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28 Apr 2004 : Column 1115W—continued

NORTHERN IRELAND

Peace Process

5. Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process. [167664]

Mr. Paul Murphy: It remains our objective to secure the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland on a stable and secure footing. However, as we have repeatedly made clear, all paramilitary activity must come to an end if we are to move forward. We will be talking to the parties in the coming weeks, including in the review of the operation of the agreement, about how this can be achieved.

Special Needs Education

6. Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on funding for education of children with special needs in Northern Ireland. [167665]

Mr. Gardiner: In 2002–03 around £125 million was expended in Northern Ireland for provision for children with special educational needs. In particular,

some £103 million was expended by the Education and Library Boards for special schools and to meet the additional costs of statemented pupils in mainstream schools and units;

some £14 million for special educational needs was distributed directly to schools; and another £8 million supported the implementation of the SEN Code of Practice.

Smuggling

7. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he plans to take to reduce (a) smuggling and (b) other illegal activities in border areas. [167666]

Mr. Pearson: Whilst cross-border co-operation between law enforcement agencies is already excellent, the Government are fully committed to working with the Government in the Irish Republic to develop a cohesive strategy and structure to maximise our effectiveness against those organised criminals who exploit the border.

In September 2004, it is planned that the two Governments will launch a cross-border organised crime threat assessment and joint strategy for tackling cross-border organised crime.
 
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Antisocial Behaviour

8. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour in Northern Ireland. [167667]

Mr. Spellar: The Government have undertaken a public consultation on measures to tackle antisocial behaviour. This closed on 1 April and we will bring forward legislation. A draft Order in Council is currently being drawn up.

Economy

9. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the economy in Northern Ireland. [167668]

Mr. Gardiner: The Northern Ireland economy has performed well in recent years as demonstrated by the performance of the labour market. The latest employee jobs figures indicate there are now 672,150 employees in employment, the highest figure on record. The current unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent. compares well to the EU average of 8.0 per cent. There has also been significant progress in terms of manufacturing productivity, which increased by 9.5 per cent. over the last year, and manufacturing output also experienced an increase over the same period (2.2 per cent.).

Despite the good recent economic performance Government recognise the need for the Northern Ireland economy to become more competitive in the global market place and is committed to creating a more innovative and entrepreneurial economy.

Crime

10. Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland. [167669]

Mr. Pearson: The partner agencies of the Organised Crime Task Force continue to have considerable success against organised criminal gangs in Northern Ireland. I pay tribute to the commitment and effectiveness of the PSNI, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the Assets Recovery Agency in tackling this problem.

Innovation and Enterprise

11. Mr. Luke: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the contribution of higher education to innovation and enterprise in Northern Ireland. [167670]

Mr. Gardiner: The higher education sector makes a vital contribution to a knowledge based, enterprise driven and innovation led economy. A range of initiatives promote enterprise and entrepreneurship including the Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship which enhances skills of graduates through a series of modules and master classes for both staff and students.

Economic Regeneration (North-West)

12. Mr. Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government's plans are for the economic regeneration of the north-west of Northern Ireland. [167671]

 
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Mr. Pearson: The Government have been very active in planning for the regeneration of the North West.

Invest NI has developed an Action Plan for the North West. The aim of this plan is to implement a series of strategic and operational actions to address the weaknesses and vulnerability of the North West. The plan focuses on addressing issues which are constraining business growth/performance and which are within the scope of Invest NI's remit.

The NITB's Strategic Framework for Action will drive the tourism agenda for the next three years and will provide a focus and impetus to the growth and delivery of tourism to all areas of Northern Ireland, including the North West. The framework identifies the "Walled City of Derry" as one of the five signature projects.

The IIex Urban Regeneration Company is taking the lead in building an agreed way forward for the wider economic, social and physical regeneration of the area. This will include the development of a master plan that will form the framework for the company's future work.

IIex recently submitted an interim bid to the Integrated Development Fund, setting out an initial list of projects for consideration. This information is being urgently examined with a view to confirming as soon as possible those projects that should be fully worked up for final consideration.

Security (Older People)

13. Mr. Bailey: To as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on measures to improve the security of older people in Northern Ireland. [167672]

Mr. Spellar: The personal safety of older people is a central issue within Government's Community Safety strategy. The Lock Out Crime Programme will install home security measures in 10,000 persons' households over the next three years.

I also intend to bring forward a Community Safety Strategy for Older People for consultation near future.

Provisional IRA

14. David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on criminal activities by the Provisional IRA in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) the Republic of Ireland and (c) internationally in the last 12 months. [167673]

Mr. Pearson: The Independent Monitoring Commission's first report, published on 20 April, provided a clear assessment of the criminal activities of the Provisional IRA. The Organised Crime Task Force has also undertaken detailed analysis and its appraisal is that the Provisional IRA is engaged in serious and organised crime, including large-scale smuggling and counterfeiting operations. There is no question that Northern Ireland based organised criminals engage in activities outside Northern Ireland.

The political process cannot flourish while the threat of paramilitarism persists and I call on all groups to end paramilitary and criminal activity.
 
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Political Situation

15. Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the political situation in Northern Ireland. [167674]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) at column 1115W.

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