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2 Dec 2004 : Column 203W—continued
VAT (National Lottery)
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there are circumstances in which governing bodies in sport have to pay VAT on money received from the lottery. [200664]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 30 November 2004]: Lottery grants to sports governing bodies will generally be outside the scope of VAT as they are generally not payment for any supplies. VAT incurred on purchases made using grant income can only be recovered to the extent that those purchases relate to the grantee's taxable business activities. VAT can not be recovered on purchases related to an organisation's exempt supplies or non-business activities.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast City Airport
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flights there were into Belfast City airport on average each week in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by type of aircraft; and how much fuel each such aircraft would be expected to consume during the first three minutes of take-off. [200508]
Mr. Spellar: The weekly average of flights into Belfast City airport by aircraft type between 1 August 2004 and 31 October 2004 is shown in the following table. The amount of fuel used by an aircraft taking-off will vary depending on various factors including loading and weather conditions. The table shows an estimate of how much fuel each such aircraft would be expected to consume during the first three minutes of take-off where this was made available.
(1) Unavailable
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Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what steps are being taken to enforce compliance by Belfast City Airport of its planning agreement to offer 1.5 million scheduled seats for sale from the airport in any 12 month period;. [200916]
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent to which Belfast City Airport is meeting its planning agreement in respect of scheduled seats on offer. [200917]
Angela Smith: The latest information available to the Department indicates that Belfast City Airport (BCA) is operating within the current limit included in the Planning Agreement in relation to the number of scheduled seats for sale.
As BCA has not to date exceeded the planning agreement restriction of 1.5 million scheduled seats for sale from the airport in any 12-month period the Department would have no reason to pursue enforcement action.
Crumlin Road Gaol
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of Crumlin Road gaol. [200909]
Mr. Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1751W.
Departmental Websites
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement. [199691]
Mr. Pearson: At present, only the website of the Northern Ireland Office complies with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines at Priority Checkpoint 2 (Level AA) standard.
The websites of the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration currently do not fully comply with the Priority Checkpoint 2 (Level AA) Guidelines although work is currently underway to attain compliance with that standard in 2005.
Fisheries Conservancy Board
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many recommended prosecutions by bailiffs in Northern Ireland have been prevented by the issuing of exemption certificates by the Fisheries Division of the Department of Agriculture Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [199861]
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Angela Smith: There has been one recorded recommended prosecution which was subsequently not progressed following the issue of an exemption certificate by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. This occurred in 2002.
Housing
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new housing starts there have been in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [200908]
Mr. Spellar: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1758.
Psychotherapy
Mr. Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision for psychotherapy is available under the national health service in Northern Ireland. [201174]
Angela Smith: The term psychotherapy encompasses a range of interventions such as family therapy, supportive psychotherapy, psychoanalytical therapy, and cognitive and behavioural therapy. These may be delivered by therapists from various professional backgrounds and addressing a range of issues from emotional and psychological problems to severe mental illness or addiction. Identifying all psychotherapy interventions could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Roads Budget
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Department for Regional Development Roads Service Structural Maintenance budget was in each of the last three years. [200082]
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.
Letter from Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 30 November 2004:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what Roads Service's Structural Maintenance budget was for each of the last three years. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
The maintenance of the structure of roads and footways in Northern Ireland continues to be one of the primary objectives of the Roads Service. In the last three years 01/02; 02/03; and 03/04 the expenditure on structural maintenance has been £54, £65 and £83 million respectively. In the current financial year it is expected that just under £70 million will be spent on this key activity.
Strangford View, Killyleagh
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will institute a public inquiry into the construction of a 45 foot gabion wall at Strangford View in Killyleagh; and if he will make a statement. [200370]
Angela Smith:
It would not be appropriate to initiate a Public Inquiry in this instance. Planning permission was granted on 5 December 2003 for proposed alterations to an existing entrance, development roads, dwelling
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footprints together with storm and foul sewers. The approved plans did not provide for a wall of the scale and character now constructed and the wall is therefore unauthorised.
Although the Planning Service has received assurances that the developer is keen to rectify this breach, enforcement action has been initiated and a final warning letter issued on 22 November. Formal enforcement proceedings will now follow unless the developer takes action on the breach.
The developer has submitted a planning application for twelve 3-storey townhouses on a portion of the site, which is still under consideration. It is anticipated that the developer will submit a further application addressing the breach of planning control through the delivery of a comprehensive scheme for the whole site.
Once an application is received, interested parties will be notified and given the opportunity to inspect relevant plans and comment as appropriate. Any comments will be taken into account before a final decision is reached on the application. The Department will continue to ensure that concerns expressed by residents and elected representatives in relation to the wall are addressed.
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