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NORTHERN IRELAND
Gender Impact Assessment
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by her Department since June 1997, indicating in each case whether the outcome has been (a) put out to consultation and (b) published. [92002]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
There is no current requirement to consult on or publish gender impact assessments in Northern Ireland. The Policy Appraisal and Fair Treatment (PAFT) administrative guidelines recommend assessments of the equality and discrimination implications when new policies and services are proposed or existing ones are reviewed. Such assessments cover a broad range of issues where there is potential for discriminatory impact--region and political opinion; gender; race; disability; age; marital status; dependants,
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sexual orientation. Under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the PAFT administrative guidelines will be superseded by a statutory duty on public authority in relation to equality of opportunity. This will require equality schemes to be drawn up by public authorities, including arrangements for impact assessments with consultation and publication.
Mr. McGrady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were awaiting assessments by occupational therapists for disabled facilities in the (i) Down Lisburn Trust, (ii) Newry and Mourne Trust and (iii) Banbridge and Craigavon Trust (a) in 1997, (b) in 1998 and (c) at the latest available date. [92011]
Mr. McFall:
Information is not available in the form requested, as occupational therapy activity is not analysed by reason for referral. The table shows the total numbers of people awaiting commencement of assessment at the end of the relevant quarter.
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| Trust | 31 December 1997 | 31 December 1998 | 31 March 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down Lisburn | 470 | 775 | 885 |
| Newry and Mourne | 481 | 657 | 328 |
| Craigavon and Banbridge | 253 | 457 | 492 |
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Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times Ministers in her Department held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government between 1 January 1998 and
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31 December 1998, indicating the dates and locations of each meeting, the Ministers involved and the names of the Irish Ministers and officials at each meeting. [92268]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
I have met Irish Ministers very frequently throughout the Talks Process. Further meetings held by other Ministerial colleagues in 1998 include:
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| Date | Location | Minister | Irish Minister |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January 1998 | Department of Education, Bangor | Mr. Worthington | Mr. E. O'Cuiv TD and 4 officials |
| 14 January 1998 | Castle Buildings | Mr. Ingram | Mr. M. Smith TD |
| 26 January 1998 | Parliament Buildings | Mr. Worthington | Mr. D. Ahern TD and 6 officials |
| 25 February 1998 | Hotel Conrad, Dublin | Mr. Worthington | Mr. B. Cowen TD and 7 officials |
| 2 March 1998 | Waterfront Hall, Belfast | Mr. Ingram | Mr. T. Kitt TD |
| 20 March 1998 | Belfast City Hall | Lord Dubs | Dr. M. Woods TD |
| 27 March 1998 | Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen | Lord Dubs | Mr. N. Treacy TD and 1 official |
| 6 April 1998 | Department of Education, Bangor | Mr. Worthington | Mr. M. Martin TD and 5 officials |
| 17-18 April 1998 | Aghadoe Heights Hotel, Killarney | Lord Dubs | Mr. J. Walsh TD and 2 officials |
| 19 April 1998 | Leopardstown Race Course, Dublin | Lord Dubs | Mr. J. Walsh TD |
| 15 May 1998 | Balyshannon, Co. Donegal | Lord Dubs | Dr. M. Woods TD |
| 15 May 1998 | The Old Courthouse, Lifford | Lord Dubs | Mr. J. Walsh TD |
| 16 June 1998 | Department of Justice, Dublin | Mr. Ingram | Mr. J. O'Donohue TD |
| 5 September 1998 | Aghalane Bridge, Co. Cavan | Lord Dubs | Mr. N. Dempsey TD |
| 15 October 1998 | Dublin | Lord Dubs | Mr. B. Molloy TD |
| 16 October 1998 | Hillsborough Castle | Lord Dubs | Mr. J. Walsh TD and 1 official |
| 5 November 1998 | Royal Hospital, Dublin | Mr. Ingram | Mr. N. Treacy TD and 2 officials |
| 6 November 1998 | Belfast | Lord Dubs | Taoiseach |
| 4 December 1998 | White Horse Hotel, Cootehill, Co. Cavan | Lord Dubs | Mr. J. Walsh TD |
| 15 December 1998 | Castle Buildings | Mr. Ingram | Mr. J. O'Donoghue TD |
| 17-18 December 1998 | Brussels | Lord Dubs | Dr. M. Woods TD |
| 22 December 1998 | Dublin | Lord Dubs | Mr. N. Dempsey TD |
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Education
Mr. McGrady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to increase the levels of educational attainment, with particular reference to the standards required for the jobs being created through the Industrial Development Board. [93033]
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Mr. McFall:
The Government have taken a number of steps to seek to ensure that the education system in Northern Ireland develops the range of skills which are likely to be required by employers now and in the future. A major schools improvement programme which will be supported by new investment in the school system for the
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period up to 2002 is underway. That, together with a new educational technology strategy and a review of the curriculum, will seek to ensure higher and more relevant educational attainment and prepare young people for future vocational development. In addition, I have published a set of proposals on lifelong learning, "A new Learning Culture for All", in which I set out Government policy for improving general skill levels and for meeting the skill needs of Northern Ireland for the future. Included in the proposals are initiatives to widen and increase access to education and training provision, put in place a skills identification and monitoring system and significantly increase the number of higher and further education places available. I have established a Northern Ireland Skills task Force to advise the Department of Education and the Training and Employment Agency on issues related to skills identification and responses to labour market and skill needs. The Industrial Development Board will play a significant role in that task Force ensuring that its focus includes the target sectors for inward investment and company expansion.
