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NORTHERN IRELAND

'R' Drivers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 352W, on 'R' Drivers, what steps are being taken to reduce the number of 'R' drivers issued with fixed penalty notices in Northern Ireland; and how many 'R' drivers have had (a) their licences revoked and (b) their period of restriction extended as a result of excess speed in each of the last five years. [58325]

Angela E. Smith: While activities are not specifically targeted at reducing the number of 'R' drivers issued with fixed penalty notices, the Department of the Environment's road safety promotional campaigns
 
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addressing the main causes of death and serious injury, including speed, are developed to particularly target the 17–24 age group. As part of its road safety education programme in post-primary schools, the Department promotes the timetabling of Road Traffic Studies and GCSE Motor Vehicle and Road User Studies and provides appropriate support, training, teaching materials and resources. The Department also offers a Driver Training Scheme for 17–18 year olds who hold a valid provisional licence. These activities all encourage young drivers and potential drivers to be safer road users.

The statistics requested at (a) and (b) are not readily available and the Department will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information. In the case of (b), it should be noted that there is no legislative provision to extend the specified period of restriction as the result of a disqualification or revocation. Any time during which a person is disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence, or holds only provisional entitlement, is disregarded for the purposes of calculating the end of the specified period of restriction. The information which will be provided to the hon. Gentleman will therefore be the number of (a) 'R' drivers revoked in the last 5 years and (b) 'R' drivers revoked on grounds of excess speed.

Air Ambulance

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients have been transported by air ambulance in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland. [58141]

Mr. Woodward: There is no air ambulance service currently operating in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) defines an air ambulance" as a planned inter-hopsital transfer service of patients by air. Health and social services boards occasionally transfer patients between hospitals by air, using the services of private companies and the RAF.

The following table shows number of patients transported by air by HSS boards in the last five years.
Number

	NHSSB	SHSSB	EHSSB	WHSSB
2001–02	11	20	14	14
2002–03	13	10	23	7
2003–04	13	5	19	17
2004–05	13	18	18	12
2005–06	17	15	25	7
Total	67	68	99	57

NIAS engages the Martime Coastguard Agency on occasions when it is necessary to evacuate a casualty from a scene using a helicopter. The following table shows number of patients evacuated from incidents in the last three calendar years. NIAS systems do not allow for collation of incidents prior to 2004.

	Number
2004	21
2005	18
2006	8
Total	47

 
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Animal Cruelty

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to increase sentences for those found guilty of cruelty to animals in Northern Ireland. [58126]

Angela E. Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is finalising a review of Northern Ireland animal welfare legislation in order to identify measures which may be necessary to strengthen powers and penalties to deal with abuses of animal welfare in Northern Ireland. Following this review, steps will be taken to update current legislation and to introduce new powers and penalties to deal with new types of offences.

It is planned to consult stakeholders after Easter on proposals to strengthen animal welfare legislation in Northern Ireland.

Correspondence

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will reply to the letter to him dated 11 November 2005 from the hon. Member for North Down in relation to the mental health unit at Ards Hospital. [57054]

Mr. Woodward: A reply will be issued this week.

Assembly Ombudsmen

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases the Northern Ireland Assembly Ombudsman has (a) been asked to deal with and (b) investigated in the last two years. [57967]

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.

Asylum and Immigration

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many asylum and immigration applications are outstanding in Northern Ireland. [58136]

Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.

Information on how many asylum and immigration applications are outstanding in Northern Ireland is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Information on asylum and immigration is published annually. Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Autism

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision the Government have made in Northern Ireland for children with autism in each of the last five years. [58129]

Mr. Woodward: Within the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), funding for autistic spectrum disorders falls within the learning
 
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disability programme of care and it is not possible to detail specifically what was made available for children with autism. However, DHSSPS Priorities for Action 2004–05 required Health and Social Services (HSS) boards and trusts to establish multidisciplinary diagnostic, assessment and early intervention teams and as a result, in 2004–05, an additional £500,000 recurrent funding was allocated to HSS boards for this purpose.

The Department of Education has advised that in the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 and additional £770,000 and £955,000 respectively was made available for children with autism.

Avian Influenza

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps the Government has taken to prevent an outbreak of avian influenza in Northern Ireland. [58138]

Angela E. Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is constantly monitoring developments and reviewing the risk of Avian Influenza being introduced to Northern Ireland. The precautionary actions taken to date include a ban on the importation of live birds and products from Avian Influenza affected areas, strengthened controls on imports of captive birds, wild bird surveillance, a ban on bird gatherings except under DARD licence, and the requirement for all bird keepers to register with the Department. Extensive guidance advice has been issued to bird keepers, directly, through stakeholder organisations and through the DARD website, on biosecurity measures including on how to plan for housing birds in the event of an outbreak. In addition, the Department has enhanced its checks at ports and airports to help prevent the possible introduction of Avian Influenza. DARD has a contingency plan in place which is being continually reviewed and updated. This plan would be invoked immediately if there was an outbreak.

DARD is continuing to work closely with key stakeholders, including industry representatives, representatives of bird hobby organisations and wild bird interest groups. DARD and the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety are working together to ensure that appropriate measures are taken in respect of the implications of Avian Influenza for public health. DARD is also continuing to work closely with the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs and with the Department of Agriculture and Food in the Republic of Ireland in taking measures to deal with the threat of Avian Influenza.

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