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Lanark Way, Belfast

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to provide a school at Lanark way, Belfast. [12893]

Mr. Worthington [holding answer 27 October 1997]: The need for a new replacement primary school for pupils in the St. Paul's parish of West Belfast has been under consideration for some time. A number of possible options for the location of the school are being examined. These include a site adjacent to Lanark way-Springfield road, Belfast. However, no decisions have been taken. The outcome will be informed by consultations with relevant interests and the conclusions of an economic appraisal to determine the most cost-effective method of meeting the educational needs of the pupils in the area.

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has for development at Lanark way, Belfast. [12894]

Mr. Paul Murphy [holding answer 27 October 1997]: The Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland) recently agreed the sale of three sites at Lanark way for commercial/industrial use. The Department plans in the near future to place on the open market a further area of 1.6 hectares for development purposes.

Central Services Agency

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which directorates have achieved benchmarking in the Central Services Agency. [12890]

Mr. Worthington: The information requested is as follows:
Regional Supplies
Medical and Ophthalmic Directorate
Finance and Administration Directorate
Human Resources Directorate

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff, broken down by their perceived religion, were employed in the Central Services Agency, Adelaide street, Belfast, in each of the last two years. [12888]

Mr. Worthington [holding answer 27 October 1997]: Based on the agency's fair employment monitoring returns for 1995 and 1996, the information is as follows:

	1995	1996
Male Protestant	102	88
Male Roman Catholic	83	72
Male not known	11	7
Female Protestant	183	167
Female Roman Catholic	147	141
Female not known	10	7

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many directors there are in the Central Services Agency, Adelaide street; and what is their perceived religion. [12891]

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Mr. Worthington [holding answer 27 October 1997]: Of the agency's eight directors, four are perceived Protestant, three are perceived Roman Catholic and for the eighth the information is not known--the person is on secondment from the Department of Health and Social Services.

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the schools sending pupils for work experience to the Central Services Agency, Adelaide street, Belfast. [12889]

Mr. Worthington [holding answer 27 October 1997]: The information is as follows:
St. Genevieve's comprehensive school
St. Louise's comprehensive school
Belfast institute of further and higher education

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many senior officers in the Central Services Agency are perceived to be Protestant though claim to be non-Christian. [12892]

Mr. Worthington [holding answer 27 October 1997]: The agency does not know how many senior offices are perceived to be Protestant though claim to be non-Christian--this information is not collated.

Grammar Schools, Belfast

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many primary school pupils transferred to Belfast grammar schools in 1997 from the Bangor and Ards area. [12752]

Mr. Worthington [holding answer 27 October 1997]: One hundred and eighty children transferred from primary schools in the North Down and Ards borough council areas to grammar schools in Belfast this year.

Prison Service

Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to chapter 8 of the Prison Service annual report, what were the actual reductions in the cost of running the service in 1995-96. [12966]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 October 1997]: In 1995-96 there was a reduction in the total cost of the Northern Ireland Prison Service of £700,000 over the previous year. The equivalent figure for 1996-97 was £100,000 higher.

The reduction referred to in chapter 8 of the annual report for 1996-97 was primarily due to a recategorisation of part of the expenditure within the total cost, as well as a smaller sum reflecting lower staff-related costs consequent on the closure of Belfast prison.

Decommissioning Commission

Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funding has been provided for the arms commission established in Northern Ireland; what are the salaries of those appointed to the commission; and what is the current annual budget for the arms commission. [12785]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 October 1997]: No annual budget has yet been determined for the independent international commission on decommissioning which was

28 Oct 1997 : Column: 802

established on 24 September. However, in the UK capital and running costs, including salaries, are estimated to be some £1,200,000 until the end of May 1998. Most of the running costs will be shared equally with the Government of the Republic of Ireland who have provided the commission with an office in Dublin.

Training and Employment Agency

Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the students selected for the Training and Employment Agency sponsored programme in the United States of America are from Northern Ireland, broken down by religious denomination.[12771]

Mr. Worthington: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Ian Walters to Mr. John D. Taylor, dated 22 October 1997:
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me, as Chief Executive of the Training & Employment Agency (T&EA), to reply to your question about the number of students from Northern Ireland, by religious denomination, who are on T&EA sponsored programmes in the United States of America (USA).
The T&EA operates 4 USA programmes through its Business Support Division and 1 through its Training Division. The breakdown of these programmes, which are aimed at enhancing the skills and competences of young people, is as follows:

	Number
Business support division programmes
Catholics	80
Protestants	51
Not stated	20
Total	151
Training division programmes
Catholics	10
Protestants	14
Total	24

I hope you find this information helpful.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Trees

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the impact of non-indigenous trees on native species forming climax woodland; and what account of detrimental impact on native species is taken when considering tree preservation orders. [12496]

Angela Eagle: The Department has not commissioned any research directly, but the impact of non-native species on semi-natural vegetation is an active area of research by universities and others, including the statutory conservation agencies. Examples include work recently commissioned by English Nature on the recovery of

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ground flora of ancient broadleaved woodland following conifer removal, and work at the Oxford Forestry Institute on the interaction of sycamore and ash.

Tree preservation orders are made by local planning authorities to protect selected trees and woodlands in the interests of amenity. In deciding whether or not to make orders in respect of non-native trees, authorities are not required to consider the likely impact on native species.

Director of Transport Security Report

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has published the 1996-97 annual report of the Director of Transport Security. [13298]

Mr. Prescott: Copies are available in the House Libraries.

Sustainable Development Unit

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has, on what time scale, to set up a sustainable development unit within his Department. [12710]

Angela Eagle: The Government's sustainable development unit was set up on 7 July 1997 in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. It reports to the Deputy Prime Minister and has a Government-wide remit to promote sustainable development.

Its main tasks in the new parliamentary Session are to lead a review of the UK sustainable development strategy, with extensive public consultation, and to take forward the "greening Government" initiative in conjunction with a strengthened system of Green Ministers.

28 Oct 1997 : Column: 804

Additional information on Greening Government and Green Ministers can be found in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment to my hon. Friend the Member for Worsley (Mr. Lewis) on 31 July 1997, Official Report, column 542.

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