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10 Mar 2003 : Column 27W—continued

Teenage Pregnancy (Wales)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many births there were to girls conceiving under the age of 16 in Wales for each of the last 20 years. [101240]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 10 March 2003:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many births there were to girls conceiving under the age of 16 in Wales for each of the last 20 years. 1 am replying in his absence. (101240)

The latest available figures are for 2001. The information requested is given in the attached table.

Births to mothers conceiving below 16 years of age, Wales 1982–2001⁽⁷⁾Number

Year(8)	Births(9)
1982	273
1983	303
1984	288
1985	308
1986	287
1987	259
1988	275
1989	241
1990	293
1991	231
1992	253
1993	267
1994	276
1995	330
1996	360
1997	318
1998	322
1999	282
2000	265
2001p	235

⁽⁷⁾ Figures are for mothers who were usually resident in Wales at the time of birth.

⁽⁸⁾ Age at conception was estimated before 1987 using complete months, and from 1987 onwards using exact dates.

⁽⁹⁾ Includes live births and stillbirths.

p Provisional data.

10 Mar 2003 : Column 28W

Voluntary Service (Young People)

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding he is making available to encourage gap year voluntary service by young people. [102010]

Mr. Boateng: The Secretary of State for Education and Skills has allocated £5 million of the Spending Review 2002 settlement for the Young Volunteer Challenge scheme to promote volunteering for 18–19 year olds from lower-income backgrounds. Through this scheme, young people will receive a weekly allowance of £45 and a lump sum end of experience award of £750 to support them during a period of full-time voluntary activity.

War Chest

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been allocated, by continent, by HM Treasury for the global war on terror since 11 September 2001. [101279]

Mr. Boateng: Such information is not kept in the format requested. Apart from funds for military operations in Afghanistan, which totalled £618 million from 2001 to 2003, and £1.75 billion set aside this year to cover the costs of military and overseas operations so that the UK can continue to play a leading role in the global war against terror, the Treasury does not hold information on all departmental expenditure on counter terrorism and UK resilience measures since 11 September 2001. The Government are committed to ensuring that UK domestic security is given a high priority and the strengthening of the UK's defences against the threats posed by international terrorism was a key theme of last year's Spending Review. Consequently, departments have prioritised measures for improving the UK's resilience to, and capability to deal with, a terrorist attack. UK resilience arrangements have been reviewed and planning has been mainstreamed as a routine activity.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Arts Council Steering Group

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the members of the Steering Group for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's research project on the Arts of Irish and Ulster-Scots are; and what organisations they represent. [100445]

Angela Smith: The current members of the Steering Group are as follows:

Roisin McDonoughArts Council of NI


Noirin McKinneyArts Council of NI


Nick LivingstonArts Council of NI


Aodan Mac Poilinlontaobhas Ultach/ Ultach Trust


Deirdre DavittForas na Gaeilge


George HolmesTha Boord o Ulster Scotch


Maurna CrozierNI Community Relations Council; seconded to DCAL at the time of the setting up of the Steering Group

10 Mar 2003 : Column 29W

Royal Victoria Hospital

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Royal Victoria Hospital is retaining body parts from recent autopsies. [101940]

Mr. Browne: The Royal Victoria Hospital has only retained body parts from recent post mortem examinations with the valid consent in writing of the next of kin or closest living relative.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many post mortems had been performed at the Royal Victoria Hospital between the setting up of the numbered post mortem system and 31December 2002, broken down by (a) coroners and (b) hospital post mortems. [101936]

Mr. Browne: There was a total of 49,956 post mortems carried out in the period between the commencement of the current post mortem numbering system and 31 December 2002. It is not possible to provide further information in the form requested, as it is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Burns Report

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the report by Professor Gardiner on the practical issues of implementation of the Burns Report, commissioned by the Educational Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly, will be published. [99339]

Jane Kennedy: As I explained to the hon. Gentleman in my reply on 13 February 2003 Official Report, column 934W, it is my understanding that this report cannot be made publicly available until the Assembly Education Committee has had the opportunity to consider and approve it.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated impact on the environment the European Union Working Time Directive will have in respect of carbon dioxide emissions from heavy goods vehicles in Northern Ireland; and if he will seek derogation from this Directive on behalf of the quarrying and construction industries. [101738]

Jane Kennedy: The European Working Time Directives are designed to protect the health and safety of people at work.

I have not assessed the impact of the Directives on the environment and I do not propose to seek a derogation along the lines suggested.

Columba Initiative

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many annual reports the Columba Initiative have published; and if he will place them in the Library. [100442]

Angela Smith: The Columba Initative registered as a company limited by guarantee in April 2002. Its first annual report is expected to be published in the summer of this year on completion of annual audited accounts. The annual report and accounts will be placed in the Library.

10 Mar 2003 : Column 30W

Credit Strategy

Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with counterparts in Edinburgh, Cardiff and London regarding the development of a pan-UK credit strategy, particularly with respect to a credit transcript system. [100433]

Jane Kennedy: The introduction of a unit based curriculum with credit attached remains a major aim of the Department for Employment and Learning's (DEL) lifelong learning strategy. Officials are working with the relevant Departments in England, Scotland and ales to try to secure complementarity across the UK.

In 1999 DEL commissioned a three year, Northern Ireland Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (NICATS) implementation project, to develop the specifications for a single credit framework which could be used to support the operation of a credit accumulation and transfer system in NI including a template for a standardised NICATS credit transcript to provide a summary of each learner's achievement.

DEL has tasked the NI Council for the curriculum, examination and assessment (CCEA), as the regulatory authority for Northern Ireland, to provide advice on the next phase of NICATS taking account of funding implications, added value and work of credit systems in the rest of the UK.

Hospital Post-Mortems

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether (a) parents and (b) relatives of deceased persons are entitled to refuse a hospital post-mortem. [101938]

Mr. Browne: Hospital post mortems are only carried out with the consent of the parents, legal guardian or relative of the deceased, as appropriate.

Organ, Block and Slide Retention

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether (a) organs, (b) blocks and (c) slides (i) are and (ii) have been retained at (A) Moyle Hospital, Larne, (B) Omagh Hospital, (C) Foster Green Hospital, Belfast, (D) Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, (E) Antrim Hospital, (F) Erne Hospital, Enniskillen, (G) Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, (H) Coleraine Hospital, (I) Ards Hospital, Newtownards, (J) Wavenay Hospital, Ballymena, (K) Mid Ulster Hospital and (L) Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. [101939]

Mr. Browne: The Royal Group of Hospitals has previously retained and continues to retain organs, blocks and slides. Antrim Area Hospital has previously retained organs, blocks and slides and currently retains blocks and slides. The Ulster Hospital has previously retained, and continues to retain, organs. The Waveney Hospital previously retained organs, blocks and slides. This has ceased and all pathology has moved to Antrim Area Hospital.

The other hospitals listed have never had the on-site laboratory facilities to produce blocks and slides and at the time of the Chief Medical Officer's survey in May 2001 had no retained organs. Beyond that, the information is not available in the format requested.

10 Mar 2003 : Column 31W

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