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11 July 2006 : Column 1765W—continued

Child Services

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the action plan for implementation of the Children’s and Young People’s Strategy will be subject to consultation. [83685]

Maria Eagle: I do not intend to consult publicly on the action plan for implementation of the 10-year Strategy for Children and Young People. My priority, as I indicated at the launch, is to publish the action plan as quickly as possible and then get on with the actions to achieve the six outcomes set out in the strategy. A draft action plan will be considered by the Strategy Planning and Review Group, established to oversee implementation. I will chair the group and membership will include key children’s stakeholders. I will also seek the views of members of the All-Party Group, whom I meet with on a regular basis, prior to publication.


11 July 2006 : Column 1766W

Departmental Staff

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled staff Northern Ireland Government Departments have employed in each of the last 10 years. [80941]

Mr. Hanson: The information requested is as shown in the following table:

Staff employed by Northern Ireland Government Departments who have declared a disability at 1 January each year
NICS staff NIO HCS staff Total

1997

435

n/a

435

1998

414

n/a

414

1999

911

n/a

911

2000

856

n/a

856

2001

1,245

n/a

1,246

2002

1,249

5

1,254

2003

1,247

6

1,253

2004

1,295

10

1,305

2005

1,363

9

1,372

2006

1,409

10

1,419

n/a = Not applicable
Notes:
1. Table shows staff employed by NI Government Departments and departmental agencies and includes industrial staff, casual staff and Home Civil Service (HCS) staff employed in NIO. (Figures for NIO HCS staff prior to 2001 could not be made available within the timescale for this question.
2. Figures for 1997 and 1998 show those staff who were registered as disabled. Figures for 1999 to 2006 show those staff who declared a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It is impossible to say with authority whether all staff with disabilities have declared it; anecdotal evidence is that an unknown number has not.
3. In August 2000, the Northern Ireland civil service conducted a survey of staff and encouraged those staff who had a disability to declare it at that time. Since then all new staff have been required to declare whether or not they have a disability.

Derry Airport

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from (a) Strabane district council area and (b) Limavady district council area have applied for jobs as (i) airport hands and (ii) fire fighters at city of Derry airport in the last six years; and how many from each council area were successful. [83028]

David Cairns: Employment policies and practices in relation to the airport are a matter for its owner, Derry city council.

I have asked the chief executive of Derry city council to write to the hon. Member with the information.

Domestic Rates

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average effective tax rate that will be levied from April 2007 under the new system of domestic rates; and if he will make a statement. [83011]


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Mr. Hanson: It is estimated that the effective tax rate to be levied on households in Northern Ireland under the new discrete capital values system in April 2007 will be £6.33 for every £1,000 of capital value. This estimate is based on a 6 per cent. increase for the regional rate, which has already been announced in the draft Priorities and Budget 2006-08 and an assumption of a 6 per cent. increase in the average district council rate. District councils are wholly responsible for setting the district rate in each of the 26 council areas and this broad assumption is made against a background of a 5.8 per cent. average increase in district rates over the last three years.

In order to smooth the transition to the new system assistance will be provided through relief schemes, firstly for those facing significant increases and secondly for those on low incomes beyond the 20 per cent. of households that are already entitled to a full rebate under housing benefit.

FIFA World Cup

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which matches (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department attended at the FIFA
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World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contributions from third party organisations. [83628]

Mr. Hain: Neither I nor any member of my ministerial team attended any matches at the recent FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Financial Assistance (Political Parties)

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been paid per year to each political party in Northern Ireland under the financial assistance to political parties scheme; and whether this funding will end if there is no agreement for a power-sharing Executive by 24 November. [81486]

Mr. Hanson: The amount paid per year to each political party under the Financial Assistance to Political Parties Scheme as operated by the Northern Ireland Assembly is set out as follows.

In terms of future funding, I would refer my hon. Friend to the work plan published with the joint statement made by the Prime Minster and the Taoiseach on 29 June 2006, which stated that salaries and allowances for MLAs and financial assistance to parties would stop from 24 November if restoration does not occur by that date.

£
1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Alliance

22,500

35,000

32,000

32,000

66,000

59,372

66,000

Democratic Unionist Party

45,000

60,200

60,090

60,000

123,877

154,230

187,264

Northern Ireland Unionist Party

3,833

29,500

27,400

26,000

27,000

20,192

(1)n/a

Progressive Unionist Party

16,000

24,000

24,000

24,000

54,000

43,000

2,077

Social Democratic and Labour Party

51,000

69,500

68,100

68,000

102,000

84,000

102,000

Sinn Fein

42,000

57,490

56,076

56,000

105,549

126,322

51,403

United Kingdom Unionist Party

22,500

31,500

22,000

22,000

27,000

24,900

27,000

Ulster Unionist Party

57,000

77,100

73,110

72,000

121,269

127,222

168,385

United Unionist Assembly Party

11,333

27,500

26,016

26,000

52,500

35,000

(1)n/a

Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition

18,000

25,500

24,000

24,000

54,000

34,000

(1)n/a

(1) These parties did not continue operating following the 2003 NI Assembly election.

Further Education

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been allocated for further education colleges in the Province to provide tuition to those with (a) mental health difficulties and (b) learning disabilities in 2006-07. [83653]

Maria Eagle: The Department for Employment and Learning is unable to provide financial information in the format requested but would confirm that it has allocated total funding of £6,866,092 for the academic year 2006-07 to the FE sector in Northern Ireland towards provision for those students with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to categorise further education college courses as recreational rather than vocational. [83654]

Maria Eagle: When the course of study is identified by the further education colleges as not examined, or not leading to a qualification, it is categorised by the Department as “non-specified, non-examinable” and generally viewed as a hobby and leisure/recreational course.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to withdraw funding to further education colleges in the Province for tuition of those with (a) mental health difficulties and (b) learning difficulties. [83729]

Maria Eagle: The Department for Employment and Learning has no plans to withdraw funding to further education colleges in Northern Ireland for tuition for those students with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been allocated to
11 July 2006 : Column 1769W
further education colleges in the Province for tuition of those with (a) mental health difficulties and (b) learning disability in each of the last five years. [83730]

Maria Eagle: The Department for Employment and Learning is unable to provide financial information in the format requested but would confirm that the total funding provided to the FE sector in Northern Ireland towards provision for those students with learning difficulties and disabilities in the last five years was as follows:

Funding (£)

2006-07

6,866,092

2005-06

5,793,553

2004-05

6,318,568

2003-04

6,256,633

2002-03

7,628,772


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