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10 Oct 2005 : Column 259W—continued
Freedom of Information
Pete Wishart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests have been answered by the
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Department; and in how many cases (a) information was wholly exempted, (b) information was partly exempted and (c) the requests were answered in full. [14963]
Mr. Hain: The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental performance under FOI, including information on both the volume and outcomes of requests. The first of these updates was published on 23 June 2005 and can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsjan-mar05.htm and in the House Library. The next bulletin is due in the autumn of this year, while an annual report is also published in early 2006.
Between 1 January 2005 and 31 March 2005 the Northern Ireland Office had received 80 Freedom of Information requests, of which 14 were wholly exempted, 18 partly exempted and 14 were granted in full.
The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister published statistics on the performance of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments under the Freedom of Information Act on 23 June 2005. The following table extracts information from these statistics and covers requests received between 1 January to 31 March 2005. The next statistical update, for the second quarter of the year, is due in the autumn.
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many freedom of information requests have been (a) received and (b) refused by each Northern Ireland Department since the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [15309]
Angela E. Smith: The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister published statistics on the performance of Northern Ireland Departments under the Freedom of Information Act on 23 June 2005. The following table extracts information from these statistics and covers requests received between 1 January 2005 and 31 March 2005. The next statistical update, for the second quarter of the year, is due in the autumn.
For the same period, the Northern Ireland Office had received 80 requests, of which 14 had been refused in full and 18 refused in part.
General Grant Funding
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding the Government have provided to each district council in Northern Ireland through the resources element of the general grant factor. [14506]
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Angela E. Smith: The resources element of general grant allocated to district councils for 2005–2006 is set out in the following table.
GPs
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many GPs in Northern Ireland have been struck off the medical register in each of the last five years, broken down by region or board. [14508]
Mr. Woodward: There have been no general practitioners (GPs) struck off the medical register, in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.
Heart By-pass Operations
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were waiting for a heart by-pass operation on the latest date for which figures are available. [14521]
Mr. Woodward: At 30 June 2005, there were 276 patients in Northern Ireland waiting for a heart by-pass operation.
Homelessness
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the most recent estimate is of the level of hidden homelessness in Northern Ireland. [15312]
Mr. Hanson:
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has a duty under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 to deal with homelessness. During 2004–05, the Housing Executive accepted a total of 8,470 applicants as meeting the statutory criteria for re-housing under the homelessness legislation. However,
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the Housing Executive is not in a position to estimate the number of persons who may be homeless in Northern Ireland but do not apply for re-housing.
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes the Government have made to the eligibility of homeless people for accommodation in Northern Ireland since 2000. [15313]
Mr. Hanson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following orders:
1.Immigration Control (Housing Authority Accommodation and Homelessness) Order 2000 which provides that persons from abroad who are subject to immigration control are eligible for accommodation under the homelessness legislation if they have refugee status or certain other forms of leave to enter or remain in the UK.
2.Article 137 of the Housing (NI) Order 2003 inserted a new Article 7A in the Housing (NI) Order 1988 which provides that a homeless person is not eligible for accommodation if:
(a) he, or a member of his household, has been guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make him unsuitable to be a tenant of the Housing Executive and, in the circumstances at the time his application is considered, he is unsuitable to be a tenant of the Housing Executive by reason of that behaviour;
(b) he is a person who is subject to immigration control and is ineligible for accommodation by virtue of section 119 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (i.e. he does not belong to a group specified in the Persons subject to Immigration Control (Housing Authority Accommodation and Homelessness) Order 2000); or
(c) he is any other person from abroad who is ineligible for accommodation by virtue of regulations made by the Secretary of State.
3.Homelessness Regulations (NI) 2004 which provide that a homeless person is not eligible for accommodation if:
(a) he is not habitually resident in the common travel area comprising the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (certain groups, e.g. persons treated as workers" for the purposes of European legislation, are exempt from this provision); or
(b) his right to reside in the common travel area is derived from certain European directives which apply to people whose right to reside in the UK is conditional on them being self-sufficient and not claiming social assistance.
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