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Housing Executive
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s properties had been vacant for more than three months in each district council area at the end of 2005. [86943]
Mr. Hanson: The information is not available in the format requested but the following table sets out the figures at 31 December 2005 by Housing Executive district office. The figures include long term voids, those pending demolition, those not available because of short term operational reasons and those available for letting.
| Housing Executive district office | Total |
Implementation Group on Positive Parenting
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the terms of reference are of the Implementation Group on Positive Parenting established by the Ministerial Committee on Children and Young People; by what criteria membership of the group will be established; and what the timetable is for its work. [86927]
Mr. Hanson: When the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Children and Young People last met on 4 July, it agreed, in principle, to the establishment of a group to co-ordinate the implementation of Article 2 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and to assist in the ongoing work on positive parenting, Positive parenting is a cross-departmental issue. An announcement on arrangements will be made soon.
Joyriding
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sentencing guidelines are in place for persons convicted of “joy-riding” in Northern Ireland. [74982]
Mr. Hanson: The Government does not issue guidelines on sentencing for any offence in Northern Ireland. Sentencing is entirely a matter for the independent courts based on case law and precedent. The role the Government plays is to provide the legislative framework and options within which the courts operate. To that end, in 2004, we introduced two new offences and penalties to deal with what is often inappropriately referred to as “joy-riding”.
We created the offence of “Aggravated vehicle taking” which is a vehicle being taken without consent, and which is then driven dangerously or causes an accident which results in injury, damage to property or damage to the vehicle. The maximum penalty for this offence is up to five years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
We also created the more serious offence of “Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking”. The maximum penalty for this offence is up to 14 years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Language Support
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inspections of language support services were carried out by the Department of Education Inspectorate in Northern Ireland in each of the last four academic years; and what the findings were of each such inspection. [86565]
Maria Eagle: The inspections that have been carried out by the Education and Training Inspectorate during the last four years have focused on the quality of language support for learners in schools and colleges of further education, rather than on such bodies as may have a remit to support schools and colleges.
ETI has published a report “The Provision for English for Speakers of Other Languages and Modern Languages in Further Education” (April-June 2005). This is available at www.deni.gov.uk under Education and Training Inspectorate, surveys. The quality of learning and teaching and the standards and outcomes achieved by the learners in schools, in relation to the provision for English as an additional language, have also been inspected recently. This report will be available from the Department's website, referred to above, early in the 2006-07 academic year.
Local Government Finance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether pensioners on an occupational pension will be eligible for a rates reduction under the new domestic rates system from 2007. [85733]
Mr. Hanson: Pensioners on an occupational pension will be eligible, along with others on low incomes, to apply for rate relief under the new scheme to be introduced in April 2007. In addition, if they are experiencing an increase in their rate bill by more than 33 per cent. as a result of the move to a capital value based system, they will automatically receive transitional relief for three years.
Newly Qualified Nurses
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing graduates in Northern Ireland found posts within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [86308]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held either in the Department or the relevant higher education institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland.
HEIs conduct a ‘Graduate Destination Survey’, which offers a snap shot of graduate activity, commencing six months after graduation. Completion of the survey questionnaire is voluntary, therefore not all graduates respond.
The following tables set out the information available for both HEIs in Northern Ireland for the last three years. Academic year 2005-06 is not yet available.
| Table 1: Queens University Belfast, (QUB) Graduation Destination Survey | ||
| Academic year | Completed questionnaires | Employed (percentage) |
| Source:
QUB Destination
Survey | ||
| Table 2: University of Ulster Graduation Destination Survey | ||
| Academic year | Completed questionnaires | Employed (percentage) |
| Source:
UU Destination
Survey | ||
Orthodontists
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many orthodontists are registered for the provision of NHS treatment in each health board area in Northern Ireland. [86555]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is detailed in the following table:
| Orthodontists registered for the provision of NHS treatment by health board area as at December 2005 | |
| Health board | Number |
| Note:
An orthodontist is identified as having over 30 per cent. of
orthodontic treatment items and over 20 treatments in a six-month
period. Source: Central Services
Agency. | |
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting list time for orthodontist treatment is in each of the health board areas in Northern Ireland. [86556]
Paul Goggins: The information is not available as requested.
Orthodontic treatment is provided in both hospital and primary care but waiting list information is only available for hospitals.
Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) length of time waiting. It is however possible to identify the median or mid-point waiting time band.
The latest available waiting list statistics show the position for initial out-patient appointment for orthodontics treatment at 31 March 2006.
| Health board area as at 31 March 2006 | |
| Health board | Waiting time( 1) (Month) |
| (1)
Median waiting time band for initial out-patient orthodontic
appointment at 31 March 2006. Source:
Departmental Return
CH3. | |
Pensioners
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners in Northern Ireland (a) receive homecare and (b) reside in care homes. [87288]
Paul
Goggins: Information is not collected centrally on the
number of pensioners receiving homecare. However, the number of persons
aged 65 and over
receiving home help services in Northern Ireland was
21,617 at 31 March 2005, the latest date for which figures are
available.
Information on the number of pensioners residing in care homes is also not collected centrally. However, information is available for 2001 from the Northern Ireland Census of Population on the number of people resident in communal establishments including residential homes and nursing homes. The number of persons aged 65 and over resident in these homes is shown in the following table.
| Place of residence | Number of persons aged 65 and over |
Poverty
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in Northern Ireland are estimated to be living (i) on the poverty line and (ii) below the poverty line; and if he will make a statement. [86317]
Mr. Hanson: Defining poverty as households whose income is 60 per cent. or less of the GB median household income, the households below average income Northern Ireland report indicates that there were 114,000 people living in relative poverty in rural and 218,100 in urban areas after housing costs in the period 2004-05. It is not possible to give figures separately for those at or below this relative poverty line.
Property Tax Reform
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 4 May 2006, Official Report, column 1822W, on property tax reform, when the paper will be placed in the Library. [85445]
Mr. Hanson: I can confirm that a copy of the paper was placed in the Library on 19 July 2006.
Saville Inquiry
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his latest estimate is of the cost to public funds of the Saville Inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [83905]
Mr. Hanson: On the figures available at the end of May 2006 the total cash spend of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry was £172 million. Out of this the Northern Ireland Office has spent £137.5 million and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence reports that his Department has spent £31.5 million.
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