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9 Jun 2004 : Column 450W—continued

MOT Appointments

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drivers are awaiting MOT test appointments, broken down by area. [176852]

Angela Smith: The total number of customers who have received vehicle test appointments for the period June to September 2004 is 57,955. The total number of unprocessed applications for MOT appointments is calculated at 7,510. The following table provides a breakdown by centre and month.
 
9 Jun 2004 : Column 451W
 

Test centre	June	July	August	September	Grand total	Postal applications not yet processed
Armagh	1,018	476	629	—	2,123	650
Ballymena	2,670	1,867	—	—	4,537	0
Belfast	2,459	1,978	1,155	—	5,592	620
Coleraine	2,471	1,376	56	—	3,903	0
Cookstown	1,932	1,129	671	—	3,732	310
Craigavon	2,210	1,431	293	201	4,135	1,330
Downpatrick	2,499	1,620	294	—	4,413	0
Enniskillen	1,520	1,163	20	—	2,703	0
Larne	1,232	884	260	—	2,376	0
Lisburn	2,088	1,206	427	2	3,723	1,110
Mallusk	1,958	1,197	192	—	3,347	1,470
Londonderry	1,978	1,406	—	—	3,384	0
Newry	2,068	1,382	709	144	4,303	1,280
Newtownards	3,869	2,443	751	—	7,063	740
Omagh	1,779	833	9	—	2,621	0
Grand total	31,751	20,391	5,466	347	57,955	7,510

Planning Service

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Planning Service has taken over the past five years to ensure that planning permissions are adhered to during the construction of buildings in each local government district. [176304]

Angela Smith: It is not Planning Service practice routinely to inspect all development after planning permission is granted and where inspections are carried out priority would be given to controversial proposals.

However, where Planning Service establishes or is advised that there is a breach of condition attached to a planning permission, action will be taken to regularise the breach where appropriate.

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for planning permission have been submitted to the Planning Service in Northern Ireland in each local government district in each of the last five years; and how many of these applicants have subsequently been advised to submit retrospective planning applications following rejection of the initial application. [176305]

Angela Smith: Planning Service's current records have only been kept by council area since 2000. The number of planning applications submitted to Planning Service during the last four years is set out in the table.

Council area	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Antrim	824	825	1,064	1,489
Ards	986	1,052	1,247	1,201
Armagh	1,162	1,322	1,258	1,502
Ballymena	870	908	1,164	1,538
Ballymoney	503	568	641	869
Banbridge	872	963	1,325	1,664
Belfast	2,332	2,573	2,361	2,624
Carrickfergus	298	302	313	354
Castlereagh	556	576	572	583
Coleraine	838	1,023	1,030	1,225
Cookstown	761	737	845	1,140
Craigavon	1,011	973	1,147	1,211
Derry	923	932	951	1,072
Down	1,256	1,322	1,541	1,346
Dungannon	1,128	1,182	1,345	1,491
Fermanagh	1,338	1,292	1,564	1,947
Larne	364	362	369	432
Limavady	458	464	542	705
Lisburn	1,160	1,339	1,487	1,658
Magherafelt	812	973	1,118	1,544
Moyle	366	437	424	505
Newry and Mourne	1,954	2,066	2,368	3,148
Newtownabbey	567	662	688	660
North Down	726	758	758	871
Omagh	1,042	1,037	1,103	1,412
Strabane	584	633	686	869
Totals	23,691	25,281	27,911	33,060

 
9 Jun 2004 : Column 452W
 

It is not Planning Service's policy to advise applicants to submit retrospective planning applications following rejection of the initial application. In addition, Planning Service does not record separate information on retrospective planning applications. As this information is not routinely collected, it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many enforcement actions have been undertaken by the Planning Service in Northern Ireland over the past five years in each local government district; and what the results were in each case. [176306]

Angela Smith: Although statistical records have been maintained by the Planning Service since 1999, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of enforcement statistics by local government district. Additionally, the recorded data do not hold individual records of the results in each case, and this information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Presented below is the total number of enforcement cases for each year since 1999 and the number of Enforcement Notices issued.
 
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	Cases investigated	Enforcement Notices issued
2003	1,876	56
2002	1,665	40
2001	3,800	50
2000	3,500	54
1999	2,678	82

Playgroups (South Down)

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effects of the withdrawal of funding from the Special European Union Programmes Body on playgroups in the South Down area; and whether he is taking steps to restore this funding. [177502]

Angela Smith: No funding from the SEUPB to playgroups in the South Down area has been withdrawn. SEUPB assists playgroups primarily through NIPPA under Measure 2.5 of the PEACE II Programme. All projects assisted under this measure will be able to benefit fully from their allocations although some projects are now coming to an end. We are currently assessing the impact of this on early years provision across Northern Ireland and how this can be addressed.

Police Reserve

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the conditions of employment are for members of the (a) full-time and (b) part-time Reserve of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [176539]

Mr. Spellar: The following regulations set out the conditions of employment for members of the (a) full-time Reserve and (b) part-time Reserve:

Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (Full-Time) (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Regulations 1996.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve (Full-Time) (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Regulations 2002.

Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (Part-Time) (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Regulations 1996.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve (Part-Time) Regulations 2004 (which includes provisions relating to members appointed prior to 8 February 2004.)

Police Reserve Trainee Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004.

In addition, the Police (Recruitment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001, as amended, contain provisions relating to prohibited business interests for police Reserve trainees.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hours per month members of the part-time Reserve of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are required to work to qualify for validation of training; and if he will make a statement. [176540]

Mr. Spellar: The PSNI are providing foundation training in three different packages to suit the circumstances of individual Reserve trainees. Validation is not directly related to the number of hours worked but to a series of knowledge and skills-based exercises which members must complete to the required standard.
 
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Police Trophies

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether an official record exists of (a) competition trophies and (b) other items belonging to the Ulster Special Constabulary at the time of their disbandment; and where those items are located. [176331]

Mr. Spellar: The Police Service of Northern Ireland have advised me that a small number of Ulster Special Constabulary competition trophies are kept as part of the police museum collection. No other official records exist.

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