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20 Dec 2005 : Column 2752W—continued
Invest Northern Ireland (Grant Criteria)
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used by Invest Northern Ireland to assess whether a grant application by (a) a large company and (b) a small or medium-sized enterprise is eligible for funding. [38949]
Angela E. Smith: Invest NI does not distinguish between projects brought forward by large companies and those from small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's).
A grant application for funding from Invest NI must satisfy the following criteria:
(i) Economic Efficiency—the project must generate a satisfactory economic return for both Northern Ireland and the UK economy as a whole;
(ii) Viability—the project must be self-sustaining having received funding on a once and for all basis, and
(iii) Additionality—there must be a genuine need for public funds to enable the project to proceed in the nature, scale and timing proposed by the promoter(s).
Minimum Wage
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employers in Northern Ireland have been found to be paying employees less than the minimum wage. [38591]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
The Inland Revenue started recording the information requested from April 2001 and can provide the following statistical data.
| Employers not complying | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 244 |
| 2002–03 | 213 |
| 2003–04 | 218 |
| 2004–05 | 204 |
| 2005–06 (to 30 November 2005) | 101 |
Golfing Strategy
Mr. Donaldson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he plans to publish the Golfing
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Strategy for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [38887]
Angela E. Smith:
Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) commissioned a Golf Strategy for autumn 2005. Consultation is currently under way. Workshops and seminars were held with key stakeholders in October and November. The Draft Strategy is available from www.nitb.com. The final strategy is due to be released in early 2006.
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Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what nominations are expected to be made to non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland within the next six months. [37807]
Angela E. Smith: In the next six months the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office intend to invite nominations to some board positions on the non-departmental public bodies listed in the following table.
Northern Ireland Ombudsman
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many treatment-related complaints have been made to the Northern Ireland Ombudsman by people suffering from (a) mental health-related illnesses and (b) general medical health-related illnesses in each health board area in Northern Ireland in the last five years; and how many and what percentage of those complaints have been upheld by the Ombudsman, broken down by health board area. [37281]
Angela E. Smith: I understand that the Northern Ireland Ombudsman has written to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
Secondments
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list secondments from Fujitsu Services to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in the last five years; what the (a) commencement and (b) completion date was in each case; and what the nature of the work undertaken was in each case. [38145]
Angela E. Smith: During the last five years, two individuals were seconded from Fujitsu to the eGovernment Unit (formerly known as the Central Information Technology Unit of Northern Ireland) within the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
The secondment arrangement commenced on 1 December 2000 and was completed on 31 March 2002. The nature of the work was to assist with the development of eGovernment strategy.
The secondment arrangement commenced on 15 August 2005 and is ongoing, although responsibility for the eGovernment Unit transferred to the Department of Finance and Personnel on 1 December 2005. The nature of the work is to assist with a number of projects designed to improve NI citizens' access to electronic information.
Students from outside the EU
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many students at each university in Northern Ireland come from countries from outside the European Union. [38952]
Angela E. Smith: The information is as follows.
| Institution | Enrolments 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Queen's University Belfast | 936 |
| University of Ulster | 617 |
| Total | 1,553 |
Source:
HESA.
Teachers
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of providing a scheme which will ensure that newly trained teachers in the Province can have a guaranteed full year of teaching after completing their training. [38622]
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Angela E. Smith: The Department of Education and the Department for Employment and Learning have been carrying out a joint review of teacher education in Northern Ireland. Arising from that review, the Departments will be considering a number of options to provide greater continuity in professional development for teachers. This will also address the need for newly qualified teachers to have greater stability in employment during their early years of teaching.
Tourism
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board regarding the promotion and development of the tourism potential on the North Coast. [38748]
Angela E. Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is updated regularly regarding the promotion and development of the tourism potential on the North Coast through the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment and the relevant Minister.
The development and promotion of the tourism potential on the North Coast is determined by the Strategic Framework for Action and the Causeway Coast and Glens Tourism Masterplan. A key recommendation is the implementation of the Causeway Coastal Route which will promote the tourism product on the North Coast. The Causeway Coastal Route has been identified as a primary promotional message to attract visitors to Northern Ireland and has been included in all marketing initiatives for 2006 including:
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board is committed to working with strategic partners and tourism providers to develop an internationally competitive and sustainable tourism product on the North Coast.
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