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16 Apr 2007 : Column 210W—continued
Pupils: Intimidation
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure that education and library boards in Northern Ireland collect statistics on the incidences of bullying recorded in schools in Northern Ireland. [130953]
Maria Eagle: There are no plans at present to do so; however, information about the scale and nature of bullying in Northern Ireland schools will be contained in a research report, which will be published later this year.
Racial Hostility Offences
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2006 to the hon. Member for Foyle, Official Report, column 781W, on racial hostility offences, what progress has been made by the Government and enforcement and prosecution authorities in developing a mechanism to collect information on sentences imposed for offences motivated by hostility towards a person's race in relation to the Criminal Justice (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004. [127763]
Mr. Hanson: The Public Prosecution Service is currently in the process of identifying cases since late 2005 where, in the judgment of a Public Prosecutor, there was a racial motivation behind offences. This will enable the identification of sentences by the Court Service imposed for offences motivated by hostility towards a person's race. I will arrange for any information on sentences imposed to be forwarded when it is available.
Railways: Freight
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to increase the amount of freight transported by rail in Northern Ireland. [130955]
David Cairns: Rail freight is uncompetitive for short journeys and for this reason rail freight operations ceased in Northern Ireland in 2004. There are no plans to revive them.
Rates and Rating
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the eligibility criteria are for the new Northern Ireland special rate relief; and if he will make a statement. [130961]
Mr. Hanson: The rules governing eligibility for the new Rate Relief Scheme are the same as those that apply to the existing Housing Benefit Rate Rebate system. That is, that the ratepayer is habitually resident and has recourse to public funds; is occupying the hereditament as their home; and is liable to pay rates in respect of the hereditament. The level of award depends on the individual circumstances of the claimant.
Regeneration: Belfast
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the expected completion date is for the Department for Social
Development's appraisal of the proposal for redevelopment of the Greater Village Area. [131774]
Mr. Hanson: Given the extent of the area and the cost associated with the proposed redevelopment, the appraisal will require careful scrutiny by Government. I would anticipate that this process will take some months to complete.
Roads: Bangor
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many accidents were recorded on the A2 Bangor to Belfast road in each of the last three years; and how long the road closed as a result in each case. [129584]
Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the PSNI of the following details in respect of accidents recorded on the A2 Bangor to Belfast Road. The following table shows injury road traffic collisions between the junctions of Knocknagoney Road and Abbey Street/Brunswick Road, Bangor. I have been advised that they do not record road closure times at accidents.
| 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2006 | ||||||||
| Fatal collisions | Serious collisions | Slight collisions | All collisions | Killed | Seriously injured | Slightly injured | All casualties | |
| (1) Please note 2006 figures are still provisional. Source: Central Statistics Unit, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Lisnasharragh | ||||||||
Due to ongoing validation, this information may be subject to change.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment has been carried out by his Department of the adequacy of (a) road safety (i) signage and (ii) measures and (b) sightlines at Six Road Ends in Bangor. [129585]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin , dated 3 April 2007:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary question regarding, what recent assessment has been carried out by his Department of the adequacy of (a) road safety (i) signage and (ii) measures and (b) sightlines at Six Road Ends in Bangor. As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
As you may be aware, Roads Service commenced a junction improvement scheme at Six Road Ends, Bangor in August 2006. Proposals for this improvement scheme were initiated as a result of the 14 recorded personal injury collisions, including one fatality at this location over the past 10 years. In addition, it was noted that motorists experienced lengthy delays during peak periods as a result of the complicated nature of the junction.
The current scheme aims to improve road safety for all road users at the junction, by reducing congestion and driver confusion. It involves the construction of a four leg roundabout with Green Road and Ballycrochan Road realigned to form priority junctions with Gransha Road and Cotton Road respectively. Sightlines, designed in accordance with the requirements of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, for the new roundabout scheme have been greatly improved.
With regards signage, Roads Service erects traffic signs permitted under the Traffic Signs Regulations (NI) 1997. These signs are designed and erected in accordance with the Traffic Sign Manual and this will be the case with signage at the new roundabout at Six Road Ends.
A scheme of this nature is subject to an independent safety audit after completion of each of the preliminary design, detailed design and construction stages. As part of the planning approval process, the scheme received the approval of both Down District and Ards borough councils when presented in detail before both on 26 July 2005 and 13 September 2005 respectively. Full planning permission was obtained in February 2006.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the surface quality of the High Bangor-Donaghadee Road; and if he will make funding available to upgrade the road at the conclusion of the building works for the new wastewater treatment facility at Donaghadee. [129589]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. McKibbin, dated 3 April 2007:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding, what recent assessment he has made of the surface quality of the High Bangor—Donaghadee Road; and if he will make funding available to
upgrade the road at the conclusion of the building works for the new wastewater treatment facility at Donaghadee.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
You will recall meeting with staff from our Ards Section Office on 23 February 2007 regarding a matter you had raised during an earlier meeting with the Divisional Roads Manager, Tom McCourt and myself about Warren Road, Donaghadee. At the 23 February meeting Mr Lamb, the Section Engineer in Ards, advised you that we were aware that the B21 High Bangor Road had suffered over the years as a result of several utilities openings and it was high on our list of priority schemes for resurfacing. He also explained that such a scheme had not been implemented to date as Roads Service was aware that further works were to be carried out on this road by the Water Service in connection with the new wastewater treatment plant at Donaghadee.
I can assure you that, following completion of the wastewater treatment plant, Roads Service will give this scheme a high priority when considering future programmes of work. In the meantime the condition of the road will be monitored under our cyclic inspection regime and repairs will be effected as required in accordance with our maintenance policy.
Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children: Surgery
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a dedicated infant surgical unit will be maintained at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. [130693]
Paul Goggins: The Infant Surgical service in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) provides care for sick infants, many of whom require highly specialised surgery and post-operative care.
Infant surgical beds have been temporarily relocated within other wards in the hospital while refurbishment work is carried out. The infant surgical unit will reopen in new facilities adjacent to an existing children’s surgical ward, which will provide improved accommodation for both patients and their families. The new location adjacent to other paediatric services will also facilitate the maintenance of appropriate staffing levels, thereby ensuring the quality and safety of patient care. The unit will reopen later this year.
The interim arrangements have not led to any reduction in beds or diminution of the service.
Sentencing
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community sentencing as a means of cutting crime in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [131417]
Mr. Hanson: The most recent assessment of community sentencing is published in the Statistics and Research Bulletin 3/2006 “Reconviction in Northern Ireland: Results from the 2002 cohort”. This bulletin monitors progress against the Northern Ireland Office public service agreement to reduce reconvictions. The following table details the community sentencing data and shows that the actual reconviction rate was 9.9 per cent. lower than the predicted reconviction rate.
Social Services: Sexual Offences
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) average amount paid per patient by each health trust in the Province to (i) independent social care providers and (ii) independent providers of social care for sex offenders was in the last 12 months. [130705]
Paul Goggins: Information on the costs of independent social care provision for sex offenders is not available.
Information on the amounts paid per patient to independent social care providers by each health trust is also not available. However, annually published reference costs give the total cost of Independent domiciliary care per hour provided and the total cost of independent daycare per day attendance. They also give the total cost of Independent Residential Care and nursing care per occupied week. On these bases, across NI health trusts the highest, lowest and average 2005-06 costs for each service are shown in the following table.
| £ | |||
| Highest | Lowest | Average | |
|
Independent services—Domiciliary care (cost per hour provided) | |||
| Source: DHSSPS Reference Costs 2005-06 | |||
Social Services: Sperrin Lakeland Health and Social Care Trust
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust had their social care needs assessed incorrectly in each of the last five years. [130704]
Paul Goggins: Information on the numbers of people whose social care needs were assessed incorrectly is not collected centrally.
The Community Information Branch (CIB) within the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, requested the information from the Chief Executive of Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust who confirmed that it is not recorded.
If a complaint is received that an inaccurate assessment of need has taken place, the normal course of action will be for the appropriate team manager to
review the assessment. If the review is upheld as being inaccurate, a reassessment is undertaken and any inaccuracy is addressed as a training issue with the appropriate staff.
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