| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
11 Sept 2003 : Column 468W—continued
Equality Commission
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed in the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. [127428]
Mr. Spellar: At 30 June 2003 the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland employed 118 people.
Fishing Permits (Strangford)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will amend the relevant legislation in order to permit the purchasing of fishing permits for Strangford Lough as part of the ADSEA project. [126255]
Angela Smith: Legal advice to the Department indicates that the proposed legislative amendment is outside the legislative competence of an Order in Council under the Northern Ireland Act 2001 as it
11 Sept 2003 : Column 469W
would make provision which is contrary to Community Law and/or contravenes a right granted under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Accordingly, it is not proposed to amend the legislation.
Gap Funding
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much gap funding has been awarded, broken down by district council area; and what the purpose of each award was. [123796]
Mr. Pearson: A list detailing the amount of gap funding awarded by district council area, and a list of projects awarded gap funding by district council area have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
The purpose of each gap funding award was to ensure that projects funded under the 1994–99 round of Structural Funds (PEACE I and The Northern Ireland Single Programme) which were considered likely to be eligible for support under the new round, 2000–06, were sustained during the negotiation of the PEACE II and Building Sustainable Prosperity Programmes.
| District council area | Amount of gap funding awarded (PEACE II) | Amount of gap funding awarded (BSP) |
|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 89,301 | — |
| Ards | 245,900 | 87,934 |
| Armagh | 594,875 | — |
| Ballymena | 151,751 | 58,918 |
| Ballymoney | 73,669 | — |
| Banbridge | 104,198 | — |
| Belfast | 8,671,977 | 483,891 |
| Carrickfergus | 119,888 | — |
| Castlereagh | 53,456 | — |
| Coleraine | 76,445 | 46,105 |
| Cookstown | 294,243 | — |
| Craigavon | 488,620 | 153,948 |
| Derry | 1,938,126 | 684,987 |
| Down | 178,633 | — |
| Dungannon | 590,515 | — |
| Fermanagh | 401,295 | 35,508 |
| Larne | 183,286 | — |
| Limavady | 285,284 | 77,918 |
| Lisburn | 570,509 | — |
| Magherafelt | 128,190 | 142,750 |
| Moyle | 181,422 | — |
| Newry and Mourne | 580,326 | 51,309 |
| Newtownabbey | 108,341 | 99,466 |
| North Down | 119,293 | — |
| Omagh | 451,493 | — |
| Strabane | 544,305 | — |
| Unclassified | 476,782 | 15,442,818 |
| Total | 17,702,123 | 17,365,552 |
Note:
Unclassified successful gap funding applications are those that either clearly benefited two or more district councils or that don't contain sufficient address information and therefore cannot be classified within any specific district council.
11 Sept 2003 : Column 470W
| Antrim district council | |
|---|---|
| BSP | N/a |
| Peace | Harps project |
| Just Kids Afterschools Club | |
| Youth Sport North East |
Hare Imports
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if there is a requirement to notify a local divisionary veterinary manager of an intention to import hares from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland; and how many notifications relating to hares were received during 2002. [128194]
Mr. Pearson: There is no requirement to notify a divisional veterinary officer of an intention to import hares from the Republic of Ireland unless:
- (i) the import is of a hare from the Republic of Ireland which has previously been brought to the Republic of Ireland from a country other than GB, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Northern Ireland and has not been detained and isolated in quarantine for a period of at least six months before entering Northern Ireland; or
(ii) my Department has reason to believe that there is an outbreak of rabies in the Republic of Ireland.
Health Trusts(Equality Implications and Market Testing)
Mr. Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make an assessment of compliance by each health trust with the directive on assessment of equality implications and market testing of 19 June 2001. [125904]
Angela Smith: A recent review of HSS trusts, showed that a broad range of approaches have been or are being developed to ensure compliance with the policy in the Department's Circular HSS (F) 27/2001, dated 29 June 2001, and entitled "Market Testing: Assessment of Equality Implications and other Related Matters". It is felt that trusts have taken forward their obligations under this policy in a correct and meaningful manner.
Mr. Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the directive to health trusts regarding assessment of equality implications and market testing of 19 June 2001 remains in force. [125906]
Angela Smith: The policy contained in the Departmental Circular HSS (F) 27/2001, dated 29 June 2001, entitled "Market Testing: Assessment of Equality Implications and Other Related Matters" remains in force.
Mr. Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what alterations and revocations there have been of the directive to health trusts of 19 June 2001, regarding assessment of equality implications and market testing, since 14 October 2002. [125907]
11 Sept 2003 : Column 471W
Angela Smith: Since 14 October 2002, there have been no alterations or revocations to the policy contained in the Departmental Circular HSS (F) 27/2001, dated 29 June 2001, and entitled "Market Testing: Equality Implications and Other Related Matters".
