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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 25 July 2006
Northern Ireland
Abortion
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance has been provided to health professionals on advice to be provided to women seeking abortions. [87978]
Paul Goggins: The Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety has set up a Working Group with representatives from a wide range of professional and specialty backgrounds including nursing and midwifery, obstetrics and gynaecology, public health, psychiatry, clinical genetics, Family Planning doctors and General Practitioners to develop guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland.
It is proposed to issue the draft “Guidance on Termination of Pregnancy in Northern Ireland” to interested parties for consultation in September. The completed guidance will be published early next year along with supporting leaflets for public use.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the outcome was of the survey conducted in September 2005 of health professionals on advice for females seeking abortions. [87979]
Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety set up a working group to inquire into the adequacy of termination of pregnancy services provided in Northern Ireland (including aftercare); and following such inquiry, and after appropriate consultation with concerned organisations, to issue appropriate guidance.
The Working Group developed a suite of questionnaires in consultation with Obstetricians and GPs. The responses from these questionnaires have been used to inform the drafting of “Guidance on Termination of Pregnancy in Northern Ireland”. It is anticipated the guidance will be released for consultation with interested parties in early September 2006.
It is intended that the completed guidance will be issued early next year along with supporting leaflets for public use.
Adult Community Learning
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what budget has been allocated to adult community learning by each education and library board in each of the last five years. [85438]
Maria Eagle: The Education and Library Boards are not responsible for Adult Community Learning therefore no budget has been allocated to Education and Library Boards for adult community learning in the last five years.
Ambulance Service
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of (a) current mileage levels for Omagh ambulance crews and (b) mileage levels prior to the acute services status change at Tyrone county hospital. [87279]
Paul Goggins: The mileage recorded by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service for its emergency A and E ambulances and non-emergency patient care service vehicles based in Omagh during the most recent quarter following the changes to acute services at Tyrone county hospital and the equivalent quarter in the previous year are shown in the tables as follows:
| A and E ambulances | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | Percentage change | |
| PCS vehicles | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | Percentage change | |
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the outcome was of the review of the effectiveness of the Ambulance Service’s arrangements for ambulance cover at the Northland Road Fire and Rescue Service Station. [87280]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service’s review has confirmed that its performance has improved significantly in the area covered by the Northland Road ambulance deployment point, which opened in May 2006. Almost 62 per cent. of life threatening emergency calls received in June 2006 were responded to within the national eight minute response target compared to 53.1 per cent. in April.
Breast Cancer
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has (a) to review the training and (b) conduct retraining of consultant radiologists in relation to breast cancer; what funding is available for this initiative; and what assessment he has made of the findings of the inquiry into the conduct of radiology in Antrim hospital. [86579]
Paul
Goggins: The independent review by the Regulation and
Quality and Improvement Authority (RQIA) into the conduct of radiology
did not identify
problems with training in breast radiology locally. However, staff
shortages in the specialty were considered by the RQIA a contributory
factor. The RQIA review recommended the promotion of the sub-speciality
of breast radiology to medical trainees and also encouragement of the
development of various models of service provision through a range of
skill mix options as outlined in the NHS Breast Screening Programme.
The Department is currently considering the detailed recommendations of
the RQIA review and is exploring with the Northern Ireland Medical and
Dental Training Agency the feasibility of increasing the number of
specialist trainees in breast
radiology.
Charity Fraud
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many charities are under investigation in Northern Ireland regarding possible fraudulent transactions. [87129]
Paul Goggins: It is not normal policy for the PSNI to comment on on-going investigations as this may prejudice inquiries.
Chief Medical Officer
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) salary is and (b) other benefits are of the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland. [87990]
Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:
(a) The salary of the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer will be in the range £135,000 to £140,000. The Chief Medical Officer has been appointed on secondment terms from the Royal Victoria Hospital to the Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety. He will retain all the terms and conditions available from his present employer.
(b) No other benefits are available to the Chief Medical Officer.
Civil Servants
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants in Northern Ireland who were convicted of fraud or theft were (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed in each of the last three years. [81668]
Mr. Hanson: The following table covers Northern Ireland civil servants working within the 11 NI Departments/agencies and also includes staff employed in the Northern Ireland Office.
| Convicted of fraud | Convicted of theft | |||
| Disciplined | Dismissed | Disciplined | Dismissed | |
Cranial Remoulding Orthosis
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children in the Province are waiting for cranial remoulding orthosis treatment. [87980]
Paul Goggins: At 24 July 2006, there were no patients waiting for treatment for cranial remoulding orthosis in Northern Ireland.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many people in the Province have undergone cranial remoulding orthosis; [88170]
(2) how many children in the Province travelled outside Northern Ireland to consult an NHS specialist for cranial remoulding orthosis in 2005-06. [87981]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally and will take some time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member with the relevant information as soon as it becomes available and place a copy in the Library.
