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Police Service

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support his Department is providing to members of the full time police reserve of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to assist them in seeking other employment. [170563]

Mr. Pearson: Members of the full time reserve who leave the Police Service of Northern Ireland under the voluntary severance scheme have access to a range of career and outplacement services. The facilities provided by the Police Retraining and Rehabilitation Trust are also available to all full time reserve officers.

Public Health

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to the health service in Northern Ireland of (a) tobacco smoking, (b) alcohol misuse and (c) other drug use in the last year for which figures are available. [171784]

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:

(a) In her 2000 Annual Report, the Chief Medical Officer estimated that the annual in-patient care costs to the HPSS of smoking related diseases were in excess of £22 million. Additional treatment costs associated with out-patient and primary care cannot readily be identified.

(b) In the Report, "Reducing Alcohol Related Harm in Northern Ireland", it was estimated that, in 1997–98, the last year for which costs are available, the social costs to the HPSS amounted to £26.8 million pounds per year. This included the costs of occupied psychiatric and acute beds, general practice costs and responses to alcohol related harm.

(c) In relation to other drug use, the information is not available in this format.

Road Accidents (Compensation)

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money has been spent on meeting compensation claims in relation to pedestrians who have had accidents on footpaths and roads in the ownership of the Department for Regional Development in each of the last five years. [172063]

Mr. Spellar: The IT records of the Department for Regional Development do not distinguish pedestrians from other claimants e.g. car passengers. It is believed, however, that the vast majority of claimants claiming against the Department for personal injury are pedestrians and relate to accidents on footpaths or roadways. The following table sets out the total
 
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compensation expenditure paid by the Department for Regional Development in relation to personal injury claims in each of the last five years.

	£
2003–04	4,882,718
2002–03	4,744,835
2001–02	3,069,728
2000–01	2,244,137
1999–2000	3,104,204

Small Businesses

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to assist small businesses meet insurance costs. [171714]

Mr. Gardiner: The hon. Gentleman is aware that insurance is a "reserved" matter. HM Government are conscious that many businesses have been hit hard by significant price increases in the liability insurance market. They are committed to playing their part in helping business in this area.

The Government's agenda for action at national and local levels is being directed towards improving the functioning of the insurance market, including promoting better risk management and health and safety practices in order to reduce premium costs.

The Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment is working closely with the Federation of Small Businesses and the Insurance sector on the production of guidance for local businesses.

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to reduce regulation on small businesses in Northern Ireland. [171715]

Mr. Gardiner: Government are aware of the potential problems faced by small businesses in complying with regulations.

In December 2001, the Northern Ireland Executive approved the introduction of the Northern Ireland Better Regulation Strategy which actively seeks to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, including revised arrangements for Regulatory Impact Assessments and the introduction of a Micro Business Test to assess the impact of any proposed legislation on businesses with less than five employees. It also requires Northern Ireland Departments to give businesses at least 12 weeks advance notice of any legislation and to provide appropriate guidance on implementation.

I acknowledge fully the vital role of small businesses in the local economy and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is striving to ensure that they benefit from the application of the Better Regulation Strategy.

Toxic Materials (Illegal Dumping)

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he intends to take in relation to the illegal dumping of toxic material at the green area, Annadale Embankment, Belfast. [171236]

 
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Angela Smith: Powers to deal with illegal dumping are enforced by a number of regulatory bodies including district councils, roads service and the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department of the Environment. The owners of land where waste has been unlawfully deposited also have responsibilities in the matter. I understand that quantities of waste material have been deposited at Annadale Embankment for the purposes of the 11 July bonfire celebration. Statutory bodies have encountered particular difficulties when endeavouring to deal with waste deposited for bonfire events. To address this, an Interagency Working Group on Bonfires was established by EHS in November 2003. The Report of the Working Group, with guidelines for communities in preparing and organising bonfire events, will be published and sent to all elected representatives in Northern Ireland, and to regulatory bodies involved in the control of bonfires, in the week commencing 17 May 2004.

Legal action will continue to be taken by EHS, when evidence is available, relating to the disposal of commercial waste to bonfire sites by either waste producers or transporters.

Translink

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the status of Translink is; and what the membership is. [171719]

Mr. Spellar: Translink is a brand name, introduced in 1996, of the integrated services of Citybus, Ulsterbus and Northern Ireland Railways. It is a subsidiary of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, which is a public corporation established under the Transport Act (NI) 1967 to oversee the provision of public transport in Northern Ireland.

Transport Review Team

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the members of the Transport Review Team are; and when its report is due to be published. [171720]

Mr. Spellar: I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the Railway Review Group which was set up to gather information on the future needs and requirements of railways in Northern Ireland and is comprised of Officials from the Department for Regional Development, the Department of Finance and Personnel and Senior Translink Officials. The group has reported preliminary findings to me and it is my intention to issue a consultation document relating to the future investment needs in the coming weeks in order to inform the forthcoming spending review process.

Victim Support

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been allocated to victim support groups in Northern Ireland since 2001–02; which groups are involved; how much each group received; on what basis the funding was given; and how funding is monitored. [159693]

Angela Smith: I have placed a table in the Library which lists the funding allocated and paid up to 31 March 2004 to groups and organisations involved in providing support for victims of the Northern Ireland
 
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conflict. The table lists the groups and organisations that benefited, the amounts allocated and paid, the basis on which the funding was given and indicates how the funding is monitored.

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