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Hospital Contracts
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used by the Eastern area health and social services board in drawing up its present contracts as a customer of (i) the Royal Victoria hospital, (ii) the Belfast city hospital and (iii) the Ulster hospital, Dundonald; and what is the value of the present contracts at these three hospitals. [24377]
Mr. Moss: The criteria used by the Eastern health and social services board in contracting for services take account of: Government policy; the assessed health and social care needs of its resident population; the available resources; the services offered by providers and their effectiveness, efficiency, quality and value for money; and patient and client choice.
| Provider | 1995-96 Contract value £ |
|---|---|
| Royal Group of Hospitals Trust | 48,301,000 |
| Belfast City Hospital Trust | 39,082,000 |
| Ulster, North Down, and Ards Hospitals Trust | 38,080,000 |
Racial Discrimination
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will introduce legislation to inhibit racial discrimination. [23804]
Mr. Ancram: I expect to issue a draft legislative proposal for an Order in Council later this year.
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how (a) the policy appraisal and fair treatment guidelines and (b) targeting social need policy have been applied to ensure equality for members of ethnic minority communities. [23807]
Mr. Ancram: The policy appraisal and fair treatment guidelines, which came into effect on 1 January 1994, aim to ensure that in the development or review of policies and programmes departments and agencies do not unfairly or unnecessarily discriminate against specified sections of the community, including people of different ethnic groups. The first annual report on PAFT recorded a range of measures in support of ethnic minority groups, and in 1995 the Government announced their intention to introduce race relations legislation in Northern Ireland.
Through the targeting social need initiative the Government seek to improve social and economic conditions by targeting resources on areas and people objectively defined as being in greatest need.
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Irish travellers are a minority community which experiences high levels of disadvantage. However, generally speaking, membership of an ethnic minority group in Northern Ireland does not, of itself, indicate that a person suffers socio-economic disadvantage.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to improve the treatment of travelling people in Northern Ireland. [23806]
Mr. Moss:
As I announced on 27 April 1995 it is the Government's intention to introduce legislation on race relations in Northern Ireland as soon as possible. The legislation will be introduced by Order in Council and will specifically refer to the Irish traveller community as an ethnic group. I expect to issue a draft of the legislative proposal later this year.
The Northern Ireland Department of Environment has published a review of Government policies affecting travellers in Northern Ireland. Interested parties have been consulted and Government's response to the recommendations will be published later in the year.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action has been taken to meet the accommodation needs of travellers; and how many sites (a) have been provided and (b) are planned. [23809]
Mr. Moss:
To date 10 sites have been provided, one is nearing completion and a further two sites are planned.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in establishing an office waste minimisation strategy for his Department, indicating the targets set. [24515]
Mr. Moss:
Office waste minimisation is a key aspect of the green housekeeping strategy of Northern Ireland departments. A strategy for office waste minimisation, containing precise targets, will now be drawn up.
Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy that no licence to operate gas supply in Northern Ireland be granted within three months of the coming into operation of article 8(8) of the Gas (Northern Ireland) Order 1996. [23906]
Mr. Ancram
[holding answer 1 April 1996]: No. A gas market in Northern Ireland offers many benefits and it is the intention to encourage rapid and extensive development of such a market. The purpose of articles 8(8) is to enable the development of the new gas market to commence on the earliest possible date.
3 Apr 1996 : Column: 335
Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy that no licence be granted under articles 8 and 9 of the Gas (Northern Ireland) Order which will give monopoly of supply at the expense of competition. [23908]
Mr. Ancram
[holding answer 1 April 1996]: No. The ability to grant exclusive rights under articles 8 and 9 reflects the very significant commercial risks associated with the development of a new gas industry in Northern Ireland entirely from scratch. Any applications for exclusive rights will be considered on their merits.
Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that licences granted under the Gas (Northern Ireland) Order contain a requirement that domestic gas be supplied to the whole of the Province. [23904]
Mr. Ancram
[holding answer 1 April 1996]: The development of a natural gas industry in Northern Ireland will be undertaken by the private sector on grounds of commercial viability. It would not be appropriate for any licence holder to be compelled to supply gas to domestic consumers throughout the Province.
Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that licences granted under the Gas (Northern Ireland) Order will require immediate open access and full transparency of charges for use of gas supply networks. [23905]
Mr. Ancram
[holding answer 1 April 1996]: No. Periods of exclusivity may be appropriate because of the commercial risks attaching to the development of the new natural gas industry in Northern Ireland. Once any exclusivity period had ended, there would be third party access to the network on the basis of regulated charges.
Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy that no licence will be issued under article 8(8) of the Gas (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 without an evaluation of all licence applications and their area of operation and a full public consultation. [23907]
Mr. Ancram
[holding answer 1 April 1996]: When issuing a licence for any area the Department of Economic Development and the Regulator will have regard for their general duties under article 5 of the order. The purpose of article 8(8) is to enable the development of the new gas market to commence on the earliest possible date.
Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the costs of operating the Northern Ireland commissioner for protection against unlawful industrial action; who is the current commissioner; how many applications for assistance have been made over the last two years; and if he will give the equivalent data for its Great Britain counterpart. [23787]
Mr. Ancram
[holding answer 2 April 1996]: The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action is Mrs. Margaret Ann Dinsmore. The Northern Ireland post was established on 1 October 1995.
3 Apr 1996 : Column: 336
| Operating costs | Number of applications for assistance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | |
| NI Commissioner for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action | (17)£12,000 | n/a | none |
| (Great Britain) Commissioner for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action | £92,771 | none | 3 |
(17) Apportioned costs. Administration of NI Commissioner for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action is shared with NI Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members.
n/a = not applicable.
Bridges
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list (a) the daily vehicle traffic flow and (b) the projected flows in the originating plans for (i) the new bridge on the A2 Bangor road into the Belfast harbour estate and (ii) the new Foyle bridge in Londonderry. [23783]
Mr. Moss [holding answer 2 April 1996]: The information is as follows:
| A2 Bangor road bridge | Foyle bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily traffic flow | 1,581 | 20,617 |
| Projected traffic flow in originating plans | The new bridge on the A2 was constructed by the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. The Department does not have details of the projected flow in the originating plans | 20,000 |
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