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20 July 2006 : Column 699W—continued
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest estimate is of the (a) proportion and (b) number of households which will see (i) an increase, (ii) no change and (iii) a decrease in rates bills as a consequence of the domestic rates revaluation, before the application of transitional relief, in (A) Northern Ireland as a whole and (B) each district in Northern Ireland. [86822]
Mr. Hanson: The proportion of households in Northern Ireland which will face an increase in bill (of more than 5 per cent.) is 37 per cent. This represents approximately 261,000 households. The proportion that will experience a decrease in bill of more than 5 per cent. is 45 per cent. (around 320,000 households) and the proportion with no change in bill (that is, between +/-5 per cent.) is 18 per cent. (124,000 households).
The following table provides the information for each district council in Northern Ireland.
| Council | Decrease in bill by more than 5 per cent. | Increase in bill by more than 5 per cent. | No change (between +/-5 per cent.) | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
None of the estimates above take into account the households which may qualify for housing benefit or the new rate relief scheme. They also ignore the impact of the transitional relief scheme.
Domestic Violence
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women reported incidents of domestic violence in each of the last five years; what measures are in place to support women who report domestic violence; and if he will make a statement. [85435]
Mr. Hanson:
The number of domestic violence incidents reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland is given in the following table. There is no official breakdown available by gender but it is known that women are the victims in the majority of reported cases. A strategy for addressing domestic violence in Northern Ireland, “Tackling Violence at Home”, was launched in October 2005. The strategy is aimed at providing protection and support to all victims of domestic violence, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation. All victims can seek information and advice through the 24-Hour Free-phone Domestic Violence Helpline which handles over 20,000 calls each year. Any victim of a domestic assault can seek protection
from the police who will investigate, arrest the alleged abuser if power exists and prosecute where there is evidence of a crime. The police have trained Domestic Violence Officers in each District Command Unit. Alternatively a victim can apply to a court for a civil order (a non-molestation order and/or an occupation order) to prevent further abuse or exclude the abuser from the family home. There are 12 Women’s Aid Refuges in operation across Northern Ireland for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Local Women’s Aid Groups also provide a range of other services for women, including outreach and floating support for women who wish to remain in their own homes.
| Domestic violence incidents reported to PSNI | |
| April-March each year: | Incidents reported to PSNI |
| Notes: These figures do not represent the prevalence of the problem as domestic violence is seriously under-reported. | |
Domicilary Oxygen Supplies
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were dependent on a domiciliary oxygen system in their home in (a) 1995 and (b) 2005. [86945]
Paul Goggins: Those patients who are dependent on an oxygen system in their home, requiring long-term oxygen therapy—i.e. 15 hours or more a day over a prolonged period—are normally prescribed an oxygen concentrator. It is also considered to be economical for those requiring a minimum of eight hours oxygen a day to be prescribed an oxygen concentrator.
Central Services Agency (CSA) records report that in 1997 (earliest information available) 31 patients were being managed on a concentrator (with 19 of these in possession of a back-up cylinder/giving set). In 2005, 1,566 patients were being managed by a concentrator and 1,279 of these had a back-up cylinder/giving set.
Driving Tests
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many driving test appointments were not kept at each test centre in Northern Ireland in the last three years. [86297]
David Cairns: Figures for the number of driving test appointments not kept for each test centre are shown in the following table for the financial years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. The figures are primarily for appointments where candidates have failed to appear but also include any appointments cancelled by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency.
| Appointments not kept | |||
| Test centre | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
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