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28 Nov 2006 : Column 583W—continued
The number of physiotherapy entrants into permanent and temporary posts within the HPSS in Northern Ireland is presented in the following table. The Department is unable to distinguish if these posts were filled by newly qualified graduates as the data is not held in this format. The Department is unable to supply information relating to private sector employment.
| Junior Grade Physiotherapy Joiners to the NI HPSS by Mode of Employment between March 1996 and March 2006 (Headcount figures) | |||
| As at March: | Permanent | Temporary | Total |
| Notes: Joiners figures may include: new graduates, staff transferring from private sector, staff from other countries, or staff returning after a period of unpaid leave. Source: Human Resources Management System | |||
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of training a physiotherapist. [103447]
Paul Goggins: The current estimated cost of training a physiotherapy student is approximately £35,000. This figure includes university tuition fees, student bursary support and student placement costs.
Probation Service
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to contract to the private sector work undertaken by the Probation Service in Northern Ireland. [101614]
Mr. Hanson: There are no plans at present to contract to the private sector work undertaken by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI). PBNI already functions on a collaborative basis with a number of statutory and voluntary bodies in providing services.
Rates Revaluation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated cost of the transitional relief scheme for the rates revaluation is in each year of operation. [104111]
Mr. Hanson: The estimated cost of the transitional relief scheme for the rates revaluation will be £17.9 million in 2007-08, £12.0 million in 2008-09; and £6 million in 2009-10.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment the Government have made of whether Northern Ireland domestic rates revaluation is compliant with human rights legislation. [104115]
Mr. Hanson: The Rates Capital Values Order 2006 and the Rates Amendment Order 2006 have been fully assessed-for compliance with Human Rights legislation in line with the requirement of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This assessment has concluded that the legislation giving rise to the revaluation is considered to be human rights compliant.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the domestic rates revaluation transitional relief scheme is being funded. [104117]
Mr. Hanson: The cost .of the transitional relief scheme next year will be met from within the total resources available to the Secretary of State in 2007-08 and in the subsequent two years.
School Transport
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to promote safer travel for pupils attending rural schools in Northern Ireland. [103291]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Gregory Campbell, dated 28 November 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what measures are in place to promote safer travel for pupils attending rural schools in Northern Ireland.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service. I have been asked to reply.
You may be aware that Roads Service, in liaison with the Department of Education, is promoting a Safer Routes to Schools initiative, to encourage walking, cycling, greater use of public transport, and car sharing for the journey to and from school. One aspect of the project entails the introduction of traffic management measures outside schools, to create a safer local environment for children, in both urban and rural areas, to get to school. The programme is being taken forward in liaison
with other statutory agencies, including the Department of the Environment’s Road Safety Branch and the Health Promotion Agency.
I should also explain that The Traffic Signs (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1997, permit road signs to be used in the vicinity of schools to warn drivers of the potential of encountering children in the road ahead, going to and from school. These signs are commonplace on our rural road network, particularly on busy roads and where speeds are high. The signs are often supplemented by flashing amber lights.
In addition, Roads Service plan to introduce a programme of school safety zones to manage speeds specifically at rural schools where the current speed limit is 60mph. These zones will include prominent signs and road markings to draw motorists’ attention to the possible presence of children at schools. Work has started on this project so that an additional 10 schools will have measures installed by the end of this current financial year and it is planned to complete work at a further 20 schools in the 2007-08 financial year. As part of this initiative, Roads Service is actively investigating the potential of introducing variable speed limits at rural schools.
You may also be interested to know that Sustrans, the sustainable travel charity, has been offered a funding package from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Structural Fund valued at £900,000 for the purpose of protecting and enhancing the physical environment of rural areas. Following preliminary discussions with Roads Service, it has been proposed that this funding should be directed at 18 rural schools to address Safer Routes to Schools and Speed Management issues, with financial input from other Agencies. Work on implementing this project is ongoing.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much each education and library board in the Province spent on home-to-school transport in each of the last 10 years. [103442]
Maria Eagle: The Education and Library Boards have indicated that they incurred the following expenditure from 1996-97 (excluding FE colleges):
| BELB | NEELB | SEELB | SELB | WELB | TOTAL | |
| (1) Detailed breakdown not available Note: It should be noted that the figures prior to 2001-02 are on a cash basis and thereafter on an accruals accounting system. | ||||||
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to assist in meeting the Department's target of reducing spending on home-to-school transport in the incoming year. [103443]
Maria Eagle: The Department of Education has been tasked with achieving efficiency savings of £0.9 million in 2005-06 and £1.6 million in 2006-07 in respect of the home to school transport budget. Education and Library Boards in fact achieved savings of £1.7 million in 2005-06. Also a recent mid-year review has confirmed that they are on track to achieve the savings required in 2006-07.
In facilitating these efficiency savings the Department provided £1.4 million additional capital funding in 2005-06 to enable boards to purchase additional vehicles for use on routes where it was identified that it would be more efficient to operate board vehicles rather than use alternative modes of transport.
Schools (Suspensions/Expulsions)
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many pupils were (a) suspended and (b) expelled for (i) violent behaviour and (ii) drug-related incidents in Northern Ireland schools in each of the last 10 years; [102360]
(2) how many illegal drug-related incidents occurred in schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [102361]
Maria Eagle: The Department does not hold information on the reasons for suspension and expulsion for each of the last 10 years. Nor does it collect specific data on drugs but statistics are available for the number of suspensions from schools for possessing, using or dealing in illegal drugs or solvents on school premises.
From the 2002-03 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspensions have been gathered annually and relate to the number of individual suspensions not to the number of pupils suspended. With regard to violent behaviour, the Department collects statistics on the number of suspensions relating to physical attacks on staff, illustrated in the following table. In 2002-03, data on substance abuse were combined with data on alcohol abuse, however from 2003-04 substance abuse was identified separately.
| Table 1: Suspensions | |||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | |
| (1) Includes alcohol abuse | |||
The reasons for expulsion were first collected in 2003-04. The Department collects statistics on the number of expulsions relating to physical attacks on staff. Again, specific data for drugs were not collected, however there are statistics available for suspensions for possessing, using or dealing illegal drugs and solvents on school premises. In 2003-04, data on substance abuse were combined with data on alcohol abuse, however in 2004-05 substance abuse was identified separately.
| Table 2: Expulsions | ||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | |
| (1) Includes alcohol abuse. | ||
Each year, data on suspensions and expulsions requested from the Education and Library Boards have become more comprehensive and, from the 2002-03 school year the Department has been publishing this information on its website, www.deni.gov.uk.
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