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School Crossing Patrols

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment his Department has made of whether there will be an effect on child safety of the recent decision of the south eastern education and library board to cut school crossing patrol services within its catchment area. [3620]

Angela E. Smith: Education and library boards apply nationally agreed guidelines to assess the level of risk before reaching decisions on the future provision of specific school crossing patrols. The assessed risk is based on factors such as sight-lines, volume and type of traffic, width of road, availability of footpaths, central refuges/pedestrian crossings/traffic signals, etc. Boards decisions are, therefore, based on ensuring that the safety of pupils is not jeopardised.

Special Needs Children

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the longest time was that a special needs child waited to be statemented within each of the education and library boards in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [4107]

Angela E. Smith: The majority of statutory assessments are completed and formal statements of special educational needs made within 18 weeks from the date of request, in line with the Education (NI) Order 1996 and the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs 1998. However, in some circumstances delays occur for a range of reasons related to the specific case, including levels of parental co-operation with the required process.

The longest times taken from receipt of request to the making of the formal statements are:
Length of time taken from receipt of request
BELB11 years
NEELB41 weeks
SEELB2 years
SELB27 months
WELB64.5 weeks

Speed Cameras

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much revenue was generated by
 
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speed cameras in each police district command unit area in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available; and how much of this money was spent on road safety initiatives. [3504]

Mr. Woodward: The revenue generated by speed cameras in each police district command unit area is as detailed in the following table. All such fine revenue is paid into the UK consolidated fund. The unique nature of how the PSNI is funded means that the PSNI currently only recovers costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the N.I. Safety Camera scheme. As such, none of the revenue generated by the scheme is returned to PSNI for the express purpose of funding road safety initiatives at present.
DCU areaNumber of notices paidTotal fines
(£60 per notice)
PSNI rural region
Armagh DCU855,100
Ballymena DCU1348,040
Ballymoney DCU211,260
Banbridge DCU77946,740
Coleraine DCU845,040
Cookstown DCU462,760
Craigavon DCU32319,380
Down DCU28116,680
Dungannon DCU1539,180
Fermanagh DCU774,620
Foyle DCU44526,700
Limavady DCU171,020
Magherafelt DCU1307,800
Moyle DCU311,860
Newry and Mourne DCU1,11466,840
Omagh DCU26015,600
Strabane DCU160
(unknown DCU area)2120
PSNI urban region
Antrim DCU724,320
Belfast East DCU1,979118,740
Belfast North DCU93155,860
Belfast South DCU21212,720
Belfast West DCU46928,140
Carrickfergus DCU653,900
Castlereagh DCU2,964161,640
Lisburn DCU5300
Newtownabbey DCU6360
Newtownards DCU503,000
North Down DCU1,27476,440

 
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Suicide

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths by suicide were recorded in each health trust area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [3475]

Angela E. Smith: The following table gives the number of deaths in Northern Ireland of residents of each health and social services trust area for the years 2000 to 2004, where the cause of death was recorded as either 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' 1 or 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted' 2 .


Number of deaths in Northern Ireland of residents of each health and social services board and trust area by year due to 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' or 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted'

20002001200220032004(65)2000–04(65)
Eastern health and social services board9069715961350
Down Lisburn181715201282
North and West Belfast3117212022111
South and East Belfast221716121481
Ulster Community19181971376
Northern health and social services board3831473326175
Causeway7689535
Homefirst3125392421140
Southern health and social services board2733353030155
Armagh and Dungannon17104729
Craigavon and Banbridge111913191476
Newry and Mourne157127950
Western health and social services board3025302228135
Foyle17818161776
Sperrin Lakeland13171261159
Northern Ireland185158183144145815


(65)Data for 2004 is provisional


Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce a regional strategy for the prevention of suicides in Northern Ireland. [1356]

Mr. Woodward: The Promoting Mental Health Strategy and Action Plan, launched in January 2003 includes a specific section on preventing suicide. Following the recommendation of the Strategy Implementation Group we have recently established a small group to consider the actions in the strategy relating to suicide prevention. This group has been tasked to make recommendations by the end of October 2005 on what further measures need to be put in place to address the issue.
 
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Surgical Site Infections

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether occurrences of surgical site infections are (a) reported and (b) recorded in the Province. [1409]

Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance Centre (HISC) leads on surveillance of surgical site infection (SSI). HISC assists acute trusts in Northern Ireland in undertaking health care associated infection (HCAI) surveillance. A regional surveillance programme for surgical site infection in elective orthopaedics is in place which makes it mandatory for all hospitals in Northern Ireland performing adult elective orthopaedic surgery to provide data on HCAI to HISC. Data can be accessed via website: www.hisc.n-i.nhs.uk. The Royal Jubilee Maternity Unit has piloted post-discharge surveillance of caesarean section site infection. This will be reported on and a regional approach determined.

The 'Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI) In Northern Ireland' is scheduled to be issued for formal public consultation at the end of June 2005. Included in the strategy are a number of recommendations aimed to further develop comprehensive HCAI surveillance programmes in acute trusts in Northern Ireland.

Traffic Calming (Strangford)

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many successful requests for traffic calming measures are awaiting action by the Department of Regional Developments Roads Service section within the Strangford constituency; what the average time between approval and completion of work was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [4104]

Mr. Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.

Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mrs Iris Robinson, dated 14 June 2005:


Schemes currently listed

2005–06
Scrabo Estate (N'ards)Ready to commence construction
Railway St (Comber)Currently dealing with objections
Portaferry (approach to town)Consultation began 20 May 2005
Saintfield (approach to town)Consultation began 13 June 2005
Killynure Road (Carryduff)At design stage
Moneyrea VillageAt design stage
Gransha Road (Dundonald)At design stage
2006–07
Movilla St (N'ards)Programmed
Killinchy (approach to village)Programmed
Parsonage Rd (Kircubbin)Programmed
Old Ballygowan Rd (Comber)Programmed
Downpatrick Rd CrossgarProgrammed

 
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