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2 Nov 2005 : Column 1226W—continued
Northern Ireland Prison Service
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Prison Service staff retired due to ill health in each year from 1995 to 2005. [22798]
Mr. Woodward: The number of Northern Ireland Prison Service staff retired due to ill health in each year from 1995 to 2005 is as follows:
| Number of staff retired due to ill health | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 53 |
| 1996 | 74 |
| 1997 | 59 |
| 1998 | 53 |
| 1999 | 45 |
| 2000 | 19 |
| 2001 | 15 |
| 2002 | 21 |
| 2003 | 28 |
| 2004 | 34 |
| 2005 | 21 to date |
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All staff are referred to the Occupational Health Service (OHS) for review of their illness after a period of 28 days sick absence. The OHS will either recommend fit for return to work, a further review of the case at a later date or ill health retirement. Any decision on ill health retirement is made by the OHS and not by the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
The number of ill health retirements dropped in 2000 when approximately 1,000 staff left the service through a voluntary redundancy scheme with the closure of Maze prison.
Occupational Therapists
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many occupational therapists are working in each of the health boards in Northern Ireland. [22804]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested is provided in the following table.
Source:
Human Resource Management System
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Paramilitaries
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the level of criminal activity in which paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland are engaged. [22736]
Mr. Woodward: This year's organised crime task force threat assessment confirms that all of the paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland are heavily involved in organised crime as a means of raising finance for their organisations and for personal gain.
The reports by the Independent Monitoring Commission also clearly indicate the extent of paramilitary involvement in organised crime.
Police Vehicles
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) deaths and (b) incidents of serious injury involving police vehicles in Northern Ireland were recorded in each of the last five years. [22997]
Mr. Woodward: The Police Service of Northern has provided the following information:
| Civilians killed | Members killed | Civilians seriously injured | Members seriously injured | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | 99 | 469 | 569 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 98 | 478 | 577 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 105 | 503 | 610 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 362 | 446 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | 89 | 356 | 446 |
Gershon Review
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review. [21321]
Mr. Hain: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for the overall delivery of the Department's efficiency programme.
GPs
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether general practitioners in Northern Ireland are required to register second jobs in private consultancy or with the Department for Work and Pensions; and how many general practitioners are so registered. [22769]
Mr. Woodward: The sole registration requirement for general practitioners is that they are fully registered medical practitioners. Their names must appear on the medical register held by the General Medical Council.
School Crossing Patrols
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many school crossing patrols there are in each (a) education and library board area and (b) council district; and what change there has been in the number over the last five years. [23361]
Angela E. Smith: There are currently 816 school crossing patrols in Northern Ireland, divided into each education and library board, and district council, area as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Belfast | 129 |
| North-Eastern | 162 |
| South-Eastern | 143 |
| Southern | 218 |
| Western | 164 |
| Total | 816 |
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Since 2001, there has been a decline in the number of patrols by 50, 35 and 6 in the Belfast, South Eastern and North Eastern boards respectively. Similar information is not available for the Southern and Western Board areas. The decline in numbers is due to a number of factors, including: the replacement of patrols with light-controlled crossings; recruitment difficulties; and, changes in the nature of hazards. In the case of the latter, Boards employ a set of guidelines adapted from those developed by the Local Authorities Road Safety Officers Association (LARSOA). These guidelines permit Boards to make an objective assessment of dangers and hazards, and to determine whether a patrol should be provided, retained, or removed.
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School Playing Fields
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many state controlled schools' playing fields in Northern Ireland have been sold since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [22647]
Angela E. Smith: No school playing fields have been sold since 2001.
Surplus School Places
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average number of surplus places in schools in Northern Ireland was in 2000; how many there were on 1 October 2005; and what the projected number of surplus places is for (a) 2010 and (b) 2015 broken down by (i) school type, (ii) management type and (iii) education and library board. [24038]
Angela E. Smith: In the 2000–01 school year, there were an estimated 12,200 surplus places in controlled primary schools and 12,900 surplus places in maintained primary schools. In the 2004–05 school year these figures increased to an estimated 15,800 in both sectors. In 2000–01 in post-primary schools, there were an estimated 6,500 surplus places in controlled schools and 6,900 in maintained schools. In 2004–05 these figures increased to an estimated 7,500 and 8,200 respectively. I append a table that shows the breakdown of the figures by management type and education and library board area. Figures for the 2005–06 school year are not yet available.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency projections indicate that the number of children of compulsory school age is set to decline by a farther 30,000 over the next 10 years to 2015. From 2004–05 the Department's pupil projection figures indicate that primary school numbers will fall from an estimated 162,200 to 150,900 in 2009–10 (a reduction of 11,300 pupils) and that post-primary school enrolments will fall from an estimated 152,600 to 143,000 (a reduction of 9,600 pupils) in that same period. The figures are not available by management type and projected figures are not currently available to 2015. The projected fall in pupil numbers will not however necessarily lead to a corresponding increase in surplus places—changes to the schools' estate in the intervening period, through the major capital works programme and as a result of proposals from school authorities for closures or amalgamations, should remove a considerable number of surplus places.
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