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Government Investment

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Government investment in the (a) manufacturing and (b) non-manufacturing sector there was per employee in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [173649]

Mr. Gardiner: The principal forms of Government support for the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors of industry are provided by Invest NI and its predecessor agencies and the table therefore provides details of the assistance offered by Invest NI, the Industrial Development Board and the Local Enterprise Development Unit to their respective client companies. The assistance is expressed as a per capita amount offered, per employee in client companies in each of the respective sectors.

The figures relate to assistance offered to companies in relation to business development projects as this represents the major form of funding provided. Providing equivalent figures relating to all other forms of assistance offered by these agencies could be provided
 
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only at disproportionate cost. The information in the table is restricted to the five year period from 1998–99 to 2002–03 as meaningful comparative data are not available for earlier years and are not yet available for 2003–04.
Invest NI assistance offered per client company employee: 1998–99 to 2002–03 £

	Manufacturing	Non-manufacturing
1998–99	583	1,571
1999–2000	705	1,740
2000–01	533	2,068
2001–02	476	723
2002–03	646	636

Grammar Schools

Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what capital expenditure there has been on each school in the grammar school sector in each year since 1989. [176531]

Mr. Gardiner: Records are not readily available about the level of capital expenditure there has been, for both major and minor works, on each school in the grammar school sector since 1989. However, since 1994, the amount of capital investment announced for major capital works projects at each school in the grammar school sector is as follows:

	Projects	£ million
1994–95
Nil	—	—
1995–96
St. Columb's College, Londonderry	New build extension	11.5
1996–97
Limavady GS	New build extension	6.4
Grosvenor GS, Belfast	New build extension and refurbishment	4.4
1997–98
Lumen Christi College, Londonderry	New build extension and refurbishment	5.1
1998–99
Aquinas GS, Belfast	New school	10.1
1999–2000
Wellington College, Belfast	New school	6.4
Glenlola Collegiate, Bangor	New school	11.9
Thornhill College, Londonderry	Phase 1 of new school	10.6
St. Patrick's GS, Armagh	Phase 1 extension	1.8
Royal School, Dungannon	New build extension and refurbishment	8.0
2000–01
Regent House School, Newtownards	Phase 1 new build extension	6.7
Antrim Grammar School	New build extension and refurbishment	7.7
Dominican College, Belfast	New build extension and refurbishment	13.1
Mount Lourdes GS, Enniskillen	New build extension and sports hall	6.3
2001–02
Rathmore GS, Belfast	New school	17.0
Convent GS, Strabane	Amalgamation with St. Colman's HS and Convent of Mercy HS to form new school	20.0
2002–03
Our Lady and St. Patrick's College Knock, Belfast	New school	17.7
St. Patrick's GS, Downpatrick	New school	11.8
Thornhill College, Londonderry	Phase 2 of new school	4.1
Regent House School, Newtownards	Phase 2 of extension and refurbishment	8.9
2003–04
St. Joseph's GS, Donaghmore	New school	11.6
St. Patrick's Academy, Dungannon	New school	17.5
St. Dominic's HS, Belfast	Extension and refurbishment	16.7
Assumption GS, Ballynahinch	Extension and refurbishment	17.2
Strathearn School, Belfast	New school	10.0
Grosvenor G.S.	New school	11.5
Abbey Christian Brothers' GS, Newry	New school	12.2
Dominican College, Portstewart	New sports hall	0.9
Mount Lourdes GS Enniskillen	Refurbishment of existing accommodation	9.7
St. Colman's College, Newry	New sports hall	1.2
2004–05
Banbridge Academy	Extension and refurbishment	17.8
Strabane GS	New school	11.6
Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt	New school	14.2
Loreto GS, Omagh	New school	14.6
St. Colman's College, Newry	Extension and refurbishment	10.1

 
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Health Services

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting time is for (a) emergency, (b) urgent and (c) routine dermatology assessment in each health trust area; and how many patients are waiting in each case. [176846]

 
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Angela Smith: Information requested in parts (a)–(c) is not collected centrally.

Information on patients awaiting a first outpatient appointment is collected at Trust and specialty level. The latest available waiting list statistics show the position at 31 December 2003.
Table 1: Number of patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment in the Dermatology specialty

	Time waiting (months)
Provider Trust	0–2	3–11	12–17	18–23	24+	Total
The Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust	766	786	128	45	53	1,778
Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust	929	432	8	0	0	1,369
Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust	859	1,444	255	229	353	3,140
Down and Lisburn HSS Trust	238	314	99	34	16	701
Mater Infirmorum HSS Trust	86	178	63	77	1	405
Causeway HSS Trust	390	493	210	3	2	1,098
United Hospitals HSS Trust	668	567	165	106	169	1,675
Craigavon Area Hospitals Group HSS Trust	700	379	7	5	1	1,092
Newry and Mourne HSS Trust	406	57	0	0	0	463
Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust	130	31	0	0	0	161
Altnagelvin Area Hospitals HSS Trust	988	486	2	0	0	1,476
Northern Ireland Total	6,160	5,167	937	499	595	13,358

Source:
Regional Information Branch, DHSSPS

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of co-ordination and co-operation between the Province's health boards and trusts in relation to differences in waiting times for particular specialties at different hospitals. [176847]

Angela Smith: Health and Social Services boards and trusts are working closely together, and with the Department, to reduce hospital waiting times across Northern Ireland. A number of initiatives are being taken forward to ensure that available hospital capacity is being used as fully as possible. These initiatives include the transfer of patients between hospitals to facilitate earlier treatment, and the use of hospital facilities by visiting specialists from other hospitals to provide elective care for the local population.

