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21 Jan 2004 : Column 1290W—continued
NORTHERN IRELAND
Civil Service (Disabled People)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out the number of employees in his Department who have a disability, broken down by disability type. [148983]
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Mr. Pearson: Of the 32,384, staff employed by the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Northern Ireland Office, 1,277 (3.9 per cent.) declared a disability. The breakdown by disability type is:
| Type of disability | Number |
|---|---|
| Hearing impairment | 189 |
| Visual impairment | 57 |
| Speech impairment | 43 |
| Mobility impairment | 157 |
| Physical co-ordination difficulties | 39 |
| Reduced physical capacity | 326 |
| Severe disfigurement | 17 |
| Learning difficulties | 20 |
| Mental illness | 96 |
| More than one disability | 326 |
| Type of disability not specified | 7 |
| Total | 1,277 |
Demography
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the size of each minority group, including Travellers, in Northern Ireland. [149226]
Mr. Pearson: The table gives details of the 2001 Census question relating to ethnic group, including Irish Travellers.
| Ethnic group | Count | Population percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,670,988 | 99.15 |
| Irish Traveller | 1,710 | 0.10 |
| Mixed | 3,319 | 0.20 |
| Indian | 1,567 | 0.09 |
| Pakistani | 666 | 0.04 |
| Bangladeshi | 252 | 0.01 |
| Other Asian | 194 | 0.01 |
| Black Caribbean | 255 | 0.02 |
| Black African | 494 | 0.03 |
| Other Black | 387 | 0.02 |
| Chinese | 4,145 | 0.25 |
| Other ethnic group | 1,290 | 0.08 |
| Total | 1,685,267 | 100.00 |
Development Plan, Killyleath
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when a decision will be made in relation to the proposed development plan for Gocean, Killyleagh; and if he will make a statement. [148815]
Angela Smith: I expect to make a decision on the proposal for Gocean, Killyleagh within the next month.
Healthy Eating
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to promote healthy eating in schools in Northern Ireland. [148764]
Mr. Pearson: The following criteria will be applied:
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3. Selection/targeting of proposed courses and research;
4. Capital and other set-up costs; and
5. Promotion and marketing of relevant courses.
Heart Defibrillators
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the need for the provision of heart defibrillators in (a) leisure facilities, (b) entertainment complexes, (c) shopping centres, (d) other public places used by large numbers of individuals and (e) public places where large numbers of individuals are likely to congregate. [148826]
Angela Smith: The effectiveness of public access to defibrillators is currently being assessed through a research project commissioned by the Research and Development Office, on behalf of DHSSPS, entitled "A study of the Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Public Access Defibrillation in Urban and Rural Populations in Northern Ireland".
This three-year project forms part of a programme of commissioned research to inform policy development for the "Investing for Health" strategy.
International Tendering Fund
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland firms have been assisted by the International Tendering Fund; and what the effect has been on winning overseas contracts. [149211]
Mr. Pearson: Since the inception of Invest NI on 1 April 2002 the International Tendering Fund has assisted 15 companies. Although no tenders have been won to date, many of these projects are still ongoing. The process can take up to three years for an international tender contract to be awarded, and Invest NI continue to track the progress of all fund participants.
Planning Applications
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he recommends as a reasonable period of time before an applicant can expect to be informed whether his or her planning application is successful. [148814]
Angela Smith: Planning Service is committed to processing all valid planning applications as expeditiously as possible. This is reflected in the Agency's Corporate and Business Plans 2003–04 to 2005–06. But there will be cases which, due to their complexity and scale, take longer.
Racist Incidents (Health Workers)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the number of racist incidents involving (a) nurses, (b) other hospital staff and (c) workers in health and social services in the past 12 months; and what measures are being taken by hospital management and health authorities to address this issue. [149241]
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Angela Smith: Information on incidents involving violence against staff employed in the HPSS is not currently held in the form which would identify attacks of a racist nature. Reports from HPSS employers indicate that the number of incidents which are perceived as racist in origin is negligible.
The Department has issued guidance on racial harassment and violence against staff employed in the HPSS. The Department, in consultation with employing authorities, is also developing a mandatory recording and reporting system for incidents involving physical or verbal violence.
The Department has also been involved with the Police Service of Northern Ireland in developing a joint protocol for police and HPSS employees for the reporting of incidents of verbal and physical abuse.
Regional Cancer Centre
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on the Northern Ireland regional CAncer Centre, with particular reference to staffing. [148846]
Angela Smith: The Cancer Centre construction programme is on schedule for completion by December 2005 with the opening planned for early 2006. So far, significant developments have included the opening of the new Oncology and Haematology Day Hospital on 12 May 2003 and the transfer of Oncology Day Services from Belvoir Park Hospital in June last year.
The Department's Priorities for Action require Boards and trusts to agree a service development plan for the Cancer Centre, including staffing, drugs and equipment, by 31 March 2004. Significant resources have been received to assist with the staffing of the Cancer Centre, with further allocations of funds expected in 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Road Gritting
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the cost was of gritting roads during the winter of each year since 2000–01; [148947]
- (2) how and by whom decisions are taken regarding when roads in Northern Ireland are gritted; and what flexibility there is in terms of the number treated on any particular occasion. [148951]
Mr. Spellar: I have asked the Chief Executive of Roads Service to write to the hon. Lady in response to these questions. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Sheep
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve the identification of sheep in Northern Ireland. [148767]
Mr. Pearson: Following on from decisions reached at the EU Farm Council on 17 December 2003, my officials will shortly be consulting the industry on proposals to improve the system for the identification and registration of sheep and goats.
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Waterways (Pollution)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions there have been for pollution of waterways in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. [148832]
Angela Smith: During the last 12 months, 82 convictions were secured for water pollution offences.
Further information on enforcement and prosecution is available on the Environment and Heritage Service website at: http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pubs/publications/Water Pollution Incidents 2001.pdf
The Water Pollution Incident and Prosecution Statistics Report for 2002 will be available shortly and will be placed in the Library.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Departmental Advertising
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department has spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year from 1995–96 to 2003–04 (estimated); and if he will make a statement. [149621]
Hilary Benn: Our expenditure on publicity, which forms a part of our effort to raise development awareness and understanding of international development issues in the UK, has been as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 568,775 |
| 1996–97 | 579,916 |
| 1999–99 | 399,755 |
| 1999–2000 | 674,531 |
| 2000–01 | 1,484,281 |
| 2001–02 | 1,286,053 |
| 2002–03 | (26)1,300,000 |
| 2003–04 | (27)850,000 |
(26) Estimate
(27) Provisional forecast figure
We do not hold a separate advertising budget. The majority of advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Figures for the four calendar years are as follows:
- 2000: 751,972
2001: 1,208,191
2002: 914,571
2003: 871,246
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