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12 Oct 2004 : Column 223W—continued
Demographics
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the population was of (a) Moira, (b) Aghalee, (c) Magheralin, (d) Dollingstown, (e) Donaghacloney, (f) Waringstown, (g) Maghaberry and (h) Aghagallon in (i) 1981, (ii) 1991 and (iii) 2001. [187996]
Mr. Pearson:
Commonly agreed definitions of the geographical areas covered by settlements are not available over the period in question. In the 1981 and 1991 censuses, the settlement areas were approximated
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at those times by Irish Grid Squares while the 2001 census used settlement development limits as defined by the Department of the Environment. Given the different boundaries used over time, and changes in census methodology, changes in the population figures provided as follows cannot be wholly attributed to population growth or decline.
| 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moira | 1,453 | 2,772 | 3,669 |
| Aghalee | 735 | 480 | 111 |
| Magheralin | 911 | 1,075 | 1,134 |
| Dollingstown | 604 | 877 | 1,830 |
| Donaghacloney | 650 | 755 | 963 |
| Waringstown | 1,167 | 1,831 | 2,523 |
| Maghaberry | n/a | 1,009 | 1,692 |
| Aghagallon | n/a | 655 | 819 |
Note:
n/a refers to figures for which area boundaries are unavailable.
Domiciliary Care
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the contractual hourly rate paid to domiciliary care providers in Northern Ireland is, broken down by health trust area. [190019]
Angela Smith: The details are set out in the table:
Trust | Type of care | Hourly rate (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust | Personal Care | 9.50 |
| Practical Support | 7.56 | |
| Day Sitting | 6.45 | |
| Night Sitting | 6.45 | |
| Causeway HSS Trust | All | 9.90 |
| Craigavon and Banbridge Community Trust | Personal Care | 9.50 |
| Practical Support | 7.56 | |
| Day Sitting | 6.45 | |
| Night Sitting | 6.45 | |
| Down Lisburn HSS Trust | All | 10.50–11.75 |
| Foyle Community Trust | All | 7.22–9.50 |
| Homefirst Community Trust | All | 10.14 |
| Newry and Mourne HSS Trust | Personal Care | 9.50 |
| Practical Support | 7.56 | |
| Night Wake | 7.20 | |
| Day Sitting | 6.45 | |
| Night Sitting | 6.45 | |
| North and West Belfast | All | 11.00 |
| South and East Belfast | All | 11.00 |
| Sperrin Lakeland Trust | Day rate | 7.40 |
| Evening/twilight/weekend | 7.50 | |
| 8 hours per night | 50.00 | |
| Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust | All | 8.21–12.98 |
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average contractual hourly rate paid to domiciliary carers in Northern Ireland is by health trust area. [190020]
Angela Smith: The details are set out in the following table:
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Euro/European Constitution
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been spent in Northern Ireland since 2001 on preparations for (a) the introduction of the euro and (b) a referendum on the European Constitution. [190103]
Mr. Pearson: On (a) I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ms Kelly), on 14 October 2003, Official Report, column 142W. On (b) , since 2001 no money has been spent on the referendum on the European Constitution in Northern Ireland.
GM Crops
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it is Government policy not to allow the growing of GM crops in Northern Ireland. [190022]
Angela Smith: It is not the Government's policy to prevent the growing of GM crops in Northern Ireland. On 9 March 2004 the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a statement in the House setting out the Government's policy on GM issues [Column 1381]. Similar statements were made on the same day in the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament. In addition, I issued a press release on 12 March 2004 setting out the position in respect of Northern Ireland. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The essence of our policy is that GM crops will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and consumers will have choice through mandatory labelling of GM products. The primary concern will continue to be to safeguard human health and the environment. The Government will ensure that GM products are safe and provide consumer choice through labelling, but ultimately it will be for farmers and consumers to decide whether they want GM crops and food.
Hearing Aids
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time is for people in Northern Ireland to be supplied with a hearing aid in Northern Ireland hospitals. [190065]
Angela Smith:
Information on average waiting times for supply of hearing aids is not collected. However, provisional information for the quarter ending June 2004 indicates that the median waiting time (the middle value of all waiting times) from the hospital receiving a referral to the supply of a digital hearing aid is between three and six months.
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Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting list is for the supply of hearing aids to patients in each Northern Ireland hospital. [190066]
Angela Smith: This information requested is not available.
Heart Disease
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will replicate the framework for heart diseases in England in Northern Ireland. [190311]
Angela Smith: While the health service for Northern Ireland is not included in the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, the main features were taken fully into account as best practice guidelines in the Review of Cardiology Services in 1999 and a subsequent Review of Cardiac Surgery Services in 2000. The recommendations from these reviews are currently being implemented through a Joint Action Plan, but the ability to fully implement all aspects of the service framework would be dependent on additional resources.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce measures of outcomes in the treatment of heart disease. [190312]
Angela Smith: Health and Social Services Trusts already have measures in place to monitor the outcomes of cardiology and cardiac surgery treatments on an ongoing basis. These include the use of clinical audit and contributions to national databases. For example, the Royal Victoria Hospital contributes to the national database for cardiac surgery outcomes, as well as participating in European and international trials aimed at improving treatments of heart disease.
Home Care
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to facilitate joint working between service providers of home care in Northern Ireland. [189967]
Angela Smith: The promotion of a flourishing independent sector in social care provision is a key objective of the 'People First' policy. Health and Personal Social Services bodies engage with a wide range of private and voluntary sector agencies in the planning and delivery of domiciliary care. Arrangements also exist for the joint consideration of important issues such as recruitment and training.
Housing (Fraud)
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases were recorded of people on housing benefits attempting to defraud the Housing Executive when purchasing houses from it in each of the last three years, with particular reference to (a) organised criminal gangs and (b) paramilitary organisations. [189676]
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Mr. Spellar: The information requested is not readily available. However the Housing Executive estimates that over the last three years there were around 73 cases of suspected housing benefit fraud where a house sale was also involved.
The vast majority of these would have been referred to the Benefit Investigation Unit of the Social Security Agency in the 2003–04 financial year for investigation. Of the original 73 cases referred, in one case a substantial overpayment is being raised, in 19 cases investigations are continuing and so evidence of fraudulent activity was found in the remainder.
All allegations of fraud are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly so that those involved can be prosecuted where there is evidence of fraud. The proposed revisions to the House Sales Scheme, which will apply to applications made from 18 May 2004 contain a range of measures aimed at retaining houses in the social rented sector and will strengthen existing procedures to help reduce the potential for fraud.
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