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16 Nov 2004 : Column 1363W—continued
Domestic Rates
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how domestic rates in Northern Ireland are calculated; and what this revenue is used for. [190179]
Mr. Pearson: The rate bill for individual domestic properties is calculated by multiplying the property's Net Annual Value (NAV) by the overall domestic poundage, which encompasses two elements. These are the Regional Rate poundage, which is uniform across Northern Ireland, and the District Rate poundage, which is dependant upon the district council that the property is located in.
Regional Rate revenue is not allocated to specific areas of expenditure, but instead contributes to the overall amount of money available to the Secretary of State to allocate to regional public services in Northern Ireland. Regional Rate revenue accounts for around 6 per cent. of total planned spend on public services.
The level of District Domestic Rates is determined by each of the 26 district councils, with all revenue generated being used by the relevant council.
Education Initiatives
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to provide help to parents in (a) Greater Shankhill and (b) north Belfast to return to full-time education. [197100]
Mr. Gardiner: The Department for Employment and Learning has a number of measures in place to help parents in Greater Shankill and north Belfast to return to full-time education including:
the Spring vale Community Outreach Initiative, which aims to improve educational standards in these areas;
a number of Peace II projects, specifically targeted at family learning, to improve levels of Essential Skills;
a marked expansion in higher education provision, with a significant growth in HE provision delivered in the further education sector, to widen access for mature students; and
a wide range of support for students entering higher education, including allowances, bursaries, loans and grants and non repayable support grants for students in specific circumstances.
Additionally, Belfast Institute, East Antrim Institute and the Workers' Educational Association offer a wide range of family learning provision, including Essential Skills, in the north Belfast and Greater Shankill areas.
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Plans are also in place to establish a Family Literacy and Numeracy Innovation Fund to further promote family-based adult Essential Skills learning.
Family Health Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on family health services in the Province in the last year for which figures are available. [198142]
Angela Smith: The total spent on family health services in the 2003–04 financial year was £563,740,000.
Fertility Treatment
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are awaiting (a) initial outpatient assessment and (b) treatment for sub-fertility in the Province. [198652]
Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent changes in waiting lists for those seeking sub-fertility treatment in the Province. [198653]
Angela Smith: The interim fertility service in Northern Ireland started in December 2001, at the Regional Fertility Centre, Royal Group of Hospitals. Access to publicly funded fertility services is regulated by eligibility criteria and these criteria have been in operation from this date. There are currently 201 patients waiting for treatment on the NHS waiting list. A patient referred to this waiting list in November 2004, could expect to wait between 18 and 24 months for treatment. The publicly funded waiting list continues to accept people for treatment in line with the referral date from their GP. There have been no significant recent changes to the NHS waiting list for fertility treatment.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to announce proposals for the further development of fertility services in the Province. [198656]
Angela Smith:
To inform decisions on the longer-term provision of fertility services in Northern Ireland I issued the document "From People to Parents" for public consultation in October 2003. The consultation process has now closed and officials are preparing options for my consideration.
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Any enhancement to fertility services will have to be considered within the resource limits set out in the draft Priorities and Budget document issued for consultation on 12 October 2004. Consultation on this draft Budget ends on 7 December and I hope to be in a position to announce my proposals for the future development of fertility services in Northern Ireland when the revised Budget is finalised.
Fire Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on fire services in each of the last five years in the Province. [198143]
Angela Smith: The information in respect of expenditure on fire services in Northern Ireland in relation to each of the previous five years is detailed in the table.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 49,616 |
| 2000–01 | 51,307 |
| 2001–02 | 52,275 |
| 2002–03 | 59,346 |
| 2003–04 | 60,673 |
From 2001–02 onwards the figures are derived from the relevant Resource Accounts, prepared on an accruals basis. Prior to this the figures are taken from the former cash-based Appropriation Accounts, and these are therefore not directly comparable.
Firearms (Retired Police)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to remove the requirement for retired prison officers to carry a firearms certificate and replace it with an authorisation card. [198294]
Mr. Pearson: It is a fundamental requirement of the firearms legislation that, save for a number of specified exemptions, all firearms must be held on firearm certificates. I have no plans to change that.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many retired police officers in Northern Ireland have been issued with a firearms authorisation card. [198295]
Mr. Pearson: There is no legislative provision for a firearms authorisation card. Retired police officers wishing to hold firearms must do so on the authority of a firearm certificate.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many retired police officers in Northern Ireland have been issued with a firearms certificate. [198296]
Mr. Pearson: The PSNI firearms licensing computer system is not programmed to provide this information in the format requested and it can only be provided manually at disproportionate cost.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason (a) retired prison officers are required to carry a firearms certificate and (b) retired police officers carry an authorisation card. [198297]
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Mr. Pearson: No distinction is made between a retired prison officer and a retired police officer in respect of the holding of firearms. Both are required to have a firearm certificate.
Fruit-growing Land
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the overall area of (a) apple orchards and (b) other fruit-growing land was in the Province (i) in 1974, (ii) in 1984, (iii) in 1994 and (iv) on the latest date for which figures are available. [198838]
Mr. Pearson: Information on the area of land devoted to commercial fruit growing in Northern Ireland is collected each year as part of the Agricultural and Horticultural Census conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The information requested is as follows.
| hectares | ||
|---|---|---|
| Area of apple orchards | Area of other fruit growing land | |
| 1974 | 2,515 | 97 |
| 1984 | 2,064 | 91 |
| 1994 | 1,701 | 72 |
| 2003 | 1,545 | 57 |
2003 is the most recent year for which data is available.
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