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13 Jun 2006 : Column 1095W—continued
In providing this information, I should explain that Roads Service does not simply apportion its total structural maintenance expenditure equally across district council areas. Resources available for each maintenance activity (e.g. resurfacing, patching, gully emptying, grass cutting etc) are apportioned to district council areas using appropriate indicators of need. This ensures, so far as possible, an equitable distribution of funds across the country.
With regard to structural maintenance expenditure in the current year and the next two years, I can advise that Roads Service’s structural maintenance budgets are not allocated at the outset of the financial year on a district council basis. Therefore, it is not possible to give an initial budget allocation for 2006/07 for structural maintenance in each district council area as requested. However, expenditure this year, coupled with the Revised Budget allocations, suggests that approximately £170m will be invested in roads' structural maintenance across Northern Ireland in the three years to 2007/08.
Mr. Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Department for
Regional Development Roads Service will outline the options for the route of the proposed dual carriageway between Londonderry and Dungiven. [76367]
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 13 June 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding when the Department for Regional Development Roads Service will outline the options for the route of the proposed dual carriageway between Londonderry and Dungiven.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
When the Secretary of State announced that this £250m (estimated cost) scheme to provide a dual carriageway between Londonderry and Dungiven had been added to the Forward Planning Schedule, he indicated that it was expected to be completed in the latter part of the 10 year period to 2015.
A study is underway to identify the preferred corridor for the route. This involves preliminary studies of environmental, land form and traffic modelling, particularly at the Londonderry end of the route. It is well advanced and will report later this summer. Although it is not normal practice to make announcements at this stage in a scheme development, it is anticipated that a public exhibition and consultation will be undertaken as the next step in the more detailed development of the Londonderry to Dungiven scheme.
The next stage will be the development and assessment of possible road line options within the corridor identified in the current study. This will take several years and it is not anticipated that any announcement of a preferred line for the Londonderry to Dungiven dual carriageway will issue for some time.
It is worth reminding ourselves that this 30km scheme is the largest undertaken by Roads Service and will undoubtedly take several years in development.
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change was in the average number of vehicles using the Limavady bypass between its opening and the most recent date for which figures are available. [76319]
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 13 June 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding the change in the average number of vehicles using the Limavady Bypass between its opening and the most recent date for which figures are available.
I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
As you know, Roads Service collects traffic volume data by means of 270 automatic census points strategically located throughout the Northern Ireland road network. Unfortunately none of these census points are located on the Limavady Bypass, and therefore we are unable to provide the information requested.
However the location of our census points throughout Northern Ireland is currently under review, and it is intended to install a new counter on the Limavady Bypass as part of this review.
I am sorry I cannot be more helpful on this occasion.
Sinn Fein
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been paid in salaries and expenses to Sinn Fein MLAs since the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly. [13942]
Mr. Hain: The following table presents the amounts paid by the Northern Ireland Assembly to Sinn Fein MLAs as a result of their entitlements, under various pieces of assembly legislation, during the period 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2006.
| Salaries | OCA | T and S | Resettlement and winding up | Other | Total (£) | |
| 1 The information provided represents only the most recent figures available for this period. | ||||||
I am sorry for the delay in replying which was caused by an administrative error. Steps have been taken to prevent such a recurrence.
St. Mary's Primary School
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children at St. Mary’s Primary School in Barrack Street, Belfast, were entered for the 11-plus examination in each of the last five years; and what grades were achieved in each year. [76222]
Maria Eagle: Over the past five years only one child from St. Mary’s Primary School, Belfast was entered for the transfer procedure test. It would not be appropriate to give the grade achieved, to avoid disclosure of personal data.
