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18 May 2004 : Column 941W—continued

Lough Erne

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce bye-laws to control jet skis and powerboats in Lough Erne. [173270]

Angela Smith: Waterways Ireland has responsibility for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of the inland navigable waterways of Ireland principally for recreational purposes. The waterways under the remit of the body are the Barrow Navigation, the Erne System, the Grand Canal, the Lower Bann, the Royal Canal, the Shannon-Erne Waterways and the Shannon Navigation.

Bye-laws for the regulation of the navigations already exists for Lough Erne under statute law Lough Erne (Navigation) Bye-laws (Northern Ireland) 1978 and Lough Erne (Navigation) (Amended) Bye-laws (Northern Ireland) 1986.

Waterways Ireland is currently in the process of revising the bye-laws for all their waterways including introducing bye-laws for the Lower Bann. The process will address all aspects of the navigations including jet skis and powerboats and it is hoped to go to public consultation towards the end of 2004.

Love for Life

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the outcome of Love for Life's central funding bid to (a) the Department for Education and (b) the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety will be announced. [173274]

Mr. Gardiner: The Department of Education will not be providing central funding for the Love for Life programme. The Chief Executive of Love for Life was advised in writing of this decision on 11 May.
 
18 May 2004 : Column 942W
 

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is not providing central funding to Love for Life. The Department is presently considering an application for project funding from Love for Life for a project on parent/child communication and the organisation has been asked for clarification on a number of points before a decision can be made.

Mental Health

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are followed by health trusts wishing to purchase private houses in residential areas for the sole purpose of integrating people suffering from mental health problems; what facility is made for residents in the area to enable them to express their views on the proposals; and if he will make a statement. [173599]

Angela Smith: There is no specific guidance issued to Trusts regarding the purchase of private houses in residential areas for the sole purpose of integrating people suffering from mental health problems. However, the Department's Land Transactions Handbook gives practical advice to HSS Trusts regarding conducting land and property transactions.

Also, there is no specific advice issued to Trusts on what facility is made for residents in the area to enable them to express their views on the proposals. However, HSS Trusts are bound by planning law where facilities have more than six residents. In these cases, the Planning Service applies procedures for public consultation, when Trusts change the use of property or land, or develop new or existing premises.

Midwives

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time midwives were employed in the NHS in Northern Ireland (a) in 1999, (b) in 1994 and (c) on 1 May. [173602]

Angela Smith: Figures for the number of full-time midwives employed within Health and Social Services (HSS) Trusts are given in the following table. The latest figures held are as at 31 March 2004. Figures have therefore been supplied as at 31 March 1994, 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2004.
Number of full-time midwives employed within HSS⁽⁵⁴⁾ Trusts as at 31 March 1994, 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2004

	Number
31 March 1994	666
31 March 1999	547
31 March 2004	492

⁽⁵⁴⁾ Health and Social Services.

In addition, as at 31 March 1994 there were 594 part-time midwives (WTE 369.82). As at 31 March 1999 there were 656 part-time midwives (WTE 432.10). As at 31 March 2004 there were 773 part-time midwives (WTE 502.86).

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to increase the number of midwives in (a) hospitals and (b) the community. [173603]

 
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Angela Smith: Recruitment of midwives is a matter for individual employers on the basis of service need.

The Department introduced direct entry midwifery training in September 2003 with the first intake of 15 students and continues to provide opportunities for entry to an 18 month shortened programme for qualified nurses—40 nurses commenced a programme in November 2003.

The number of commissioned training places is reviewed annually.

Overseas Nurses

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses from overseas were working for the NHS in Northern Ireland on the latest date for which figures are available. [173742]

Angela Smith: Overseas nurses are employed both within the private sector and the HPSS in Northern Ireland but information is only held in respect of HPSS employees. As at 31 March 2004, the total number of overseas nurses employed within health and social services trusts in Northern Ireland was 779. Figures are detailed by trust in the following table.

HSS(55)trust	Number
Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust	30
Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust	0
Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust	59
Causeway HSS Trust	14
Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust	0
Craigavon Area Hospital HSS Trust	50
Down Lisburn HSS Trust	55
Foyle Community HSS Trust	1
Greenpark Healthcare HSS Trust	67
Homefirst Community HSS Trust	20
Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust	54
Newry and Mourne HSS Trust	4
North and West Belfast HSS Trust	0
Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust	228
South and East Belfast HSS Trust	0
Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust	38
Ulster Community and Hospitals Group HSS Trust	114
United Hospitals Group HSS Trust	45
Total	779

⁽⁵⁵⁾ Health and Social Services.

Paramilitaries (Drugs Trading)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of revenues received by (a) the Provisional IRA, (b) the official IRA, (c) the Irish National Liberation Army, (d) the Ulster Defence Association, (e) the Ulster Volunteer Force and (f) the Loyalist Volunteer Force from illegal dealing and trading in drugs in the last five years. [173480]

Mr. Pearson: The involvement of paramilitary organisations in organised crime, including trafficking and supply of drugs, has been documented by the Independent Monitoring Commission in its report of 20 April and by the Organised Crime Task Force in its "Threat Assessment and Strategy" which was published on 11 May 2004.

It is not possible, however, to estimate with any precision how much revenue paramilitary groups generate from dealing and trading in illegal drugs.
 
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Queen's University

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students began courses at Queen's University's Armagh campus in each year since its establishment. [173598]

Mr. Gardiner: The details of the numbers of students registered at Queens University Armagh campus each year between 1995–96 and 2203–04 is as follows:

	Credit Bearing Course	Extra Mural Course (P/T)
1995–96	63	n/a
1996–97	137	n/a
1997–98	219	n/a
1998–99	184	n/a
1999–2000	235	94
2000–01	227	193
2001–02	271	146
2002–03	285	28
2003–04	235	64

The credit-bearing course totals cover a range of largely part-time programmes including BA part-time, Master, diploma and certificate courses.

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