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Departmental Budget
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what will be the total level of his Department's budget, in 1995-96 prices, in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99; if he will estimate what such figures for (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99 would be on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in the November 1996 Budget; and if he will make a statement. [21954]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the reply from my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to my hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) on 10 December 1997, Official Report, columns 568-72.
In 1995-96 prices the figures quoted in that reply for the DfEE are £13.3 billion for 1997-98 and £12.3 billion for 1998-99. On the basis of the November 1996 GDP deflators, the figures in 1995-96 prices would be £13.5 billion for 1997-98 and £12.5 billion for 1998-99. As my right hon. Friend noted, the apparent reduction for the DfEE between 1997-98 and 1998-99 principally consists of transfers to other Departments, notably the return to local government finance, following the abolition of the nursery vouchers scheme, of resources for under 5-year-olds to support local education authorities' early years development plans. As my right hon. Friend also noted, the figures for the DfEE do not include the £1 billion provided for schools in 1998-99 in the Budget. These funds have been added to support local authorities and appear in the table shown in column 569, under "DETR-local government". Nor do the figures include the expenditure supported by the windfall tax on the New Deals for the young and for the long term unemployed, and the New Deal for Schools, all of which is outside the control total shown in the table at column 569.
14 Jan 1998 : Column: 238
Peace Process
7. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last met Irish Government Ministers to discuss the peace process in Northern Ireland. [20857]
Marjorie Mowlam: I meet Irish Government Ministers regularly in the talks process and on other occasions--including Monday night. As my hon. Friend may have seen, the Irish Foreign Minister and I also met earlier this week and were able to make an announcement of some significance to the negotiations.
12. Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made towards a political settlement in Northern Ireland. [20862]
15. Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on progress in the peace process talks. [20865]
16. Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the progress of the Stormont talks. [20827]
17. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the progress made in the peace process talks in Northern Ireland. [20828]
28. Dr. George Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made towards a political settlement in Northern Ireland. [20874]
Marjorie Mowlam: I refer the hon. Members to the oral answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) today.
Schools (Under-achievement)
8. Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action is being taken to address under-achievement in Northern Ireland schools. [20858]
Mr. Worthington: The Raising Schools Standards Initiative is one of a number of measures currently in place. I will be announcing my School Improvement Programme next month, which will set out new measures to address the quality of school leadership, literacy and numeracy, school discipline and targeted support for the weakest schools.
Employment
9. Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new jobs have been created in Northern Ireland with (a) IDB, (b) Local Enterprise Development Unit and (c) International Fund for Ireland support since 1 May. [20859]
Mr. Ingram:
Since 1 May the Industrial Development Board has promoted 4,338 new jobs and the Local Enterprise Development Unit over 6,000. These jobs are expected to be created over a two to three year time period.
14 Jan 1998 : Column: 239
With regard to the International Fund for Ireland, this is administered by an independent Board appointed by the two Governments. I have asked the chairman of the fund, William McCarter, to respond to the hon. Gentleman's request for details of jobs created since 1 May.
10. Mr. Ian Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many weapons were handed in by paramilitary organisations in 1997. [20860]
Mr. Ingram:
While no paramilitary organisation voluntarily decommissioned weapons during 1997 the Government's position remains that we would like to see the decommissioning of some paramilitary arms during negotiations as progress is made in the political talks. This would be a major contribution to confidence building.
11. Mr. Watts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to encourage agreements over disputed parades in Northern Ireland. [20861]
Mr. Ingram:
As my hon. Friend will know, the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Bill received its Second Reading in the House on 18 December and will shortly be going into Committee. The Bill is designed to tackle the difficulties that have surrounded the parades issue in recent years by encouraging local agreement, and by giving the Parades Commission the power to make determinations where local accommodation has not proved possible. Under Clause two of the Bill, the Parades Commission will also be able both to mediate directly on disputed parades and to promote mediation on parades.
13. Dr. Naysmith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made towards creating an economic development strategy in Northern Ireland. [20863]
23. Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made towards creating an economic development strategy in Northern Ireland. [20869]
Mr. Ingram:
We are already pursuing a clear economic development strategy in Northern Ireland. As in the rest of the United Kingdom, we aim to encourage investment and raise employability. We have a range of measures in place to improve skills, tackle unemployment and boost the international competitiveness of Northern Ireland firms. But what the economy needs most is lasting peace and stability.
14. Mr Donaldson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average time taken for planning decisions for major retail developments in Northern Ireland to be made. [20864]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
For major retail applications decided since 1995, the average length of time taken to reach a decision was 485 days.
14 Jan 1998 : Column: 240
18. Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the future of the NHS in Northern Ireland. [20829]
Mr. Worthington:
My Department recently published "Well in 2000--A Positive Agenda for Health and Well-being", which sets out the Government's vision and strategy for health and social services in the next millennium. A major consultation paper on new arrangements to replace the internal market for health and social services in Northern Ireland will be published shortly. The paper will set out broad policy aims and objectives which parallel those in the White Paper "The New NHS, Modern, Dependable" and will seek views on how the policy should be taken forward in Northern Ireland.
19. Mr. McNulty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to expand nursery education in Northern Ireland. [20830]
29. Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to expand nursery education in Northern Ireland. [20875]
Mr. Worthington:
As the first stage of an expansion programme, £1.9 million is being provided in 1998-99 to create 1,700 full-year pre-school education places--an increase of 15 per cent. on existing grant-aided pre-school provision. The additional places will be secured in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, and will be targeted initially on children from socially disadvantaged circumstances and the oldest four-year-olds. The expansion will be planned at local level by Pre-School Education Advisory Groups, established by the five Education and Library Boards which are responsible for securing the implementation of the initiative. A paper setting out proposals for the expansion programme was issued for consultation purposes on 17 December, and a copy has been placed in the Library.
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