Home Helps
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many home helps are employed within each health and social services board area. [125840]
Angela Smith: The number of home helps employed within each health and social services board area as at 30 June 2003 is shown in the table.
| HSS board | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 1,800 |
| Northern | 1,401 |
| Southern | 1,641 |
| Western | 1,087 |
| Total | 5,929 |
Hospital Waiting Lists/Times
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are on the waiting list for neurosurgery in Northern Ireland; how many were on the waiting list on (a) 16 July 2002 and (b) 16 July 1998; what assessment he has made for the length of such waiting lists; and if he will make a statement. [127053]
Angela Smith: The number of people waiting for in-patient admission to the neurosurgery specialty is returned to the Department on a quarterly basis by Trusts. The return provides information about the number of people waiting for in-patient admission on the last day of each quarter. The information in this answer relates to the position at 31 March 2003 (the most recent information available), (a) 30 June 2002 and (b) 30 June 1998.
At 31 March 2003 there were 700 people waiting for in-patient admission to the neurosurgery specialty.
- (a) There were 850 people waiting for in-patient admission to the neurosurgery specialty on 30 June 2002.
(b) There were 425 people waiting for in-patient admission to the neurosurgery specialty on 30 June 1998.
- A task force was established by the Royal to lead the effort in addressing the problems faced by the service;
Extra theatre lists have been introduced;
Proposals to enhance the recruitment and retention of nurses have been implemented to restore nursing levels and allow the phased opening of beds, with all beds re-opening by January 2004;
A clinical careers framework for nurses has also been launched to improve opportunities for personal development and career pathways;
In addition, treatment has been provided for some suitable patients in units outside Northern Ireland.
11 Sept 2003 : Column 472W
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are on the waiting list for (a) orthopaedic and (b) cardiological procedures in Northern Ireland; and how many were on the waiting list on (i) 16 July 2002 and (ii) 16 July 1998. [127054]
Angela Smith: The number of people waiting for in-patient admission by specialty is returned to the Department on a quarterly basis by Trusts. The return provides information about the number of people waiting for in-patient admission on the last day of each quarter. Information in this answer is provided for the Trauma and Orthopaedic, Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology specialties. The information in this answer relates to the position at 31 March 2003 (the most recent information available), (a) 30 June 2002 and (b) 30 June 1998. The following table shows the number of people waiting for in-patient admission to the Trauma and Orthopaedic, Cardiac Surgery and cardiology specialties on the 31 March 2003.
| Specialty | Number of people waiting |
|---|---|
| Trauma and Orthopaedics | 5,528 |
| Cardiac Surgery | 436 |
| Cardiology | 1,345 |
(a) The following table shows the number of people waiting for in-patient admission to the Trauma and Orthopaedic, Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology specialties on the 30 June 2002.
| Specialty | Number of people waiting |
|---|---|
| Trauma and Orthopaedics | 6,064 |
| Cardiac Surgery | 644 |
| Cardiology | 1,339 |
(b) The following table shows the number of people waiting for in-patient admission to the Trauma and Orthopaedic, Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology specialties on 30 June 1998.
| Specialty | Number of people waiting |
|---|---|
| Trauma and Orthopaedics | 4,939 |
| Cardiac Surgery | 463 |
| Cardiology | 1,026 |
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to reduce waiting lists for (a) orthopaedic and (b) cardiological surgical procedures in Northern Ireland. [127055]
Angela Smith: Within the orthopaedic surgery specialty a number of steps have been taken to address waiting times. These steps include:
- An increase in the number of trainees in the orthopaedic specialty.
- The establishment of a pilot initiative involving orthopaedic surgeons, general practitioners and physiotherapists, aimed at treating people in the community, and reducing the need for consultant appointments and subsequent surgery.
11 Sept 2003 : Column 473W
- The undertaking of a review of acute trauma services, which is expected to make recommendations for improvement on the delivery of trauma services and will provide strategic direction on the future development of the orthopaedic/fracture service.
In addition, waiting times for orthopaedic surgery will be further addressed by the planned increase in theatre capacity this year. The Regional Spinal Surgery Unit is expected to be fully operational by September 2003, and two new modular operating theatres are currently under construction at the Musgrave Park Hospital site. The provision of these new theatres will increase theatre capacity, increase capacity for fracture services, stabilise and reduce waiting lists, and facilitate the mix of elective, trauma and outpatient work of consultant orthopaedic surgeons.
To reduce waiting times for cardiac surgery, my Department has developed a joint action plan for the implementation of the recommendations made by the Cardiac Surgery review and the Review of Cardiology Services. In line with the Joint Action Plan, my Department is continuing to invest in additional staff and equipment at the regional cardiac surgery unit in the Royal Hospitals. This investment will facilitate an increase in the number of cardiac surgery procedures undertaken at the regional unit to the target level of 1,100 per year. Until capacity at the Royal is increased to the target level, additional cardiac surgery procedures are being purchased outside the HPSS for patients who are able and willing to travel.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |