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7 Dec 2004 : Column 450W—continued
Occupational Illness
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of working days lost in the Province as a result of occupational illness in each of the last three years. [202029]
Mr. Gardiner: Information on the number of working days lost as a result of occupational illness is not available for Northern Ireland.
However, for information, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) can be used to estimate the number of people that suffered from an illness in the previous year that was caused or made worse by a job or work done in the past. There are only two consistent estimates of this nature available from the LFS and they are as follows:
| Period (Winter) | Number |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 49,000 |
| 2003–04 | 33,000 |
Public Expenditure Projects
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether Her Majesty's Treasury Green Book Appraisal and Evaluation in central Government standards has been adopted to evaluate public expenditure projects in Northern Ireland. [202888]
Mr. Pearson: Yes, Northern Ireland Departments are required to apply the principles of the HM Treasury Green Book when assessing policies, programmes and projects in receipt of public expenditure.
In addition the Department of Finance and Personnel has produced additional appraisal guidance to assist Northern Ireland Departments implement the requirements of the Green Book. The NI Practical Guide to the Green Book takes the requirements of the Green Book Guidance and tailors it specifically to the needs of NI Departments. All Accounting Officers have been informed of the publication of the NI Practical Guide, drawing attention to the latest developments and requirements.
Relationship and Sexuality Education
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what relationship and sexuality education is provided to school pupils in the Province. [202586]
Mr. Gardiner:
Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is included on a statutory basis in the NI Curriculum through the Science Programme of Study and the Health Education cross-curricular theme. The Department of Education has provided guidance to help schools in developing a policy on delivering a programme of RSE that is in harmony with the ethos of the school and appropriate to the level of maturity of their pupils.
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RUC Reserve
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the Part-Time RUC Reserve were awarded the RUC Reserve Long Service Medal based solely on service to the RUC Reserve; and what the average length of service was of members of the Part-Time RUC Reserve since 1974. [202895]
Mr. Pearson: 1,048 members of the Part-Time RUC Reserve were awarded the Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, based on their service within the RUC Reserve.
The average length of service of members of the Part Time RUC is 4.8 years for those who joined between 1 January 1974 and left before 7 December 2004 and 18.65 years for members who joined after 1 January 1974 and who are still serving.
All members of the Part-Time Reserve who served for 18 months were also eligible for the RUC Service Medal.
Shankill Community Convention
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government support (a) has been and (b) will be given to the Shankill Community Convention, established as part of the Community Convention Pilot Schemes; and if he will make a statement. [202891]
Mr. Spellar: A letter of offer has been issued to the Greater Shankill Partnership for a grant of up to £33,000 to cover the costs of the Shankill Community Convention. This is the first of four planned pilots to take place in Protestant working class communities over the next 18 months. The community convention proposal came from elected representatives and community leaders and is part of a wider process of transformation within Protestant working class areas.
Tourism and Leisure Industry
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on the Runkerry Golf Course, Hotel and Leisure project; and what representations he has received (a) in support of and (b) opposed to the project from (i) Moyle District Council, (ii) the National Trust and (iii) Northern Ireland Tourist Board. [202308]
Angela Smith: The Department is still considering the application for this major proposal close to the Giant's Causeway World Heritages site. The proposal raises complex planning policy issues, particularly the impact on the setting of the World Heritage site. The Department's Environmental Heritage Service is strongly opposed to the proposal. Environmental considerations need to be balanced against the tourist and other economic benefits of the proposal. Additional information has been requested from the applicant. Once received the Department will deal with this application as expeditiously as possible.
The Council supports this application as it considers that the provision of these facilities will add considerably to the tourism assets of the Causeway Coast and wider area.
7 Dec 2004 : Column 452W
The National Trust objects to the proposed development and has requested that the application be refused. Its major concern with the application is the affect on the setting of the Giants Causeway World Heritage site which is substantially under custodianship of the National Trust.
(III) Northern Ireland Tourist Board. (NITB)
NITB supports this proposal on condition that it satisfies all the other relevant planning and conservation criteria including that there is no threat of any adverse impact on the World Heritage site.
Warm Homes Scheme
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs are on waiting lists for (a) insulation measures and (b) heating systems to be fitted under the Warm Homes Scheme managed by the Eaga Partnership, broken down by constituency. [202847]
Mr. Spellar: The information is as follows:
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps (a) have been taken and (b) will be taken by the Department for Social Development to increase the number of people making use of the Warm Homes Scheme managed by the Eaga Partnership in those areas where uptake has been lowest. [202849]
Mr. Spellar:
The Department is keen to ensure that all those eligible for assistance under the Warm Homes Scheme are fully aware of their entitlement and can access the scheme with the minimum amount of bureaucracy. For this reason management of the scheme has been passed to Eaga Partnership, which has been working with a variety of organisations across the statutory, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that Warm Homes information is passed on to those most vulnerable and who may be eligible for the grant. This activity includes a variety of methods including local press releases, information sessions for community groups, training sessions for healthcare professionals and targeted mail shots. Time is also spent briefing MLAs and local authorities on Warm Homes,
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discussing local approaches to promote the Scheme in individual areas where uptake may be low and performance statistics generally.
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