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Euro
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in light of the increasing usage of the euro as an international currency, they will commission an independent enquiry into future United Kingdom membership of the euro. [HL5194]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government's policy on membership of the single currency remains unchanged and is as set out by the Chancellor in his Statement to the House of Commons in October 1997 and again in the Chancellor's Statement on the five tests assessment in June 2003. The Chancellor announced in Budget 2006 that,
"the Government does not propose a euro assessment to be initiated at the time of this budget. The Treasury will again review the situation at Budget time next year",
as required by the Chancellor's June 2003 Statement.
Films: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
In each of the past five years as a percentage and in total, how much funding the Northern Ireland Film Commission has given to (a) films related to Irish culture; and (b) films related to Ulster-Scots culture. [HL4999]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The information requested by the noble Lord is not available. The Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFTC) does not categorise its funding by cultural tradition. From June 2005, NIFTC has administered the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund (ILBF), and this is the only programme that the NIFTC runs that has a specific cultural criterion attached to it. No film projects were funded from the ILBF in 2005–06.
Football: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 15 March (WA 241) concerning soccer in Northern Ireland, what changes in governance and administration they requested from the Irish Football Association; and whether those changes are being enacted. [HL4780]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): Her Majesty's Government requested the IFA to implement changes in the governance and administration of football recommended under the Soccer Strategy Advisory Panel report which was published by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in October 2001. These changes are currently being enacted.
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Grant Aid: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is standard policy in Northern Ireland for letters of offer for grant aid to be issued after an event has taken place; and, if so, whether all the grant-issuing bodies have been informed of the practice. [HL5109]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): It is not standard policy in Northern Ireland for letters of offer for grant aid to be issued after the event.
Hoses
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Crown Estate is exempt from any restriction on the use of hoses for watering gardens; and, if so, whether the Crown Estate board intends to comply with any such local restrictions on a voluntary basis. [HL5243]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Crown Estate is not exempt and is expected to comply with any such restrictions.
InterTradeIreland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the religious make-up of the employees of InterTradeIreland on 1 January in every year since its creation. [HL5112]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): InterTradeIreland was established in December 1999 and was staffed initially through the temporary secondment of civil servants from government departments, north and south. The information set out in the table below relates to the religious make-up of InterTradeIreland employees recruited subsequently to permanent posts through open competition starting in October 2000.
| Date | Number of staff | Roman Catholic | Protestant | Non-determined |
| 1 January 2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 January 2002 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 January 2003 | 34 | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| 1 January 2004 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 0 |
| 1 January 2005 | 38 | 31 | 6 | 1 |
| 1 January 2006 | 39 | 32 | 6 | 1 |
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether InterTradeIreland has been asked to repeat a recruitment advertising campaign due to an incorrectly formatted advertisement; and, if so, when; for what reason; and how much the repeat campaign cost. [HL5111]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): InterTradeIreland repeated an advertisement for its FUSION graduate placement programme in newspapers in Ireland and Northern Ireland in February 2005. This followed representations from the Irish Equality Authority, which considered that the wording of the original advertisement might have discouraged older otherwise qualified persons from applying for places on the programme. The cost of running the amended advertisement was £10,700.
NHS: Ambulance Service
Lord Rana asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to improve access to emergency ambulance services in Northern Ireland, particularly in remote rural areas. [HL5161]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has a range of plans in place to improve access to emergency ambulance services throughout the Province that take account of the particular needs of rural areas. They include the introduction of single-manned paramedic vehicles (rapid responders) capable of responding more quickly to an emergency and enable life-preserving treatment to be administered until a conventional ambulance arrives to transport the patient to hospital. The implementation of the advanced medical priority despatch system allows ambulance control to target resources to life-threatening calls and incorporates caller advice whereby callers are given advice on life-saving techniques until an ambulance arrives.
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has provided an additional £400,000 in 2006–07 to enable NIAS to secure additional deployment points to improve ambulance response times. NIAS is also working with a range of stakeholders, including the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, to introduce first and co-responder schemes whereby members of the public are trained in life-preserving first aid and can be called on in an emergency to stabilise a patient until an ambulance arrives.
Lord Rana asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) feasibility study, commissioned jointly by DHSSPS and the Department of Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland to assess the costs and benefits of any future all-Ireland helicopter emergency medical service, found no advantage for a dedicated HEMS in Ireland. Although the report concluded that the most feasible option for an air ambulance service would be in a non-emergency role, providing inter-hospital transfers for patients requiring specialist care, it did not make a recommendation to that effect.
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In its response to the report, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety indicated that it would give priority to the modernisation of ground services in order to improve emergency response times. The department continues to work with NIAS and the four health and social services boards to achieve that aim. An additional £400,000 has been provided in 2006–07 to enable NIAS to secure additional ambulance deployment points. Some £29 million of strategic investment programme funds have been earmarked to modernise and upgrade ambulance fleet, estate and communications systems.
NHS: Emergency Trauma Care
Lord Rana asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have proposals to centralise emergency trauma care for Northern Ireland at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. [HL5160]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) is consulting on a document, Improving Services for Major Trauma, which contains recommendations to improve trauma care. The document recommends that all patients who suffer major trauma, about 370 each year in Northern Ireland, should be admitted to the Royal Group of Hospitals, although appropriate resuscitation and stabilisation services would continue at the larger acute hospitals outside Belfast.
Following consultation, DHSSPS will issue definitive guidance to health and personal social services on the management of patients following major trauma.
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