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23 Jan 2006 : Column 1878W—continued
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were statemented during 2005 in each of the education and library board areas in Northern Ireland. [44060]
Angela E. Smith: The number of children who were statemented during 2005 in each of the education and library board areas in Northern Ireland is:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| BELB | 272 |
| NEELB | 370 |
| SEELB | 410 |
| SELB | 368 |
| WELB | 307 |
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Department of Education and South-Eastern Education and Library Board are taking to ensure that statemented and special needs children are not disadvantaged as a result of the deficit in the board's budget. [42260]
Angela E. Smith: In recent years, the Department of Education has made available to all education and library boards, including the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB), additional resources totalling £37.5 million over the 2005–06 to 2007–08 period for support to children with special educational needs. This has been further enhanced by the allocation of £5 million in 2006–07 and £15 million in 2007–08 in the recent Northern Ireland Budget and Priorities 2006–08.
Other earmarked allocations are also being made available to address specific areas of Special Educational Need. £2.9 million has been allocated in 2005–06 to help address need in the largest areas of growth—Autism, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, Dyslexia, as well as the increase in children identified with SEN in mainstream settings. Similar allocations will be made in 2006–07 and 2007–08.
SEELB is fully aware of its statutory responsibility to identify and assess special educational needs, and in particular those children on whom it maintains a Statement of Special Educational Need.
In order to meet those needs, SEELB has endeavoured to put in place adequate provision. To this end it has provided additional specialist support at Belvoir and Cumran primary schools, Ballynahinch high school and Killard and Tor Bank special schools.
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1879W
Teachers Superannuation Scheme
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to alter the employer's contribution to the Northern Ireland Teachers' Superannuation Scheme following the recent Government Actuary's report. [42567]
Angela E. Smith: Following the publication of the Government Actuary's report on 19 December 2005, the employers' contribution rate to the Northern Ireland Teachers' Superannuation Scheme will increase from 14 per cent. to 14.15 per cent., with effect from 1 April 2006.
Tourism
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to encourage tourism in Northern Ireland. [43716]
Angela E. Smith: Responsibility for promoting tourism in Northern Ireland is shared between the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB), which provides strategic direction, and Tourism Ireland Ltd. (TIL) which markets Northern Ireland as part of the island of Ireland in key overseas markets.
NITB's Strategic Framework for Action 2004–2007 provides the basis for its activities. These include the development of five Signature Projects which will provide anchor tourist attractions across Northern Ireland. In addition, NITB is developing a series of Winning Themes" which include the promotion of business, activity and cultural tourism. These initiatives will be marketed aggressively by NITB within the island of Ireland and by TIL overseas.
Wind Farm Proposals (Tunes Plateau)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the status is of the offshore wind farm proposals for the Tunes Plateau near Portstewart, Northern Ireland. [44062]
Angela E. Smith: The development consortium has not yet made any application for the establishment of the proposed wind farm at Tunes Plateau.
Visitors from Great Britain
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of people from Great Britain that have visited Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [43713]
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1880W
Angela E. Smith: Figures relating to the number of Great Britain visitors to Northern Ireland over the last five years (2000–04) and the forecast number of Great Britain visitors to Northern Ireland in 2005 are presented in the following table:
| Trips (000) | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 950 |
| 2001 | 1,053 |
| 2002 | 1,160 |
| 2003(57) | 1,379 |
| 2004 | 1,408 |
| 2005(58) | 1,339 |
(57)2003 figures have been revised to reflect comparable changes to the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Failte Ireland surveys. Due to changes in methodologies 2003 and 2004 data are not directly comparable with data pre-2003.
(58)Forecast.
Websites
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the websites that come under his Department's responsibility; what the cost was of each in the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to each site in that year; [15900]
(2) when he will reply to question 15900, tabled by the hon. Member for Brent, East on 21 July. [40748]
Mr. Hain: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in providing this response. This was due to an administrative error.
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is responsible forthree websites, the NIO website, Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) website, and the Criminal Justice Services Northern Ireland (CJSNI) website. Associated costs for each website and number of visitors for the period January 2005 to December 2005 are as follows:
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1881W
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Audible Fire Alarms
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the premises occupied by her Department is fitted with audible fire alarms. [42882]
Maria Eagle:
All premises occupied by the Department have audible fire alarms or sounders, i.e.fire bells.
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1882W
Academies
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the civil servants in her Department's new projects remit who are responsible for action in respect of academies; what the (a) grade and (b) role in the Department is of each; and if she will list the actions they undertake in respect of academies. [44549]
Jacqui Smith: The disclosure of the names of civil servants in the Academies Group's New Projects Unit is not compatible with the principles of the Data Protection Act. I have therefore given the grades and responsibilities of those staff in the following table:
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