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Public Appointments

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many appointments to public bodies were made by her Department in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) ethnicity; and if he will list the chairmen appointed to those bodies in those years, similarly broken down. [92523]

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Clare Short: Appointments made by my Department to Public Bodies for the years 1997-98 and 1998-99 are as follows:

Year	Total	White	Ethnic minority	Male	Female
1 June 1997 to 31 May 1998	41	35	6	23	13
1 June 1998 to 31 May 1999	15	15	0	9	6

Information on the ethnic origin of Chairmen appointed to public bodies in the periods requested cannot be provided as the small numbers involved could lead to the identification of individuals without their consent.

I would also like to refer my hon. Friend to my Departmental Plan on Equal Opportunities published by the Government on 25 May 1999 and deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. The plan sets objectives and targets for improving representation of women, people from ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities.

Sierra Leone

Mr. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian aid her Department is providing for Sierra Leone; and if she will make a statement. [92576]

Clare Short: Since January 1999 my Department has provided over £2.3 million pounds of humanitarian assistance to Sierra Leone through the supply of emergency medical supplies, assistance in the areas of water, sanitation, healthcare, shelter and agriculture.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Market Research

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the title and purpose of each item of market and opinion research commissioned by or through her Department, agencies and non- departmental public bodies since May 1997, stating in each case whether the results were published. [89686]

Mr. Paul Murphy [holding answer 5 July 1999]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Garvaghy Road

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will ask for a report from the Chief Constable of the RUC on the display of a UVF flag adjacent to the police check point on the Garvaghy Road, Portadown; and if she will make a statement. [91708]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 16 July 1999]: Since early 1999, many roads and streets in the Portadown area have become the focus for the erection of flags and emblems by respective communities. Complaints in respect of the erection of these have been registered by both communities.

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Currently, police have powers to remove such flags or emblems only in circumstances wherein a breach of the peace is considered imminent. Outside of such circumstances, the matter of removal of the material rests with the proprietor or owner of the property in question.

Section 31 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 provides for an offence of displaying public support for a proscribed organisation. However the flag in question commemorates the formation of the original Ulster Volunteer Force in 1912, prior to the First World War, and therefore does not satisfy the necessary elements of this offence.

Occupational Therapists

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time occupational therapists were employed by the (i) Down Lisburn Trust, (ii) Newry and Mourne Trust and (iii) Banbridge and Craigavon Trust (1) in 1997, (2) in 1998 and (3) at the latest available date. [92012]

Mr. McFall: The information requested is set out in the table.

	1997		1998		1999
Trust	Full time	Part time	Full time	Part time	Full time	Part time
Down Lisburn	30	16	29	16	31	18
Newry and Mourne	17	1	17	1	17	1
Craigavon and Banbridge	17	11	17	11	17	11

Housing

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her answer to the hon.

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Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) of 17 June 1999, Official Report, column 210, on housing, what progress has been made in drafting the legislation to regulate nomination to the Board of the Housing Executive. [92031]

Mr. Paul Murphy: A specific provision, to regulate the nominations by the Northern Ireland Housing Council to the Board of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, has been prepared for inclusion in the draft legislation mentioned in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North on 17 June 1999, Official Report, column 210.

Community Care

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients have been discharged from hospitals in the Down Lisburn Trust with community care packages; and how many have been retained in hospitals awaiting such packages since 1 April. [92010]

Mr. McFall: Since 1 April 1999, nine patients have been discharged with community care packages from hospitals within the Down Lisburn Trust. There are at present 33 hospital patients who have been waiting three weeks or more for a community care package.

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the financial allocation from each health and social services board in Northern Ireland to each health trust for community care provision for (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000. [92008]

Mr. McFall: Although service agreements have not yet been finalised, the financial allocations from each health and social services board in Northern Ireland to each health and social services trust for community care provision for (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000 are as follows:

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£ million

	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
	Northern Health and Social Services Board
Causeway HSS Trust	23.036	24.014	27.153
Homefirst Community HSS Trust	70.787	73.509	77.053
United Hospitals HSS Trust	3.354	3.354	3.421
Other Trusts	0.215	0.224	0.223
Total	97.392	101.101	107.85
	Southern Health and Social Services Board
Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust	25.350	26.344	27.194
Craigavon and Banbridge HSS Trust	21,742	23.169	23.927
Newry and Mourne HSS Trust	28.472	29.461	30.443
Others	8.975	9.700	9.702
Total	84.539	88.674	91.266
	Eastern Health and Social Services Board
Down Lisburn HSS Trust	58.636	60.751	67.319
North and West Belfast HSS Trust	58.604	60.677	67.319
Ulster Community Hospitals HSS Trust(1)	63.949	66.234	73.439
South and East Belfast HSS Trust	85.264	88.315	97.917
Total	266.453	275.977	305.994
	Western Health and Social Services Board
Sperrin HSS Trust	36.727	38.405	40.128
Foyle HSS Trust	41.935	43.758	45.662
Total	78,662	82.163	85.790

(1) North Down and Ards HSS Trust prior to April 1998

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Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the financial allocation from the Eastern Health and Social Services Board towards the Down Lisburn Trust in respect of community care provision for 1999-2000 has been expended to date. [92009]

Mr. McFall: Although service agreements have not yet been finalised, of the amount the Eastern Health and Social Services Board proposed to allocate to Down and Lisburn Trust for community care provision for 1999-2000, 24.4 per cent. has been spent to date.

Long-term Care

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what response she proposes to make to the Royal Commission's report on Long-Term Care. [92015]

Mr. McFall: While the Commission was sitting, work was already taking place in some of the areas which the report highlights, such as developing a national strategy for carers and the extension of the direct payments scheme to people 65 and over. Where the Commission is recommending new policies for the future, these proposals will require more detailed consideration in coming months.

Official Documents

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish a list of all those official documents of the last Administration which have been seen by (a) her, (b) other Ministers in her Department, (c) special advisers in her Department and (d) non-career civil servants appointed since May 1997 in her Department. [92167]

Mr. Paul Murphy [holding answer 20 July 1999]: A large number of official documents were generated during the period of the previous Administration, many of which were published or put in the public domain. Since May 1997, the Northern Ireland Office has been guided by the convention governing access to the papers of a previous Administration, as set out in the then Prime Minister's reply to a written question on 24 January 1980, Official Report, column 305-07.

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