| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Jan 2005 : Column 784W—continued
Telephone Numbers
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much revenue his Department has received from the use of non-geographic 0870 telephone numbers for the period 1 October 2003 to 30 September. [205823]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 20 December 2004]: The Whistleblowers Hotline is a confidential service available to Department for Work and Pensions staff and is the only 0870 number in use.
The amount of revenue the Department for Work and Pensions has received for the use of non-geographic 0870 telephone numbers for the period 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004 is £15.44 as a result of 59 calls.
This amount is offset against the amount that is paid for the provision of this line.
17 Jan 2005 : Column 785W
NORTHERN IRELAND
Child Support Agency
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the number of deduction from earnings orders issued by the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency in respect of new scheme cases in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current year. [208571]
Mr. Spellar: There were 280 deduction from earnings orders in place in 2003–04, while in 2004–05 to date there are 642.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress made by the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency towards its milestone target of securing a 50 per cent. increase in the number of children receiving child maintenance by March. [208575]
Mr. Spellar: The most recent figures available at 30 November 2004 showed a 32.4 per cent. increase in the number of children receiving child maintenance.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been categorised by the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency as probably uncollectable in (a) each financial year from 2000–01 to date and (b) in total over that period. [208576]
Mr. Spellar: The amount of money that has been categorised by the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency as probably uncollectable in each financial year from 2000–01 to 2003–04, and in total over that period is as follows:
| Amount of money categorised as probably uncollectible (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 3,792,000 |
| 2001–02 | 2,083,000 |
| 2002–03 | 3,262,000 |
| 2003–04 | 1,177,000 |
| Total | 10,315,000 |
Further Education Colleges
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the report of the study carried out by BDO Stoy Hayward on the restructuring of further education colleges in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [208431]
Mr. Gardiner:
The Department for Employment and Learning published its proposals for the future of Further Education in Northern Ireland in March 2004. Consultation on those proposals was completed in June 2004. In taking forward the proposals, and having regard to the responses received during the period of consultation, the Department has commissioned further work on those aspects of the proposals that relate to the
17 Jan 2005 : Column 786W
future size and structure of the FE sector. The outcome of this further work will be presented to a steering group comprised of representatives of Further Education colleges, as well as officials from the Department itself. It is not intended to publish the outcome of this work; however any conclusions drawn from it will inform an implementation plan that will be published later in the year.
Government Expenditure
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total Government expenditure in the Province was in each of the last 20 years. [206617]
Mr. Pearson: Details of Government Expenditure in Northern Ireland can be found in the "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses" (PESA) document, published by HM Treasury on an annual basis. Copies are available in the Library.
Health Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure homeless people have equitable access to health services in the Province. [206342]
Angela Smith: While health services in the Province are available to everybody, homeless people often have difficulties in accessing services. In recognition of this, a number of Health and Social Services Trusts, with various partners, have established outreach projects to target need in those areas with a high prevalence of homelessness.
The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety is represented on an interdepartmental and cross-sector Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) Working Group on Homelessness. Access to health services for the homeless was looked at under the remit of this group and a number of Proposals were included in the resulting report. The report is currently the subject of a consultation exercise, and will be published thereafter.
Housing Executive
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of offers made by the Housing Executive under the House Sales Scheme were issued within 10 weeks of application during 2003–04. [208603]
Mr. Spellar: During the 2003–04 financial year 68 per cent. of offers (3,518) were issued within 10 weeks of the application being made. In total 5,209 offers were made in that year.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was owed in rent arrears to the Housing Executive on 31 March 2004. [208604]
17 Jan 2005 : Column 787W
Mr. Spellar: At year ended 31 March 2004 collectable rental income 1 was £265.5 million and gross arrears 2 were £19.1 million.
2 Gross arrears include overpayment of housing benefit arising from tenants failing to correctly advise of their financial circumstances and is a rolling figure which includes unrecovered arrears from previous years.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many grants the Housing Executive approved in 2003–04 for the repairs of homes in the private sector; what the total value was of those grants; and what the target is for such grants in 2004–05. [208609]
Mr. Spellar: During the 2003–04 financial year the Housing Executive approved 9,600 grants at a total value of just under £42.6 million. The target for the 2004–05 financial year is 5,945 with an estimated total value of just under £40.5 million.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many homes the Housing Executive started planned maintenance work in 2003–04; and what its target is for such starts in 2004–05. [208610]
Mr. Spellar: The Housing Executive's planned maintenance work covers a variety of programmes and the number of homes addressed in 2003–04 and target for 2004- 05 in each category is as follows:
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many improvement schemes the Housing Executive began in 2003–04; and what its target is for such starts in 2004–05. [208611]
Mr. Spellar: The Housing Executive's improvement schemes cover a variety of programmes and the number of homes addressed in 2003–04 and target for 2004–05 in each category is as follows:
| 2003–04 | 2004–05 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schemes | Homes | Schemes | Homes | |
| Health and safety | 2 | 382 | 2 | 164 |
| Multi element improvement | 45 | 1,584 | 35 | 1,450 |
| Single element improvement | 17 | 573 | — | — |
| Special schemes | 7 | 46 | 4 | 120 |
| Total | 71 | 2,585 | 41 | 1,734 |
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent in the (a) Coleraine and (b) Limavady borough council areas on structural maintenance by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in 2004. [208700]
17 Jan 2005 : Column 788W
Mr. Spellar: In the 2004 calendar year the amount spent on structural maintenance to Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties in the Coleraine and Limavady borough council areas was as follows:
| External cyclic maintenance schemes | Multi element improvement schemes | |
|---|---|---|
| Coleraine district | 1,059,396 | 1,805,595 |
| Limavady district | 577,492 | 1,137,693 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |