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23 Jun 2005 : Column 1155W—continued
Freedom of Information Act
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and (b) NHS personnel in the Province have been employed on processing requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 since 1 January 2005. [5329]
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Mr. Woodward: In (a) the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety 32 staff, and in (b) Health and Personnel Social Services bodies 214 staff, have been involved in processing requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 since 1 January 2005. Information is not available on the precise amount of time spent on processing freedom of information requests but it represents only a small proportion of the total working time of the staff involved.
Internet
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each Education and Library Board area in Northern Ireland have access to the internet. [5517]
Angela E. Smith: The percentage of schools with internet access is as follows:
| Education and Library Board | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 96.9 | 100 |
| Western | 99.5 | 100 |
| North-Eastern | 99.5 | 100 |
| South-Eastern | 99.4 | 100 |
| Southern | 100 | 100 |
NHS Staff (Attacks)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in meeting targets for reducing attacks on NHS staff in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [6678]
Mr. Woodward: There are no specific targets set for reducing attacks on Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) staff. HPSS employers have been instructed to take measures to minimise the risk of violent attacks against staff. Figures reported for the six months from October 2004 to March 2005 indicate a reduction in the number of reported incidents; 149 fewer than in the previous six months. This indicates that the steps taken by HPSS employers are having a positive effect.
Nurse Recruitment
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made in re-recruiting former nurses to the NHS in Northern Ireland. [5511]
Mr. Woodward:
The recruitment of staff, including nurses, is a matter for individual Health and Social Services Trusts taking into account factors such as service needs and available resources. The Department however support former nurses, who have not practised for five years or more, to return to work by funding "Return to Practice" programmes.
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Parades
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to be in a position to report on whether parades which (a) took place and (b) will take place on the basis of technically incorrect uncompleted 11/1 forms are legal. [5961]
Mr. Woodward: The decision on whether any particular 11/1 form does not meet the requirements of Section 6 of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, and that therefore those involved in organising and participating in that parade have committed an offence and should be prosecuted, is one for the Public Prosecutions Service, following consideration of the findings of a police investigation into any potential offences.
The Parades Commission has said that it is determined to do its part to minimise contention and therefore to use as much flexibility as the legislation allows to ensure that the parading season passes off peaceably. To that end the Commission will whenever possible make determinations on those few contentious parades where it is involved.
Porphyria
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province suffer from each of the forms of porphyria. [5353]
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Mr. Woodward: Information on the number of individuals in the Province suffering from each form of porphyria is not available centrally.
Information is available on the number of sufferers admitted to hospital. According to the hospital inpatients system, 12 sufferers were admitted to hospital in 2003–04. Seven were diagnosed with "Torphyria cutanea tarda" and four were diagnosed with "other porphyria". One person was diagnosed with both of these conditions.
Pupil Suspensions
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils were suspended from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools for (i) bullying, (ii) violence towards teaching staff and (iii) carrying offensive weapons in each of the last three years, broken down by Board area. [6572]
Angela E. Smith: The reasons for suspension were first collected in 2002–03 school year and relate to the number of individual suspensions not the number of pupils suspended. The reason for a suspension is categorised by a school into one of 10 possibilities and these do not include carrying an offensive weapon.
The information on relevant individual suspensions for 2002–03 school year is as follows:
The detailed suspension data for 2003–04 submitted by the Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) has still to be fully analysed. When this has been done in the near future, I will write to the hon. Member and provide the SELB statistics. The four-board information for 2003–04 school year is as follows:
Regional Cancer Centre
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on the regional cancer centre becoming fully operational. [5332]
Mr. Woodward: The cancer centre construction programme is on schedule for completion by 31 December 2005. The official handover of the building and installed equipment to the Belfast City Hospital Trust is planned for the beginning of January 2006. It is proposed that the transfer of all patients, staff and services will take place in March 2006.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in securing staff to work in the Province's new regional cancer centre. [5341]
Mr. Woodward:
The Department has made available additional revenue resources through the health boards over the last few years to enable the Belfast City Hospital Trust to build up the staff complement in preparation for the opening of the cancer centre. The trust has not experienced any difficulties filling these posts.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Loan Sharks
9. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what action he is taking to protect vulnerable people from loan sharks; [6523]
11. Mr. Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (2) what steps he is taking to protect vulnerable people from loan sharks. [6526]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We are funding pilot projects in Birmingham and Glasgow to tackle loan sharks. This will enable Trading Standards to investigate and prosecute illegal lenders in these areas. It will also help gain a clearer understanding of the scope, extent and impact of illegal money lending. The project is already showing results with prosecutions in progress in both areas.
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