| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Nov 2005 : Column 370W—continued
Abortion
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the distribution of the review of abortion service guidelines has been among health care professionals in Northern Ireland. [33235]
Mr. Woodward: The development of abortion guidelines is a complex task that needs to be taken forward with sensitivity given the divergence of opinion and strength of feeling about this particular issue.
Work on developing guidance is already under way and it is the intention to have draft guidance developed by May of next year. At this stage, no decisions about the distribution of guidelines have been taken.
Air Routes
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to attract more air routes into Northern Ireland airports. [32235]
Mr. Hanson: The Air Route Development Fund established by the Government to encourage the development of more air routes to Northern Ireland is fully committed and any decision on the future financing of the fund must await the outcome of the public consultation on the draft 2005 Budget.
In the meantime, ARD Ltd., the company with responsibility for the administration of the fund is maintaining close contact with the airport authorities and the airlines to ensure that we keep abreast of their plans.
Alcohol-related Deaths/Illness
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths there were in Northern Ireland in which alcohol was the primary cause in each of the last five years. [31268]
Angela E. Smith: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 2000 and 2004 where the underlying cause of death indicated a condition directly related to alcohol.
| Alcohol-related deaths(23) | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 193 |
| 2001 | 210 |
| 2002 | 246 |
| 2003 | 211 |
| 2004(24) | 260 |
(23) For the years 2001–04 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes used to define alcohol-related deaths are:
F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol;
142.6—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy;
K70—Alcoholic liver disease;
K73—Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified;
K74—Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver; and
X45—Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol.
For the year 2000 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes used to define alcohol-related deaths are:
291—Alcoholic psychoses;
303—Alcohol dependence syndrome;
305.0—Non-dependent abuse of alcohol;
425.5—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy;
571—Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis; and
E860—Accidental poisoning by alcohol.
(24) Data for 2004 is provisional.
29 Nov 2005 : Column 371W
Ambulance Officers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many ambulance officers in Northern Ireland have reported sick with a stress related illness in each of the last five years. [32223]
Mr. Woodward: The information, provided by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, is set out in the following table:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 54 |
| 2004 | 51 |
| 2003 | 48 |
| 2002 | 47 |
| 2001 | 36 |
Attacks on Fire Crews
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks on fire crews have taken place in each district of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [31969]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has advised that recording of attacks on firelighters commenced in September 2001. Figures for attacks by fire and rescue service district for each calendar year available are as follows:
(25) Part year.
Blood Donors
Mr. Peter Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have given blood in
29 Nov 2005 : Column 372W
each region of Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; and how many units of blood were given in each region in each year. [33067]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS) is a regional service that collects blood donations from a range of communities. These include: the public in general (74 per cent. of all donations); sessions in the workplace (8 per cent.); schools—from 17 and 18-year-olds (1 per cent.); colleges and universities (2 per cent.); hospital settings (4 per cent.); and from NIBTS HQ (6.5 per cent.) and the agency's shared facilities at College Street, Belfast (4 per cent.). Data are not collected on any other 'regional' basis within Northern Ireland.
The figures for blood donations made in each year since 2000 are as follows:
| Whole blood donations | Approximate number of donors per year | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 67,384 | 42,000 |
| 2003–04 | 68,799 | 43,000 |
| 2002–03 | 67,797 | 42,000 |
| 2001–02 | 66,982 | 42,000 |
| 2000–01 | 69,702 | 44,000 |
| Total | 340,664 | — |
Business Rate
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) jobs in Northern Ireland and (b) the economy in Northern Ireland of the Government's business rates proposals. [31275]
Angela E. Smith: No assessment has been made.
A commitment however has been given to undertake an initial assessment on the impact and effectiveness of this change as soon as practical after 1 April 2007.
Business Start-ups
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new business start-ups there were in each of the last five years in (a) East Belfast, (b) North Belfast, (c) South Belfast and (d) West Belfast. [31957]
Mr. Hanson: The following table presents the number of new business start-ups offered assistance by Invest NI during each of the last 3½ years, analysed by Belfast parliamentary constituency. The information is not available for the financial years prior to April 2002, since the data used to record most of this activity did not capture the detail required to report at constituency level.
| Parliamentary constituency | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06(26) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast East | 54 | 98 | 116 | 45 | 313 |
| Belfast North | 58 | 73 | 92 | 59 | 282 |
| Belfast South | 88 | 135 | 177 | 64 | 464 |
| Belfast West | 70 | 94 | 137 | 50 | 351 |
| Belfast Total | 270 | 400 | 522 | 218 | 1,410 |
(26) 2005–06 information to September 2005 only.
29 Nov 2005 : Column 373W
Child Obesity
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were suffering from obesity in Northern Ireland in (a) 1994 and (b) 2004. [32524]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested is not available.
Civic Studies
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to promote (a) knowledge of and (b) interest in parliamentary government in schools in Northern Ireland. [31977]
Angela E. Smith: Citizenship is one of the key themes of the revised Northern Ireland curriculum and will introduce pupils to parliamentary democracy. Legislation will be in place by September 2006 but Citizenship is already being piloted in over two-thirds of post-primary schools. Feedback has indicated that young people have enjoyed these lessons.
The Department of Education also provides a copy of the Northern Ireland edition of the Young Citizens Passport to all year 11 pupils. The booklet is a valuable source of information to young people and covers topics such as Parliament and The NI Assembly.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |