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19 Apr 2007 : Column 762Wcontinued
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) target and (b) actual waiting times for (i) surgery, (ii) first outpatient appointment and (iii) a diagnostic test at Northern Ireland hospitals were at the end of March (A) 2007 and (B) 2006. [132285]
Paul Goggins: Ministers set a target that, by 31 March 2006, no patient should be waiting more than 12 months for in-patient or day case treatment. No targets were set at that stage regarding waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant or a diagnostic test.
Targets were also set that, by 31 March 2007, no patient should be waiting more than six months for either a first out-patient appointment with a consultant or for in-patient or day case treatment. There were no targets set for diagnostic waiting times at 31 March 2007.
I have set new targets that, by the end of March 2008, no patient will wait more than 13 weeks for a first out-patient appointment, no more than 13 weeks for any diagnostic test, and no more than 21 weeks for surgery.
The number of patients waiting, and the length of time they were waiting in months, for (i) in-patient or day case treatment and (ii) a first out-patient appointment with a consultant, at 31 March 2006, is contained in the following table.
Timebands (months) | In - patients | Out- patients |
Source: Departmental returns CH1 and CH3 |
Official statistics relating to the number of patients waiting at 31 March 2007, for either a first out-patient appointment with a consultant or for in-patient or day case treatment, will not be published until June. On the basis of provisional information available to the Department at the beginning of April, with the exception of a very small number of breaches reflecting local administrative errors, no patients were waiting more than six months for in-patient or day case treatment, or for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant.
Official figures for the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test in Northern Ireland are not available for either March 2006 or March 2007.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he plans to publish the economic appraisal of the proposed capital building project at Portadown Integrated Primary School; and what the reasons are for the time taken to conclude this study and make it available. [132048]
Maria Eagle:
The Department of Education is aware of the accommodation deficiencies at Portadown Integrated Primary School and an initial feasibility study was produced for the school which is a stage
prior to the production of the economic appraisal. Following the Bain review new capital projects should in future be considered in the context of a more co-ordinated and consistent area-based planning approach and this will need to be reflected in the appraisal. The Department will be in contact with the school as the work develops though I cannot confirm at present when the appraisal will be completed.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the maintenance work carried out at Millisle Sewage Pumping in each of the past three years; and what the (a) nature and (b) duration was of the maintenance carried out on each occasion; [133021]
(2) what assessment has been carried out by his Department of the health and safety implications of raw sewage leaks from Millisle's sewerage system; [133059]
(3) on what occasions since January the screens at Millisle Sewage Pumping Station were checked; and what the outcome was of the review of the adequacy of the current screen checking arrangements; [133060]
(4) if he will bring forward the project to upgrade Millisle Sewage Pumping Station scheduled to start in 2011; [133071]
(5) when he expects the Drainage Area Studies for the North Down and Ards area to be completed; and what funding has been allocated to ensure the prompt implementation of its recommendations. [133072]
David Cairns: The Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006 transferred responsibility for the delivery of water and sewerage services from the Department's Water Service Agency to a statutory water and sewerage undertaker. A Government-owned company, Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has been appointed as the undertaker and the issues raised are operational matters for it. I have asked the chief executive of NIW (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) to write to the hon. Lady in response to these questions.
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what significant decisions have been made by the four commissioners appointed to the South Eastern Education and Library Board since their appointment in 2006. [132213]
Maria Eagle: The commissioners have taken many significant decisions since their appointment in July 2006 including decisions related to financial allocations and budgets, school development proposals, youth centre provision, leasing proposals and transfer of land, and procurement contracts. All decisions that have been taken are minuted and published in the normal way in accordance with Standing Orders and details of the relevant minutes are available on the South Eastern Education and Library Board website: http:/www.seelb.org.uk
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public funding was granted to theatres in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; whether there are proposals to increase funding for such theatres in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [130541]
Maria Eagle: Public funding granted to theatres in Northern Ireland in the last five years is shown in the following table. Decisions on revenue funding to theatres for 2007-08 have already been made by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the total amount awarded is the same as the 2006-07 figure. The level of funding available to theatres in future years will depend on the outcome of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.
£ | |||||
2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures are in place to limit the amount of money spent on alcohol for hospitality purposes by his Department. [132195]
David Cairns: Scotland Office expenditure on hospitality, like all other departmental expenditure, is conducted in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the meetings between Ministers from his Department and outside interest groups which took place between 1 January and 31 March. [132439]
David Cairns: Ministers and civil servants meet a large number of people and groups in the course of their official duties.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses went bankrupt in each month of the last 10 years in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each region and (c) each London borough. [132173]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Business (self-employed, or trader) bankruptcies are only readily available on a quarterly basis and for England and Wales (EandW). These statistics are provided in the following table. The provision of corresponding monthly data would incur disproportionate cost. A breakdown of Scottish sequestrations and Northern Ireland bankruptcies by trading status of the individual is not available. For EandW, the provision of any sub-national level business bankruptcy figures would incur disproportionate cost.
Table1: Total self-employed bankruptcies in England and Wales by calendar quarter, 1997 to 2006 | |||||
Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | Annual total | |
(1) Not yet available: statistics on self-employed bankruptcies are only available one quarter in arrears. (2) To September. |
To complement the personal insolvency (bankruptcy) statistics, provided in table 1, table 2 records figures for company liquidations:
Table 2: Total company liquidations by quarter in England and Wales, 1997 to 2006 | |||||
Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | Yearly total | |
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