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11 Feb 2004 : Column 1515W—continued
11-Plus (Reform)
10. Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the reform of the 11-plus in Northern Ireland. [153164]
Jane Kennedy : New post-primary arrangements in Northern Ireland will address the weaknesses of the current transfer and post-primary arrangements. They will put pupils at the centre, provide them with more relevant knowledge and skills needed for life and work in the 21st Century and raise standards for all.
Devolved Government
11. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in securing agreement to restore Devolved Government in Northern Ireland. [153165]
12. Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his negotiations with Northern Ireland political parties for the commencement of political institutions. [153166]
13. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of power sharing in the Province. [153167]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for East Londonderry, Official Report, column 1396.
Arms Decommissioning
14. Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on arms decommissioning. [153168]
Jane Kennedy: To date there have been four acts of decommissioning carried out by paramilitary organisations, one by the Loyalist Volunteer Force and three by the Provisional IRA. The latest decommissioning act was carried out by the IRA on 21 October 2003. The arms comprised light, medium and heavy ordnance and associated munitions. They included automatic weapons, ammunition, explosives and explosive material. The quantity of arms involved was larger than the quantity put beyond use in the previous event.
Belfast City Airport
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has received an application from Belfast City airport to review the present operational planning agreement. [154126]
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Angela Smith: Following the publication of the recommendations for Northern Ireland in the Government's White Paper, The Future of Air Transport, the Department of the Environment's Planning Service received a request from Belfast City airport on 19 January 2004 to review the form of the current planning agreement. This is now under consideration.
Domestic Violence
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with his colleagues in the Home Department in relation to the extension of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill to Northern Ireland. [153140]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The decision to extend certain provisions of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill to NI was taken following the Northern Ireland Office's consultation exercise on tackling domestic violence, "Tackling Violence at Home" which closed on 12 December. This consultation exercise revealed widespread public support for the domestic violence provisions which are being extended to Northern Ireland. In addition the Bill includes provisions relating to trial by jury of sample counts only, which had initially been intended for inclusion in the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Both, my right hon. Friend the Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar), Minister of State with responsibility for Crinminal Justice matters and I have corresponded at length with the Home Secretary regarding the application of provisions to Northern Ireland. Throughout this process, both my officials have been in close contact with colleagues in the Home Office regarding policy development in respect of this Bill, in order to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland are afforded the same degree of protection as in other parts of the United Kingdom.
Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the terms were of the contract entered into between the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency and RoMaha for the PFI to upgrade MOT centres in Northern Ireland under project MOT2; and if he will make a statement on the implementation of the project. [154475]
Angela Smith: The contract entered into by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency required the concessionaire, Romaha, to
"design, build, finance, install, maintain, repair and where necessary substitute and/or replace vehicle testing equipment and to provide all necessary training in respect of the operation of such equipment" to meet current needs, and specified future needs in vehicle testing.
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Romaha provides a service against the contract for which DVTA pays an agreed unitary payment for this. Particularly poor performance can attract penalty points leading ultimately to contract termination, but the contractor's performance to date has attracted no penalty points. The parties are currently working to improve throughput, which is not yet at the anticipated level. The Agency is also working with the contractor to introduce a number of additional testing requirements catered for in the output specification.
Estate Wardens
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many estate wardens have been appointed by the Housing Executive in Northern Ireland to date; and for which areas. [152595]
Mr. Spellar: There are 52 staff in post, including one agency worker and there are four vacant posts distributed as follows:
| Area | Number |
|---|---|
| Antrim | 1 |
| Armagh | (24)2 |
| Ballymena | 3 |
| Banbridge | 1 |
| Bangor | 2 |
| Belfast Office 2 | 1 |
| Belfast Office 7 | (24)1 |
| Belfast Offices (1, 3, 4, 5, and 6) | (25)10 |
| Carrickfergus | 1 |
| Castlereagh | 1 |
| Coleraine | 1 |
| Cookstown | 1 |
| Downpatrick | 1 |
| Dungannon | 2 |
| Enniskillen (Fermanagh District Office) | 1 |
| L'Derry (Collon Tce., Waterloo Pl., Waterside) | 5 |
| Larne | 1 |
| Limavady | 1 |
| Lisburn (Antrim St. and Diary Farm) | (24)3 |
| Lurgan/Brownlow | (24)1 |
| Magherafelt | 1 |
| Newry | 1 |
| Newtownabbey Office 1 and 2 | 4 |
| Newtownards | 1 |
| Omagh | 1 |
| Portadown | 2 |
| Strabane | 2 |
(24) Plus one vacancy
(25) Two each
Homelessness
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases from ethnic minority backgrounds were identified by the Housing Executive as homeless on the grounds of intimidation in 2003; and in which geographical areas they were re-housed. [153600]
Mr. Spellar: During the 12 month period from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 a total of 30 cases from ethnic minority backgrounds presented to the Housing Executive as homeless on grounds of intimidation. Of the 30 cases, 17 were accepted as homeless as a result of intimidation and eligible for housing assistance. Nine of these are either in temporary
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accommodation or have made their own arrangements for accommodation and eight were permanently re-housed in the following areas:
- Belfast—4
- Newry—2
- Lisburn and North Down—1 each
The remaining 13 who presented as homeless either abandoned their application or were ineligible for assistance under immigration or homeless legislation.
Horseracing
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid in levy by bookmakers in Northern Ireland to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; how much of that levy in each year was transferred to Horseracing Ireland; and how much Horseracing Ireland spent in each year in Northern Ireland. [153625]
Mr. Pearson: Charges paid by bookmakers in Northern Ireland to the Horse Racing Fund (which is controlled and managed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) in each of the last three years were as follows:
| Amount (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 351,531 |
| 2002 | 354,083 |
| 2001 | 341,928 |
The Horse Racing (Northern Ireland) Order 1990 specifies to whom, and for what, payments may be made out of the Fund. Payments are not made to Horseracing Ireland. Horseracing Ireland is a body constituted in the Republic of Ireland. My Department is not aware of how much it spent in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.
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