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28 Mar 2007 : Column 1566W—continued
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of illegal dumping were recorded in each local authority area in each of the last six years; and how much was spent by each local authority in cleaning up illegal dumping over the same period. [129577]
David Cairns: Incidents of illegal dumping investigated by Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) are set out for each district council area in the following table. Records on the clean-up costs of illegal dumping are not held either by district councils or EHS.
| Total number | |||
| Council | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
Hearing Aids: Digital Technology
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have received a digital hearing aid in each health trust area since their introduction in Northern Ireland; and what the average number of people on waiting lists for digital hearing aids was in each health trust area in the same period. [129580]
Paul Goggins: Information on the number of people receiving digital hearing aids in Northern Ireland was first collected for the quarter ending 31 March 2006, and is presented in Table 1. More recent information is not available at this time.
| Table 1: Number of patients fitted with digital hearing aids during quarter ending 31 March 2006, by health trust | |
| Hospitals | Patients fitted during quarter |
| Source: Community Information Branch return AUDI | |
Information on the number of people waiting for a digital hearing aid is only available for 31 March 2006. Information is therefore not available on the average number of people waiting for digital hearing aids. Information on the number of people waiting for a hearing assessment/reassessment at 31 March 2006 is presented in Table 2.
Homeopathy
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people requested homoeopathic treatment in each health trust area in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [129532]
Paul Goggins: Information on the number of people who have requested homeopathic treatment in each of the health trusts is not available.
However, a survey of 452 cancer patients in Northern Ireland carried out by Action Cancer and the Gerard Lynch centre, Belvoir Park hospital, in 2004 found that 24.6 per cent. would like the opportunity of using homeopathy if it was provided as part of their health service treatment. The survey was carried out at outpatient facilities which deliver chemotherapy and outpatient review appointments at Altnagelvin, Antrim, Craigavon and the Ulster hospitals. Results were also gathered from the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre which refers to Belvoir Park, Belfast City and Royal Victoria hospitals.
Lung Cancer
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he intends to implement the objectives of the Lung Cancer Patients’ Charter in Northern Ireland. [129581]
Paul Goggins: On 9 November 2006 my Department published a Cancer Control Programme for Northern Ireland. This plan sets out recommendations and actions for the further strengthening of cancer services, including lung cancer services, and the setting of standards for the delivery of those services. In addition the Northern Ireland Cancer Network has established a Regional Lung Cancer Group which reviews existing standards and guidelines and develops regionally agreed standards of care. I am confident that this programme of work aligns effectively with the principles set out in the Lung Cancer Patients’ Charter.
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicle tax evasion offences were recorded in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years; and what range of penalties were imposed for vehicle tax evasion offences over the same period. [129663]
David Cairns: Before the implementation of a new IT system in April 2002, the information was not held in a format which enables the figures requested to be collated without disproportionate effort.
| Offence | |||
| On-the-road unlicensed detections | Failure to make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN)( 1) | Continuous Registration (CR)( 1) | |
| (1) The offence of failing to make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN)was superseded by the introduction of the Continuous Registration legislation in December 2003. | |||
Penalties for on-the-road detections of unlicensed vehicles penalties are based on a standard calculation of 1.5 or 2 times the arrears of duty outstanding, depending on the offence, plus a £30 administration fee. The maximum fine that can be imposed by the court on conviction is a level 3 (£1,000) or level 4 (£2,500) fine, depending on the offence, or 5 times the amount of the vehicle excise duty chargeable, whichever is the greater.
Statutory Off Road Notification legislation was introduced in December 2002 requiring the keeper to renew their vehicle licence or to complete a SORN declaration if the vehicle remained unlicensed. The penalty for failure to comply was £45, reduced to £25 if paid within 28 days. The maximum fine that could be imposed by the court on conviction was at level 3 (£1,000).
The penalty for failure to comply with Continuous Registration legislation is £80, reduced to £40 if paid within 28 days. The minimum fine that could be imposed is at level 3 (£1,000).
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