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2 Mar 2005 : Column 1230W—continued
Coiste na n-larchimi
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was given to the Republican ex-prisoners' umbrella group, Coiste na n-larchimi and its member groups in each of the last eight years. [214206]
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Mr. Spellar: Records indicate the following amounts have been paid to Coiste na n-larchimi and its member groups in each year since 1998 by the Departments of the Northern Ireland administration and the Northern Ireland Office:
| Financial year | Amount paid (£) |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 592,626 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,847,640 |
| 2000–01 | 423,532 |
| 2001–02 | 782,107 |
| 2002–03 | 1,752,873 |
| 2003–04 | 1,207,017 |
| 2004–05(20) | 553,529 |
(20) Figures for 2004–05 are from 1 April 2004 to 31 December 2004.
Information prior to 1 April 1998 was not readily available.
Deaf People (Public Service Delivery)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the (a) members and (b) chairman is of the inter-departmental group established to oversee the delivery of public services to deaf and hard of hearing people in Northern Ireland; what the group's terms of reference are; whether the minutes of its meetings are published; and what reports it has published. [218666]
Angela Smith:
In January 2004, a Sign Language Partnership Group was formed to allow Northern Ireland Government Departments to work with
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representatives of the Deaf community in Northern Ireland to identify and recommend a course of action to improve respect, understanding and tolerance of British and Irish Sign Languages (BSL and ISL).
The group is chaired by the Head of Cultural and Language Diversity Policy Branch in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. Other members are from the following organisations:
The British Deaf Association, Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People, Hands that Talk, National Deaf Children's Society, Northern Ireland Deaf Youth Association, Deaf Senior Citizens and all Northern Ireland Government Departments.
Minutes of meetings are circulated to attendees.
Reports recommending action (a) to enhance the supply of BSL and ISL interpreters and tutors, in line with demand and (b) to raise awareness of BSL and ISL, have been prepared and approved.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on (a) the Domestic Energy Efficiency Scheme, (b) fuel poverty pilot projects, (c) the Warm Homes Scheme, (d) the Energy Efficiency Levy Programme, (e) winter fuel payments and (f) cold weather payments in each financial year since 1997–98. [218800]
Mr. Spellar: The level of expenditure in each financial year since 1997 on all such schemes is:
(21) The total spend for winter fuel payments and the NIE Energy Efficiency Levy Programme are not yet available for this financial year.
EU Grants
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received about mismanagement of EU regional development grants; and if he will make a statement. [217276]
Mr. Pearson: There have been eight representations to Ministers about mismanagement of EU Structural Funds received within the last three months concerning EU Structural Funds Programmes. These representations concerned the decisions taken and procedures followed for the allocation of funding under the EU Programmes. EU funding supports a large number of projects and all such representations are thoroughly investigated and any necessary corrective action taken.
GPs
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many requests for general practitioner appointments there were in Northern Ireland in each of the past 15 years; and what the average waiting time for GP appointments was in each year. [218830]
Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioners there are in (a) North, (b) West, (c) East and (d) South Belfast per 10,000 population; and what the spending per capita on general practitioner provision is in the current financial year in each case. [218381]
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Angela Smith: The information on the number of general practitioners in particular areas of Belfast is as follows:
| Belfast locality | Number of GPs per 10,000 population |
|---|---|
| North Belfast | 6.2 |
| West Belfast | 5.3 |
| East Belfast | 6.5 |
| South Belfast | 6.4 |
The information regarding the spending per capita on general practitioner provision in the current financial year will not be available until after the end of this financial year.
High Hedges
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the consultation document on tackling the problems caused by high hedges in Northern Ireland. [218231]
Angela Smith: A consultation paper will be published in September 2005 to collect information about the scale of the nuisance high hedge problem in Northern Ireland. This will enable the Department to produce a regulatory impact assessment, and providing it supports a legislative solution, a policy consultation paper will then issue before Christmas seeking views on proposed legislation.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had about the extension to Northern Ireland of Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 governing nuisance hedges. [218232]
Angela Smith: There have been no recent discussions in relation on extending Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 to Northern Ireland.
Hospital Travel Costs Scheme
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will change the rules of the hospital travel costs scheme in Northern Ireland to enable cancer sufferers to reclaim the costs of travel to hospital. [218762]
Angela Smith: Patients who are also in receipt of certain state benefits, or are on a low income, may be entitled to reimbursement of hospital travel costs. Details are given in leaflet HC 11: Are you entitled to help with health costs?"
The present scheme is directed towards those patients who do not have a medical need for ambulance transport, but who have difficulty meeting the cost of travel to hospital. It is not considered appropriate under such a scheme, which is based on financial need, to differentiate between patients with different medical conditions. The Department has no plans to amend the current hospital travel costs scheme to enable all cancer sufferers, by virtue of their illness, to recover the cost of travel to and from hospital.
The new cancer centre in Belfast city hospital, which is due to open in 2006, will include a patient hotel with 29 rooms, where cancer patients will be able to stay free of charge. Relatives will also be able to stay for a small
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fee. This should help reduce the amount of travelling required by some patients during their treatment cycles, with a consequent reduction in costs.
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