| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
13 Jan 2003 : Column 429W—continued
Official Forms
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make the body of official forms issued by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development more comprehensible to farmers. [88870]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Officials from the Department will be meeting with farming union representatives this month to discuss documentation and procedures relating to cattle identification and subsidy claims. The Department is also working towards simplifying application forms used for the programme for building
13 Jan 2003 : Column 430W
sustainable prosperity and the PEACE II programme. In addition it is currently piloting on-line claims for sheep annual premium, with a view to making this facility more widely available and making subsidy applications more convenient and user-friendly
Forms produced by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are broadly consistent with those used in other agriculture departments throughout the UK. One of the Department's main aims is to ensure that farmers are only being asked to provide information which is essential to meet statutory or other obligations and to facilitate processing. Forms normally contain contact details for anyone requiring assistance and are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are as user friendly as possible.
Post-primary Education
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library the data underlying the Review of Post Primary Education Household Survey. [88797]
Jane Kennedy: Data on the Review of Post-Primary Education Household Survey are set out in the Report on the Responses to Consultation. Additional analyses of responses by gender, age, type of school attended and level of social deprivation are available on the Department's website. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reasons underlay the number of young people whose views were sought as part of the Review of Post Primary Education; and if he will make a statement. [88799]
Jane Kennedy: Young people constitute the current and future users of the education system and the multi-stranded consultation on the Burns Report provided an opportunity for them all to express their views. These were received through written submissions from young people, pupils at school, youth organisations, children's charities and representative bodies. The Department of Education also commissioned the Northern Ireland Youth Forum to undertake qualitative research into the views of 14–19 year olds through a series of focus groups broadly representative of the population. 200 young people were invited to 10 focus groups across Northern Ireland and 116 participated.
In addition, Save the Children conducted independent research into the views of primary school children.
PPPs
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many departmental minutes issued by his Department were outstanding on 30 November, that referred to public private partnerships as included in Table B14 of the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts; and what their value was. [89419]
13 Jan 2003 : Column 431W
Mr. Pearson: The coverage of Table B14, which contains details of departmental contingent liabilities, does not extend to the Northern Ireland Departments. In these cases the relevant information is produced as an appendix to the Public Income and Expenditure (PI&E) Account.
The 2001–02 PI&E Account is due to be published in January 2003 and reflects the position at 31 March 2002. None of the contingent liabilities listed at that date are in relation to public private partnerships, nor have there been any contingent liabilities relating to public private partnerships declared since that date.
Saville Inquiry
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public funding has been
13 Jan 2003 : Column 432W
provided up to November to the legal representatives of the families appearing at the Saville Inquiry, broken down by each solicitor or barrister or firm of solicitors involved. [87299]
Mr. Browne: The payments made to the legal representatives appearing at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry on behalf of the families or the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) are set out in the following table. The figures include VAT, where that is paid, and in most cases, expenses as well as fees. The figures represent the position as at 30 November 2002. The Judicial Reviews on Barristers' and Solicitors' fees currently under consideration could affect the level of payments already made in respect of the period of work covered.
| Payments made (#) | Period covered (from) | Period covered (to) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior counsel representing the families(19) | |||
| Lord Gifford | 383,120 | Oct-98 | Jun-02 |
| Arthur Harvey | 550,377 | Jul-98 | Jun-02 |
| Michael Lavery | 278,754 | Nov-00 | Jun-02 |
| B.J. MacDonald(20) | 261,187 | Sept-98 | May-02 |
| P.T. MacDonald(21) | 65,800 | Apr-98 | Jun-99 |
| Michael Mansfield | 296,875 | Mar-99 | Oct-01 |
| Elish McDermott | 105,309 | Mar-00 | Jun-01 |
| Seamus Treacy(22) | 307,301 | Mar-98 | Jun-01 |
| Eoin McGonigal | 82,446 | Oct-00 | Jun-02 |
| Senior Counsel representing NICRA | |||
| Sir Louis Blom-Cooper | 227,879 | Dec-00 | Jun-02 |
| Junior counsel representing the families | |||
| John Coyle | 213,931 | Sept-99 | May-01 |
| Fiona Doherty | 142,763 | Oct-00 | Sept-01 |
| Ciaran Harvey | 222,904 | Dec-00 | June-02 |
| Richard Harvey | 216,172 | Oct-00 | Dec-01 |
| Brian Kennedy | 406,939 | Jul-99 | Jun-02 |
| Philip Magee(23) | 83,175 | June-98 | Sept-00 |
| Kieran Mallon BL | 408,606 | Mar-99 | May-02 |
| Brian McCartney | 423,749 | Oct-98 | Apr-02 |
| Karen Quinlivian BL | 135,150 | Mar-99 | May-02 |
| Patricia Smyth | 286,386 | Oct-98 | Feb-02 |
| Michael Topolski(24) | 139,940 | Nov-00 | Jun-01 |
| Mary McHugh | 32,803 | Feb-02 | Apr-02 |
| Junior counsel representing NICRA | |||
| Paddy O'Hanlon | 101,106 | Nov-00 | Jan-01 |
| Solicitors representing the families(25) | |||
| Barr & Co. | 264,405 | Feb-99 | Jun-02 |
| Brendan Kearney & Co. | 606,069 | Jul-99 | Jun-02 |
| Desmond Doherty & Co.(26) | 659,249 | Nov-98 | Sept-02 |
| MacDermott & McGurk | 648,351 | Nov-98 | Sept-02 |
| Madden & Finucane | 5,173,370 | Jan-98 | Jul-02 |
| McCann & McCann | 294,521 | Oct-98 | Sept-02 |
| McCartney & Casey | 652,499 | Nov-98 | Sept-02 |
| Solicitors representing NICRA | |||
| Francis Keenan | 208,739 | May-00 | Jun-01 |
(19) In addition the following senior counsel have represented/are representing some of the families but have yet to submit fee claims: Kevin Finnegan, Declan Morgan and Reg Weir.
(20) Left the case (as a junior) in September 2000 and rejoined the case (as a senior) in July 2001.
(21) Left the case June 1999.
(22) Having started as a junior in March 1998, became a senior counsel in September 2000.
(23) Left the case in September 2000.
(24) Left the case in June 2001.
(25) Includes payments made in respect of witness statement-taking work.
(26) Figure does not include fees for June 2002.
13 Jan 2003 : Column 433W
School Salaries
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the differential between the salaries of primary school principals and vice-principals. [88789]
Jane Kennedy: The Inquiry into teachers' pay and conditions of service completed its interim report on the salary differentials of principals and vice-principals at the end of November. Both sides of the Teachers' Salaries and Conditions of Service Negotiating Committee (Schools) accepted the report at their meeting on 17 December, and the employers and my Department will now put in place the arrangements necessary for its implementation.
Social Housing
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what additional financial resources will be allocated to the provision of sufficient social housing units to meet housing demand in Northern Ireland. [89600]
Mr. Browne: Funding of #66 million is being allocated in 2003–04 for the provision of social housing units in Northern Ireland. In addition to this some #24 million will be levered in by private finance through housing associations bringing the total budget to #90 million.
The requirement for social housing units to meet housing demand is measured by an independently assessed Net Stock Model. This Net Stock Model is currently being reviewed as recommended in the recent Needs and Effectiveness Evaluation studies into housing in Northern Ireland.
I will consider whatever additional financial resources may be necessary, when the results of the net stock model review have been received (early autumn 2003).
Springvale Campus Project
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the composition is of the group conducting the review of the Springvale campus project; what its terms of reference are; and when the review is expected to be completed. [88787]
Jane Kennedy: The Springvale Board, comprising members from the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, the University of Ulster and the West Belfast, Greater Shankill and North Belfast Partnership Boards, has agreed to conduct the Springvale review. The review's remit is to identify that the necessary external funding for the project remains in place, to define with clarity the way forward and to appraise any proposed alternative model with clear targets for completion. The Board has also be and regenerative dimensions of the original concept. It is expected to report by Easter 2003.
The supplementary data have been placed in the Library.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |