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23 Nov 2005 : Column 2020W—continued
Stevens Inquiry
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the total cost of the Stevens Inquiry into allegations of police collusion in Northern Ireland; and what assessment he has made of the progress made by the inquiry to date. [30760]
Mr. Hain: Sir John Stevens' report is to the Chief Constable of the PSNI. The Stevens investigation has thus far been funded by the PSNI and is therefore a matter for the Chief Constable.
Specific criminal investigations continue and the criminal justice process must be allowed to take its course.
Sub-regional Transportation Plan
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when work will be completed on the sub-regional transportation plan for Northern Ireland; when the plan will be published; and what consultation measures will be put in place for the plan. [29446]
Mr. Woodward:
The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
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Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Eddie McGrady, dated 21 November 2005:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding when work will be completed on the Sub-Regional Transportation Plan (SRTP) for Northern Ireland; when the plan will be published; and what consultation measures will be put in place for the plan.
I have been asked to reply, as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
The draft SRTP is programmed to be published for formal consultation in March 2006, and at this stage, the nature of the consultation process has not been finalised. The final SRTP is programmed for completion by December 2006, however, this will be dependent on the exact nature of responses received during the consultation process.
I should add, that as with all transport plans, the schemes contained within the SRTP would be subject to normal statutory procedures and to the availability of funds at the time.
Supporting People Programme
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list payments made in Northern Ireland from the Supporting People programme in each of the last three years. [30809]
Mr. Hanson: The Supporting People programme funds 114 providers providing housing support services to over 900 schemes. The total amount paid out in the last three years is as follows:
| Amount paid (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 42,805,119.53 |
| 2004–05 | 48,870,916.70 |
| 2005 to date | 31,784,917.93 |
Telecare Projects
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated for Telecare projects in Northern Ireland in the last three years, broken down by constituency. [29168]
Mr. Woodward: The Department has not made a specific allocation of funds for the provision of Telecare services in the last three years.
Telecommunications Masts
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning permission applications have been granted for mobile phone masts in South Antrim in each of the last three years. [30141]
Angela E. Smith: Details of the number of mobile phone masts granted approval in the South Antrim constituency over the last three years are set out in the following table.
| Council area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Antrim | Newtownabbey | |
| 2002–03 | 12 | 11 |
| 2003–04 | 11 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | 8 | 7 |
It should be noted that figures for 2002 also include
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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.
Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent additional security measures have been put in place at the Ulster Community and hospitals trust to protect staff since an attack on four nursing staff at the Accident and Emergency department by a member of the public on the weekend of 12–13 November; and if he will make a statement. [29795]
Mr. Woodward: Following the recent incident at the Ulster Community and hospitals trust, the management have conducted a formal incident review and personnel have met with the PSNI to explore ways of improving security. An action plan, detailing improved structural security measures at the Ulster hospital's A and E department has been drawn up and this will be implemented as soon as possible.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the extent was of the injuries sustained by the nursing staff at the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust Accident and Emergency department as a result of the attack by a member of the public on the weekend of 12 and 13 November. [29796]
Mr. Woodward: Following the recent incident at the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust, nurses were traumatised; no physical injuries were sustained.
Unemployment (South Antrim)
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes in the level of unemployment there have been in South Antrim constituency in each year since 2001. [30200]
Angela E. Smith: Unemployment levels from the claimant count in the South Antrim parliamentary constituency in each of the years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 (to October), together with their yearly change are provided in the following table.
| Unemployment (annual averages except for 2005) | Change from previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,427 | -110 |
| 2002 | 1,505 | 78 |
| 2003 | 1,398 | -107 |
| 2004 | 1,111 | -287 |
| 2005(26) | 1,086 | — |
(26) January-October
Voluntary Organisations
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has recently held a meeting with the Organisation of the Unemployed Northern Ireland to discuss the funding of voluntary and community organisations; and if he will make a statement. [30142]
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Mr. Hanson: No Ministerial meetings have been held with the Organisation of the Unemployed NI (OUNI). Officials from the Department for Social Development (DSD) and the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) have met with OUNI to discuss potential funding opportunities. Although no immediate funding sources were identified, the organisation was advised of future funding streams and the requirements for voluntary and community sector organisations involved in delivery of public services.
Wages
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average yearly wage in Northern Ireland was in 2004. [30202]
Angela E. Smith: Median gross annual earnings for full-time employees on adult rates, who have been in the same job for at least 12 months, including those whose pay was affected by absence was £19,634 at April 2004.
Waiting Times
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his letter of 31 October, what definition he uses of an unreasonable length of time in respect of waiting times for (a) an out-patient appointment and (b) in-patient or day-case treatment in Northern Ireland. [28464]
Mr. Woodward: I have stated on numerous occasions that I view current hospital waiting times in Northern Ireland as completely unacceptable.
The aim of the elective care reform programme I announced in July is to develop fully scheduled services within which patients can access the care they require within the time scale that their clinical condition dictates.
The first steps of the reform programme to address in-patient and day-case waiting times are now under way, and I will announce detailed proposals to tackle out-patient waiting times next month.
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