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Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support a policy operated by the Ulster-Scots Agency of providing resources and support to groups to make 12 July celebrations into a tourist attraction; and, if so, why the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure removed funding from the agency's requested budget for 2004 for that purpose. [HL 3866]
Baroness Amos : I have been advised by the Ulster-Scots Agency that it does not have a policy with the sole or explicit objective of promoting tourism.
Ulster-Scots Language and Culture
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 23 June (WA123), why bodies representing Ulster-Scots culture do not receive the same level of resources as bodies representing Irish cultures. [HL3482]
Baroness Amos : I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 23 June 2004 (WA123). I have nothing further to add.
Northern Ireland: Sport Funding
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure plans to provide funding and resources to:
(d) Gaelic Athletic Association games;
if so, whether in each case there is a cross community requirement; if so, what that requirement is; and how it will be monitored. [HL3498]
Baroness Amos : The Sports Council for Northern Ireland is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland, including the distribution of funding to individual sports. The sports council makes funding available, to (a) association football (including resources under the soccer strategy process), (b) rugby union; (c) cricket; and (d) Gaelic Athletic Association games under existing funding arrangements. Any funding beyond this will be a matter for the sports council.
As the organisations listed are voluntary organisations, they do not have any statutory duty under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998). However, the sports council requires all organisations which it funds to have an equity policy in place in their constitution/articles of association. Each of these organisations has provided the sports council with a copy of their equity policy.
Tourism Ireland: Funding
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What funding Tourism Ireland has sought each year since 2000; how much was agreed each year; whether indicative budgets were set; if so, for how much; and when. [HL3592]
Baroness Amos: In 2001 Tourism Ireland Ltd (TIL) drew down set-up funding of £1.218 million. The TIL draft annual operating plans for 2002, 2003 and 2004 sought indicative funding of £29.7 million, £29.8 million and £38.1 million respectively.
The North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) approved the operating plans and recommended budget allocations as follows:
1 An additional allocation of £3.879 million for specific agreed marketing initiatives was also approved by the NSMC.
7 Sept 2004 : Column WA100
North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any of the Cross-Border Implementation Bodies will be ceasing policies and areas of activity due to a lack of funding as a result of the May 2004 budgets; and, if so, which bodies; and [HL3704]
What funds those Cross-Border Implementation Bodies, which have ceased areas of activity due to lack of funding in 2004, sought for 2004; and what funds they were granted. [HL3705]
Baroness Amos: None of the North/South Implementation Bodies has ceased policies or areas of activities due to a lack of funding as a result of the 2004 budgets.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any of the Cross-Border Implementation Bodies have indicated any intention to apply for extra funding during 2004; if so, which bodies have applied; how much they applied for; and for what purpose. [HL3591]
Baroness Amos: To date, none of the North/South Implementation Bodies have applied for extra funding in 2004. The Ulster-Scots Agency, which forms part of the Language Body, has indicated an intention to apply for extra funding in 2004, but has not yet submitted detailed proposals.
Northern Ireland: Loyal Order Parades
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12 July (WA 118) concerning the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, why the only Loyal Order parade listed in the annual events listing brochure for 2004, issued by the Board, was the Maiden City Festival. [HL3817]
Baroness Amos : The purpose of the annual events listing brochure is to provide a representative sample of major events in Northern Ireland. The Maiden City Festival was regarded as a representation of the Loyal Order celebrations and was therefore included in the brochure for 2004.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board maintains a database record of the major Loyal Order parades and ensures that these are published on its consumer website.
NITB has recently met with the Grand Orange Lodge to examine ways to work with it to review the promotion of the 12 July parades. NITB is currently developing detailed criteria for listing of events.
7 Sept 2004 : Column WA101
North/South Language Body
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give an undertaking that future allocations of funding to agencies in the Language Implementation Board in Northern Ireland will only take place after consultation and agreement with the agencies concerned. [HL4035]
Baroness Amos : I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 20 May 2004 (WA 95). It may not always be possible to reach agreement with the North/South Language Body on its budget.
Northern Ireland Civic Forum
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they arrived at the figure of £516,000 funding for the year 2004–05 for the suspended Northern Ireland Civic Forum. [HL4036]
Baroness Amos : Provision was made in the 2004–05 NI Estimates for a full year's funding for the civic forum on the basis of the forum's business plan prior to suspension. As I explained to the noble Lord during the Grand Committee debate on 20 July this was done to ensure that resources would be available in the event of early restoration. Resources will be reallocated during the year in the event of continuing suspension.
Northern Ireland Legislation: Definitions
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What the term "reflective of the community in Northern Ireland" (as used in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004) means; whether the term is the same as representative of the community in Northern Ireland; and how and in what way the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was representative of the community in Northern Ireland. [HL3134]
Baroness Amos: There is no statutory definition of "representative" or "reflective". The Secretary of State has a duty under Section 68(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to, as far as practicable, secure that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commissioners, as a group, are representative of the community in Northern Ireland.
The Government are satisfied that in making broadly-based appointments to the commission, they have fulfilled their duty under Section 68(3).
Northern Ireland Policing Board
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the Police Board for Northern Ireland requiring councils to add candidates for interview for District Police
- Partnerships, after the shortlisting process has been completed; and whether such a practice could properly be applied in all public appointment processes in Northern Ireland. [HL3289]
Baroness Amos: In accordance with paragraph 6(2) of Schedule 3 to the Police (NI) Act 2000 the Secretary of State may issue a code of practice containing guidelines as to the exercise by district councils and the Northern Ireland Policing Board of their functions in the nomination and appointments process for independent members of District Policing Partnerships. Under this code which issued in August 2002, and now Section 14 of Police (NI) Act 2003, the board shall secure that the board shall so far as practicable secure that the membership of the District Policing Partnerships is representative of the community in the council area.
In the case of the Dungannon and South Tyrone DPP the policing board decided to hold a supplementary competition to achieve a pool of appointable candidates for a DPP to be established that would be representative. This was no fault of the district council. Candidates from this supplementary competition are in addition to those nominated by the council to the policing board in December 2002.
Arrangements for other public appointments are governed by their respective codes of practice where appropriate and OCPA guidelines.
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