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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 28 February 2000
NORTHERN IRELAND
Rathgael School
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the board at Rathgael School are (a) men and (b) women. [110451]
Mr. Ingram: There are five board members, all of whom are men.
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of staff at Rathgael School have taken time off work as a result of stress-related illness in the last 10 years; how many have done so on more than one occasion; and how many of those staff who have taken time off on more than one occasion have sued the Juvenile Justice Board at Rathgael. [110449]
Mr. Ingram: 52 staff have taken time off for stress-related illness in the last 10 years. 23 have taken time off on more than one occasion. None has sued the Juvenile Justice Board.
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to appoint a new Board at Rathgael School; and for what reason it has not yet been appointed. [110452]
Mr. Ingram: Steps to appoint a new Board at Rathgael will not begin until the outcome of the Criminal Justice Review is known.
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is responsible for the arrangements for appointing a new board at Rathgael School. [110453]
Mr. Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for these appointments.
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of staff at Rathgael School went on sick leave as a result of assault by children at the school; and how many days were lost each year as a result of such assaults in the last 10 years. [110448]
Mr. Ingram: Over the past 10 years, 290 members of staff at Rathgael Juvenile Justice Centre went on sick leave following an assault by children. The information regarding the number of days lost each year as a result of such assaults in the last 10 years is not available.
Rev. Ian Paisley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teachers, social workers, casual staff and night supervisors have been assaulted by children at Rathgael School in the past 10 years. [110447]
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Mr. Ingram:
The information is as follows:
Mr. Ingram:
There are five civil servants on the Board at Rathgael. Their grades and religious affiliations are as follows:
Teachers: 34
Social Workers: 217
Casual Staff: 26
Night Supervisors: 13
Rev. Ian Paisley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants there are on the board at Rathgael School; and what are their (a) grades and (b) religious affiliations. [110450]
(a) One grade A, three grade B1's, one grade B2
(b) Three Protestants and two Roman Catholics.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Recycling
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of documentation used by his Department is (a) made from recycled paper and (b) collected for recycling. [111611]
The Solicitor-General: In the Crown Prosecution Service, 100 per cent. of paper and documents procured and specified for use by the CPS are recycled. It is assessed that 80-85 per cent. of waste paper, documents and card is presently collected for recycling.
The use of recycled paper in the Treasury Solicitor's Department and Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers is not quantified, but staff are encouraged in both departments to use electronic media where possible, to save paper by double sided printing and to place used paper in bins for recycling.
The Serious Fraud Office does not currently use recycled paper for its documentation, because of problems experienced in trials to date. It does seek to maximise the recycling of waste paper, but cannot quantify its use of recycled paper as a percentage of total paper used. It is anticipated that the amount of paper consumed within the department will be reduced with the developing use of electronic media for the transfer of cases to the Crown court. Two cases have been successfully transferred in this way so far, and, principally through the implementation of the DOCMAN project, it is hoped to build on these numbers.
A3 (Hindhead)
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the roads-based A3 Hindhead study will report; what is the cost of the project; what plans he has to include a local planning conference as part of the study; when he plans to visit Hindhead; and if he will make a statement. [110200]
Mr. Hill:
The A3 Hindhead study is expected to report in autumn 2000. The Regional Planning Body will advise the Secretary of State on the way forward in the light of
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the study's conclusions and recommendations. The cost of the bored tunnel solution was estimated at the time of the Roads Review as being £110 million. Sufficient funds have been put aside from the Highway Agency's budget to cover the cost of the current study. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to include a local planning conference as part of the study process. However, the study is to be undertaken in an open and inclusive manner ensuring that the voice of the local community and other interests are heard. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport met the right hon. Member on 13 September, when they discussed all the principal issues associated with the problems on the A3 at Hindhead. He undertook to visit the area when his diary permitted.
Mr. Ashdown:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what monitoring of key pollution indicators takes place at sites within the Yeovil constituency; and if he will make a statement. [110804]
Mr. Meacher:
My Department published a set of indicators for a strategy for sustainable development for the UK last December 1 . In that report, almost all of the environmental indicators are presented at a national level and there are only a few which are based on site information. One of these is the water quality headline indicator of rivers of good or fair quality (H12) which is derived from measurements at thousands of river quality monitoring sites across the UK. The location and quality of water at sites in the Yeovil area can be found in the "What's in your backyard" section of the Environment Agency's website http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
This section also shows the location and emission details of sites which are regulated by the Environment Agency under the integrated pollution control regime. Data on emissions for these sites and large combustion plants are used in the compilation of the indicator of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions (P3). The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory can be found at the following web address, which is funded by my Department. The address is:
http://www.aeat.co.uk/netcen/airqual
The headline air quality indicator of days of moderate or higher air pollution (H10) and the indicator of concentrations of selected air pollutants (P1) are based on data from air quality monitoring sites, but there are no pollution monitoring sites funded by my Department within the Yeovil constituency. Monitoring does take place in the wider region of South-West England and further information can be located under the "Frequently Asked Questions" section at the following web site address funded by my Department. The address is: http://www.aeat.co.uk/netcen/airqual
Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 requires local authorities to review and assess the current and likely future air quality in their areas. Where a local authority considers that one or more of the air quality objectives, as prescribed in regulations, is unlikely to be met by the required date, it must declare an air quality management area, covering the area where the problem is expected. It must then draw up an action plan setting out the measures it intends to take in pursuit of the air quality objectives in
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the area. The Secretary of State has reserve powers to require local authorities to take action where they are failing to make sufficient progress.
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