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12 May 2004 : Column 391W—continued
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget was for casework of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in each year since its formation. [168166]
Mr. Spellar: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has provided me with the following details:
| Amount (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 75,000 |
| 2000–01 | 75,000 |
| 2001–02 | 100,000 |
| 2002–03 | 115,000 |
| 2003–04 | 100,000 |
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has supported on behalf of individuals in each year since its formation. [168167]
Mr. Spellar: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has provided me with the following details:
| Cases | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 11 |
| 2000–01 | 15 |
| 2001–02 | 7 |
| 2002–03 | 10 |
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of each case supported by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in each year since its formation. [168168]
Mr. Spellar: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has provided me with the following details:
(17) Where a cost is marked incomplete, the case is either still ongoing or final costs have not been submitted. Similarly where the number of cases supported does not tally with the number of case costs listed, costs have not yet been submitted. It should also be noted that the costs associated with a case can be spread over several years and accrued accordingly in the annual accounts.
12 May 2004 : Column 392W
Case costs vary as some are simply legal opinion or an intervention to the Court while other cases have been supported to the Court of Appeal, House of Lords or the European Court of Human Rights.
Patient Exemption Fraud
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards meeting the targets for the reduction of patient exemption fraud in each Northern Ireland Health Board area; and what further targets have been put in place. [171796]
Angela Smith:
The target for the reduction of patient exemption fraud is set at Northern Ireland, rather than at an individual Health Board, level.
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2004–05 Priorities for Action sets a Northern Ireland target for patient fraud exemption of a 45 per cent. reduction from the 1999–2000 level by 31March 2005. The Department remains committed to the achievement of this target.
The most recent available results are in respect of 2002–03, which showed a reduction in the level of estimated patient fraud of around 37 per cent. compared to 1999–2000 levels.
Planning Policy
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the development of out-of-town supermarkets in Northern Ireland. [172033]
Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment (NI)'s policy on out-of-town development is set out in Planning Policy Statement 5—Retailing and Town Centres, published in June 1996. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The Department for Regional Development (NI) has commenced work on a review of PPS 5 and aims to publish a draft for consultation in the autumn. A copy of this will then be placed in the Library.
Plastic Bullets
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been made of the effects of using (a) tasers and (b) other devices in place of plastic bullets. [171754]
Mr. Pearson: The Association of Chief Police Officers is currently conducting a trial of the taser in five police forces. The fourth report of the NIO-led Steering Group published on 29 January provided a summary of the initial review of the trial and of the independent assessment of the medical implications on the use within ACPO guidelines of the taser. That medical assessment was set out more fully in the Steering Group's third report, published in December 2002.
The NIO-led Steering Group has assessed the potential of a wide range of commercial products as potential alternatives to the current L21A1 baton round but none to date have met the criteria for an acceptable, effective and less lethal option. The reports of the Steering Group set out the findings of the assessments in detail.
The fourth report also described the progress that the Government have made in developing two alternatives—the attenuating energy projectile and discriminating irritant projectile.
Public Bodies
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to public funds was of departmentally-related public bodies to which public appointments are made in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [170489]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
With the exception of 2003, the information on the cost of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) in Northern Ireland is available in the
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'Public Bodies' publication produced annually by the Cabinet Office. The last five editions are available in the Library.
Information on the cost of NDPBs for financial year 2002–03, which was not include in the Public Bodies 2003 publication, was compiled in December 2003. I have placed a table detailing these costs in the Library.
There are other bodies to which public appointments are made but that information is not held centrally.
Rugby
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support the Government will provide to ensure the development of Ravenhill Rugby Ground to enable it to meet current standards. [170245]
Angela Smith: The Government have already provided, through the Sports Council for Northern Ireland's Interim Safe Sports Grounds Scheme, £559,981 to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union to support essential health and safety works at Ravenhill Rugby Ground. We are also currently engaged in discussions with the Ulster Branch about a wide range of issues facing Rugby in Northern Ireland, including the further development of Ravenhill Rugby Ground and the possibility of additional Government support. Until the present discussions are concluded, it would be inappropriate to comment on whether and to what extent additional Government support might be provided to enable the Ground to meet current standards.
School Travel
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the total amount of funding allocated to develop school travel plans in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years was; and how much funding has been allocated for further development; [172007]
(2) what assessment he has made of the safe routes to schools pilots that are being developed; when the final assessment report on the safe routes to schools pilots will be published; and if he will make a statement. [172010]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Lady directly in response to these questions.
Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Lady Hermon, dated 11 May 2004:
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to respond to your recently tabled Parliamentary Questions about funding allocated to develop school travel plans in Northern Ireland and what assessment has been made of the six safe routes to schools pilots that are being developed.
You will be aware that, as proposed by the Regional Transportation Strategy 2002–12, Roads Service has been working to address the issue of the 'school run', given its impact on morning traffic congestion, through the "Safer Routes to Schools" initiative with the aim of encouraging more children to walk, cycle and use public transport for their journey to school.
The Department of Education, the Department of the Environment Road Safety Team and other agencies are working alongside Roads Service in this project. The following six schools are currently participating in the initiative:
St. Joseph's College, Belfast;
Oakwood Integrated Primary School, Dunmurry;
Wallace High School, Lisburn;
St. Anthony's Primary School, Craigavon;
Parkhall College, Antrim; and St. Brigid's College, Londonderry.
This is the first time a schools initiative to promote sustainable modes of transport in response to a traffic congestion issue has been undertaken in Northern Ireland. Measures at the six schools are mainly exploratory and at different stages of development. The overall aim is to assist each school in developing a travel plan, which sets out a package of measures for reducing the number of car trips made to school. Where appropriate, Roads Service will subsequently introduce improvements to the roadway such as installing pedestrian facilities and traffic calming measures to facilitate children who may want to walk, cycle and use public transport. Additionally, other measures such as cycle shelters and lockers are provided by the Department of Education inside the schools premises.
To get the school travel initiative started, Roads Service and its partners have spent nearly £85,000 over the last three years (2001/02-£ nil, 2002/03-£48,391, 2003/04-£36,253) on assisting development of travel plans for the participating schools. The funding was used to investigate existing infrastructure and facilities at the schools, examine accident data, undertake surveys to establish baseline school travel information and pay for the training of a Travel Plan Co-ordinator who was appointed to champion the initiative in the schools. This work was followed by the preparation of draft travel plans, which were given over to the schools to take ownership of and develop in line with the ethos of the school and its thinking on the sustainable transport concept. No specific funding has been allocated yet for the further development of travel plans as resources are being concentrated for the time being on the pilot group of six schools. However, it is intended, as part of the next stage of the initiative, to develop a practical support package that encourages other schools to engage in the travel plan process.
The improvements to the infrastructure and facilities at each of the pilot schools will be completed this financial year. While we will undertake a preliminary assessment at the end of the school year 2004/05 of how successful these measures have been, initial work including installation of cycle shelters at the schools has had very positive results and generated an increase in cycling among pupils for the school journey. It is anticipated that the planned infrastructure work to the road network adjacent to the schools should have equal effect in facilitating and encouraging more children to use sustainable modes of transport.
I hope this information is helpful.
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