Crime
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of reported crimes in each Westminster constituency in Northern Ireland resulted in (a) an arrest and (b) a conviction in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [86314]
Paul Goggins: As the PSNI do not collate details of the number of arrests or convictions, the information cannot be given in the format requested and could be done only at disproportionate cost. A table showing details of the number of crimes reported and cleared by each district command unit for the years requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Cycling
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to promote cycling in Northern Ireland. [87281]
David Cairns: The Department for Regional Development’s Roads Service promotes cycling in Northern Ireland from two perspectives. Firstly, it continues to invest some £800,000 per annum on the cycling infrastructure to improve facilities for cyclists and to make cycling as safe as is possible. This includes the creation of further cycle lanes (both traffic free and on-road); the provision of town centre bicycle parking facilities; and the installation of toucan crossings for cyclists at key points on the network.
Secondly, through its annual Northern Ireland Travelwise initiative, Roads Service promotes a series of highly marketed cycling events during National Bike Week. This year Bike Week took place from 17-25 June 2006 when some 400 cyclists participated in events across Northern Ireland. I understand that there are plans to organise further cycling events in the years ahead.
In partnership with the NI tourist board, the Environment and Heritage Service and the Health Promotion Agency, Roads Service co-funds a project to promote all types of cycling across Northern Ireland. As a result ‘Cycle Northern Ireland’ was established in 2005 and currently employs a dedicated marketing team whose aim is to promote cycling for the domestic/out of state markets; to raise awareness of the product available; and to encourage cycling as a mode of transport and as a leisure pursuit.
Additionally, Roads Service in conjunction with representatives from the six councils in the Belfast metropolitan area (BMA); Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity; and Cycle NI have formed the Greater Belfast Cycle Marketing Group with the aim of co-ordinating the promotion of cycling within the BMA.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), through its Rural Development Programme 2001-06 (RDP), has allocated some £1,347,000 to assist Sustrans on a number of practical projects to extend the National Cycle Network.
The RDP has also provided approximately £113,000 of funding to the Countryside Access and Activities Network to develop cycling trails on DARD’s Forest Service properties at Castle Archdale Forest, Co Fermanagh, Gosford Forest Park, Co Armagh and Castlewellan Forest Park, Co Down and a further £42,000 has been allocated to Fermanagh district council for the development of a cycling trail at Florencecourt Forest Park in Co Fermanagh. £18,000 has been allocated to Ordnance Survey NI to develop Sperrins cycling route maps.
The Forest Service also continues to work with organisations including Sustrans to facilitate the development of the National Cycling Network through the provision of cycling routes through public forests. Cycle trails now exist in, or pass through, 11 Forest Service properties, and the Service has a target this year to publish operational guidelines for cycling in forests.
The Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) through the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is currently working with the Countryside Access and Activities Network (CAAN) on the development of a series of family trails; cross-country trails; and downhill trails at a variety of sites across Northern Ireland. These will provide cyclists of all ages and abilities from within Northern Ireland and overseas with the opportunity to participate in quality off-road cycling in a planned, managed and safe environment.
The first off-road family cycling trail, the Craigavon Lakes Mountain Bike Trail, was opened by the then Minister, Mr. Hanson, in September 2005. This trail is approximately 10 km long and is designed to be robust, sustainable and rideable in all weathers. The SCNI awarded funding of some 36,000 from lottery to support the development of this project
Three further off-road family cycling trails are planned for development by CAAN in the coming year and a total of 26 trails are planned for sites throughout Northern Ireland.
In the past three years SCNI has provided some £110,000 to Cycling Ulster, the governing body of cycling in Northern Ireland, to support the continuing promotion and development of the sport. SCNI, through its Athlete Support Programme, also invested almost £149,000 in 12 high performance cyclists over the last three years and recently undertook a study on feasibility of a multi-purpose cycling Velodrome in Northern Ireland at the request of Cycling Ulster.
Dentistry
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dentists are registered in NHS practices in each of the health board areas in Northern Ireland. [86557]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is detailed in the following table:
| Dentists registered in NHS practices by Health Board Area as at 18 July 2006 | |
| Health Board | Number |
| Note:
Dentists holding multiple contracts within a Health Board Area are
counted only once within that Health Board Area. The sum of dentists by
Health Board is not the same as the NI figure as dentists can work in
different Boards under different contracts and will be counted once
within each Health Board Area in which they work.
Source: Central Services
Agency | |
Departmental Assets (Capital Charges)
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what capital charges on assets will be paid by each Northern Ireland department out of the 2006-07 budget. [87271]
Mr. Hanson: The following table, based on the position as established in the Priorities and Budget 2006-08, sets out planned current expenditure and capital charges within each relevant Departmental expenditure limit for 2006-07:
| Departmental expenditure limit: current expenditure and capital charges for 2006-07 | ||
| £ million | ||
| Department | Current expenditure | Of which: Capital charges |
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