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Pedestrianisation (Belfast)
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many objections her Department has received to the proposed pedestrianisation of parts of Belfast; from whom they have been received; and what are the main grounds for objection put forward by each objector; [71552]
- (2) what instructions she has given her officials in the Roads Service of the Department of the Environment in respect of requests for meetings from organisations of disabled people to discuss the access needs of disabled people in the implementation of pedestrianisation in Belfast. [71554]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Roads Service under its chief executive, Mr. W. J. McCoubrey. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from W. J. McCoubrey to Mr. Eddie McGrady, dated 22 February 1999:
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The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to respond to your two recently tabled Parliamentary Questions about the Department's proposals to restrict vehicular access to Belfast city centre.
First, you asked what instructions the Secretary of State has given to officials in Roads Service in respect of requests for meetings from organisations representing disabled people to discuss the access needs of disabled people in implementing the Department's proposals. The Secretary of State has not given any such instructions. In the 3-year period prior to publication of the Department's proposals Departmental officials held a number of meetings with organisations representing disabled people in an endeavour to reach agreement. The Minister, Lord Dubs, and his predecessor each attended one of these meetings.
Secondly, you asked the Secretary of State how many objections her Department has received to the Department's proposals; who they have been received from; and what are the main grounds for objection put forward by each objector. The Department published its Notice of Intention to make the proposed legislation restricting vehicular access to Belfast city centre on 17 June 1998, allowing 28 days for objections and other representations. During the prescribed period 31 objections and 6 letters containing general comments were received. Since then a further 43 representations have been submitted. The objections have been received from a wide range of organisations and individuals, including political representatives. The main ground for objection is that the Department's proposed legislation does not include an exemption to
permit Orange Badge holders to drive into and park in the streets within the pedestrian priority area. Other grounds for objection are that:
taxis will not be allowed access to the city centre;
the proposed seating and shelter provision for disabled people within the pedestrian priority area is inadequate;
other modes of access to the city centre do not exist;
parking spaces have not been set aside for the exclusive use of Shopmobility Belfast users;
the distance between the proposed disabled parking bays and the shops is too great;
an alternative 2-tier Orange Badge system is required to cater for the needs of people who are disabled and those who are more profoundly disabled;
an overall review of the Orange Badge system is required.
I trust the above information is helpful.
New Deal
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many New Deal places have been offered in Northern Ireland, broken down by industry; and how many have been taken up in each month to date. [71412]
Mr. Ingram: 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.
Note:
These figures are based on the latest information available and are subject to audit.
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Mr. Moss:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if all Departments are Year 2000 compliant; and if she will make a statement on the progress of the Year 2000 bug-busters in Northern Ireland. [71529]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
I refer the hon. Member to the quarterly statements made in the House by the President of the Council. These statements cover the whole of the United Kingdom. The President of the Council is due to
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make a further statement in March to update the House on progress towards compliance. Information on the compliance situation in each department is laid before the House each quarter and is published on the internet.
The take up of Year 2000 bug buster training by small and medium sized companies in Northern Ireland has, since its launch on 16 October 1998, been extremely reassuring and compares very favourably with participation levels in the rest of the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Moss:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Year 2000 bug-busters have successfully completed their training; and how many are currently employed to tackle the problem in Northern Ireland. [71544]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
At 15 February 1999, 883 employees of Northern Ireland companies had successfully completed bug buster training with a further 293 due to complete training by the end of February 1999. There are 6 accredited providers appointed to deliver the Government's bug buster programme Northern Ireland. Approximately 65 local companies are offering solutions to Year 2000 problems.
Mr. Moss:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students are studying for computer science degrees in Northern Ireland colleges; and how many of these are studying (a) business information systems and (b) programming; and how many computer science degrees have been awarded in the past five years. [71560]
Mr. McFall:
Students enrolled on first degree and postgraduate courses in Computer Science at Northern Ireland institutions 1997-98:
| Full-time | Part-time | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First degree | 1,006 | 90 | 1,096 |
| Postgraduate | 274 | 355 | 629 |
| Total | 1,280 | 445 | 1,725 |
Information on the number of these students studying (a) business information systems and (b) programming is not readily available.
| 1993-94 (10) | 1994-95 (11) | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | n/a | 207 | (12)144 | 333 | 445 |
| First Degrees | 208 | 220 | 220 | 250 | 238 |
(10) From returns made directly by the universities which relate only to the awarding of first degrees.
(11) Information from 1994-95 onwards is taken from the Individualised Student Record collected by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
(12) In 1995-96, it appears that students receiving interim awards on linked Postgraduate Certificate, postgraduate Diploma and Masters courses were not recorded by the University of Ulster.
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