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29 Jun 2004 : Column 263W—continued
Dual Carriageway
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many miles of dual carriageway per thousand square miles there are in Northern Ireland. [180980]
Mr. Spellar:
The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
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Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated June 2004:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about how many miles of dual carriageway per thousand square miles there are in Northern Ireland. I have been asked to reply as the issue raised falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive.
I can advise you that in Northern Ireland there are 31.04 route miles of dual carriageway per thousand square miles of land area. This includes the length of dual carriageway that is classified as motorway I hope this information is helpful.
Enforcement Notices
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times, in the last five years, the issuing of an enforcement notice has led to the demolition of all or part of a building. [180665]
Angela Smith: The issuing of an enforcement notice has led to the demolition of all or part of a building on three occasions during the last five years.
Farm Subsidies
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in respect of each category of farm payment, how many payments, and of what value, are overdue to farmers in Northern Ireland. [180828]
Mr. Pearson: The European Commission requirement is that scheme expenditure should be paid by 30 June 2004. Against that requirement, no payments are currently overdue.
Farming
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to halt the decline in the number of farmers in (a) dairy farming and (b) pig production in the province. [181272]
Mr. Pearson: The decline in the numbers of farmers involved in dairying and pig production in Northern Ireland is part of a long-term trend and is similar to what is happening in most developed countries.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has adopted a range of measures to strengthen the underlying competitiveness and efficiency of those in the industry. This includes the Vision Action Plan which aims to help farmers adapt to change and measures to increase the use of information communications technology, to improve animal health in Northern Ireland and programs to deliver relevant research and development.
Fertility Treatment
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the age of females has a bearing on where they are placed on waiting lists for fertility treatment. [179653]
Angela Smith:
The age of females has no bearing on where they are placed on waiting lists for fertility treatment. However, two types of fertility treatment—In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)—are only available to couples where the female partner has not passed her 38th birthday.
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Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on age restrictions on types of fertility treatment available on the NHS in Northern Ireland. [179654]
Angela Smith: The interim sub-fertility service commenced on 17 December 2001, at the Royal Group of Hospitals. Access to the service is regulated by the criteria recommended by an expert group. In line with these criteria two types of fertility treatment—In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)—are only available to couples where the female partner has not passed her 38th birthday. In addition, to qualify for Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET), the woman's embryos must have been frozen before her 38th birthday. There are no age restrictions with regard to the male partner.
GCSE Grades
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils in Northern Ireland obtained (a) fewer than five GCSEs at A*–C grades and (b) no A–C grades in each year since 1990. [181028]
Mr. Gardiner: The information requested is only available from 1991–92 and is as follows:
| Pupils obtaining fewer than 5 GCSE's at grades A*-C | Pupils obtaining no GCSE's at grades A*-C | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Year | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage |
| 1991–92 | 13,241 | 55.7 | 6,362 | 26.7 |
| 1992–93 | 11,959 | 51.8 | 5,138 | 22.2 |
| 1993–94 | 12,236 | 51.5 | 5,431 | 22.8 |
| 1994–95 | 12,293 | 48.7 | 5,991 | 23.7 |
| 1995–96 | 12,772 | 48.4 | 5,888 | 22.3 |
| 1996–97 | 11,948 | 46.5 | 5,430 | 21.1 |
| 1997–98 | 11,418 | 45.2 | n/a | n/a |
| 1998–99 | 11,191 | 44.0 | 5,103 | 20.1 |
| 1999–2000 | 10,930 | 43.1 | 5,108 | 20.1 |
| 2000–01 | 11,279 | 43.3 | 5,302 | 20.4 |
| 2001–02 | 10,678 | 41.3 | 4,934 | 19.1 |
| 2002–03 | 10,760 | 41.2 | 4,907 | 18.8 |
Grammar Schools
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of appeals by grammar schools for reduction in intake numbers were due to the number of lower graded pupils applying in each of the last three years. [180966]
Mr. Gardiner:
There were no requests of this type. However, a small number of grammar schools requested approval under Article 14 (3) of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 to refuse admission where they were of the opinion that admission of the child to the school would be detrimental to the educational interests of the child. The number of these requests in each of the last three years is as follows and
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had no impact on the approved admissions number of the school:
| School year | Number of requests |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | 4 |
| 2002–03 | 1 |
Health Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to improve waiting times for dermatology assessment across the Eastern Board catchment area. [179070]
Angela Smith: The Eastern Health and Social Services Board is currently examining the potential for the development of community-based clinics to facilitate earlier assessment and treatment for a range of dermatological conditions. Proposals have also been received and approved by the Board for additional outpatient and inpatient activity in a range of specialties, including dermatology.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress regarding the centralisation of dermatology services in Northern Ireland. [179075]
Angela Smith: There are no plans to centralise general dermatology services in Northern Ireland. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board, however, has set up a working group to take forward the recommendations contained in its review of dermatology services, which is intended to concentrate specialist dermatology services and training at the Belfast City Hospital. Work on this is ongoing.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) new consultant dermatologist posts and (b) specialist dermatology clinics have been created in the Province in the past five years. [179076]
Angela Smith: There have been no new consultant dermatologist posts created in the Province in the past five years. A total of three new specialist dermatology clinics have been set up in the past five years: a melanoma screening clinic in Craigavon Area hospital; and two clinics at the Royal Victoria hospital for general and contact dermatitis.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which hospitals provide joint antenatal diabetic clinics with both diabetologists and obstetricians. [179107]
Angela Smith: Joint antenatal diabetic clinics with both diabetologists and obstetricians are provided in Craigavon Area Hospital, the Royal Maternity Hospital, Ulster Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital.
Mrs. Iris Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioner
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practices provide (a) diabetes, (b) asthma, (c) well-woman, (d) well-man, (e) warfarin and (f) lipid clinics. [179108]
Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a formal clinical network for asthma in the Province. [179110]
Angela Smith: The Department intends to undertake a review of respiratory services, including services for asthma suffers. The issue of clinical networks providing integrated care in the primary and secondary care settings will be considered as part of the review.
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