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13 Sept 2004 : Column 1477W—continued
Drug Overdose Mortality
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) intentional and (b) accidental deaths there were from drug overdoses in each health board area in each of the last five years. [187799]
Mr. Pearson: The following table gives the number of drug-related deaths registered by Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland for each year between 1999 and 2003.
(21) Intentional self-poisoning by drugs: This comprises intentional death due to prescription drugs, illegal drugs and/or where a combination of alcohol and drugs was involved. It does not include intentional alcohol self-poisoning alone.
(22) Accidental poisoning by drugs: This comprises accidental death due to prescription drugs, illegal drugs and/or where a combination of alcohol and drugs was involved. It does not include accidental alcohol poisoning alone.
(23) Undetermined and other poisoning by drugs: This comprises death of undetermined intent due to prescription drugs, illegal drugs and/or deaths where a combination of alcohol and drugs were involved, but not intentional or accidental alcohol poisoning alone. This category also includes death due to mental and behavioural disorders related to drug (prescription and/or illegal drugs) use, excluding alcohol and tobacco.
(24) Data for 2003 are provisional.
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Ear, Nose and Throat Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will make a statement on long-term plans for otorhinolaryngology services at Tyrone County Hospital; [187800]
(2) if he will make a statement on otorhinolaryngology services in Fermanagh and Tyrone. [187801]
Angela Smith: The Otorhinolaryngology Service provided by Sperrin Lakeland Trust includes ENT services and is currently based at Tyrone County Hospital. Inpatient and day case services are delivered from the Tyrone County Hospital; outpatient services are delivered from both the Erne and Tyrone County Hospitals. The service also provides cover to Cavan and Monaghan Hospitals.
The Western Area Programme Board for the implementation of Developing Better Services has established a multidisciplinary Working Group to determine the future service outline for the provision of otorhinolaryngology services across the Western Board area including Tyrone County Hospital. The Group is expected to report in October 2004.
Endoscope Decontamination Review
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the independent external review into endoscope decontamination will report. [187777]
Angela Smith: The independent review of endoscopes is due to report at the end of November 2004.
Farm Payments
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many payments due to farmers in Northern Ireland by 30 June have not yet been paid,
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broken down by category of farm payment; and what the total value of such outstanding claims for payment is. [188244]
Mr. Pearson: In Northern Ireland the number and potential value, if paid in full, of farm subsidy claims due to have been paid by 30 June 2004 but which had not been paid by 8 September 2004, are broken down as follows:
| Applications unpaid | Value (£ million) | |
|---|---|---|
| Beef Special Premium | 4,071 | 1.6 |
| Slaughter Premium | 1,849 | 0.8 |
| Suckler Cow Premium | 539 | 1.4 |
| Extensification Payment | 2,074 | 4.2 |
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his target date is for paying to farmers in Northern Ireland all payments due to them by 30 June. [188245]
Mr. Pearson: To date 94.9 per cent. of potential total expenditure has been paid. It is expected that the European Commission's regulatory requirement for 96.14 per cent. of total scheme expenditure to be paid by 30 June 2004 will be achieved by 30 September 2004.
Fertility Treatment
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to prioritise on sub-fertility waiting lists females who are approaching the cut-off point for age-related treatment options. [187793]
Angela Smith: There are no plans at present to prioritise on sub-fertility waiting lists females who are approaching the cut off point for age-related treatment options. A consultation and equality impact assessment on the future provision of sub-fertility services in Northern Ireland have now been undertaken and I hope to be able to announce my proposals in this regard in the very near future.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many couples are awaiting (a) initial outpatient assessment and (b) treatment for sub-fertility in the Province. [187794]
Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest figure is for the average waiting time from GP referral to consultant assessment for sub-fertility treatments in the Province. [187795]
Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to bring the criteria for NHS-funded sub-fertility treatments in Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. [187796]
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Angela Smith: Publicly funded IVF treatment has been available in Northern Ireland since the establishment of the interim fertility service in December 2001. Access to the interim service is regulated by criteria recommended in the advisory report submitted in February 2001 by the Regional Medical Services Consortium.
To inform decisions on the longer term provision of fertility services in Northern Ireland, including the access criteria which may be applied, I issued the document, "From People to Parents" for public consultation in October 2003. The consultation process has now closed and I hope to be in a position to announce my proposals for the future development of fertility services in Northern Ireland in the very near future. In making my decision I will of course wish to take account of criteria for NHS funded fertility treatment used in GB.
Flooding
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on floods in the Province in August. [187791]
Mr. Spellar: During the latter part of August 2004, several areas in Northern Ireland were affected by severe localised rainfall conditions that proved to be beyond the capacity of local drainage systems. The Londonderry area was particularly affected. Localised flooding also occurred at a number of locations in Greater Belfast, North Down, East Down and East Antrim, which resulted in some road closures for short periods of time.
Staff from Rivers Agency, Water Service and Roads Service along with other responders worked to minimise damage to property and disruption to the community. During each of the flood events an inter-agency flood team was formed, comprising representatives from Rivers Agency, Water Service and Roads Service to co-ordinate the response. The team, along with other agencies—13 in total in the Londonderry incident—worked together to provide assistance and advice to those affected.
In the Londonderry incident, Water Service, Roads Service and Rivers Agency deployed some 75 staff, working late into the evening and next morning, to minimise damage to property and aid recovery. I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of those staff and the staff of other agencies. The Central Claims Unit had its loss adjusters on the ground on 18 August. Notwithstanding these efforts, a number of householders and businesses suffered significant flood-related damage. Derry city council organised a "help shop", to provide advice and information, on 20 August, and all the relevant statutory agencies participated in this event. My ministerial colleague, lan Pearson, visited Londonderry on 18 August to survey the damage and to ensure that remedial measures were in train.
The circumstances of the flooding incidents are being fully investigated to identify any opportunities to reduce the risk of further events and improve the standard of the inter-agency response. As with all such incidents, it is essential that any lessons are learned and applied.
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Water Service is implementing a programme of flood relief schemes at 50 locations at risk of flooding. £6 million has been invested on such schemes in the last four years and a further £5 million will be invested over the next three years. Moreover work on the £100 million Belfast sewer project is already underway and a further £59 million will be invested in upgrading the sewerage network across the region in the three year period to 2006. Major upgrades of the sewerage system planned will also help to reduce flooding risks. In addition, Rivers Agency has an ongoing works programme to protect property from flooding from watercourses and the sea, amounting to approximately £7 million per annum.
However, it must be recognised that, although modern drainage standards will provide better protection, it is impossible to guarantee that flooding will not occur, when unusually severe weather conditions are experienced.
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