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6 Nov 2006 : Column 945W—continued
Flood Defences
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Government have spent on improving flood defences in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [99405]
David Cairns: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as the drainage and flood defence authority in Northern Ireland, spent the following amounts on improving flood defences, including sea defences:
| Amount (£) | |
Fly-tipping
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of fly-tipping were recorded in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; how much public money was spent as a result of fly-tipping during that period; and what steps the Government are taking to prevent fly-tipping. [99401]
David Cairns: Since the end of 2003, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has been responsible for dealing with the illegal disposal of waste on a commercial basis. Prior to that date, district councils were responsible but few, if any, of them kept records in the form requested.
During 2004 and 2005 EHS received between 1,000 and 1,200 reports of illegal dumping of waste each year. This year to date, 1,206 reports have been received. A minimum of 250,000 tonnes of household waste from the Republic of Ireland has been illegal disposed of in Northern Ireland to date. The costs associated with the removal of this waste are likely to be in the region of £30 million.
EHS will continue to rigorously investigate and prosecute all incidents of fly-tipping that are reported to it. EHS is also in the process of introducing a computer system known as ‘Fly Capture’ that will record and track all reported incidents. The system has proved very useful in GB with the publicity surrounding levels of fly-tipping and the costs of dealing with it arising from this source. If district
councils take up the offer of the use of this system, appropriate data should be available for Northern Ireland within a year.
Gender Recognition
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the Social Security Agency's gender recognition policy was formulated; what assessment he has made of its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement. [99589]
Mr. Hanson: The Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland is responsible for administering the social security system in accordance with the law—including the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The cases of persons who have been issued with gender recognition certificates are dealt with by the Agency in accordance with national guidelines.
High Hedges
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce legislation to deal with problems associated with high hedges in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [99684]
David Cairns: The Department intends to bring forward this legislation when the legislative programme permits.
Household Incomes
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of households in Northern Ireland have weekly incomes of £300 or less, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency, (b) district council and (c) district electoral area. [99321]
Mr. Hanson: The proportion of households with a weekly income of £300 or less, according to the Northern Ireland Family Resources Survey, by parliamentary constituency is given in Table 2, and by district council is given in Table 1. In order to ensure a sample size that would deliver reliable results, it was necessary to combine three years of the survey. Even with this level of combination, the sample sizes achieved for district electoral areas are too small for reliable results to be given.
The information requested in Part (c) district electoral area is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Because of the need to combine years, the significance of the £300 income limit for households is not constant due to price inflation and increases in general income over time.
| Table 2: Parliamentary Constituencies, Proportion of Households with Gross Weekly Income of £300 or Under by Parliamentary Constituency( 1) | |
| Parliamentary Constituency | Percentage |
| (1 )In order to ensure a sample size that would deliver reliable results, it was necessary to combine three years of the survey, namely 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05. Notes: 1. The tables are derived from the Northern Ireland Family Resources Survey, which has been carried out in Northern Ireland since 2002-03. A comparable survey has been carried out in Great Britain since 1992-93, and this GB survey has now been expanded into a UK survey, including the Northern Ireland data. 2. The Northern Ireland sample size has been enhanced to allow more detailed analysis. 3. A variety of definitions of household income are available from the survey. Gross income is used here. 4. Three years of the survey are combined to ensure an acceptable sample size. 5. Because three years of the survey have been combined, the significance of the £300 limit for households is not constant, due to price inflation and increases in general income over time. Source: Family Resources Survey. | |
Household Waste
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the volume of household rubbish generated per person in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what percentage of that was (a) recycled and (b) re-used in each year. [99403]
David Cairns: Each person in Northern Ireland generates approximately 0.5 tonnes of household waste per year (annual figures are provided in the following table).
The overall household recycling rate in Northern Ireland has grown from 6.6 per cent. in 1999-2000 to 18.9 per cent. in 2004-05, an encouraging increase of over 12 per cent., and indicative figures for 2005-06 show a recycling rate of over 24 per cent.
There are no figures on re-use of household waste as this waste does not enter the waste stream and is therefore is not reported.
Household waste arisings per household is a more useful indicator than per person as the household is the key unit for generation of waste and produces a certain amount of waste regardless of the number of occupants.
| Household waste statistics 1999-2006 | ||||
| Total household waste (million tonnes) | Average household waste collected (tonnes/year) | Household waste recycling rate (percentage) | ||
| Per person | Per household | |||
Hyper- and Hypothermia
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of (a) heat-related and (b) cold-related deaths in the Province in each of the last 20 years. [99772]
Mr. Hanson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 1986 and 2005, where effects of heat and light(1) or hypothermia(2) were mentioned on the death certificate.
(1 )“Heat” will not be recorded as an underlying cause of death. However heat-related illnesses (e.g., heatstroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat syncope) may be mentioned on the death certificate. Deaths with a mention of the effects of heat and light are defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 992 for the years 1986-2000 and, for the years 2001 to 2005, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T67.
(2) “Cold” will not be recorded as an underlying cause of death. However subnormal body temperature, hypothermia, may be
mentioned on the death certificate. Deaths with a mention of hypothermia are defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 991.6 for the years 1986-2000 and, for the years 2001 to 2005, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T68.
| Registered number of deaths, with a mention of effect of heat and light or hypothermia. Northern Ireland, 1986 to 2005 | ||
| Registration year | Effect of heat and light | Hypothermia |
| (1) Provisional data | ||
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