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18 July 2006 : Column 279W—continued
Further Education
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision for those with (a) mental health difficulties and (b) learning disability is offered by further education colleges in the Province. [83728]
Maria Eagle:
The Department for Employment and Learning is unable to provide the information in the format requested but can confirm that in 2004-05, the last year for which figures are available, further education colleges in Northern Ireland enrolled 14,231
students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities on a range of mainstream courses and, where more appropriate, on courses designed specifically for students with learning difficulties. FE colleges have also been provided with additional resources to make such physical adjustments as may be required to assist those with disabilities and learning difficulties.
Prisons
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of providing assistance to prisoners in Northern Ireland to cease smoking in each of the last three years. [78738]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available for 2003 and 2004.
In 2005 the cost of providing nicotine replacement patches under prescription to prisoners was £12,082.09 and for the period 1 January to 31 May 2006 the cost was £4,692.45.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners have absconded from custody in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [80444]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service undertakes a thorough risk assessment prior to decisions being taken in respect of prisoner release, and has a low incidence of absconds.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service classifies absconds as prisoners released from lawful custody under Rule 27(2), who are accompanied outside the confines of the prison establishment.
| Numbers of prisoners absconding from custody - 2001 to date | |||
| Maghaberry | Magilligan | Hydebank Wood | |
Road Improvements
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what improvements are planned for the A26 road between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years. [85725]
David Cairns: The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, Mr. Geoff Allister, has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Geoff Allister, dated 18 July 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what improvements are planned for the A26 road between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
I have to advise that there are no planned improvements for the A26 between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.
Statutory Instruments
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85180]
Mr. Hain: Two statutory instruments sponsored by my Department since October 2005 have been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective. Details are as follows:
(a) The Prison and Young Offenders Centre (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005/153). See the Fourth Report of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for session 2005-06, published on 19 October 2005; and
(b) The Pollution Prevention and Control (Amendment) and Connected Provisions (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005 No. 285). See Sixth Report of the JCSI for 2005-06, published on 26 October 2005.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Avian Flu
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 1341W, on avian influenza, when and in what manner the discussion took place between a departmental official with Mr. Steve Moon at which an offer was extended to Mr. Moon, or another representative of the Association of Local Government Ecologists, to participate in the avian influenza stakeholder group; and who the official was. [81142]
Mr. Bradshaw: There appears to have been some misunderstanding over this matter. A Defra official has written to Mr. Moon to express regret for this. I have also written to the Secretary of the Association of Local Government Ecologists inviting the association to participate in the AI Stakeholder Group.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the vaccination of domestic birds against avian influenza; and if he will make a statement. [85232]
Mr. Bradshaw: The advice from the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) is that we should not vaccinate poultry in advance of an avian influenza outbreak, or as an immediate disease control response. Although currently available vaccines are able to reduce mortality, it is possible that some vaccinated birds would still be capable of transmitting the disease if they become infected, but might not display symptoms of disease. This would increase the time taken to detect and eradicate the virus. High standards of surveillance and biosecurity, early reporting of suspect cases and culling remain the most effective ways of preventing avian influenza and tackling an outbreak.
However, as I informed the House on 11 July, in order to be fully prepared we have invited tenders to supply us with a further 10 million doses of avian influenza vaccine for potential use in poultry and other
captive birds. This is not a change in policy. The CVO has recommended this step as part of sensible contingency planning in the light of uncertainties about the future spread and nature of the virus, and the possibility of as yet unforeseen circumstances. The vaccine would only be used if a risk assessment and scientific evidence indicated it would help to prevent disease spread.
Fisheries
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of the investigation into possible blackfish landings of pelagic fish. [86438]
Mr. Bradshaw: This is an issue for the Scottish Executive. As it is an ongoing investigation we are unable to comment.
Fly-tipping
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fly-tipping incidents were recorded by Flycapture in 2004-05, broken down by local authority area. [85710]
Mr. Bradshaw: Data on fly-tipping incidents recorded by each local authority on the Flycapture database between April 2004 and March 2005 have been placed in the Library of the House.
Waste
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate how many (a) mobile telephones and (b) printer cartridges were (i) recycled, (ii) reused overseas and (iii) disposed of within the waste stream in the last 12 months. [84068]
Mr. Bradshaw: This Department does not collect information on the recycling or reuse of mobile phones or printer cartridges. The mobile phone industry estimates that 18 million handsets are replaced every year and that in 2003 and 2004, about five million handsets were collected by mobile phone recycling and refurbishment companies in the UK. The industry estimates that about 60 per cent. of these were refurbished and the remaining 40 per cent. were sent for materials recycling.
Trade and Industry
Administrative Savings
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what administrative savings have been made by his Department in each of the last eight years. [34937]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's annual reports contain information on departmental management and public service delivery, including on measures taken to improve efficiency and value for money.
For the years 1997-98 and 1998-99, value for money and efficiency savings were not reported separately in the Department's annual reports but were contained within the chapters on the management of the Department.
During the period covered by the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review (1999-2002), the Department had a strategic efficiency target to achieve savings of 2.5 per cent. of its running costs each year. In 1999-2000 DTI achieved a saving of 2.6 per cent. of running costs (£10.6 million on projected costs of £406.6 million); and in 2000-01 a saving of 4.6 per cent. (£19.3 million on projected costs of £418.8 million).
The CSR98 efficiency target was replaced for the 2000 Spending Review period (2001-04) by a Public Service Agreement Target to “achieve value for money improvements of 2.5 per cent. a year across the Department”, which was carried over into the 2002 Spending Review (2003-06). In 2001-02 value for money improvements under this target amounted to 3.79 per cent. (£16 million on projected costs of £422.3 million); and in 2002-03 amounted to 4.5 per cent. (£20.2 million on projected costs of £449.9 million).
Value for money improvements related to administration under the SR2002 PSA12 value for the money target amounted to £35.4 million in 2003-04 and £351.7 million in 2004-05. The Department's performance for 2005-06 against this PSA target will be covered in the 2006 departmental report, which was due to be published in spring 2006.
In the 2004 Spending Review the Department committed to achieve annual efficiencies of at least £380 million by 2007-08. The 2005 Autumn Performance Report, published last December, provides the most recent assessment of the Department's performance against this target. £27.97 million efficiency gains related to administration spend were achieved by the end of Quarter 2.
Airbus
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government grants were awarded to BAE Systems for the purchase of shares in Airbus in 1979. [82416]
Margaret Hodge: The Department has no record of grants being given to either British Aerospace or its successor BAE Systems for the purchase of shares in Airbus.
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost (a) gross and (b) net after loan repayments was of support by the UK Government to Airbus programmes in each year since 1985. [83570]
Margaret Hodge: Launch investment is a risk-sharing Government investment in the design and development of civil aerospace projects in the UK. It is not a loan. The investment is repayable at a real rate of return, usually via levies on sales of the product.
The amounts paid to Airbus in launch investment and the amounts received from Airbus in repayment of launch investment in each of the years from 1984-85 to 2005-06 inclusive are set out in the following table, with the net figures (Receipts-Payments) in the final column.
| £ million | |||
| Payments | Receipts | Net | |
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