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16 May 2006 : Column 885W—continued
Rates
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what definition his Department uses of a ‘site positive' feature in the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system used for rates revaluation. [70575]
Mr. Hanson: The definitions of "site positive" features used within the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system CAMA are as contained in the table.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what basis water rates will be calculated from April 2007. [70576]
David Cairns: The information is as follows:
From April 2007 unmeasured household charges for water and sewerage will be introduced. Both charges will consist of a standing charge (estimated at around £55) and a variable element based on the capital value of each property as determined by the Valuation and Lands Agency (VLA) for the purposes of domestic rating. The Government intend to set the new household charges during the three-year period to 2009-10 to achieve the average level of charges that will apply in England and Wales in 2009-10. There will also be a low-income protection scheme. The Government’s broad objective is to ensure that low-income households should not need to spend more than 3 per cent. of their income on water and sewerage charges. To achieve this a new affordability tariff will be available for those households which are eligible. This tariff will be based on income and will be set at a level equivalent to 3 per cent. of the single person’s pension credit guarantee as updated by Parliament each year. Additional protection in the form of lower caps will be set for those with properties valued at less than £100,000.
As many as 200,000 households (30 per cent. of all households) in Northern Ireland who presently qualify for rate rebate, housing benefit or the new Northern Ireland Rate Relief Scheme should benefit from this scheme. The affordability tariff will also extend to all 16 to 17-year-old householders and to children leaving care up to the age of 21.
The new charges will be phased in over a three-year period, with households paying one-third of the full charge in 2007-08, two-thirds in 2008-09 and the full amount in 2009-10. The changes to the non-domestic regime will be introduced on the same basis.
Also from April 2007, meters will be available to pensioner households who apply. Meters will also be installed in all new properties and first time connections. Where meters are installed, both water and sewerage charges (where appropriate) will consist of a standing charge and a variable element based on consumption as registered on the water meter. Those households receiving a meter bill will pay a standing charge similar to that of unmeasured householders.
This approach to metering will be subject to a review after two years when the extension of the metering option to further groups will be considered.
Charges will continue to be made up of a standing charge (currently around £50) and a volumetric charge based on the volume of water consumed. All metered customers connected to the public sewer will receive a new sewerage bill of around the same magnitude as their new water bill (except in the case of trade effluent customers).
Water Service is undertaking a programme of extending metering more widely throughout the non-domestic sector. However for those non-domestic customers who remain on an unmeasured supply, water and sewerage charges will both be made up of a standing charge (at a similar level to unmeasured domestic standing charges) plus a variable element based on the rateable value of the premises.
Trade effluent charges will be extended to all businesses which discharge trade effluent. The calculation of these charges will continue to be on the basis of the Mogden formula and will be brought fully into line with practice in GB.
Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people lost their driving licences in Northern Ireland as a result of being convicted of road traffic offences in each year between 1995 and 2005. [69186]
David Cairns: For previous years the information required could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, since 1 May 2005 Driver Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland (DVLNI) has recorded 7,083 disqualifications and at the 5 May the total number of disqualified drivers recorded on the driver licensing system was 16,386.
Schools
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average amount of funding received by (a) integrated schools and (b) other schools in Northern Ireland has been for each of the last 10 years. [67070]
Maria Eagle: The following table sets out details of the funding for integrated and other schools in Northern Ireland for the last 10 years. It shows average recurrent funding per school in each year and includes amounts made available under Local Management of Schools Formulae (allocated largely on a per pupil basis) and funds held by Boards and the Department which are distributed to schools in the course of the year to meet teacher substitution and other costs funded centrally by funding authorities. The figures exclude funding for special schools and centrally held resources, such as home-to-school transport, school meals and central administration, which are not attributable to individual schools.
| Integrated schools (controlled and grant maintained) | |||
| Number of schools | Total funding (£) | Average spend (£) | |
| All other grant-aided schools | |||
| Number of schools | Total funding (£) | Average spend (£) | |
Skin Cancer
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in the number of diagnoses of skin cancer has been in Northern Ireland in each of the last ten years. [70428]
Paul Goggins: The following tables detail the number of incidences of Malignant Melanoma of the skin (ICD-10 C43), Non-melanoma skin cancer (ICD-10 C44) and all skin cancers (ICD-10 C43-C44) in Northern Ireland between 1994 and 2003.
| Malignant Melanoma of the skin (ICD-10 C43) | ||||||||||
| Year of diagnosis | ||||||||||
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer (ICD-10 C44) | ||||||||||
| Year of diagnosis | ||||||||||
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| All Skin Cancers (ICD-10 C43 and C44) | ||||||||||
| Year of diagnosis | ||||||||||
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.
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