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28 Nov 2005 : Column 233W—continued
Parking Tickets
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parking tickets were issued in Lurgan in each of the last five years. [31273]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested is provided in the following table.
| FPNs issued | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 292 |
| 2002 | 289 |
| 2003 | 396 |
| 2004 | 252 |
| 2005 (to 31 October 2005) | 675 |
28 Nov 2005 : Column 234W
Pathologists
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pathologists were employed in Northern Ireland (a) in 2000 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. [30218]
Mr. Woodward: Information is only available on pathologists employed within the NI HPSS. This information is provided in the following table.
Source:
DHSSPS
Pensions
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people (a) are of pensionable age and (b) receive a state pension in Northern Ireland. [31960]
Mr. Hanson: There are 275,247 people of pensionable age in Northern Ireland, 263,770 people are receiving retirement pension.
Polling Stations (Disabled Access)
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to improve conditions for disabled voters at polling stations in Northern Ireland. [30146]
Mr. Hanson: This issue is an operational matter and is the responsibility of the Chief Electoral Officer who has written to the hon. Gentleman. The text of the letter is as follows.
The Electoral Office keeps all polling places under constant review to ensure that disabled voters have where possible the same facilities and ease of access as able bodied voters. Where facilities are less than satisfactory, the Electoral Office has been working with the owners of such properties and with the Equality Commission to help the owners address their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act. Unfortunately, some alterations do take time and often there are no ready alternative venues in the locality.
All polling stations in Northern Ireland are equipped with the new style of polling booth which incorporates a compartment with a lowered writing shelf suitable for wheelchair users. Large print versions of the ballot paper are displayed in all polling stations and each is equipped with a selector device so that visually impaired electors can vote without assistance if they so choose".
Poverty Statistics
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) children and (b) pensioners were living in poverty in each constituency in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [31274]
Mr. Hanson: This information is not available in the form requested. It is estimated that the total numbers of children and pensioners in Northern Ireland living in households with income after housing costs below 60 per cent. of the UK median were as follows:
| 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|
| Children | 112,800 | 108,100 |
| Pensioners | 42,400 | 47,100 |
Note:
Incomes are adjusted to take account of household structure.
Source:
NI Family Resources Survey 2002–03, 2003–04
Prisoner Assaults
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) prisoners and (b) prison officers in Northern Ireland were the victims of an assault by a prisoner in each of the last five years. [31283]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested is shown in the following table:
Financial year | Assaults on prison officers by prisoners | Assaults on prisoners by prisoners |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 46 | 63 |
| 2001–02 | 43 | 102 |
| 2002–03 | 28 | 48 |
| 2003–04 | 36 | 50 |
| 2004–05 | 8 | 11 |
| April 2005 to date | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 164 | 276 |
Over the years the number of assaults has shown a downward trend.
Prisons
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average daily cost of keeping a person in prison in Northern Ireland was during the latest period for which figures are available. [30273]
Mr. Woodward: In 2004–05, the average daily cost per prisoner place was £235. The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not collate figures for the average cost per prisoner.
Prostate Cancer
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in Northern Ireland, broken down by Health Board area in each year since 2001. [32107]
28 Nov 2005 : Column 236W
Mr. Woodward: The following table details the number of incidences of prostate cancer (ICD-10 C61) in Northern Ireland by Health Board since 2001.
| Year of diagnosis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| EHSSB | 206 | 249 | 259 |
| NHSSB | 132 | 149 | 172 |
| SHSSB | 89 | 121 | 145 |
| WHSSB | 104 | 111 | 124 |
| Unable to assign to Health Board | 12 | 18 | 15 |
| Total | 543 | 648 | 715 |
This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland what funding has been provided for information leaflets advising men to seek medical help should they experience symptoms of prostate cancer in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [32108]
Mr. Woodward: No specific funding has been earmarked by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the provision of information leaflets on prostate cancer. However, the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) report of 2003 included a short article on prostate cancer. This Report was issued with every copy of the three main Northern Ireland newspapers sold on a particular day. In the article, inter alia, doctors were advised to ensure that men who asked for a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test were properly informed about it, including the benefits and downside of the test. In November 2003, in a CMO update, which is sent to all doctors in Northern Ireland, they were told about an information pack, Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme", available from the Department of Health (L). Included in this pack are a supply of information leaflets for men considering a PSA test. The CMO's report of 2004 reiterated this information.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the survival rates have been of men diagnosed with prostate cancer since 2001 in each Health Board area of Northern Ireland. [32109]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) do not routinely produce relative survival rates for any cancer, by Health Board of Northern Ireland. The most recent relative survival rates (1-year and 5-year) for prostate cancer for the whole of Northern Ireland are outlined in the table. These figures are based on patients diagnosed in the period 1996–99 and followed up to the end of 2002.
28 Nov 2005 : Column 237W
This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.
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