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9 Mar 2006 : Column 1740W—continued
Local Councils (Discrimination)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of discrimination on the grounds of (a) religious belief and (b) political opinion have been found against local councils in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [56678]
Angela E. Smith: Complaints of discrimination on the grounds of religious belief and political opinion are registered as the same jurisdiction. The number of cases of discrimination on the grounds of religious belief and political opinion which have been found against local councils in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years are as follows:
| Number of cases | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 2 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 0 |
The decision on the 2004 case was subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeal.
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Local Enterprise Centres
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to determine where local enterprise centres are located; what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local enterprise centres are located proportionately between nationalist and unionist areas of Northern Ireland; and how many local enterprise centres are located in predominantly (a) unionist and (b) nationalist areas. [56400]
Angela E. Smith: Local Enterprise Agencies (LEAs) in Northern Ireland were developed under the Local Enterprise Programme which commenced in 1982 and was completed in the late 1990s. 32 agencies were created—one agency in each of the 26 local council areas in Northern Ireland, two in Londonderry, one on each bank of the River Foyle and six in Belfast, to be operated by a local group with cross-community representatives.
LEAs were not developed to specifically service nationalist or unionist communities but to support the entire community.
Mussenden Temple (Londonderry)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Northern Ireland Tourist Board plans to promote and market the historicMussenden Temple site at Downhill, County Londonderry. [57741]
Angela E. Smith: The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) plans to promote and market the Mussenden Temple site at Downhill.
This will be achieved through the development and promotion of tourism in the context of the Tourism Strategic Framework for Action 2004–07 and the Causeway Coast and Glens Tourism Masterplan.
Currently the NITB is implementing recommendations from within the prioritized actions of the masterplan. A key recommendation is the implementation of the Causeway Coastal Route which has been identified as a primary promotional message/key motivator to attract visitors to Northern Ireland and specifically to retain them along the North Coast and wider region.
This touring route will direct visitors to the North Coast and offer them the opportunity to visit attractions such as the Mussenden Temple.
The Causeway Coastal Route has been included in all marketing initiatives for 2006.
Primary Schools
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many surplus places there are in primary schools in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland. [57744]
Angela E. Smith:
Based upon 2005 enrolments, there are an estimated 33,600 surplus places in primary schools throughout the parliamentary constituencies. The individual details are as follows.
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Queen's Birthday
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice he has issued to his Department's executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if he will make a statement. [54186]
Mr. Hain: In Northern Ireland the Union flag will be hoisted to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday on 21 April. The Secretary of State also intends to be present at national celebrations for Her Majesty's birthday.
Sports Council for Northern Ireland
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding the Sports Council for Northern Ireland has received for preparation for the next Olympic games. [52970]
Mr. Hanson: Under the Recreation and Youth Services Order (Northern Ireland) 1986 the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is statutorily responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland, including the distribution of public funding to sport. It receives both exchequer and lottery funding for this purpose. Among its programmes, it already has in place an Athlete Support programme which is designed to assist identified sportspeople to achieve greater success in targeted international competition, including the Olympic games. During 2005–06 the SCNI has so far committed £248,150 to athletes on the elite level of the Athlete Support programme. At present two individuals involved in sailing and two elite hockey squads are in receipt of funding from the SCNI in relation to preparations with the ultimate aim of competition in the next Olympic games. The total budget for the Athlete Support programme for the years 2006–07 and 2007–08 is £600,000 per annum.
Tourism
Mark Durkan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much financial support was available to each regional tourism organisation in each of the last five years; how much of that support came from EU funds; from which EU funds it came; and
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whatthe budgeted figures are for the 2006–07 financial year. [55863]
Angela E. Smith:
The table shows the total financial support made available to the 5 Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) and Sperrins Tourism from funding administered by Government Departments over the past 5 years.
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Funding for RTOs is not budgeted for within EU Programmes open for applications for financial support. Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has no plans to provide financial support to the RTOs in 2006–07, however a budget of 500,000 from core funds has been set to provide financial assistance to the four Regional Tourism Partnerships.
(38)EU Peace II 4.2a—The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland—Priority 4—Outward and Forward Looking Region—Measure 2a—Marketing the Region as a Tourism Destination.
(39)EU Peace II 4.2b—The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland—Priority 4—Outward and Forward Looking Region—Measure 2a—Enhancing the Region as a Tourism Destination
(40)EU BSP 1.3a—The EU Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity—Priority 1—Economic Growth and Competitiveness—Measure 3a—Tourism Strategic Marketing
(41)EU Peace II 3.1—The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland—Priority 3—Locally-based Regeneration and Development Strategies—Measure 1—Local Economic Initiatives for Developing the Social Economy (NI)
(42)EU Peace II 6.2a—The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland—Priority 6—Technical Assistance—Measure 2a—Management, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Programme and Co-ordination with other Programmes.
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what economic importance the Government attaches to tourism and the work of regional tourism organisations. [56349]
Angela E. Smith: The government attaches considerable importance to tourism, given its potential to make a significant contribution to the NI economy. This was recognised in the Government's Economic Vision document which highlights our commitment to enhance the appeal of Northern Ireland as an attractive tourism destination and a welcoming and accommodating place where people want to visit, live and work.
The existing regional tourism organisations have played an important role in promoting tourism in their areas. They are to be superseded by Regional Tourism
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Partnerships with a broader role in line with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's Strategic Framework for Action. Regional Tourism Partnerships are regarded as having a key role to play in the realisation of Northern Ireland's potential as a tourist destination.
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