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7 Nov 2006 : Column 1217W—continued

Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) and longest time waiting for ear, nose and throat in-patient admission or for initial ear, nose and throat out-patient assessment (first out-patient appointment). It is however possible to identify the median or mid point and longest waiting time band for both in-patient admission and first out-patient appointment in each applicable Health Trust area in the Province.

Patients waiting for ear, nose and throat in-patient admission/first out-patient assessment 30 June 2006
Months
	Median waiting time band		Longest waiting time band
HSS Trust	(a) In-patient admission	(b) Out-patient appointment	(a) In-patient admission	(b) Out-patient appointment
Royal Group	0-2	9-11	6-8	24+
Belfast City	0-2	3-5	9-11	21-23
Ulster Hospitals	0-2	3-5	6-8	24+
Down Lisburn	0-2	3-5	3-5	18-20
Mater	3-5	3-5	6-8	12-14
United Hospitals	3-5	9-11	9-11	24+
Craigavon Area	3-5	3-5	9-11	24+
Newry and Mourne	0-2	0-2	9-11	9-11
Armagh and Dungannon	n/a	6-8	n/a	21-23
Altnagelvin Hospitals	0-2	3-5	9-11	18-20
Sperrin Lakeland	0-2	0-2	6-8	24+
Total	0-2	3-5	9-11	24+
n/a - not applicable Source: Departmental Information returns CH1 and CH3

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients in each health trust area in the Province (a) had an initial ear, nose and throat out-patient assessment and (b) were admitted to hospital for ear, nose and throat surgery in each of the last five years. [99467]

7 Nov 2006 : Column 1218W

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:

(a) The table provides information on the number of first out-patient attendances in the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialty in each of the last five years.

Trust	2005-06	2004-05	2003-04	2002-03	2001-02
Mater Informorum	1,552	2,028	1,574	1,532	1,617
Belfast City	2,750	3,240	3,285	2,944	2,973
Royal Group	2,913	3,116	3,359	4,287	4,900
UC and HT	4,109	4,102	4,478	4,046	4,478
Down Lisburn	2,562	2,261	2,129	2,248	2,572
United	5,338	5,619	5,653	5,439	5,429
Armagh and Dungannon	419	391	396	474	456
Craigavon Group	4,402	3,781	4,236	4,301	4,063
Newry and Mourne	1,844	1,667	1,862	1,195	1,433
Altnagelvin	2,711	2,721	2,546	2,684	2,295
Sperrin Lakeland	3,186	2,771	2,952	3,542	3,454
Northern Ireland	31,786	31,697	32,470	32,692	33,670
Source: Departmental Information Return KH09

Erne Hospital

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time for (a) an initial outpatient assessment and (b) inpatient admission was in each specialty at the Erne Hospital in the last period for which figures are available; and what the longest time is for which a patient has been waiting in each case. [99752]

Paul Goggins: Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) and longest time waiting for initial out-patient assessment (first out-patient appointment) or for in-patient admission. It is however possible to identify the median or mid point and longest waiting time band for both first out-patient appointment and in-patient admission in each specialty at the Erne Hospital.

Patients waiting for each specialty at the Erne Hospital at 30 June 2006 (the latest validated statistics available)
Month
	Median waiting time band		Longest waiting time band
Specialty	(a) Out-patient appointment	(b) In-patient admission	(a) Out-patient appointment	(b) In-patient admission
Anaesthetics	3-5	n/a	24 +	n/a
Cardiology	0-2	n/a	3-5	n/a
ENT	3-5	n/a	9-11	n/a
General Medicine	0-2	0-2	3-5	3-5
General Surgery	0-2	0-2	6-8	9-11
Geriatric Medicine	0-2	n/a	9-11	n/a
Gynaecology	0-2	0-2	12- 14	9-11
Neurology	3-5	n/a	6-8	n/a
Obstetrics	0-2	n/a	0-2	n/a
Paediatrics	0-2	n/a	3-5	n/a
Pain Management	n/a	0-2	n/a	3-5
Total	0-2	0-2	24+	9-11
n/a = Not applicable Source: Departmental Information returns CH1 & CH3

7 Nov 2006 : Column 1219W

EU Funding (Foyle)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much EU funding allocated to projects in Foyle constituency has been returned to the EU in each of the last five years. [99362]

Mr. Hanson: None of the EU Structural Funds allocated to projects in the Foyle constituency has been returned to the EU in the past five years.

Fireworks

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern
7 Nov 2006 : Column 1220W
Ireland have been arrested for illegal possession of fireworks in each month of 2006, broken down by district command unit. [99320]

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable is unable to provide the information in the form requested. However, the table shows the number of incidents of inappropriate sale, use or possession of fireworks which have been reported to police, for each month since April 2006 and broken down by District Command Unit.

Number of incidents of inappropriate sale/use/possession of fireworks recorded by District Command Unit, 2006
DCU	April	May	June	July	August	September	October
Antrim	0	0	0	1	1	4	66
Ards	0	0	0	0	0	12	60
East Belfast	0	0	0	0	0	15	50
North Belfast	2	0	0	1	0	15	69
South Belfast	0	0	1	2	1	3	61
West Belfast	0	0	0	0	1	10	14
Carrickfergus	0	0	0	1	1	0	43
Castlereagh	0	0	0	1	2	10	69
Larne	2	0	0	0	0	0	60
Lisburn	0	2	1	0	0	23	118
Newtownabbey	1	0	1	0	5	14	56
North Down	1	0	1	1	1	19	94
Urban	6	2	4	7	12	125	760
Armagh	0	0	0	0	0	4	71
Ballymena	0	0	1	0	1	20	54
Ballymoney	0	0	0	0	0	1	38
Banbridge	0	0	0	0	1	2	55
Coleraine	0	0	0	3	1	24	60
Cookstown	0	0	0	0	0	5	82
Craigavon	0	0	0	0	0	3	88
Down	0	0	0	1	0	6	101
Dungannon and South Tyrone	2	0	0	1	1	18	102
Fermanagh	0	0	1	0	1	18	170
Foyle	0	0	0	0	1	15	58
Limavady	0	0	0	0	1	12	42
Magherafelt	0	0	0	1	0	2	38
Moyle	0	0	0	0	0	2	26
Newry and Mourne	0	1	1	0	1	10	115
Omagh	0	1	0	0	0	9	100
Strabane	1	0	0	0	1	4	42
Rural	3	2	3	6	9	155	1,242
Grand total	9	4	7	13	21	280	2,002
Note: Please note that these figures are provisional and may be subject to change. Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI

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