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9 Oct 2006 : Column 319W—continued
Direct Action Against Drugs
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the recent claims of responsibility by the group Direct Action Against Drugs; and if he will make a statement. [90975]
Paul Goggins: The PSNI inform me that an incident occurred on the 14 July 2006 in Lurgan. The injured party did not link the assault to Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD) and claimed he had no idea why he was attacked or who was responsible.
Driver Vehicle Testing Agency
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting times were for the practical driving test in each of the Driver Vehicle Testing Agency centres in Northern Ireland in the most recent period for which figures are available. [89214]
David Cairns: Figures for waiting times for a practical driving test are shown in the following table for each centre for the week ending 22 July 2006.
| Test Centre | Average waiting times (weeks) |
Employment Statistics
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rate of (a) economic activity and (b) unemployment is in each (i) council district and (ii) parliamentary constituency. [91647]
Maria Eagle: The working age economic activity rate at April-June 2006 and claimant count unemployment rate at August 2006 for each i) district council and ii) parliamentary constituency are shown in the following tables:
| Percentage | ||
| i) District councils | Economic activity rate( 1) | Claimant count unemployment rate |
| Percentage | ||
| ii) Parliamentary constituencies | Economic activity rate( 1) | Claimant count unemployment rate |
| ( 1) Source: Labour Force Survey, April - June 2006. | ||
Energy Performance Certificates
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timetable is for the introduction of energy performance certificates in Northern Ireland for domestic properties when sold; and if he will make a statement. [90494]
Mr. Hanson: Energy performance certificates for domestic properties when sold will be introduced in 2008 on a phased basis following a consultation on the implementation of energy performance certificates for all existing buildings in late 2006.
Energy performance certificates will be extremely useful in informing potential house purchasers of the energy efficiency of the property and therefore raising the profile of energy efficiency.
EU Fisheries Council
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that the Minister with responsibility for Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland attends the 2006 EU Fisheries Council meeting. [89231]
David Cairns: Subject to the possible return of devolved Government in November I will attend the 2006 December Fishery Council.
Field Studies
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to make field studies a compulsory part of AS Level and A Level courses for pupils who study science and geography. [89764]
Maria Eagle: It is the role of the awarding bodies to set the requirements for AS and A Level courses, including whether there should be a compulsory field-work element.
The specification of the Northern Ireland awarding body, The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), for GCE Geography requires fieldwork to be undertaken.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the role of out-of-classroom learning in Northern Ireland in increasing (a) physical activity and (b) inclusiveness among secondary school children. [89765]
Maria Eagle: The Department has not commissioned any recent research on the contribution of out-of-classroom learning to increasing physical activity and inclusiveness among post-primary school children. However, the Education and Training Inspectorate reports that out-of-classroom learning experiences make a valuable contribution to the physical, academic and personal and social development of post-primary pupils; these experiences help to promote inclusion by strengthening pupils' self-esteem and motivation, by providing structured opportunities to engage in team work and thereby helping young people to overcome social, cultural and other differences.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure that children in Northern Ireland from low and middle income families are not excluded on account of cost from participating in out-of-school learning in secondary schools. [89766]
Maria Eagle: Secondary schools, and indeed most grammar schools, are not allowed to charge parents for education provided wholly or mainly outside school hours that is provided in order to meet the requirements of the school curriculum or to deliver the syllabus for an approved public examination. The only exception to this rule relates to pupils not resident in Northern Ireland or whose parents are not EU nationals and pupils enrolled in Group B voluntary grammar schools (of which there are two in Northern Ireland) which would have no public representative on their Board of Governors.
For all other out-of-school activities, it is a matter for individual schools to decide on the level of contribution from parents but I do expect them to set charges in a way that reflects the costs of delivering the activity and that does not disadvantage lower earning families.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects of educational field courses on the academic performance of secondary pupils in Northern Ireland. [89767]
Maria Eagle: Field-work can add value to post-primary school pupils' practical experience and schools have the autonomy to offer additional field work at their discretion. The Department has not commissioned any recent research on the benefits of field courses, nor has the Education and Training Inspectorate specifically surveyed the quality of field-work in recent years.
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