant-maintained integrated schools are required to declare the religion of their children to schools. This information is included in the annual school census return.
(2) on what basis pupils enrolled at grant-maintained integrated schools in Northern Ireland are defined as Protestant or Roman Catholic. [9308]
| School | Protestant pupils | Roman catholic pupils | Other pupils | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | ||||
| Acorn | 45 | 33 | 2 | 80 |
| Braidside | 40 | 31 | 78 | 149 |
| Bridge | 111 | 138 | 8 | 257 |
| Corran | 46 | 48 | 6 | 100 |
| Cranmore | 27 | 34 | 19 | 80 |
| Enniskillen | 64 | 96 | 26 | 186 |
| Hazelwood IPS | 117 | 149 | 68 | 334 |
| Lough View | 25 | 18 | 8 | 51 |
| Millstrand | 62 | 51 | 70 | 183 |
| Oakgrove IPS | 99 | 141 | 22 | 262 |
| Omagh | 42 | 63 | 19 | 124 |
| Portadown | 50 | 73 | 28 | 151 |
| Saints and Scholars | 29 | 41 | 4 | 74 |
| Windmill | 59 | 61 | 13 | 133 |
| Secondary | ||||
| Erne College | 15 | 43 | 3 | 61 |
| Hazelwood College | 205 | 370 | 61 | 636 |
| Lagan College | 417 | 403 | 97 | 917 |
| Oakgrove | 87 | 174 | 19 | 280 |
| Shimna College | 13 | 45 | 2 | 60 |
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of the total public expenditure to date allocated to grant-maintained integrated schools in Northern Ireland. [9209]
Mr. Ancram: Allocations from 1991-92 to date total £11.8 million for capital expenditure and £36.4 million for recurrent expenditure.
Hospices (National Lottery)
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of the national lottery on raising funds to support the development and operation of the hospice movement
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and hospices; what plans he has to ensure the financial security of hospices; and if he will make a statement. [9283]
Mr. Moss: We have not made any assessment of the impact of the national lottery on the fund-raising activities of the hospices in Northern Ireland. We understand that the National Council for Hospice and Palliative Care Services is keeping this matter under review. To help ensure the financial security of hospices, health and social services boards have been asked to enter into contracts for the purchase of hospice services.
Electricity Interconnector
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the electricity needs of Northern Ireland it is expected will be provided by the interconnector with Scotland if it is fully operational. [9374]
Mr. Ancram: Under the terms of the agreement entered into between Northern Ireland Electricity plc and Scottish Power plc approximately 20 per cent. of the demand on the Northern Ireland electricity system will be met by the interconnector, when fully operational.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations have been received about the threat to the proposed electricity interconnector from munitions dumped around Beaufort's dyke. [9375]
Mr. Ancram: None. The Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Departments published on 8 January 1996 an interim report on the recent survey of the Beaufort's dyke munitions disposal site and surrounding areas. Further survey work will be carried out.
Disability
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what guidance he intends to issue to (a) Departments, (b) executive agencies, (c) non-departmental public bodies and (d) outside bodies and arm's-length organisations which he has responsibility for, or an interest in, regarding the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement; [9229]
- (2) what guidance he intends to issue to local authorities about the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement; [9247]
(3) what guidance he intends to issue to health authorities and trusts about the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9243]
Mr. Moss: In Northern Ireland, the Training and Employment Agency is currently consulting on a draft code of practice relating to the employment provisions in the Act and statutory guidance related to the definition of disability. Consultation on proposals for regulations under the employment and definition provisions of the Act is also currently underway. The Department of Health and Social Services will be asking the Northern Ireland Disability Council, when it first meets, to produce and consult a code of practice relating to the rights of access to goods and services. The Department of Health and Social
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Services will also be consulting on associated regulations. All these items will be published in plenty of time to allow employers and service providers in Northern Ireland to prepare themselves for the introduction of the new rights and duties. I will ensure that Northern Ireland Departments and any bodies for which they are responsible will be made aware of their responsibilities under the Act.
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to ensure that the inaccessibility of school transport is not a restricting factor in integrating disabled children into mainstream schools; and if he will make a statement. [9249]
Mr. Ancram: Where an education and library board maintains a statement of special educational needs in respect of a pupil, the board has the statutory duty under article 31 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 to arrange for the special educational provision specified in the statement to be made. Where a board considered that it was necessary to make arrangements for home-to-school transport to enable a pupil to benefit from special educational provision, it would specify these in the statement also. If ordinary bus services were not accessible to the child concerned, alternative suitable arrangements would be made, for example by using taxi services or by securing a place on a specially adapted bus. These arrangements would apply whether the special educational provision were being provided at a special school or a mainstream school.
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy in relation to the development of sports for disabled people. [9290]
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Mr. Ancram: My Department's policy in this regard is based on the 1989 publication, "Building on Ability". The principles of this publication have been enshrined in a policy framework document prepared by the NI Sports Council in 1993 on sport for people with disability.
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