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16 Oct 2006 : Column 1007W—continued
You will note that in the past five years, almost £1 million has been spent on this road resulting in almost six miles of the A20 being resurfaced or surface dressed. This represents approximately 18 per cent. of the entire budget for the Ards area. This funding has also promoted a variety of other schemes including, carriageway reconstruction, sidelining, drainage, coastal protection, guard rail and traffic calming. I can assure you that the A20 road will continue to be considered for further improvement schemes in the future.
With regard to your two questions on vehicle numbers using the A20, I should explain that Roads Service collects traffic volume data by means of 270 automatic census points strategically located throughout the Northern Ireland road network. Traffic flow at each site is recorded for one week in each quarter during the year and an annual average calculated. The results are published in Roads Service’s Annual Traffic and Travel Information Report, which presents the traffic volumes in a variety of formats for each site.
Unfortunately there is no permanent census point between Greyabbey and Portaferry, and therefore we are unable to provide traffic flow details for this section of the A20 road.
However, there is a permanent traffic census point on the A20 between Greyabbey and Newtownards and the average daily number of vehicles using this road is shown in the following table.
| A20 to Newtownards | A20 to Portaferry | Average daily traffic flow | |
| (1) 2005 is the latest year for which records are available. (2) Records for 1986 (20 years ago) are not available. The first year for which records are available is 1987. | |||
Ballycastle-Campbeltown Ferry Service
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has for the reinstatement of the ferry service between Ballycastle and Campbeltown. [90576]
Maria Eagle: Reflecting on the present comprehensive spending review process and the public expenditure priorities ahead, the overall assessment is that no financial support can be offered to the reinstatement of the ferry service between Ballycastle and Campbeltown.
Bus Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times in the last 12 months a bus substitution service has operated on the Coleraine to Portrush rail route. [93290]
David Cairns: In the past 12 months, up to the end of September 2006, a bus substitution service was used on the Coleraine to Portrush rail route on 298 occasions, which is equivalent to some 2 per cent. of the total number of services scheduled.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) weekday and (b) weekend Ulsterbus services from Portaferry to Newtownards via Kircubbin are provided under the latest 2006 timetable; and how many were provided in each of the last five years. [93297]
David Cairns: Translink has advised me that the number of such journeys is as set out in the following table.
| Portaferry to Newtownards via Kircubbin | |||
| Number of services | |||
| Timetable | Weekdays | Saturdays | Sundays |
Concessionary Fares
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce concessionary fares on public transport for carers of disabled people in Northern Ireland. [93989]
David Cairns: The Department has no plans, at present, to extend the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares Scheme to provide concessionary fares for the carers of people with disabilities. On 26 June 2006 the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland launched a review of the Scheme. This review will consider the feasibility and desirability of extending the provision of concessionary travel to additional categories, such as carers.
Criminal Justice Board
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the members are of the Criminal Justice Board in Northern Ireland; how many times it has met in each year since its formation; and whether its minutes are published. [44889]
Mr. Hanson: The Criminal Justice Board is made up of the heads or senior representatives of the seven main statutory criminal justice agencies in Northern Ireland and is chaired by the Director of Criminal Justice in the Northern Ireland Office.
The Director of Northern Ireland Court Service;
The Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service;
ACC Criminal Justice, Police Service of Northern Ireland;
The Chief Executive of the Probation Service for Northern Ireland;
The Director of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland;
The Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency; and
A senior representative of the Attorney General's Office.
The Board was formed in May 1998, the frequency of meetings since then is set out in the following table:
| Number of meetings | |
Following a review of the board's operation and structure, meetings now take place on a two monthly cycle, with the facility to arrange special meetings at the request of the board.
The minutes from the board meetings are not published.
Departmental Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2006, Official Report, column 470W, on departmental expenditure, what steps have been taken to reduce the amount of money spent on advertising; and what review mechanism has been put in place to assess the effectiveness of these steps. [91731]
Mr. Hanson: Work is under way to implement the new policies and practices set out in the advertising review report published in April 2006:
The tender process for public notice and recruitment advertising placed in daily newspapers by government departments and their agencies is almost completed. Bids are being evaluated and the outcome will be announced in the next few weeks. Significant savings will result.
Central Procurement Directorate has switched to online procurement supported by limited ‘new-to-view’ advertising in order to reduce costs.
Central negotiations to strike a single government rate for campaign advertising with each of the main media organisations are almost complete. This is the first time this has been done on the basis of aggregated government spend. Substantial discounts off standard rates have been achieved across newspapers, television, radio and outdoor media. The rates will be available to all departments, their agencies and NDPBs.
An open competition has been run to establish a new Framework Contract for the procurement of advertising agency services. It sets a maximum commission level of 13.5 per cent. a reduction of 1.5 per cent. on the previous commission rate. There is an expectation that agencies will deliver discounts below this figure. The protocol for the operation of the Framework sets new standards for briefing agencies, setting targets and measuring effectiveness.
A new central Advertising Shared Service Centre will drive forward the value for money agenda to ensure advertising campaigns from across government are delivered within a strategic and budgetary framework.
The preparatory work is being governed by a cross-departmental Programme Board which meets regularly to monitor progress. Regular reports on effectiveness will be made to me.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by (a) his Office, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons in each year since 2001-02. [91891]
Mr. Hain: We cannot provide the information in the format requested by the hon. Member as to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
All travel is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2006 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.
Fireworks
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fireworks licences were issued in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [93174]
Paul Goggins: The figures requested are as follows:
| Number of firework licences issued in each of the last five years | |||
| Category 2 licences | Category 3 licences | Total issued | |
| (1) From May 2002. (2 )From January to 16 October 2006. Note: Prior to the introduction of the Explosives (Fireworks) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, Category 2 fireworks did not require a licence. | |||
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been injured in Northern Ireland as a result of careless or poor handling of fireworks in each district command unit area in each of the last five years. [94061]
Paul Goggins: Information on the number of people injured as a result of careless or poor handling of fireworks in each district command area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years is not available. However, Information on the number of people injured as a result of fireworks over the Halloween period, in Northern Ireland, for the years 2001 to 2005 is available and is detailed in the following table.
| Location of A and E department or minor injuries unit | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
| Source: Annual Departmental Return, FWK1. | |||||
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