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children at St. Mary’s Primary School in Barrack Street, Belfast (a) began and (b) completed Key Stage (i) 1 and (ii) 2 in each of the last five years. [76223]
Maria Eagle: The requested information is as follows.
| Pupils entering and leaving Key Stages 1 and 2 at St. Mary’s, Belfast, 2001-02 to 2005-06 | |||||
| Pupils in | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
| Notes: 1. Pupils enter Key Stage 1 in Year 1 and leave it in Year 4. 2. Pupils enter Key Stage 2 in Year 5 and leave it in Year 7. | |||||
Vehicle Registration
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to enable the owners of vehicles registered in the United Kingdom and who have moved to or are working in Northern Ireland to receive their vehicle test in Northern Ireland. [73861]
David Cairns: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency will carry out a vehicle inspection on vehicles registered in the United Kingdom once they have reached four years of age, as is the statutory requirement in Northern Ireland.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to enable vehicles registered in Scotland, England and Wales to obtain a vehicle test in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [73906]
David Cairns: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency will carry out a vehicle inspection on vehicles registered in the Scotland, England or Wales once they have reached four years of age, as is the statutory requirement in Northern Ireland.
Water Framework Directive
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the conclusions of the second stage study carried out by the Rivers Agency into the implications of the EC Water Framework Directive. [76457]
David Cairns: No. The second stage study into implications of the Water Framework Directive was intended to provide an internal management report to inform the Rivers Agency Management Board of the implementation issues for the Agency. I have no plans to place it in the Library.
Education and Skills
Citizenship Curriculum
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that young people take part in his Department's review of the citizenship curriculum. [76677]
Jim Knight:
Gathering the views of young people is a crucial part of the review process. The review team is
working with the National Children’s Bureau and the National Youth Agency to consult directly with groups of young people.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what incentives are available to encourage members of his staff to use public transport for travelling to and from work. [75098]
Mr. Dhanda: It is Government policy to encourage the use of sustainable travel. In the Department, we encourage staff, wherever possible, to use public transport or cycle to work especially those commuting to our London offices due to very limited car parking and traffic congestion.
The incentives made available to encourage staff to use public transport to and from work are interest free loans for season tickets and cycle purchases loans for those who want them.
Director General for Higher Education
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the appointment of the next Director General for Higher Education in his Department will be by open competition. [76130]
Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 12 June 2006]: Yes.
Purity Rings
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to local education authorities on pupils wearing jewellery with religious significance, with particular reference to purity rings. [76141]
Jim Knight: School governing bodies determine school uniform policy and dress codes under powers conferred by the 1998 School Standards and Framework Act. The Department's guidance does not specifically mention jewellery with religious significance, but states that in deciding the format of their uniform, governors should have regard to their responsibilities under equalities legislation. It also states that in setting a policy, the school should be sensitive to pupil's cultural and religious needs and differences.
School Governors
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school governors will be appointed by (a) town and parish councils, (b) district authorities and (c) county councils to foundation schools at (i) primary and (ii) secondary level under arrangements proposed in the Education and Inspections Bill. [77038]
Jim Knight:
The stakeholder model of school government introduced through the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2003 requires that the governing
body of a foundation school must comprise at least one but no more than one fifth local authority governors. The local authority will be the county council in two tier authorities and the unitary authority in other areas.
There is no requirement for other tiers of local government to be represented on the governing body of any other category of maintained school. The Education and Inspection Bill would not change these arrangements.
School Meals
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the recommendations submitted to her Department by the School Meals Review Panel and the School Food Trust; and what assessment she has made of the impact the recommendations would have on the soft drinks industry. [66374]
Jim Knight: On 19 May 2006 the Secretary of State announced a suite of new nutritional standards for school lunches and food and drink served at other times of the day.
These standards combine the recommendations of the School Meals Review Panel and the School Food Trust. New regulations for school lunches will mesh the existing standards in the Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches) (England) Regulations 2000 with the new food-based standards to produce interim food-based standards from September 2006. A subsequent set of regulations will set out the final food and nutrient-based standards which will apply to school lunches, and the standards for food served at other times of the day. A guide to introducing the food-based standards for lunch will be issued by the School Food Trust in late June.
We have published a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which considers the financial impact that the new nutritional standards will have. In compiling the RIA, account was taken of the report written for the School Meals Review Panel (SMRP) by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the costs of implementing the Caroline Walker Trust's recommendations, which are closely mirrored by the recommendations of the SMRP.
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