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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 29 June 1998
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Gender Impact Assessments
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will place in the Library copies of gender impact assessments which have been undertaken in respect of legislation introduced in this Parliament; if he will make it his policy to do so in respect of future legislation; and if he will make a statement. [47025]
Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Women on 24 June 1998, Official Report, column 557.
Action Zones
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the initiatives undertaken by his Department since 1 May 1997 which have involved the establishment of (a) action zones and (b) pilot schemes limited to particular geographical areas, indicating the name of the programme and the action zone or pilot scheme areas covered in each instance. [47054]
Mr. Hoon: The information requested is set out in the table.
| Name of programme | Area(s) covered |
|---|---|
| Legal Aid Board pilot franchises for the provision of publicly funded mediation services. Pilots commenced May 1997. | Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Durham, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Northampton, Cambridge, Peterborough, Bristol, Cardiff, Bromley and London. |
| Pilot to test the administrative arrangements necessary to implement S.9 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. Pilots commenced January and June 1998. | Coventry, Southampton, Oxford and Carlisle |
| Pilot to test draft checklist in Crown Court cases involving children. Pilots took place June to September 1997. | Liverpool and Norwich |
| Information Meetings Project (pilot to test arrangements for S.8 of the Family Law Act 1996). Pilots commenced June 1997. | Birmingham and Coventry, East Anglia, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire and East Midlands, London, North East, South Wales, South West, South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire. |
Departmental Reviews
Mr. Allan:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list, for each of the last four years, all departmental inquiries and reviews instigated by ministers which have been chaired by
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individuals outside his Department; and in each case if he will give the date of establishment and the name of the chairman. [46837]
Mr. Hoon:
The information requested is set out in the table.
| Inquiry/review | Date established | Chair |
|---|---|---|
| An inquiry into access to civil justice | March 1994 | Conducted by Lord Woolf |
| Review of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) | October 1996 | Sir Jeffrey Bowman |
| Review of the law relating to profits of crime | March 1997 | Professor Gareth Jones, Vice-Master, Trinity College Cambridge (sole reviewer) |
| Review of civil justice and legal aid | June 1997 | Sir Peter Middleton |
NORTHERN IRELAND
Payments to Farmers
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of payments due in December 1997 to farmers (a) have not been paid to date and (b) were paid late; and if she will make a statement. [46946]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Under the Arable Aid Scheme in Northern Ireland, 96.74 per cent. of applicants received payments by 31 December 1997 (representing 96.84 per cent. by value).
At 1 June 1998, all applicants had received payment.
Elections Review
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she expects her review of electoral procedures to complete its work; when she expects to publish its report; and when she intends to publish her draft legislation. [46744]
Mr. Paul Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to receive the Elections Review Report in mid August which will be considered by Ministers, and published shortly afterwards.
Thereafter, the Secretary of State will consult the Northern Ireland parties and legislation will be drafted and published as soon as possible.
Union Flag (Ulster Hospital)
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Ulster hospital, Dundonald was provided with a Union Flag; if it was flown on the occasion of Her Majesty's official birthday; what arrangements have been made to fly the Union Flag at the Ulster hospital on the appropriate dates; and if she will make a statement. [46727]
Mr. Worthington:
The Ulster Community and Hospitals Health and Social Services Trust has confirmed that it has always had a Union Flag and that it was flown on the occasion of Her Majesty's official birthday on Saturday 13 June 1998. Management of the Trust have passed the schedule of dates for flying the Union Flag to
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the reception porters based at the main reception of the Ulster Hospital who have responsibility for hoisting the Flag.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sets of (a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were
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born in Northern Ireland in each year from 1990 to 1997; what was the total number of maternities in each year; and how many multiple births of each type in each year were conceived as a result of (i) in-vitro fertilisation, (ii) gamete intra-fallopian transfer and (iii) other forms of assisted conception. [46929]
Mr. Worthington:
The information requested in relation to total maternities and total multiple births is set out in Table 1.
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| Type | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | (1)1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sets of | ||||||||
| (a) twins | 267 | 315 | 258 | 308 | 303 | 324 | 311 | 327 |
| (b) triplets | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 6 |
| (c) quadruplets | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| (d) quintuplets | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| (e) sextuplets | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Maternities | 26,338 | 26,050 | 25,425 | 24,729 | 24,119 | 23,663 | 24,398 | 24,057 |
(1) Provisional
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With regard to the number of multiple births conceived as a result of IVF and other forms of infertility treatment, the information is as follows:
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library copies of gender impact assessments which have been undertaken in respect of legislation introduced in this Parliament; if he will make it his policy to do so in respect of future legislation; and if he will make a statement. [47020]
Marjorie Mowlam:
The Policy Appraisal for Fair Treatment (PAFT) administrative guidelines of 1993 require the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments to assess the equality impact of new policies, including legislation, in terms of gender and seven other categories. Such assessments are not published, but are covered by annual reports on the implementation of PAFT. A report for 1997 is in preparation. The White Paper, "Partnership for Equality", published on 11 March 1998, proposed replacing PAFT with a statutory obligation to promote equality of opportunity.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost to public funds of each of the four area councils for health and social services in each of the last three years. [47115]
Mr. Worthington:
The table discloses expenditure on Health and Social Services Councils by the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Boards for 1995-96 and 1996-97. The information for 1997-98 is not yet available.
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In a period 1 August 1991 1 to 31 March 1996 2 , there were 148 multiple births 3 recorded in Northern Ireland following infertility treatment at the Royal Maternity Hospital (RMH), Belfast, the only clinic licensed to provide such treatment in Northern Ireland.
1 Date from which HFEA commenced keeping records
2 Latest verified data available
3 Figures have been provided by the HFEA, whose annual reports appear in the Commons Library. They are grossed up to ensure confidentiality
| 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Board | 100 | 127 | Not available |
| Southern Board | 175 | 155 | Not available |
| Eastern Board | 313 | 305 | Not available |
| Western Board | 81 | 87 | Not available |
| Total | 669 | 674 | Not available |
Note:
The information has been extracted from the Revenue Income and Expenditure Accounts of each of the HPSS Boards Final Accounts for 1995-96 and 1996-97
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