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11 Mar 2004 : Column 1660W—continued

Cormorants

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to control cormorants and their predation on fish-stock. [160595]

Angela Smith: In Northern Ireland all wild birds are protected under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Cormorants are also protected under the EC Birds Directive (1979). If there is a specific local problem with cormorants seriously damaging fish stocks, my Department will consider applications for a licence to control the birds at the point of damage.

Any such a licence will require the licensee to report on activities authorised by it to the Department.

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many licences to cull cormorants have been issued in each of the last 10 years; and how many cormorants have been culled in each of the last 10 years. [160596]

Angela Smith: The figures requested are set out as follows. The licences are issued for the purpose of protecting fisheries, and the number culled is based on reports received from the licensees as a condition of their licences.

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	Number of licences issued	Number of cormorants reported culled
1995	19	82
1996	20	107
1997	21	87
1998	21	99
1999	23	76
2000	16	77
2001	20	70
2002	31	93
2003	13	56
2004(17)	2	10

⁽¹⁷⁾ Up to 1 March 2004

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the number of cormorants in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [160597]

Angela Smith: The following figures are winter peak counts for cormorants in Northern Ireland. The total is made up from both breeding birds and winter visitors.

	Number
1994–95	1,475
1995–96	2,058
1996–97	1,785
1997–98	2,194
1998–99	3,229
1999–2000	2,761
2000–01	2,477

The data have not yet been validated for 2001 onwards.

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate (a) the number and (b) the percentage of salmon smolts returning seawards on the River Bush that were taken by cormorants in each of the last 10 years. [160598]

Angela Smith: No estimates of the levels of salmon smolt predation by cormorants have been made on the River Bush in the last 10 years. Previous studies carried out during the 1980s indicated that predation levels could be in excess of 50 per cent. of the wild smolt runs at that time.

Education Jobs Evaluation

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether non-teaching staff in the voluntary grammar and integrated education sector will be included in the job evaluation scheme being funded and carried out by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. [159590]

Jane Kennedy: Job evaluations in the voluntary grammar school and grant-maintained school sectors are a matter for individual schools, as the employing authorities. The Department of Education will be discussing with representatives of these sectors the implications of job evaluations in Education and Library Boards, and any consequent budgetary pressures will be considered in light of the resources available and the associated circumstances.

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Electoral Register

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to locate electors missing from the latest electoral register; and if he will make a statement. [158887]

Mr. Spellar: Electoral registration is primarily a matter for the Chief Electoral Officer. However, individuals who are eligible and are not on the register can still have their names added to the register under the system of rolling registration. The Electoral Commission will shortly be embarking on a major publicity drive to encourage this.

The Electoral Office and the Electoral Commission are working closely together to encourage potential electors to register. It is planned to focus on groups who are traditionally under-represented on the register, such as young people, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with literacy problems or whose first language is not English.

The Commission is also funding a call centre to deal with queries on the electoral process including registration. Rolling registration forms are widely available, including electronically from the Electoral office website.

Means-Tested Benefits

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what benefits to which pensioners are entitled in Northern Ireland are means-tested; what steps he is taking to reduce the number of means-tested benefits in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [159668]

Mr. Spellar: Pensioners in Northern Ireland are eligible to claim state pension credit and housing benefit which are income-related or means-tested benefits.

The Government's policy is to focus help on the poorest pensioners. Income-related benefits are an integral part of a complementary mixture of social security provision alongside contributory and universal benefits. There are no plans to reduce the number of means-tested benefits available to people in Northern Ireland.

New Deal

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have participated in the Preparation for Employment programme element of New Deal 25 + in Northern Ireland in each year since its inception. [159564]

Jane Kennedy: The Preparation for Employment programme was introduced in Northern Ireland in April 2001 as the main element of provision within the New Deal 25+.

The number of people who have participated in the Preparation for Employment programme and the former Intensive Activity Period, which it replaced, are as follows.

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	Number
November 1998 to March 1999	130
1999–2000	6,690
2000–01	3,441
2001–02	2,633
2002–03	3,176
April 2003 to December 2003	1,408

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost per participant is of the Preparation for Employment programme element of New Deal 25 +. [159565]

Jane Kennedy: The cost per participant on the Preparation for Employment programme element of New Deal 25+ ranges from £2,910 to £4,372, depending on the duration of participation i.e. 20 or 26 weeks and outcomes achieved.

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sanctions are applied to those who refuse to participate in the Preparation for Employment programme element of New Deal 25 Plus. [159566]

Mr. Spellar: The New Deal is founded on the principle of rights and responsibilities. The Preparation for Employment Programme element of New Deal 25 Plus is mandatory for those aged 25 to 49.

The sanction for a first failure to comply with the requirements of the Preparation for Employment Programme is the loss of jobseeker's allowance for two weeks. The sanction for a second failure to comply which occurs within 12 months of the imposition of the first sanction is the loss of jobseeker's allowance for four weeks. The sanction for a third or subsequent failure to comply which occurs within 12 months of the imposition of the previous sanction is the loss of jobseeker's allowance for 26 weeks.

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend participation in the Preparation for Employment programme element of New Deal 25+ to those aged over 49 years. [159567]

Jane Kennedy: The Preparation for Employment programme element of New Deal 25+ is currently available to all unemployed jobseekers aged 25 or over when they have been in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for 18 months, or for 18 out of the last 21 months. Those aged 50 or over, who meet the JSA eligibility criteria, are able to participate in the programme on a voluntary basis. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will shortly commence a two year pilot, in selected areas of GB, requiring mandatory participation in the Preparation for Employment programme for those eligible JSA claimants aged 50 or over. The Department for Employment and Learning will examine the recommendations arising from the evaluation report of the pilot, when it is available, with a view to implementing them in Northern Ireland.

Non-UK Residents

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Northern Ireland who hold nationality from countries other than the UK. [156555]

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Mr. Pearson: The closest approximation to the requested data derives from the Labour Force Survey in Northern Ireland, which collects information on nationality and country of birth. The most recent results indicate that between September and November 2003 there were an estimated 48,000 persons resident in Northern Ireland who were born outside the UK and held nationality from countries other than the UK. In addition, people born in Northern Ireland generally have the right to hold both British and Irish citizenship.

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