---

4 Feb 2004 : Column 940W—continued

Economic Performance

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on economic performance in Northern Ireland over the last five years. [152589]

Mr. Pearson: Evidence suggests that despite the recent global slowdown, the Northern Ireland economy has continued to expand over recent years.

Between March 1999 and September 2003, the number of employee jobs has increased by 46,180 (7.4 per cent.). While the vast majority of new employment is to be found in the service sector, manufacturing output and productivity have continued to rise over the period. Between Ql 1999 and Q3 2003 manufacturing output increased by 18.8 per cent., while manufacturing productivity increased by 40.9 per cent. Exports by Northern Ireland's manufacturing firms increased by 15.9 per cent. between 1998–99 and 2002–03, however, in recent years the level of manufacturing sales and exports has shown a small decrease.

Elective Surgery

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the extent of elective surgery conducted in Northern Ireland on citizens of the Irish Republic in 2003; and if he will make a statement. [150758]

4 Feb 2004 : Column 941W

Angela Smith: The total number of elective admissions to surgical specialties in Northern Ireland by residents of the Republic of Ireland during the 2002–03 financial year was 319, which comprises 136 normal in-patients and 183 day cases.

Residents of countries within the European Union are entitled to treatment if they are taken ill while visiting another European Union state. Patients may also be transferred to another country under formal contractual arrangements between individual hospitals or health boards if the treatment required is not available locally. Consequently, residents from the Republic of Ireland are sometimes treated in Northern Ireland and vice versa.

Employer's Liability Insurance

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the costs of Employer's Liability Insurance in Northern Ireland. [152588]

Mr. Pearson: Insurance is a reserved matter. However, in Northern Ireland the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment recently undertook a Business Insurance Survey of some 3,000 firms. The results of the survey are currently being analysed and will be published shortly.

Ethnic Minority Funding

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was provided to ethnic minorities in each of the last five years, broken down by project. [148816]

Mr. Pearson: The information required will require some time to collate. I will respond to the hon. Lady when the information is available.

Fisheries

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial assistance the Government will give Northern Ireland's (a) fishermen and (b) processors during the tie-up scheme for cod fishing boats beginning on 14 February. [152415]

Mr. Pearson: I propose to introduce transitional aid for fishermen most affected by the cod recovery measures and who voluntarily cease all fishing activities during the closure of the Irish Sea to cod fishing from 14 February to 30 April 2004 inclusive. The scheme aims to provide assistance to the owners of eligible vessels who tie-up for the full 11-week closure. There are no plans to compensate processors. The majority of the Northern Ireland fleet may continue to fish and therefore provide continuity of locally sourced raw materials, which local processors normally supplement with raw materials from other parts of Ireland and the United Kingdom throughout the closure.

Government Solicitors

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money was paid to solicitors employed by the Government in the drafting

4 Feb 2004 : Column 942W

of the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03 and (d) the current financial year, broken down by firm. [152212]

Mr. Pearson: Assembly Bills introduced by the Northern Ireland Executive during devolution and Orders in Council made under the Northern Ireland Act 2000 while the Assembly is suspended are drafted by the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. Simmons and Simmons, appointed in June 2001 as specialist solicitors to assist with the policy development process leading up to the preparation of the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, were paid the following amounts (including VAT) for this work:

	£
(a) 2000–01	Nil
(b) 2001–02	178,381
(c) 2002–03	608,541
(d) 2003–04	Nil—the Energy Order was made in February 2003

Heroin Addicts

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered heroin addicts there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [150667]

Angela Smith: The latest available figures show the number of registered heroin addicts in Northern Ireland as at 31 December of each year 1998–2002 is as follows:

Year	Number of registered addicts
2002	213
2001	244
2000	233
1999	226
1998	161

This information is published in the 'Northern Ireland Drug Addicts' Statistical Information Bulletin'. The next bulletin is due for publication on 24 February 2004, copies of which will be available on the DHSSPSNI website, Internet address: www.dhsspsni. gov.uk/publications/index.html. Copies of previous bulletins can be obtained from the Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit.

Home Helps

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent changes have been made in Home Help Services in Northern Ireland. [152353]

Angela Smith: The Department's policy for the provision of the Home Help Service in Northern Ireland is set out in guidance to Health and Social Services Boards issued on 12 November 1980. The guidance introduced a Model Scheme for the Provision of a Home Help Service which has operated successfully from that time and the Department have not made any recent changes to the Model Scheme. HSS Trusts operate Home Help Services within the framework provided by the Model Scheme and in the context of local priorities and available resources.

4 Feb 2004 : Column 943W

Hospital Discharges

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients' hospital discharge was delayed while awaiting community care packages in each of the last six years. [150740]

Angela Smith: The number of delayed discharges recorded as a snapshot of the position at yearly intervals from October 2000 to October 2003 (the latest date for which such information is available), and for February 1999 and February 2000, is shown in the following table.

	Number of delayed discharges
February 1999	249
February 2000	319
October 2000	327
October 2001	456
October 2002	392
October 2003	390

Note:

Information on numbers of delayed discharges has been collected in respect of the position at the last day of each month from August 2000, and previous to that date by annual census held in February.

Hospital Trolley Waits

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 7 January, Official Report, column 406W, on hospital trolley waits, how many patients included in trolley wait totals for 2002–03 (a) were discharged from hospital and (b) left hospital without obtaining a ward bed. [151089]

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

Lung Cancer

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals died from lung cancer in 2003; and what the mean survival time was following diagnosis. [150751]

Angela Smith: In 2002, the latest year for which deaths data are available, a total of 777 individuals died from lung cancer (466 men, 311 women).

The most recent estimate of the five-year relative survival rate for lung cancer patients, based on persons diagnosed in 1993–96, is 9 per cent.

Maternity Hospital

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards the construction of a new regional maternity hospital. [150741]

Angela Smith: The new regional maternity hospital will be constructed in line with the timetable for the strategic redevelopment of the Royal Victoria Hospital site, which envisages that building work will begin in 2007 and be completed by 2010.

The Royal Group of Hospitals Trust is currently preparing a business case for the development of the new maternity hospital. In developing the business case, the trust has engaged with Service Commissioners,

4 Feb 2004 : Column 944W

neighbouring Trusts, medical and midwifery staff, along with users of the service. The Trust is expected to submit a business case to the Department by June 2004.

---