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23 Oct 2006 : Column 1554W—continued
Hospital Staff (Assaults)
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many accident and emergency hospital staff in Northern Ireland have been the victims of assault while on duty in each of the last three years, broken down by hospital. [95392]
Paul Goggins: Recorded figures for assault of accident and emergency hospital staff while on duty in each of the last three years are:
| Number | |
The figures broken down by hospital are as follows:
| Trust | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
My Department is fully committed to improving health and safety protection for all Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) staff. Measures have been put in place to minimise risks to staff by installing panic buttons in A and E units, toughened glass at reception areas and CCTV cameras. A Zero Tolerance Group has been established and is currently reviewing procedures in relation to risk assessment and management of violent incidents against staff to ensure the safety of employees while at work.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hospital staff in Northern Ireland have been hospitalised as a result of assault while on duty in each of the last three years. [95393]
Paul Goggins: There have been no recorded instances of hospital staff having been hospitalised as a result of an attack while on duty in each of the last three years.
Measures have been put in place to minimise risks to staff including ‘the guardian angel personal security system’, personal alarms to reduce the risk to lone workers, installation of panic buttons in A and E units, toughened glass at reception areas and CCTV cameras. A Zero Tolerance Group has been established and is currently reviewing procedures in relation to risk assessment and management of violent incidents against staff to ensure the safety of all Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) employees while at work.
Hospitals
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will assess standards of cleanliness in Northern Ireland’s acute hospitals. [96152]
Paul Goggins: The assessment of cleanliness standards in Northern Ireland Acute Hospitals was included in the first independent assessment of environmental cleanliness standards in HSS Trusts which was published on 10 October 2006.
Parliamentary Questions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006, Official Report, columns 329-30W, on parliamentary questions, which answers to parliamentary questions have (a) been drafted by the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat and (b) received input from the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat. [95067]
Mr. Hanson: The following table provides details of those parliamentary questions in respect of which Northern Ireland Civil Service officials in the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat provided either draft answers, or input to parliamentary questions from Members of the House of Commons in the 12 months up to the 30 September 2006.
| Official Report date of response | Official Report column number |
| Official Report date of response where part-input provided | Official Report column number |
Roads
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the expected completion date is for the upgrading of the Belfast to Dublin Road; what sections are programmed to be upgraded; when the upgrading is scheduled; what sections have no dates for planned upgrading; and if he will make a statement. [95742]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to my hon. Friend in response to this question.
Letter from Malcolm McKibbin, dated 23 October 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the expected completion date is for the upgrading of the Belfast to Dublin Road; what sections are programmed to be upgraded; when the upgrading is scheduled and what sections have no dates for planned upgrading.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
The Belfast-Dublin link forms part of one of the 5 Key Transport Corridors at the upper tier of the region’s long distance routes. The Department for Regional Development’s Roads Service is committed to upgrade the northern part of this link, comprising the M1/A1 to at least dual carriageway standard by 2009.
The following table provides details of improvement schemes affecting this route that are included in Roads Service’s current Strategic Route Improvement Programme. These include:
schemes already under construction; and
high priority schemes in a preparation pool that are being processed through the statutory procedures that are expected to be implemented within the next 5 years or so subject to clearing the statutory procedures, having a satisfactory economic appraisal and the availability of funds at the time.
In August 2006, Minister Cairns unveiled a proposed additional 400 million package of major improvements to the trunk road network during the period up to 2015. The proposed package was issued for public consultation that concluded on 29 September 2006. Roads Service is currently considering responses with a view to finalising the extended programme.
The following table provides details of improvement schemes affecting this route that were included in the Consultation Document and that had performed well against the five key criteria of environment safety, economy, accessibility and integration and were included in the proposed package. (No decision has yet been made as to whether these schemes will be included in Roads Service’s Forward Planning Schedule, so no commencement date can be given for any of these schemes.)
The consultation document also included for information, a list of schemes that had performed less well against the key criteria but were not affordable within the funding envisaged to 2015. The following table provides details of one improvement scheme affecting this route that is included in this list. (No decision has yet been made as to whether these schemes will be included in Roads Service’s Forward Planning Schedule, so no commencement date can be given for this scheme.)
| Scheme | Description |
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what studies he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact of improving motorway links between the Northern Ireland border and ports in the Irish Republic on (i) the ports industry and (ii) airports in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [95745]
David Cairns: Improved motorway links make an important contribution to travel and transport, but I have not commissioned specific studies into their impact on ports or airports in Northern Ireland.
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