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7 Jun 2004 : Column 137W—continued

MOT Testing

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles entered the MOT test in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many failed. [175531]

Angela Smith: The number of full tests and re-tests (previous test failures) carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency for all vehicle categories for which roadworthiness certificates are required, including those generally referred to as MOT tests, is set out in the following table. It should be noted that the re-test figures can include multiple re-tests on a single vehicle. The re-test figures do not include vehicles that fail the full test but are not subsequently presented for re-test.

	Number of full tests	Number of re-tests
1999–2000	438,022	89,209
2000–01	439,746	86,432
2001–02	463,386	92,360
2002–03	483,776	103,732
2003–04	516,100	120,104

Nurses

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of employing each additional nurse. [177200]

Angela Smith: Newly qualified nurses are usually appointed at a starting salary of £17,060 per annum. The overall salary cost for an employer in respect of a newly qualified nurse is estimated as £19,875 per annum.

Physical Punishment

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to publish his Department's response to the Office of Law Reform's consultation paper, Physical Punishment in the Home—Thinking about the Issues, Looking at the Evidence. [176543]

Mr. Pearson: Officials in the Office of Law Reform have prepared an analysis of the responses to the Consultation Paper—"Physical Punishment in the Home—Thinking about the Issues, Looking at the Evidence"—which they are aiming to publish in mid-June.

A copy of the analysis will be placed on the Office of Law Reform's website and I have asked for a copy to be forwarded to the hon. Lady as soon as it becomes available.
 
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Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average length of time has been for assets of defendants to be frozen in cases while they were being prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order 1996. [176894]

Mr. Pearson: The information requested cannot be provided as data are not recorded in a way which would allow an accurate assessment to be made of the average length of time that defendants assets are frozen. A restraint order is obtained at the outset of criminal proceedings when an individual is charged or is about to be charged and remains in force until any confiscation order is satisfied in full.

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have had their assets frozen while being prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 in each year since the introduction of the order. [176895]

Mr. Pearson: A substantial manual search of records is required to collate the information requested. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information once it is available. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Proscribed Terrorist Organisations

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implications for counter-terrorist policy of the ruling of 26 May of Mr. Justice Girvan, in the case of Mullan and others, about the definition of proscribed terrorist organisations. [177392]

Mr. Pearson: Following the RIRA judgment, the Attorney-General announced on 28 May that he would refer the ruling to the Court of Appeal. It would be inappropriate to comment further on matters which could be before the Court. It is however the Secretary of State's position that RIRA was proscribed under the Terrorism Act and he remains of the view that RIRA should be proscribed. The Secretary of State has made it clear that he will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that RIRA is proscribed.

Sick Leave

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of work days lost as a result of (a) depression, (b) stress-related illness and (c) back pain in each of the last five years. [176875]

 
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Mr. Gardiner: Information on the number of working days lost as a result of (a) depression, (b) stress-related illness or (c) back pain is not available for Northern Ireland.

However, for information, latest figures from the Winter 2003–04 Labour Force Survey estimated that in the previous year 12,000 people suffered from a back problem and 8,000 people suffered from stress or depression that was caused or made worse by a job or work done in the past.

Sleep Apnoea

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of sleep apnoea sufferers in Northern Ireland in each of the last 20 years. [176854]

Angela Smith: Current estimates suggest that in Northern Ireland there are 30,000 people with sleep apnoea of whom approximately 3,000 are categorised as having clinically significant sleep apnoea. Precise figures and historical data are not available.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of sleep apnoea sufferers receiving treatment with continuous positive airway pressure machines in Northern Ireland. [176859]

Angela Smith: It was estimated in September 2003 that there were approximately 430 sleep apnoea patients on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines in Northern Ireland.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many clinics for sleep apnoea sufferers there are in the Province. [176861]

Angela Smith: A designated sleep apnoea clinic is held regularly in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Belfast City Hospital.

Other hospitals in Northern Ireland have clinics which can assess sleep apnoea patients as well as patients with other respiratory problems.

Small Businesses

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money was spent on assisting small businesses in Northern Ireland during 2003. [176633]

Mr. Gardiner: Invest NI records and reports information on a financial year basis as opposed to a calendar year basis, therefore this response relates assistance to Invest NI clients in the financial year 2003–04.

In 2003–04 a total of £56.45 million was offered to companies falling within the definition small businesses (less than 50 employees). This figure reports assistance offered rather than money that has actually been paid. Information on offers is more indicative of the current activities and policies of Invest NI as most of the payments in any one year relate to offers of assistance made in a number of previous years.
 
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South Armagh Terrorist Incidents

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what investigations have been carried out into possible collusion between the Provisional IRA and officers in the Gardai Siochana in the Irish Republic concerning terrorist incidents in the South Armagh area in early 1985 which resulted in 13 RUC officers being murdered. [176581]

Mr. Pearson: The Chief Constable has not raised this issue with me and since it is principally a matter for the Government of the Republic of Ireland I would advise the hon. Gentleman to write directly to the Department of Justice, Equity and Law reform.

Teenage Abortions

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many abortions there were among females from Northern Ireland aged 11 to 19 years in each year since 2000, broken down by age. [175226]

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

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