The level of collaboration between boards, trusts and the Department has been an important factor in reducing waiting times. Recognising this, my Department has recently established a Regional Waiting Lists and Emergency Pressures Steering Group comprising representatives from the Department, boards and trusts which will ensure that our efforts to reduce waiting times continue to be properly directed and co-ordinated across Northern Ireland.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting times are for (a) initial outpatient assessment deemed (i) emergency, (ii) urgent and (iii) routine, (b) cataract surgery and (c) operations in general, within the ophthalmology specialty, at each hospital in the Province where such surgery is performed. [176848]

Angela Smith: Information requested at parts (a) (i)-(iii) and (b) is not collected centrally. Information on patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment or in-patient admission is collected at Trust and specialty level. The latest available waiting list statistics show the position at 31 December 2003.

(a) At 31 December 2003 there were 16,985 patients in Northern Ireland awaiting a first out-patient appointment with an Ophthalmology consultant (Table 1).
 
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Table 1: Patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment in the Ophthalmology specialty

	Time waiting (months)
Provider trust	0–2	3–11	12–17	18–23	24+	Total
The Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust	1,950	2,433	305	64	29	4,781
Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust	115	78	7	2	0	202
Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust	841	1,006	265	55	90	2,257
Down and Lisburn HSS Trust	244	373	114	6	1	738
Mater Infirmorum HSS Trust	660	410	2	2	1	1,075
Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust	463	1,043	227	98	40	1,871
Newry and Mourne HSS Trust	251	451	156	97	180	1,135
Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust	135	210	80	74	33	532
Altnagelvin Area Hospitals HSS Trust	1,251	2,139	583	254	167	4,394
Northern Ireland	5,910	8,143	1,739	652	541	16,985

Source:
Regional Information Branch (DHSSPS)

(c) At 31 December 2003 6,346 patients were awaiting admission to hospital in the Ophthalmology specialty (Table 2).
Table 2: Patients awaiting admission to hospital in the Ophthalmology specialty

	Time waiting (months)
Provider trust	0–2	3–11	12–17	18–23	24+	Total
The Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust	1,516	2,036	306	148	41	4,047
Mater Infirmorum HSS Trust	359	367	10	3	0	739
Down and Lisburn HSS Trust	78	138	3	0	0	219
Craigavon Area Hospitals Group HSS Trust	133	254	55	4	0	446
Altnagelvin Area Hospitals HSS Trust	406	436	48	5	0	895
Northern Ireland	2,492	3,231	422	160	41	6,346

Source:
Regional Information Branch (DHSSPS)

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of patients were admitted to hospital within nine months of referral for admission in the last year for which figures are available. [176855]

Angela Smith: 149,916 patients were admitted to hospital in Northern Ireland as elective admissions during 2003. 91 per cent. of these patients were admitted within nine months of referral.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce waiting time targets for hospital admissions. [176857]

Angela Smith: Reducing the length of time that patients wait for hospital admission is a key priority. I have already set targets this year in relation to the length of time patients wait for elective treatment which require Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts to ensure that, by 31 March 2005, 95 per cent. of patients requiring hospital inpatient or day case treatment are admitted within 12 months of being placed on a list; and that, other than in exceptional circumstances, no patient should be waiting for inpatient or day case treatment for more than 18 months by 31 March 2005, or more than 15 months by 31 March 2006.

In relation to emergency admissions I have set a target by 31 March 2005 to reduce by one third the number of patients waiting more than two hours in an accident and emergency department between the decision to admit and admission to a ward compared to 2003–04 levels.
 
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Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of patients were assessed by a specialist within two weeks of emergency referral in the last year for which figures are available. [176863]

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of patients diagnosed with breast cancer were tested for HER2 in each health board area in the last year for which figures are available. [176869]

Angela Smith: All women diagnosed with breast cancer in Northern Ireland are automatically tested for HER2.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to improve technology used to detect sexually transmitted infections. [176870]

Angela Smith: From 1 September 2004 the Nucleic Acid Amplification Technique (NAAT) will be used across Northern Ireland to test for Chlamydia, the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection within the UK.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many consultant dermatologists there are in each health board area; and what plans there are to increase the number. [176871]

 
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Angela Smith: Information in response to the first part of this question is as follows:
Number of consultant dermatologists in each health board area as at 31 March 2004

Health board area	Headcount	Whole-time equivalent
Eastern	10	7.83
Southern	2	1.90
Western	2	1.91
Northern	2	2.00
Total	16	13.64

Staffing is the responsibility of Health and Social Services Trusts, taking into account factors such as service needs and available resources. However, the Department has a role in ensuring that sufficient suitably qualified staff are available to meet the needs of the service and to monitor workforce levels in Trusts. This will be done through workforce planning mechanisms, which provide an analysis of the current workforce and of current and future recruitment and retention issues and encompasses issues such as the number of staff required to meet service demands. As at September 2003 there were seven specialist trainees in dermatology, which, allowing for retirements, is sufficient to increase consultant numbers to a projected level of 17 by 2010. The position, as with all hospital-based specialties, is reviewed annually and this informs decisions on investment in the future numbers in training.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many breast cancer patients were diagnosed in the last 12 months in the Province; and how many received treatment with Trastuzumab. [176880]

Angela Smith: Information on the number of breast cancer patients diagnosed in the last 12 months is not available. Information on the number who received treatment with Trastuzumab is not available centrally and could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) consultations, (b) operations and (c) other procedures took place within the private sector in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by specialty. [176850]

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the availability of (a) telemetry and (b) other cardiac monitoring equipment during periods of high workload at local hospitals in Northern Ireland. [176851]

Angela Smith: The current level of cardiac monitoring and telemetry equipment at hospitals is adequate to cope with current demands, even during periods of high workload.

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