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7 Jun 2006 : Column 691W—continued
Pollution
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans are in place to deal with a major pollution incident in Northern Ireland. [40992]
David Cairns: Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has plans and resources in place in order to respond to a major pollution incident. During the year EHS runs two shoreline booming exercises in order to test its resource and command and control functions in response to a major coastal water pollution incident. The latest exercise, in mid-2005, was designed to test the agency’s ability to protect the River Roe. In 2003, EHS took part in a major national coastal pollution response exercise in Lough Foyle, coordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which was designed to test the National Contingency Plan.
EHS plans are currently undergoing an extensive review and this is due to be completed in the summer of 2006. As part of this, EHS is a partner in a European Union funded project designed to develop effective contingency plans which minimise the risk from coastal pollution using best practice from four European partners.
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether protocols are in place to work with authorities in (a) Scotland and (b) the Irish Republic in the case of a major pollution incident in Northern Ireland. [40994]
David Cairns:
The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) Water Pollution Incident response procedures
describe a standard approach of response to a water pollution incident and this includes the agency’s lines of communication in the event of a cross border/national boundary incident. As an example of cross border cooperation, EHS participated in a national exercise in Lough Foyle in 2003 which was designed to test the National Contingency Plan involving a cross border response to a major water pollution incident.
EHS is currently a member of an environmental emergency planning group involving the Environment Agency in England and Wales, and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. This group meets regularly to discuss all matters involving the tri-agency response and preparedness to incidents of water pollution.
PSNI
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time officers are serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [15256]
Paul Goggins: The numbers of officers serving as of 20 July 2005 in the requested ranks are.
| Number | |
|
(1) New title for officers recruited as new intake of part-time officers. | |
Psychology Degrees
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many psychology degree course places were available in the Province in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement. [74646]
Maria Eagle: Information from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster indicates that there was provision for 368 undergraduate places and 55 postgraduate places for entry onto psychology degree courses in 2005-06.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students will commence psychology degree courses in the Province over each of the next five years. [74648]
Maria Eagle: Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster have indicated that they currently plan to make provision for the following number of students to commence psychology degree courses over each of the next five years:
| Undergraduate | Postgraduate | |
The actual intakes are a matter for the universities and are subject to change.
Railway Security
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions the railway line between Lisburn and Portadown has been closed because of security alerts in each of the last 10 years. [74477]
David Cairns: Translink advises that it does not have exact figures for closures of specific sections of the railway network readily available. However the information available on the number of Enterprise and cross border services disrupted by security alerts since 2001 is as follows:
| Disruptions | |
Most of these disruptions would have been caused by alerts between Lisburn and Portadown.
Rates
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 13 February 2006, Official Report, columns 1533-4W, on rates, when he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the internal guidance on the assessment and valuation of domestic properties and (b) a full list of data fields relating to value significant codes and property attributes. [66674]
Mr. Hanson: Internal guidance on the assessment and valuation of domestic properties and a full list of data fields relating to value significant codes and property attributes have now been placed in the Library.
Road Safety
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the discussions which have taken place between the Road Safety Steering Group and the equivalent body in the Republic of Ireland on a north/south approach to road safety on the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [54589]
David Cairns: While there have been no formal discussions between the Road Safety Steering Group and the equivalent body in the Republic of Ireland on a north/south approach to road safety, there has continued to be a high level of cooperation on road safety matters.
Since a previous response on 23 November 2005, Official Report, columns 2013-14W, the ninth joint road safety campaign tackling drink driving, has been launched.
On 9 February 2006 letters of agreement were exchanged between the UK and Ireland to put in place arrangements allowing driving disqualifications to be recognised in both countries regardless of where the offences took place. This will allow the worst offenders, who would otherwise be escaping the rule of law, to be removed from the road. At the same time a commitment was also made that officials would explore possible measures for dealing with driving offences at levels below that of disqualification.
Roads Service
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many properties the Roads Service has compulsorily purchased for future road schemes in each of the last 20 years, broken down by division in Northern Ireland; [52473]
(2) what requirements are in place for the maintenance of property compulsorily purchased by the Roads Service before completion of the relevant road scheme; [52474]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 20 February 2006.
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland two Parliamentary Questions regarding compulsory purchased properties owned by Roads Service:
how many properties the Roads Service has compulsorily purchased for future road schemes in each of the last 20 years, broken down by division in Northern Ireland; and
what requirements are in place for the maintenance of property compulsorily purchased by the Roads Service before completion of the relevant road scheme.
As these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service I have been asked to reply.
The following table details the number of properties compulsorily purchased or purchased under blight by Roads Service in each of the last 20 years, which haven't yet been used for a proposed road scheme.
| Number of properties acquired | ||||
| Northern division | Southern division | Western division | Eastern division | |
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