The information and advice from the Skills Task Force and from our labour market research will enable us to focus the education and training provision in Northern Ireland, at all levels, on the future needs of the local economy. This is an issue addressed in the recently published Economic Development Strategy, "Strategy 2010".
Mr. Donaldson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funding has been provided to the (a) Lower Ormeau Concerned Community, (b) Bogside Residents Group and (c) Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition in each year since 1995. [92959]
Mr. Paul Murphy
[holding answer 26 July 1999]: The information for the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments is as follows:
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many weapons were seized in the
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vicinity of the Drumcree protest in July 1998; how many of these were returned to their owners; how many were legally registered weapons; how many have subsequently been destroyed; who verified this process; and where the remaining weapons are stored. [92737]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 26 July 1999]: One home-made firearm was seized in the vicinity of the Drumcree protest in July 1998 and is currently held in Portadown RUC station pending a disposal order.
Mr. Thompson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much is to be spent on cancer services in the Western Health and Social Services Board in the financial year 1999-2000; and how much was spent in financial year 1998-99. [93049]
Mr. McFall
[holding answer 26 July 1999]: The total planned expenditure on cancer services in the Western Health and Social Services Board in the financial year 1999-2000 is £3.95 million and the total spent on cancer services by the Board in the financial year 1998-99 was £2.94 million.
Mr. Thompson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will provide a breakdown of the use of the increase in the money received for the 1999-2000 financial year over the previous year by the Western Health and Social Services Board on the basis of expenditure to each programme of care for each trust; and how much of this funding allocated within each programme and trust is on a (i) recurring and (ii) non- recurring basis. [93050]
Mr. McFall
[holding answer 26 July 1999]: The proposed breakdown of the use of the increase in the money received for the 1999-2000 financial year over the previous year by the Western Health and Social Services Board, on the basis of expenditure to each programme of care for each trust and the amount of this funding the Board proposes to allocate on a recurring basis, is shown in the table. Community care recurring funding extends over 1999-2000 to 2001-02 and £2.1 million is available for use non-recurrently in 1999-2000.
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(a) £3,000 in 1997
(b) £3,000 in 1997
(c) Reimbursement of travel expenses for meetings with the Prime Minister in London in 1999.
Note:
In light of the reference to legally registered weapons this phrase has been interpreted as referring to firearms and the question has been answered using that interpretation. A number of other items were seized during the period.
| Programme of Care | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community care | Child care | Acute | Cancer | Renal | Mental health | Learning disability | Total | |
| Alinagalvin | -- | -- | 349 | 409 | -- | -- | -- | 758 |
| Sperrin Lakeland | 2,471 | 686 | 415 | 83 | 178 | 324 | 240 | 4,397 |
| Foyle | 2,375 | 653 | -- | -- | -- | 196 | 315 | 3,539 |
| Royal Group | -- | -- | 150 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 150 |
| Belfast City | -- | -- | 50 | 439 | 48 | -- | -- | 537 |
| Causeway | -- | -- | 59 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 59 |
| Craigavon | -- | -- | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 22 |
| Ulster and Community | -- | -- | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 16 |
| NI Ambulance Service | -- | -- | -- | -- | 40 | -- | -- | 40 |
| Total | 4,846 | 1,339 | 1,061 | 931 | 266 | 520 | 555 | 9,518 |
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