| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
8 Nov 2005 : Column 436W—continued
Waiting Lists/Times
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1238W, on waiting lists, if he will take steps to record waiting times for radiotherapy in the Province. [24916]
Mr. Woodward: There is no evidence to suggest that there is any difficulty accessing radiotherapy services in Northern Ireland. A national audit of radiotherapy waiting times has recently been carried out by the Royal College of Radiologists. Data were collected for all patients who commenced treatment in Northern Ireland during the week beginning 26 September 2005. Preliminary local analysis indicates that no emergency patient waited more than 24 hours and that waiting times for other patients were in line with national guidelines. The Department has no plans to record waiting times for radiotherapy on an ongoing basis.
Appeals
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of Crown court convictions in Northern Ireland have been successfully appealed in each of the last five years. [25640]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of convictions in the Diplock courts have been successfully appealed in each of the last five years. [25641]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
| Number of Diplock convictions | Number of convictions quashed in Court of Appeal | Percentage of appeals quashed compared to convictions in the Diplock Courts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 53 | 2 | 4 |
| 2002 | 47 | 1 | 2 |
| 2001 | 22 | 3 | 14 |
| 2000 | 35 | 5 | 14 |
8 Nov 2005 : Column 437W
Teacher Training
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on teacher training in the Province in each of the last five years. [25793]
Angela E. Smith: Funds allocated for teacher training in Northern Ireland in each of the last five financial years are provided in the table.
8 Nov 2005 : Column 438W
Telecommunications Masts
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning applications there have been to construct or add to existing telecommunication masts in each local authority in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and how many applications were (a) approved and (b) refused in each year. [25156]
Angela E. Smith: The number of applications to construct or add to existing telecommunication masts is set out in the following table.
(33) So far.
It is only possible to provide accurate data for the last five years as all the information for previous years is not held electronically and could be extracted only at a disproportionate cost.
It should be noted that figures up to 2002 also include applications made under the prior approval process. In June 2002 Permitted Development rights were removed by statute except in the case of an emergency and applications for telecommunications equipment were subject to the full planning process.
Details of how many applications were refused or approved since 2000 is set out in the following table.
8 Nov 2005 : Column 439W
(34) So far.
It should be noted that there is no direct correlation between the number of applications submitted per year and the number of decisions issued.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to put in place for telecommunication mast sharing. [25157]
Angela E. Smith: Prevailing planning policy for telecommunications development in Northern Ireland, set out in Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 10 'Telecommunications', already strongly encourages the sharing of masts where this represents the best environmental option in a particular case.
To promote sharing through the planning process, the PPS advises that all applications for new masts should be accompanied by evidence that the possibility of erecting antennas on an existing building, mast or other structure has been explored and should outline the
8 Nov 2005 : Column 440W
specific reasons why this course of action is not possible. Where the evidence regarding the consideration of alternative options is not considered satisfactory, then planning permission can be refused.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |