This publication contains the written answers to questions tabled by Members. The content of the responses is as received at the time from the relevant Minister or representative of the Assembly Commission and has not been subject to the official reporting process or changed in any way.

Friday 08 February 2008

Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
Agriculture and Rural Development
Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education
Employment and Learning
Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Environment
Finance and Personnel
Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Regional Development
Social Development
Assembly Commission

OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

European Globilisation Fund

Mr F McCann asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what discussions it will have with members of the European Task Force, on its visit to Northern Ireland in December, regarding the demonstration of flexibilityin the application of the European Globilisation Fund in situations such as occurred in Limavady.

(AQO 1217/08)

The First Minister and deputy First Minister (Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness): We welcomed the visit by the Taskforce which followed on from the important work taken forward by both Junior Ministers when they visited Brussels on 22 November and the discussion between Junior Minister Paisley and Commissioner Hubner when they addressed the IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council in October. During the November visit the Junior Ministers were accompanied by a delegation of senior officials from a number of departments. The aim of the visit was to discuss priorities and develop ideas for increased participation in European opportunities and prepare the ground for the Taskforce visit.

The Taskforce’s visit represented an unprecedented opportunity for Northern Ireland. We also want to assure those workers in Limavady that we are doing everything that we can to minimise hardship. We will be exploring with the European Commission how they can help the Executive create an innovative and competitive economy.

The closure of Seagate in Limavady results from structural changes in world trade patterns. Changes which have created a cost gap compared with the company’s Asian competitors.

President Barroso proposed the European Globalisation Fund to help workers experiencing the negative consequences of globalisation. He intended it as a sign of solidarity from those benefiting from open trade to those who suddenly lose their jobs. The Fund was launched in January 2007 and provides one-off time-limited individual support to complement the actions of national governments.

The Executive wants to alleviate hardship as best we can and to help redundant workers find other jobs as quickly as possible. The Globalisation Fund can assist with job search provision, personalised retraining, promoting entrepreneurship, self-employment and special allowances.

Child Poverty Figures

Mr F Cobain asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the methods used to calculate child poverty figures.

(AQW 2735/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: The current UK Government pledge to eradicate child poverty is measured by a tiered approach, based on: a relative income poverty measure: an absolute poverty measure: and a mixed income and material deprivation measure.

(i) Relative income poverty: A child is defined as living in relative income poverty if the household in which he/she lives has an equivalised income that is less than 60% of the contemporary median income level for all households in the UK. Equivalisation is the process by which household income is adjusted to account for variation in household size and composition.

The median income is the mid point of all household incomes. In other words, if all household incomes were placed in order from lowest to highest then half of all households would have an income above the median amount and half below.

Household income in relation to the UK child poverty target is on a before housing cost basis. Household rates, which are treated as a tax in HBAI NI are deducted from household income on the before housing cost basis. Relative income child poverty can also be calculated on an after housing cost basis.

(ii) Absolute child poverty: This is a measure of whether the poorest families are seeing their incomes rise in real terms. The baseline year for the UK child poverty target is 1998/99. The 1998/99 UK median is adjusted year on year for inflation and a child living in a household with an income less than 60% of the 1998/99 median value adjusted for inflation is defined as living in absolute poverty.

(iii) Material deprivation and low income combined: This measure is defined as a lack of income and material deprivation. Material deprivation and low income combined provides a wider measure of people’s living standards. This measure is currently being developed by the Department for Social Development.

OFMDFM are currently examining the issue of poverty measures to ensure that the measures used are effective in identifying those most at need.

Integrated Development Fund

Ms J McCann asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the amount of money from the Integrated Development Fund which has been drawn down for projects approved in the area defined by the West Belfast and Greater Shankill Taskforce Report 2002.

(AQO 1499/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: To date, 15 projects in the West Belfast / Greater Shankill area have received offers of support from the Integrated Development Fund with a total commitment of £17.69m (£11.46m capital and £6.23m resource). The spend to the end of this financial year is forecast to be £8.1m (£2.3m capital and £5.8m resource.)

Bill of Rights

Mr J Shannon asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to provide an update on the Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland; and to detail the process for consultation.

(AQW 2832/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness:

Responsibility for developing proposals on a Bill of Rights rests with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission as it has the statutory authority to consult and to advise on a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights Forum will make recommendations on a Bill of Rights to the Commission and it in turn will make recommendations to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has no direct role in the development of proposals on a Bill of Rights.

EU Goods and Services Directive

Mr M Storey asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, pursuant to the answer to AQW 1827/08, if in considering the results of the consultation on implementing the European Union Goods and Services Directive, favourable consideration will be given to extending the exceptions to include (i) events organised by churches or religious organisations that take place away from the church precinct; (ii) commercial or charitable shops, cafes or other businesses organised by churches or religious organisations; and (iii) individuals working in the health professions who have religious or moral based conscientious objections to this Directive.

(AQW 2878/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Legislation to implement the European Union Goods and Services Directive is now being taken forward by the Government Equalities Office on a UK-wide basis. Decisions on policy proposals to implement the Directive will now be taken by UK Ministers. The public consultation responses and the committee’s consultations response have both been forwarded to that office to ensure that they are fully aware of issues raised.

Bill of Rights

Mr J Shannon asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister for its assessment of the concerns detailed in the December issue of the Church of Ireland Gazette, in relation to the Bill of Rights proposals for Northern Ireland.

(AQW 2945/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Responsibility for developing proposals on the Bill of Rights rests with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission as it has the statutory authority to consult and advise on a Bill of Rigths. The Bill of Rights Forum will make recommendations on a Bill of Rights to the Commission and it in turn will make recommendations to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has no direct role in the development of proposals on a Bill of Rights. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on this issue at this time.

Expenditure

Mr S Moutray asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the Office's total expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

(AQW 3137/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: The following table sets out the Department’s expenditure on hospitality and entertainment for each of the last five financial years:

Description	2002/03 (£)	2003/04 (£)	2004/05 (£)	2005/06 (£)	2006/07 (£)
Hospitality and Entertainment	149,993	93,703	63,974	71,599	78,523

Gender Equality

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail its plan to provide gender equality opportunities, in particular equality of opportunity for women in all sectors of society.

(AQW 3160/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: A plan to promote gender equality opportunities for women and men in Northern Ireland is set out in the Gender Equality Strategy 2006-2016. Copies of the Strategy are available in the Assembly Library. The Strategy can also be downloaded from the OFMDFM website at http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/genderequalitystrategy2006-2016.pdf. The implementation of the cross-departmental Gender Equality Strategy is one of the key actions of the Programme for Government, under Public Service Agreement (PSA) 7.

Meetings with MEPs

Mr A Ross asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) the number of meetings held with each of the 3 MEPs from Northern Ireland; and (ii) the purpose of these meetings, since the restoration of devolution in May 2007.

(AQW 3278/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: Since 8 May 2007, the First Minister, deputy First Minister and Junior Ministers have held one meeting with Mr Jim Nicolson MEP and one meeting with Ms Bairbre de Brún MEP. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss EU matters, including the Executive’s engagement with the EU and the establishment of the Barroso Taskforce. Ministers have written to Mr Allister offering him the opportunity to meet with them; however to date no meeting has taken place.

Ministers also met Ms de Brún at an event in the Office of the NI Executive Brussels (ONIEB), to which all three MEPs were invited, to mark the First Minister and deputy First Ministers’ trip to Brussels on 9 January 2008.

OFMDFM officials working in the Office of the NI Executive Brussels (ONIEB) have also attended various meetings with the MEPs since 8 May 2007, as detailed in the table below:

Date	MEP	Purpose
8 May 2007	Jim Allister	MEP met InvestNI and ONIEB official to be briefed on InvestNI inward investment efforts in Benelux and France.
15 May 2007	Jim Nicholson	Lunch meeting; general EU policy discussion and update.
12 June 2007	Jim Nicholson	ONIEB official in attendance at reception in EP to mark Sir Reg Empey’s visit, and dinner for various NI contacts.
13 June 2007	Bairbre de Brún	ONIEB official accompanied DEL Minister on courtesy call to MEP in Brussels.
3 July 2007	Jim Nicholson	Meeting to discuss general EU policy issues and update.
7 August 2007	Jim Allister	Meeting to discuss general EU policy issues.
10 October 2007	Jim Allister	ONIEB official accompanied DSD Minister to meeting with MEP for discussion on general policy issues.
22 November 2007	Jim Allister, Jim Nicholson and Bairbre de Brún (3 separate meetings)	Each MEP held a separate meeting with ONIEB officials and other NICS officials involved in European Commission Taskforce.
24 January 2008	Jim Allister, Jim Nicholson	MEPs attended InvestNI Aerospace celebration and reception at ONIEB. Attendance by a range of industry, EU Commission and diplomatic representatives.
30 January 2008	Jim Allister	MEP addressed group of visiting NICS staff at the ONIEB for the purpose of EU training.
31 January 2008	Bairbre de Brún	MEP addressed group of visiting NICS staff at the ONIEB for the purpose of EU Training.

Press Release

Mr G Savage asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the reasons why (i) references to ‘IRA Volunteer’ and ‘Active Service’ were included in a press release issued from the Northern Ireland Executive on Monday 28 January; and (ii) the press release was removed from the Northern Ireland Executive website on Tuesday 29 January 2008.

(AQW 3461/08)

Rt Hon I Paisley and Mr M McGuinness: This was not a Northern Ireland Executive press release. It was written by the Commissioners designate. As they had just been appointed and had no machinery for delivering press releases, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister as a matter of courtesy merely facilitated the Commissioners in disseminating their own statement.

There was never any intention of their statement appearing on the OFMDFM website and its publication on the website was an administrative error. Once this error was identified the Commissioners’ statement was removed from the site.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Rural Development Programme

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail what percentage of funds in relation to the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 will be allocated to cross-border projects.

(AQW 3046/08)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): A budget of £4,996,050, equating to 5% of the overall Axis 3 budget has been allocated to the Co-operation projects measure in the

Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007 – 13.

This Budget will cover all co-operation projects whether within Northern Ireland, Cross-Border, with other E.U. Member States or outside the European Union.

Rural Connect Advisors

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail what role the Rural Connect advisors will have in the implementation of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013.

(AQW 3047/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Rural Connect Advisers who played an important part in the delivery of the previous Rural Development Programme, are now known as Rural Enterprise Advisers. This term more accurately reflects their main current role which is supporting the development of new and existing diversified farm businesses. However, they continue to provide a communication and collaboration channel between DARD business areas and other agencies.

While the precise mechanism and responsibilities for each of the partners involved in the delivery of the new Rural Development Programme 2007-13 is still being developed, I expect the Rural Enterprise Advisers will continue to play a significant role. They will be engaging with stakeholders, communicating and explaining the measures, initiatives and schemes, and directing potential beneficiaries to the most appropriate programmes when they are open for application. In addition they will continue to provide support for those who plan to or have diversified their farm business.

Royal Navy

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the involvement of the Royal Navy in the enforcement of fishing regulations for the fishing industry.

(AQW 3084/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The primary role of the Fishery Protection Squadron of the British Royal Navy is enforcement of its national and EU fisheries legislation within its own national Fishery Limits. This is undertaken by three River class offshore patrol vessels and one Hunt class minesweeper under the direction of the Marine and Fisheries Agency operations room in London which will allocate tasking in the southern North Sea, English Channel, South West Approaches and the Irish Sea. Subject to availability these vessels may also be called upon to support the DARD Fisheries Inspectorate in their sea going enforcement work in the Irish Sea.

At sea the ships will monitor fishing activity and conduct inspections of fishing vessels of all nationalities by delivering qualified British Sea Fisheries Officers to a fishing vessel to examine the vessels’ catch, fishing gear and paperwork. In 2007 the Royal Navy spent 809 days at sea of which 81 were in the Irish Sea where they conducted 74 inspections of fishing vessels from the North.

Single Farm Payments

Mr W Irwin asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the payment schedule issued by her department for the payment of the 2007 Single Farm Payments.

(AQW 3094/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The timetable announced on 22 November 2007, in relation to the 2007 Single Farm Payment Scheme, set payment targets for December 2007 and January 2008, above the performance achieved in the previous year.

I am pleased to say that the pre-Christmas target of 79% was exceeded with 79.3% (30,925) of payments completed. By the end of December this had increased to 80.9% (31,575). This means that 1,659 more farmers received full payment in December 2007 than in December 2006.

The target of 83%, of payments to be completed in January 2008, has also been exceeded with a total of 85.7% (33,440) made. This means that 1,374 more farmers received full payment by the end of January 2008 than in the same period in 2007.

Rivers Agency

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of requests for help and assistance, made to the Rivers Agency, in relation to flooding over the Christmas and New Year period, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

(AQW 3114/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Rivers Agency received 10 requests for help and assistance in relation to flooding over the period 22 December 2007 to 2 January 2008. The Agency does not hold the information broken down by parliamentary constituency but is able to report by local Council area.

Derry City and District Council – 7 calls received, Coleraine Borough Council - 2 calls received and Down District Council – 1 call received.

Divisional Veterinary Office

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide details of those properties in Newtownards that are being considered as alternative sites for the relocation of the Veterinary Office.

(AQW 3143/08)

Ms M Gildernew: As the relocation of Newtownards Divisional Veterinary Office is a property related matter, this is a matter for DFP and not DARD.

Meetings with MEPs

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (i) the number of meetings she has had with each of the 3 Northern Ireland MEP's since May 2007; and (ii) the purpose of these meetings.

(AQW 3202/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Since May 2007, I have met once with Jim Nicholson MEP to discuss the problems facing the mushroom industry and other agricultural topics. I have met twice with Bairbre de Brun MEP in Brussels as part of my ongoing engagement with Europe. When in Brussels I have been pro active in seeking meetings with all our local MEPs.

Divisional Veterinary Office

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide an update in relation to the future of the Divisional Veterinary Office at Robert Street, Newtownards.

(AQW 3304/08)

Ms M Gildernew: As the closure of Newtownards Divisional Veterinary Office and its relocation is a property related matter, this is a matter for DFP and not DARD.

Red Meat Task Force

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide an update of the work carried out by her department in relation to the implementation of the recommendations of the Red Meat Task Force.

(AQW 3309/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Implementing the strategy will have major implications for the industry as a whole, requiring the main players to take on increasingly important roles for the industry. The Report identified actions for each of the main players and DARD is actively playing its part in implementing the Report’s recommendations.

I recently met with Commissioner Fischer Boel and took the opportunity to bring the findings of the Red Meat Task Force report to her attention. The difficulties facing the North’s red meat industry make it all the more important that we have a level playing field when it comes to competition by ensuring full decoupling of support across the EU and by ensuring that imports meet the same high standards as domestic production.

I have met with three of the major retailers with plans to meet another very soon, and wrote to them about the issue of rising costs for producers. While I have no direct influence over retail prices, I believe however, that lower prices for consumers should not mean lower prices for local producers.

The Report identifies models of production that could form the basis of sustainable production. The Task Force recently established two Working Groups, both led by DARD officials to consider (a) how best to target efforts to develop commercially viable models of beef production and (b) to scope practical options, linked to broader social and environmental considerations, which might support suckler beef and hill sheep farmers.

My Department is also looking at ways of assisting processors in identifying new and niche markets and working with them to identify and secure efficiency savings which can be passed along the supply chain to benefit all involved, including producers.

We will continue to play an active role in the work of the Task Force in developing more constructive relationships within the supply chain and I will continue to engage fully with all parts of that chain. The continuation of the Task Force work is vital in developing a cohesive plan for the future sustainability of our industry.

Rural Development Programme Fund

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (i) the commencement date; and (ii) proposed timetable, for the delivery of the £500 million Rural Development Programme Fund.

(AQO 1677/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013 received initial approval from the European Commission’s Committee on Rural Development on 24 July 2007 and was one of the first programmes to be approved. Formal European Commission approval was received on 27 September 2007.

Processing and Marketing under Axis 1 opened on 12 December 2007 and first payments are expected to be made in the autumn. The other measures under Axis 1 are planned to be open in the summer.

Under Axis 2 the 2007 Less Favoured Area Compensatory allowances have been paid and the First Afforestation and Forest Environment payments are underway.

The Axis 3 measures will be delivered through a partnership between Joint Council Clusters and new Local Action Groups. Work on establishment of the Joint Clusters has progressed well. Every Council has agreed at a full Council meeting to participate in a clustering arrangement. There will be 7 in all. These agreed Clusters are:-

Antrim, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey;
Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Larne and Moyle;
Ards, Banbridge, Down and North Down;
Armagh, Craigavon, and Newry & Mourne;
Magherafelt, Cookstown, Dungannon and Enniskillen;
Omagh, Strabane, Derry and Limavady; and
Belfast, Castlereagh and Lisburn.

The Joint Clusters must now animate their areas as a precursor to competitively selecting a Local Action Group (LAG) and programme funding is being made available to Joint Clusters for the express purposes of animating the various rural actors in the cluster area: the competitive selection of Local Action Groups; and for the development of Local Development Strategies. The Antrim, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey cluster (called GROW) is in receipt of animation funding and an invitation has issue to the Ards, Banbridge, Down and North Down cluster to submit an application for animation funding. It is hoped that invitations to 2 more clusters will issue shortly.

Local Action Groups are expected to be in operation by summer of this year and opening for calls.

Plant Health Strategy

Mr F Brolly asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to confirm whether or not the issue of an all-Ireland plant health strategy will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council agricultural sectoral meeting.

(AQO 1712/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I can confirm that I plan to have the issue of an all Ireland plant health strategy included on the agenda for the next North South Ministerial Council agricultural sectoral meeting.

My Department has now completed a plant health strategy for the North which includes a section on North/South co-operation consistent with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s (DAFF’s) plant health strategies. I envisage extending the scope of this document in partnership with DAFF, to encompass an all-island approach. I look forward to discussing these matters with my Southern colleagues at the next meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council agricultural sectoral meeting.

Whiterock Stream

Ms S Ramsey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the proposed drainage improvement scheme for Whiterock stream.

(AQO 1762/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Whiterock Stream is a tributary of the Blackstaff River therefore the proposed works will improve drainage in the Blackstaff catchment.

The proposed scheme on the Blackstaff River relates to the repair or refurbishment of a 20 metre masonry - arch culvert which passes under the Glen Road close to St Teresa’s Primary School. Emergency works were carried out in November 2005 after the collapse of the roof of the culvert which resulted in a collapse of the road surface itself and severe traffic disruption. The works now proposed will provide a permanent repair to prevent further collapse in what is a particularly busy thoroughfare.

It is proposed to re-line the culvert without excavating in the roadway or footpaths, thereby avoiding the difficulties presented by underground services and traffic management. This will effect cost savings and reduce disruption. Some excavation will be necessary within the grounds of the nearby primary school for access purposes but this is not expected to be extensive.

The works on the Whiterock Road stream will consist of the replacement of structurally defective 450mm culvert with 600mm diameter heavy duty reinforced concrete pipes. The works involve the excavation in roads and footpaths on both the Whiterock and Springfield Roads and are required to reduce the risk of flooding and liabilities due to the possible collapse of structurally defective pipelines.

Beef and Sheep Advisers

Mr A Bresland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of beef and sheep advisers offering advice to the farming community.

(AQO 1657/08)

Ms M Gildernew: My Department currently has 12 beef and sheep advisers offering advice to the farming community, (3 Senior advisers and 9 advisers). These staff, known as Beef and Sheep Development Advisers, are managed by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, (CAFRE) and are based at 10 DARD offices throughout NI.

Budget

Mr M McLaughlin asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the implications for her department of the Budget.

(AQO 1705/08)

Ms M Gildernew: DARD’s Budget Resource allocation is £233.5m/£237.8m/£244.7m which represents an increase of £14.6m/£25.0m/£37.7m on a roll forward of the 2007/08 baseline which represents increases of 2.9%, 1.3% and 2.9% respectively. The Resource settlement will enable DARD to continue to strive to achieve the vision and strategic goals set out in its 5 year Strategic Plan to 2011. DARD will continue to seek to improve performance in the market place through its people and business development programmes at CAFRE, the delivery of agri-food scientific programmes by AFBI and through the provision of processing and marketing grants.

Funding will be provided for the new NI Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) 2007-13 which includes a range of initiatives targeted at the farming industry and rural communities and improving the environment and countryside. The settlement will also fund a raft of rural development anti-poverty measures aimed at capacity building in rural areas and allow the enhancement of animal, fish and plant health and welfare by lowering animal disease levels through our TB/Brucellosis action programme and development of an All-Island Animal Health Strategy. DARD will be able to continue to seek to develop a more sustainable environment through further increasing the public and private forest area, the development of more sustainable fisheries and flood protection measures through the Rivers Agency.

DARD will also benefit from net Capital/Capital Grant allocations of £83.6m/£28.6m/-£171.0m. The year 3 allocation is net of a £200m receipt for the sale of land at Crossnacreevy. The allocations would allow DARD to fund all of its highest priority Capital pressures over the three years. However, they do not enable any Capital support to be provided to the industry to meet any proposals that may be forthcoming in respect of the Red Meat Taskforce report and Rivers Agency allocations fall short of what is required for flood alleviation and flood defence in 2009/10, 2010/11 by £1.2m and £1.1m.

Fishing Industry

Mr S Hamilton asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the financial assistance she will provide to the fishing industry following the outcome of the recent EU Fisheries Council.

(AQO 1736/08)

Ms M Gildernew: As I announced on 5 December 2007, fishermen will be able to avail of £25.5 million of financial assistance from the European Fisheries Fund later this year. This represents an investment of £12.76million from the EU which will be matched by a grant from DARD.

Funding will be available for all sectors of the industry – sea and inland fisheries, aquaculture businesses, producer organisations, and the processing and marketing sectors - as well as for fisheries areas. Eligible measures include support for the fishing fleet to become more fuel efficient, developing more sustainable fishing methods, safety, quality, aquaculture, ports and inland fishing.

My Department will shortly be issuing a consultation seeking views from stakeholders on how they wish to see this funding invested in support of the local fishing industry.

Genetically Modified Crops

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her department's policy in relation to the growing of genetically modified agricultural crops.

(AQO 1673/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland has the policy lead for GM food and feed issues, whilst the Department of the Environment leads on all aspects concerning the ‘deliberate release’ and cultivation of GMOs in the North of Ireland. The DOE has the statutory responsibility for the licensing of any GM trials, and recently consulted on the issue of co-existence. It is currently considering the responses.

There are currently no GM crops grown in the North. There are currently no GM crops approved for growing in the EC which would be suitable for our growing conditions. If a farmer wished to grow a GM crop in the future, they would have to apply to the Department of the Environment for a licence. If GM crops were to be grown in the North, DARD Quality Assurance Branch officials would be responsible for crop inspections.

Food Labelling

Mrs M O'Neill asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the progress made in relation to the issue of food labelling in the service sector.

(AQO 1707/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I can advise that my Department has responsibility for the labelling of beef, under EU Beef Labelling Regulations. These require all operators in the supply chain down to retail level, but excluding food service, to label their beef with traceability and origin information. DARD inspectors, along with local authority Environmental Health Officers, ensure that all beef on sale at retail level is correctly labelled with origin and traceability information.

My Department is working with key stakeholders on the development of a voluntary pilot scheme involving origin labelling of beef in a number of local restaurants. Extensive market research is also being carried out on the attitudes and preferences of local consumers. Although I haven't ruled out introducing legislation in this area, I do not want to add to the bureaucracy on the industry and this is why my Department is exploring the options under a voluntary scheme. The results of these studies will help inform future policy decisions relating to origin labelling of beef in the food service sector.

My officials are liaising with the South and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to learn from their experiences in this area. This will help to identify potential problems and focus effort on achieving a worthwhile outcome.

The labelling of other food products is the responsibility of the Foods Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA is currently consulting with industry on its revised country of origin labelling guidance which is aimed at helping manufacturers, producers, retailers and caterers to comply with the law and to encourage them to give more voluntary origin information in a helpful and informative way.

Projects in West Belfast

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail those projects in West Belfast, involving her department, that also involve the Water Service and the Environment and Heritage Service.

(AQO 1765/08)

Ms M Gildernew: My Department has no specific projects at present in West Belfast involving co-operation with NI Water formerly Water Service and DOE Environment and Heritage Service (EHS).

Rural Development Programme

Mr C Boylan asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide an update on the latest views of the oversight committee in relation to the establishment of delivery mechanisms for the new Rural Development Programme.

(AQO 1709/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The oversight committee, chaired by John Kelly has met on 2 occasions and has been given a full progress report by DARD Officials on the implementation of new delivery mechanisms for Axis 3. The Committee has also received copies of written procedures to be followed by the new structures in relation to setting up Local Action Groups and drawing up area rural development strategies. The Committee has indicated that it is content with progress to date. Another meeting is scheduled for early February.

Electronic Tagging

Mr J McCallister asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what plans she has to bring forward an electronic tagging system for cattle.

(AQO 1700/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Department has carried out a pilot trial of Electronic Identification and Data Transfer in a number of our meat plants in recent years. This trial has demonstrated that where there is a commitment to make it work, the technology is viable in a commercial environment. It also confirmed the feasibility of integrating the recording of animals’ presence in meat plants onto the APHIS system semi-automatically. Similar trials have been carried out in Great Britain, with similar results.

Among the benefits cited for integrated Electronic Identification and Data Transfer systems are reduced labour input, improved transcription of data, enhanced animal welfare through less stressful handling procedures, reduced risk of injury to animal handlers, and simpler inputs into farm management and bench-marking packages.

It is also commonly agreed however that electronic identification presents most benefits and may only be justifiable on economic grounds, where there is widespread uptake in the livestock production and marketing chain by the majority of cattle farmers, livestock markets and meat plants - as has occurred, for example, in Australia.

However, the Department has no powers to mandate the use of electronic identification for cattle, as this is not provided for in European Law, which at present requires two visibly readable eartags in each bovine animal.

The Department is however providing substantial technical input into a cross-industry body which has been set up to explore the possibilities of moving to electronic identification of cattle here on a voluntary basis. It is expected that this group will report in the near future.

Forest Service Land

Mr B Armstrong asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the criteria used in deciding to dispose of Forest Service land at Pomeroy, to facilitate a proposal by Pomeroy Community Development Limited.

(AQO 1696/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The decision to dispose of 0.9 hectares of land at Pomeroy Forest was taken following the granting of outline planning permission for the land to be used for an Enterprise Park. The scale of the proposed disposal does not prejudice any strategic Forest Service interest in Pomeroy Forest. The sale of the land is subject to obtaining the best value for its proposed use, as determined by Land and Property Services, the receipt of any timber compensation costs and the completion of contracts.

CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

Hospitality Expenditure

Mr S Moutray asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the department's total expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

(AQW 3152/08)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr E Poots): The information requested is set out below.

	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
DCAL	£36,055.66	£21,408.68	£22,259.89	£28,392.79	£29,081.28
PRONI	£3,279.19	£2,742.18	£1,252.33	£2,963.24	£948.16
OSNI	£24,378.00	£30,024.00	£30,620.00	£33,642.00	£28,455.00
TOTAL	£63,712.85	£54,174.86	£54,132.22	£64,998.03	£58,484.44

Intercultural Exchang

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to the answer to AQW 2305/08, what consideration he has given to the participation of Northern Ireland in the European Year of Intercultural Exchange.

(AQW 3172/08)

Mr E Poots: DCAL has disseminated information about the Year of Intercultural Dialogue to its NDPBs and other outside agencies.

Irish Language Act

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to confirm whether or not he, or his department, invited the Orange Order to make a submission to the consultation process for an Irish Language Act; and to detail the individuals and organisations that he, or his department, specifically invited to make a submission on this matter.

(AQW 3206/08)

Mr E Poots: The 1^st consultation was launched on the 13^th December 2006 under Direct Rule Ministers, with the 2^nd consultation launched on the 13^th March 2007, also under Direct Rule Ministers. As stipulated in the Department’s Equality Scheme these public consultations are drawn to the attention of Section 75 groups and to the general public through advertising in the Irish News, The Newsletter and The Belfast Telegraph. Neither I, nor my departmental officials invited any particular individual or interest group to make a submission to this public consultation.

Political Representation

Mr D McClarty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the political representation present at a meeting in Stormont on 22 January 2008 at which the Minister, members of the Milk Cup organizing committee, North Derry/Londonderry farmers, Coleraine Football Club, and Coleraine Borough Council were present to discuss the long term future of the Milk Cup.

(AQW 3258/08)

Mr E Poots: The following political representatives were present at the meeting on Tuesday 22^nd January 2008 in Parliament Buildings:

The Mayor of Coleraine Borough Council

Alderman Maurice Bradley (DUP - Coleraine East)

Councillor Adrian McQuillan MLA

Coleraine Borough Council (DUP - Bann) and MLA for East Londonderry

Alderman George Robinson MLA

Limavady Borough Council (DUP – Limavady Town) and MLA for East Londonderry

Comprehensive Spending Review

Dr S Farry asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail (i) his department's bids in relation to the Comprehensive Spending Review; and (ii) the amount of funding that has been allocated against them in the Budget 2008-11.

(AQW 3302/08)

Mr E Poots: Tables 1 & 2 attached provides the list of resource and capital bids submitted to the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) in relation to the Comprehensive Spending Review. Tables 3 & 4 attached provides the Budget 2008-11 funding allocated to the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure across the objective and spending areas. The Budget 2008-11 settlement was such that DFP did not specifically approve or reject bids but acknowledged that it was appropriate to increase the total funding available to DCAL to discharge its functions.

Salmon Catches

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the number of salmon recorded caught in Northern Ireland rivers in (i) 2005; (ii) 2006; and (iii) 2007.

(AQW 3347/08)

Mr E Poots: Please see below estimated total catch figures for salmon caught in rivers in Northern Ireland in 2005 and 2006. The 2007 salmon catch is still being collated and will not be validated until 6 March 2008.

Year	Total NI Rod Catch
2005 2006	5732 4340

Salmon Catches

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the number of salmon recorded caught in the sea in (i) 2005; (ii) 2006; and (iii) 2007.

(AQW 3348/08)

Mr E Poots: Please see below estimated total catch figures for salmon caught in the sea off Northern Ireland in 2005 and 2006. The 2007 salmon catch is still being collated and will not be validated until 6 March 2008.

Year	Total NI Net Catch
2005 2006	16006 8548

Salmon Catches

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what steps he is taking to address the fall in the numbers of salmon caught in rivers and lakes.

(AQW 3415/08)

Mr E Poots: The Department implements a salmon management plan drawn up by fisheries scientists and drawing on findings from the River Bush salmon research project. The core concept of the plan is to establish spawning targets at a river and regional level. The central aim of management is to ensure that in most rivers in most years sufficient adult salmon are spawning to maximise output from freshwater. Index rivers are monitored and where levels are not being attained the problems are researched and possible remedial measures are proposed.

Management measures over recent years have included a voluntary buyout of commercial fisheries, regulation of commercial fishing and angling exploitation, and both direct and indirect funding and implementation of habitat protection and restoration programmes.

A management strategy dealing with the decline in populations of salmon for the period 2008 - 2012 is nearing completion and shall be submitted to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) shortly.

Colmcille Organisation

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to confirm the date on which his department, and its counterparts in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, will transfer the Colmcille organisation to Foras na Gaeilge and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

(AQW 3455/08)

Mr E Poots: Bórd na Gáidhlig is already responsible for administering the Scottish Government’s funding for Colmcille. I am still considering the position of transferring the DCAL portion of Colmcille’s funding to Foras na Gaeilge therefore no date has yet been agreed for the transfer to take place. Any decisions regarding the transfer of funding will have to be agreed and ratified not only by the Sponsor Department Ministers but also Finance ministers, north and south and by the North South Ministerial Council.

Steering Group

Mr N McCausland asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to list the members of the Gaeltacht Quarter Steering Group; and to detail (i) the number of meetings of the Steering Group; and (ii) the dates on which they were held.

(AQW 3460/08)

Mr E Poots: The current membership of the Gaeltacht Quarter Steering Group is as follows,

Name	Organization
Cllr Michael Browne	Belfast City Council
Noel Cornick	Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Michael Flannigan	Foram Gnó
Teresa Holland	West Belfast Partnership Board
Cllr William Humphrey	Belfast City Council
Colin Jackson	The Royal Group of Hospitals
Edgar Jardine	Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Ciarán Mackel	Forbairt Feirste
Micheál Martin	St Mary’s University College
Jake MacSiacais	Forbairt Feirste
Tony McCusker	An Ceathrú Gaeltachta Teo (Chairman)
Janet Muller	Pobal
Eimear Ni Mhathúna	Cultúrlann / An Ceathrú Gaeltachta Teo
Seán Ó Cearnaigh	Foras na Gaeilge
Mark O’Donnell	Department of Social Development
Sean Paul O’Hare	Féile and Phobail
Philib Ó Ruanaí	Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíchta
Patrick Savage	The Planning Service
Liam Stone	Pobal

An information session for members of the Gaeltacht Quarter Steering Group was held on 25^th January 2007 and the inaugural meeting of the Group took place on 25^th October 2007. No further meetings have taken place.

Less Popular Sports

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action he is taking to promote activity in less popular sports.

(AQW 3477/08)

Mr E Poots: Responsibility for promoting activity in individual sports rests with the relevant governing bodies. However, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in partnership with Sport Northern Ireland (SNI), is currently developing a new ten year Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation. The purpose of the Strategy is to promote activity in all sports in Northern Ireland. It is hoped that a final Strategy will be ready later this spring.

Irish Rugby Football Union

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to confirm outline the equality and inclusiveness policies that were required to be submitted by the Irish Rugby Football Union before funding was provided to it, in each of the last 10 years.

(AQW 3525/08)

Mr E Poots: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. Before funding is provided, Ulster Rugby is required to submit to SNI an equity policy for approval as appropriate to current legislation. This condition has been applied by SNI since 2000.

Equality and Inclusiveness

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the penalties that Sport NI can impose on an organisation that it has provided with funding, but which does not operate and comply with equality and inclusiveness policies.

(AQW 3526/08)

Mr E Poots: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. If an applicant is successful in receiving funding from SNI, they will be issued with both general and specific terms and conditions relating to the award. These terms and conditions include a requirement to submit to SNI an equity policy for approval as appropriate to current legislation. SNI reserves the right to withhold/clawback funding should an applicant fail to adhere to these terms and conditions.

Rugby Funding

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail whether or not (i) the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU); or (ii) the Ulster Branch of the IRFU, are currently in discussions with his department in relation to future funding; and to detail (a) the purpose of the funding; (b) the amount of funding; (c) the equality implications to be considered; and (d) how the equality implications will be monitored.

(AQW 3527/08)

Mr E Poots: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and Sport Northern Ireland (SNI), which is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding, have met with Ulster Rugby at its request to discuss the possibility of future funding. During these meetings Ulster Rugby indicated that the purpose of the funding being sought is to ensure the sustainability of its community rugby programme. Ulster Rugby is currently preparing a business case to SNI for this funding. It will not be possible to confirm the amount of funding or consider the equality implications until the business case is completed. Any equality implications which may arise will be monitored in accordance with the relevant Equality Commission for Northern Ireland guidance.

Building Projects at Ravenhill Rugby Ground

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, pursuant to his answer to AQW 2483/08, whether or not he will provide copies of all documentation in relation to this funding, including business cases and equality impact assessment reports, to the Assembly Library.

(AQW 3535/08)

Mr E Poots: Sport Northern Ireland is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. However, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure will review what documentation it may hold in relation to this funding with a view to placing any relevant material in the Assembly Library.

Irish Rugby Football Union

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to confirm whether or not his department has provided funding to the Irish Rugby Football Union to assist in the creation and remuneration of posts within the organisation, during the last ten years; and to provide details of (i) the nature of the posts that were funded; and (ii) the precise dates when this funding was provided.

(AQW 3563/08)

Mr E Poots: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. Details of posts receiving exchequer funding from SNI and dates of duration of award are set out in the tables below:-

Investing in Sport Programme (2003 to 2006)

Duration of Award	Total Award Value (£)	Posts Funded
1/4/03 – 31/3/04	18,750.00	Domestic Rugby Development Manager
1/4/03 – 31/3/04	20,600.00	Club/Volunteer Development Manager
1/4/04 – 31/3/05	19,750.00	Domestic Rugby Development Manager
1/4/04 – 31/3/05	20,250.00	Club/Volunteer Development Manager
1/4/05 – 31/3/06	22,479.17	Domestic Rugby Development Manager
1/4/05 – 31/3/06	23,045.00	Club/Volunteer Development Manager

Investing in Governing Body Plans (2006 to 2009)

Duration of Award	Total Award Value (£)	Posts Funded
1/9/06 – 31/3/07	11,465.00	Club/Volunteer Development Manager
1/4/06 – 31/8/06	11,117.00	Domestic Manager
1/4/07 – 31/3/08	19,860.00	Club/Volunteer Development Manager
1/4/08 – 31/3/09	20,573.00	Club/Volunteer Development Manager

Community Rugby Programme (2005 to 2008)

Duration of Award	Total Award Value (£)	Posts Funded
1/4/05 – 31/3/06	300,000.00	1 Youth Dev Manager 1 Women’s Rugby Dev Officer 1 Referee’s Dev Manager 20 Development Officers (P/T) 11 Community Rugby Dev Officers
1/4/06 – 31/3/07	600,000.00	As above plus 1 Registration Officer
1/4/08 – 31/3/08	600,000.00	As above plus 1 P/T Administrrator and 1 Development Officer Manager

Sports Stadium Safety Programme

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (i) to outline how the draft budget will impact on the Sports Stadium Safety Programme; (ii) how much of the £30 million investment recommended by the Scott Report in 1997 has been made; (iii) how much is available for investment in the 2008-2011 period; and (iv) to outline the implications of failing to make the recommended improvements.

(AQO 1740/08)

Mr E Poots: The Stadia Safety Programme is financed and administered by Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) which is responsible for the development of sport including the distribution of funding. The funding allocation for sport recently announced in the budget for 2008/2011 should allow SNI to continue its Stadia Safety Programme. Up to 31 December 2007 SNI has made full awards of £4,411,222 under this programme.

The recently approved capital budget for sport is £31.2m in 2008/09, £36.4m in 2009/10 and £44m in 2010/11. We are currently in discussions with SNI about the allocation of this budget including the amount to be allocated for the improvement of safety at sports grounds.

The Scott Report, completed in April 1996, was a review of the legislative controls for health and safety at sports grounds in Northern Ireland. Whilst it made recommendations for improvements it did not make recommendations on the level of investment required to improve safety standards at sports stadia here.

The implications of failing to make the improvements recommended in the Scott Report will mean that the safety arrangements at our larger venues will fall short of recognised guidance and levels of safety and spectator comfort here will be considered below those enjoyed in the rest of the UK.

2012 Olympic Games

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to provide an update on funding for the Elite Facilities Capital Programme for the 2012 Olympic Games.

(AQO 1718/08)

Mr E Poots: In March 2006, the then Minister for Sport, David Hanson MP announced that approximately £50m had been provisionally allocated for high priority sports infrastructure projects.

Since then, two separate competitions have been held, seeking expressions of interest from anyone interested in developing elite Olympic and Paralympic facilities in Northern Ireland.

The 2008/2011 Budget provides circa £145m for all sport including £111.6m for capital funding. We are currently in discussion with Sport Northern Ireland about the allocation of the capital budget and planning for the delivery of the Elite Facilities Programme.

It is still my objective that Northern Ireland will have a minimum of 10 new or upgraded facilities that will support Northern Ireland player/athlete development in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

2012 Olympic Games

Mrs M Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, further to the reduction in the allocation of funding for Olympic Centres of Excellence, to confirm whether or not his department will meet its target to deliver 10 Olympic Centres of Excellence.

(AQO 1781/08)

Mr E Poots: In March 2006, the then Minister for Sport, David Hanson MP announced that approximately £50m had been provisionally allocated for high priority sports infrastructure projects.

Since then, two separate competitions have been held, seeking expressions of interest from anyone interested in developing elite Olympic and Paralympic facilities in Northern Ireland.

It is still my objective that Northern Ireland will have a minimum of 10 new or upgraded facilities that will support Northern Ireland player/athlete development in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Irish and Ulster-Scots Spending

Mr M Storey asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the anticipated levels of spending by his department on (i) Irish; and (ii) Ulster Scots in each of the next three years.

(AQO 1661/08)

Mr E Poots: The anticipated levels of funding from my Department for the next three years in relation to Irish and Ulster-Scots are as follows:-

	08-09	09-10	10-11
Ulster Scots
Ulster-Scots Agency	£2.542 m	£2.769 m	£2.996 m
Proposed Ulster-Scots Academy	£2.4 m	£4.295 m	£2.738 m
Totals	£4.942m	£7.064m	£5.734m
Irish
Foras na Gaeilge	£3.594 m	£3.666 m	£3.738 m
Irish Language Broadcast Fund	£3 m	-	-
Colmcille	£0.2 m	£0.2 m	£0.2 m
Gaeltacht Quarter(Integrated Development Fund)	£0.728 m	£0.133 m	£0.133 m
An Gaeláras	£0.863 m**	-	-
Totals	£8.385 m	£3.999 m	£4.171 m

*projected expenditure over four year period June 2007 to June 2010

**includes £0.5m IDF allocation

Promotion of Healthy Lifestyle Initiatives

Mr P Doherty asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the work of the (i) Gaelic Athletic Association; (ii) Irish Rugby Football Union; and (iii) Irish Football Association, in promoting physical health, wellness and lifestyle initiatives.

(AQO 1790/08)

Mr E Poots: The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Irish Football Association (IFA) are responsible for the promotion and development of the sports of Gaelic Games, Rugby Football and Association Football respectively. All three organisations run a range of programmes that are designed to encourage as many people as possible to take up their sports on a regular basis. These include:-

Grass-roots youth programmes to encourage more young people (boys, girls, people with disabilities) to develop basic movement skills and take up Gaelic, Rugby and Soccer on a regular basis

Coaching development and club accreditation programmes

Partnerships with schools, colleges of further education and district councils to promote their sports across the whole community and to encourage individuals to join Gaelic, Rugby and Soccer clubs

In the case of the GAA, the development of a health and wellness programme for members and partnership with the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity to promote the screening of young people for heart defects

All of these programmes in my view contribute significantly to the public health agenda by encouraging people of all ages to take up healthy sporting activities on a sustained and regular basis.

Library Opening Hours

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to provide details on the possible reduction of opening hours for libraries in Belfast.

(AQO 1773/08)

Mr E Poots: I understand that the Belfast Education and Library Board is currently considering the delivery of library services for next year, and one option includes a possible reduction in opening hours for libraries in Belfast.

Since the draft budget I have secured an additional £500k for the public library service which will be distributed across the five Boards. Boards will shortly be notified of their individual allocations.

Boards are responsible for balancing competing priorities and determining how best to deliver public library services from within available resources.

Unlocking Creativity Initiative

Mr S Gardiner asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the micro businesses that have been developed as a result of the Unlocking Creativity Initiative, in the past three years.

(AQO 1716/08)

Mr E Poots: Under the Unlocking Creativity initiative, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure operated a Creativity Seed Fund from 2001/2 to 2003/04 and during that time 21 awards of financial support were made to businesses.

Since the end of the Creativity Seed Fund in March 2004, the Department has had no funding streams to support the development of businesses.

Therefore, I am now pleased to have secured an allocation of £5m from the Innovation Fund for a Creative Industries Seed Fund for the three years 2008/09 to 2011/12 to help grow the creative industries.

One Book Project

Mr M Brady asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to report on the One Book Project that is being promoted by the Library Service.

(AQO 1778/08)

Mr E Poots: The ‘One Book Project’ is a Community Reading Project which aims to encourage reading and awareness of the Public Library Service across Northern Ireland amongst all age groups. The object is to get as many people as possible to read one particular book and to participate in related activities.

This year the chosen book is "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" by John Boyne. The scheme has been very successful with 5000 people having borrowed the book from Public Libraries by December 2007.

Unlocking Creativity Initiative

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the educational attainment outputs that have resulted from the Unlocking Creativity Initiative, in the past three years.

(AQO 1715/08)

Mr E Poots: Under the Unlocking Creativity initiative, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has provided financial support for innovative educational projects undertaken by Creative Youth Partnerships and the three Creative Learning Centres - the Nerve Centre, Studio On and the AmmA Centre.

The Education and Training Inspectorate have evaluated both of these programmes and conclude that they produce work of a very high quality in supporting and encouraging creativity across the school curriculum.

The Department of Education is embedding Creativity in the revised school curriculum, and this is being introduced on a phased basis from September 2007.

Being Creative is one of the other skills which are statutory from Foundation to Key Stage 4 and which will be developed across the curriculum within the various areas of learning.

Through the implementation of the FE Means Business Strategy, the Department for Employment and Learning supports the "Unlocking Creativity" initiative and is working to embed creativity, employability, adaptability and entrepreneurship in all aspects of the Further Education curriculum. Over 100 courses in creativity-related subjects are now offered across Northern Ireland’s FE sector.

Between 2003/04 and 2005/06 (academic years) the number of qualifications being obtained in the Northern Ireland FE sector in ‘creative’ subjects has increased by 77%, with significant increases in entry level and level 1 qualifications.

The Nerve Centre in partnership with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, has developed the GCE AS and A2 Level in Moving Image Arts, which is the first public examination in the UK to be examined entirely on-line. Provisional results for 2007 indicate that of the 241 AS entries, 72.2% achieved A-C grades and of the 116 A2 entries, 86.2% achieved A-C grades.

Craft Development Unit

Mr F Cobain asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (i) to outline the work of the Craft Development Unit over the past four years; (ii) to detail the amount of money the Craft Development Unit has accessed from the creativity seed fund since 2002; and (iii) to detail the number of craft businesses that have resulted from the activities of the Craft Development Unit.

(AQO 1728/08)

Mr E Poots: The Craft Development Unit was formally constituted as Crafts Development Northern Ireland in August 2004. It began operating as Craft Northern Ireland on 1 June 2005. Craft NI is the regional development agency for the craft sector.

One of its key initiatives is its business incubation programme Making It which provides business advice and practical support to promote sustainability in craft businesses. Craft NI also provides professional development opportunities, research and industry intelligence and showcases local crafts at international exhibitions. Craft NI has also published "A Future in the Making", combining a socio-economic survey of the craft sector and an advocacy document on why the crafts matter.

Craft NI has not received any funding from the Creativity Seed Fund. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure provided Craft NI with £32,510 in 2005/06 to assist with costs associated with a move to new premises. Its current programmes are funded primarily by the Arts Council and Invest NI.

Craft NI’s Making It programme has helped to support the establishment of 19 new craft businesses.

Belfast Festival

Mr P Butler asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the basis for the funding he is proposing to give the Belfast Festival at Queens, over the next three years.

(AQO 1772/08)

Mr E Poots: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure will be providing the following funding for Belfast Festival at Queen’s over the next three years:

Year	Amount
2008/09	£125,000
2009/10	£100,000
2010/11	£ 75,000

These amounts have been determined following consideration of the three year business plan for the festival submitted to the Department by the Queen’s University of Belfast.

Music Industry Commission

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the financial assistance he has provided to the Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission in the last three years.

(AQO 1783/08)

Mr E Poots: In 2006/07 the Arts Council awarded the Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission (NIMIC) £30,000 through the Rediscover Northern Ireland Programme.

In 2007/08 the Arts Council awarded NIMIC £20,000 through its Arts Development Fund.

The Arts Council has also provided lottery funding to NIMIC amounting to £140,610 over the 3 year period 2005/06 to 2007/08.

The Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure has agreed to provide £20,000 to NIMIC to showcase Northern Ireland music talent at the International exhibition, South by South West in Austin, Texas in March 2008.

EDUCATION

Classroom Assistants

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of people employed as classroom assistants in (i) 2003/2004; (ii) 2004/2005; (iii) 2005/2006; and (iv) 2006/2007, broken down by Education and Library Board.

(AQW 2263/08)

The Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane): The five Education and Library Boards (the Boards) have provided the following information on the number of classroom assistants employed at 1 January each year since 2003. The information relates only to classroom assistants employed by the Boards and therefore excludes those employed by the Boards of Governors of Voluntary Grammar Schools, Grant Maintained Integrated Schools and grant-aided Irish Medium Schools.

Board	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Belfast Board	696	714	757	863	977
Western Board	892	968	1099	1126	1225
North Eastern Board	952	1088	1210	1250	1291
South Eastern Board	1182	1304	1365	1334	1282
Southern Board	1083	1298	1467	1474	1572
TOTAL	4805	5372	5898	6047	6347

Primary School at Carrick

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Education to give a timescale for the commencement of construction of the new primary school at Carrick, Warrenpoint.

(AQW 3056/08)

Ms C Ruane: A submission from the school’s consultants setting out the contract document information and costs is still awaited by the Department. In addition, it is likely that the acquisition/vesting of the additional land required for the new school will not be completed until later in the spring. As a result it is anticipated that it would be late spring or summer before construction work could start on site.

School Closures

Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) the number of (a) primary; and (b) post-primary, school closures in the Western Education and Library Board area, in each of the last 5 years; and (ii) the pupil enrolment in each school, at the time of closure.

(AQW 3099/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Primary Schools

In the last five years, 2003 to 2007 inclusive, five primary schools and a preparatory department at a voluntary grammar school were closed in the Western Education and Library Board area.

Primary School Closures

SCHOOL	DATE OFCLOSURE	ENROLMENT IN YEAR OF CLOSURE
Earl of Erne PS, Enniskillen	August 2003	13
Maydown & Strathfoyle PS	August 2003	47
St Joseph’s PS, Fintona	August 2003	7
Foyle & Londonderry College Prep. Dept.	August 2003	9
St Mary’s PS, (Laught), Drumquin	August 2003	10
Stragowna PS, Kinawley	August 2003	15

In addition, in 2005, three primary schools amalgamated to form Cooley Primary School.

Primary Schools Closed Due to Amalgamations

SCHOOL	DATE OF AMALGAMATION	ENROLMENT
Dervaghroy PS, Sixmilecross	Feb 2005	22
Hutton PS, Beragh	Feb 2005	29
Sixmilecross PS	Feb 2005	91

Dungiven Controlled Primary School was also closed in August 2007, as the first phase of an amalgamation with Burnfoot and Largy Primary Schools. Its enrolment was 17.

Post-Primary Schools

Over the five year period, two post-primary schools were closed.

Post-Primary School Closures

SCHOOL	DATE OF CLOSURE	ENROLMENT
Templemore Sec. School	August 2003	152
St Joseph’s High School (HS), Plumbridge	August 2007	85

There have also been three amalgamations involving seven schools. In Derry, Clondermot High School and Faughan Valley amalgamated to form Lisneal College; in Fermanagh, the Duke of Westminster High School and Enniskillen High School amalgamated to form Devenish College; and in Strabane, St Colman’s High School, Our Lady of Mercy High School and Convent Grammar School amalgamated to become Holy Cross College.

Post-Primary Schools Closed Due to Amalgamations

SCHOOL	DATE OF AMALGAMATION	ENROLMENT
Clondermot HS	August 2004	637
Faughan Valley HS	August 2004	449
Duke of Westminster HS, Kesh	August 2004	174
Enniskillen HS	August 2004	591
St Colman’s HS, Strabane	August 2005	686
Our Lady of Mercy HS, Strabane	August 2005	300
Convent Grammar, Strabane	August 2005	595

Note: The enrolments are from the October School Census for the relevant school year.

Qualifications Passes

Mr R Newton asked the Minister of Education to confirm the number of GCSE and A-level qualifications passes achieved by pupils in (i) Northern Ireland; (ii) England; (iii) Scotland; and (iv) Wales, in the 2006/2007 academic year.

(AQW 3177/08)

Ms C Ruane: The latest available fully validated data for the North of Ireland relates to the 2005/06 academic year. Data relating to the 2006/07 academic year for the North of Ireland will be available at the beginning of March and will be placed on the Department’s website as in previous years.

	Number of pupils achieving 1 or more GCSEs (or equivalent) at A*-G	Percentage of pupils achieving 1 or more GCSEs (or equivalent) at A*-G	Number of pupils achieving 2 or more A levels (or equivalent) at A-E	Percentage of pupils achieving 2 or more A levels (or equivalent) at A-E
North of Ireland	23,985	97	11,477	98
England	631,580	98	167,159	96
Wales	36,217	93	10,076	94
Scotland	58,693	96	n/a¹	n/a¹

1. In Scotland, there are no direct equivalents to the number of pupils achieving 2 or more A levels at grades A-E.

Meetings with MEPs

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) the number of meetings she has had with each of the 3 Northern Ireland MEP's since May 2007; and (ii) the purpose of these meetings.

(AQW 3199/08)

Ms C Ruane: To date, I have not attended any meetings with any of the 3 local MEP’s nor have I been invited to do so.

Free School Meals

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister of Education to detail the discussions she has had with the Social Security Agency to address the issue of the non-take up of free school meals.

(AQW 3228/08)

Ms C Ruane: The Education and Library Boards, who are responsible for the award of free school meals, are in regular contact with the Social Security Agency as part of the ongoing process of encouraging eligible pupils to take up their entitlement to free meals.

In addition, the Department of Education and the Boards have had preliminary discussions with the Agency regarding the provision of electronic access to the Department of Work and Pensions’ Customer Information System which holds data on people in receipt of the relevant qualifying benefits. This would facilitate the more efficient processing of free school meals applications and allow Boards to target those who do not come forward to apply for entitlement.

Early Years Centre

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of Education to confirm whether or not funding will be provided for the I Can Early Years Centre, Ballynahinch, in 2008-2009; and to detail what actions she is taking to ensure the long term stability of the service.

(AQW 3236/08)

Ms C Ruane: The I Can Early Years Centre, which is attached to Ballynahinch Primary School, is funded jointly by the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. The Department of Education provides no direct funding for the Centre and any decision on the future of the Centre lies with SEELB.

The Chief Executive of SEELB has informed me that SEELB is engaged in high level discussions with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust regarding funding for I CAN for the 2008/09 financial year.

Independent Integrated Secondary Schools

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Education to detail what precedent exists to permit an Education and Library Board to provide financial support to Independent Integrated secondary schools.

(AQW 3260/08)

Ms C Ruane: Education and Library Boards have no legislative power to provide financial support to independent schools.

The current location of Rowallane Integrated College is in temporary accommodation on a leased site at Belvoir Park Hospital Estate. The South Eastern Education and Library Board has not provided any monies in preparing the site.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board has not invested any monies in the school in the past three years. The school is funded by the Integrated Education Fund.

Rowallane Independent Integrated College

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) the current location of Rowallane Independent Integrated College; and (ii) the amount invested by the South Eastern Education and Library Board in preparing this site.

(AQW 3261/08)

Ms C Ruane: Education and Library Boards have no legislative power to provide financial support to independent schools.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board has not invested any monies in the school in the past three years. The school is funded by the Integrated Education Fund.

Rowallane Independent Integrated College

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Education to detail the amount invested by the South Eastern Education and Library Board in Rowallane Independent Integrated Secondary School, in the past three years.

(AQW 3262/08)

Ms C Ruane: Education and Library Boards have no legislative power to provide financial support to independent schools.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board has not invested any monies in the school in the past three years. The school is funded by the Integrated Education Fund.

South Eastern Education and Library Board

Mr J Craig asked the Minister of Education to confirm whether or not she is planning to meet with the former members of the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

(AQW 3365/08)

Ms C Ruane: In the interests of local accountability it would be appropriate that the members of the SEELB Board should resume their former responsibilities. However, it is essential to ensure that there would be no return to the difficulties which the Commissioners inherited when they were appointed in July 2006 and that the stability which has since been achieved is sustained.

I have undertaken, as a first step, to meet with a delegation of Board members to confirm their readiness to take up their former responsibilities and to deliver those effectively. I plan to schedule the meeting in the near future.

Pay Dispute

Mr G Savage asked the Minister of Education to provide an update on the classroom assistants' pay dispute; and to detail the dates on which the relevant business cases were delivered to her department by the Education and Library Boards.

(AQW 3373/08)

Ms C Ruane: A collective agreement on the Management Side offer was reached at a meeting of the Joint Negotiating Council on 30 November 2007, through a unanimous vote on the Management Side and a majority vote on the Trade Union Side. While NIPSA voted against the proposed offer, under the Constitution of the JNC, the Agreement is binding on the Boards. I am advised that the rules and Constitution of the JNC have been agreed by all parties, including NIPSA. Letters were sent to all classroom assistants by their respective Boards in December 2007 explaining the terms of the agreement and inviting their acceptance by 31 March 2008.

A draft business case relating to the change to historical terms and conditions was submitted to the Department in October 2007 and the final business case was received on 6 December 2007.

Classroom Assistants

Mr P McGlone asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of classroom assistants, who are members of each relevant trade union, in relation to the recent ballot on industrial action.

(AQW 3421/08)

Ms C Ruane: I am advised by the education and library boards that they do not have the information requested. The boards are aware only of the numbers who opt to pay their trade union subscriptions through the payroll system, but this does not take account of those members who pay their subscriptions by direct debit. It is solely each trade union which can confirm its actual membership.

EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Staff Undergoing Disciplinary Procedures

Mr S Moutray asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, pursuant to his answer to AQW 2326/08, what comparison he has made of (i) the totality of disciplinary cases resulting from unacceptable sickness records across all Government departments, including Executive agencies; and (ii) the percentages of total staff across all departments, including Executive agencies, who fall within the scope of his reply.

(AQW 2849/08)

The Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey): The Department for Employment and Learning does not routinely compare the total figures and percentages of disciplinary cases resulting from unacceptable sickness records across all other departments and their Executive agencies. The answer to AQW 2326/08 indicated that the apparent disparity between the figures for DEL and for other departments as presented in the response to AQW 1629/08 can be explained because Executive Agency figures, with the exception of DARD, were not included, and the figures were not presented in terms of percentages of total staff falling within the scope of the replies. All Government departments apply the same policies and procedures relating to managing attendance and DEL monitors the level of warnings and dismissals applying to its own staff. Each disciplinary case is considered in its own context and circumstances against the guidance set out in the NICS policies and procedures.

Information Technology Students

Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of part-time post-graduate students enrolled in information technology courses at (i) Queen's University, Belfast; and (ii) each campus of the University of Ulster.

(AQW 3021/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The number of part-time post-graduate students enrolled in information technology courses at (i) Queen's University, Belfast; and (ii) each campus of the University of Ulster in 2006/07 is shown in the table below.

Queen’s University, Belfast		60
University Of Ulster	Belfast Coleraine Jordanstown Magee	0 5 80 15
Total		155

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency

Notes: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Due to rounding, the sum of numbers do not match the total shown.

Seagoe Technologies

Mr J O'Dowd asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what actions he is taking to support workers affected by the loss of 40 jobs at Seagoe Technologies back into employment; and to detail the support his department is offering to Seagoe Technologies in securing the other 300 jobs at the plant.

(AQW 3111/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Department has contacted Seagoe Technologies Ltd and will assist those who receive redundancy notices to find alternative employment. The Department, in partnership with the Social Security Agency and other organisations, will provide information and advice on employment opportunities, job search, training and education options, careers and benefits. This will be provided on-site if required.

Invest NI, which has had a long association with Seagoe Technologies, is working with senior management on a number of issues directly related to the future of the plant. These include enhancing manufacturing efficiency through lean manufacturing and business improvement techniques, together with investigation and development of new products to widen the company’s product range with a focus on high energy efficiency and renewable technologies.

Bursaries

Miss M McIlveen asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of students in Northern Ireland who are not claiming bursaries from their universities.

(AQW 3187/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Bursaries are awarded based on the student’s residual household income. Students must therefore have applied to have income assessed through the relevant Education and Library Board (ELB) and consented for the details of this assessment to be shared with the relevant institution via the Student Loans Company. Should this information be withheld by the student or their sponsor, it is not possible for the institution to determine the student’s eligibility for a bursary. As such it is difficult to provide accurate statistics in relation to the number of students who may have failed to fully complete this process. Students are not required to apply for bursaries since they are awarded automatically, based on the rules that each university has set up with the Student Loans Company.

Available statistics for the academic year 2006/7 show that 1,074 students at Queen’s University had received full or half bursaries of £1100 or £600. An additional 299 students were entitled to £100 Sports & Books bursaries. At the University of Ulster, 981 students had been awarded bursaries of £1020, £610 or £305 in the same academic year.

Meetings with MEPs

Mr A Ross asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) the number of meetings he has had with each of the 3 Northern Ireland MEP's since May 2007; and (ii) the purpose of these meetings.

(AQW 3200/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Since taking Ministerial office, I have held one meeting with Jim Nicholson MEP, and one with Bairbre de Brún MEP.

Both meetings took place during a visit to the European Parliament in June 2007, and discussion centred on DEL’s relationship with the European Parliament.

I have not held any meetings with Jim Allister MEP.

'Essential Skills'

Ms C Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of programmes for 'Essential Skills' in literacy and numeracy that are being supported by his department, within the community and voluntary sector in North Belfast.

(AQW 3284/08)

Sir Reg Empey: There are currently 21 courses for ‘Essential Skills’ in literacy and numeracy being delivered within the community and voluntary sector in North Belfast. A further three courses are planned to commence shortly.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Dr S Farry asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) his department's bids in relation to the Comprehensive Spending Review; and (ii) the amount of funding that has been allocated against them in the Budget 2008-11.

(AQW 3305/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The information requested by the Member has been placed in the Assembly Library.

'Training for Success'

Mr D O'Loan asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the amount of the additional resources, allocated in the draft Budget statement on 22 January 2008 for further education, that will be spent on 'Training for Success'.

(AQW 3333/08)

Sir Reg Empey: I can confirm that no resources from the Further Education allocation will be spent on Training for Success.

Night Class Enrolments

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the numbers enrolled in night class courses in the East Derry/Londonderry constituency, broken down by campus, in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 3389/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Enrolments on night class courses in Further Education Colleges

located within the East Londonderry Constituency from 2001/02 to 2005/06 are detailed below

Academic year	Causeway Institute	Limavady College	Total
Academic year	Causeway Institute	Limavady College	Total
2001/02	2,699	2,075	4,774
2002/03	3,036	1,979	5,015
2003/04	1,788	2,011	3,799
2004/05	2,868	1,993	4,861
2005/06	3,159	2,271	5,430

Source: Further Education Statistical Record

Note: Breakdown at individual campus level is not available. Whilst the main Causeway Institute campus is located within the East Londonderry Constituency, the totals include a proportionately small number of enrolments attending outreach centres delivered by this institute outside this constituency.

Apprenticeships

Mr A Ross asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the average wage for apprentices who are (i) under 21 with less than 6 months' experience; (ii) under 21 with more than 6 months' experience; (iii) over 21 with less than 6 months' experience; and (iv) over 21 with more than 6 months' experience.

(AQW 3391/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Under Training for Success (the Department for Employment and Learning’s Apprenticeship training scheme), all apprentices are employed from the outset by individual employers. Apprentices are remunerated by their individual employers and the level of remuneration is as agreed between the apprentice and the employer. The Department does not keep information on the average wage for apprentices.

Information Technology Graduates

Mr T Elliott asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to give his assessment of the scale of current excess demands by employers for information technology graduates and technicians.

(AQW 3429/08)

Sir Reg Empey: It is not possible to provide an accurate assessment of the current gap between the demand and supply of information technology graduates and technicians. Employer demand varies throughout the year depending on current vacancies and covers a wide range of occupations including software developers, computer engineers and operations technicians.

While it is not therefore possible to provide an accurate snapshot of the current position, information is available at a strategic level about the skills shortage issues facing the ICT industry in Northern Ireland.

The process of identifying skills shortages and developing plans of action to address such shortages is led by a network of 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). E-skills UK, as the SSC for the IT and Telecoms industry, is the voice of employers for all IT-related strategic skills issues in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

In March 2007, E-skills produced a comprehensive analysis of current skills supply in Northern Ireland’s IT sector and outlined a series of actions to address the issues identified.

In the context of that analysis it is estimated that 1610 new entrants are needed each year to replace those leaving the IT workforce -this demand is currently met from a variety of sources including new graduates, people moving from other sectors and those returning to the workforce. They also identified a need for an additional 360 new recruits each year to support the predicted growth of the sector.

Their analysis and plan of action was produced in conjunction with a number of partners including employers, Momentum (the ICT Trade Federation for Northern Ireland), Department of Education, education providers, InvestNI and my Department.

To complement this activity, DEL has also established a Future Skills Action Group for the ICT Sector. This group is made up of representatives of industry, other Government departments, E-skills and Momentum.

As a result of the workings of this group, DEL is currently leading the development of an action plan focused on the short term needs of the sector, in particular the shortage of appropriately qualified IT professionals. This plan is being developed in partnership with E-skills, Momentum and InvestNI.

Match Funding

Ms M Anderson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail what action his department will take to assist projects, successful in securing European Social Fund (2007-2013) funding, in securing Match Funding; to confirm whether or not his department can contribute to the Match Funding from non- European funding streams; and to confirm whether or not his department has initiated any dialogue with other departments or bodies, to secure Match Funding.

(AQW 3595/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Northern Ireland European Social Fund (NIESF) Programme 2007-13 will provide projects with 65% programme funding, made up of 40% from EU Funds and 25% contribution from my Department. The remaining 35% ‘match funding’ must be secured independently from other public sources by the project promoters. This is the same procedure used for previous ESF Programmes.

My Department’s role in the process is to advise other Departments of successful applications and thereby alert them to the opportunities for match funding. It would not be appropriate for my officials to become involved directly in discussions between project promoters and potential providers of matched funding.

My Department may contribute to match funding when a project meets specific policy objectives of the Department.

Grants for the Long-Term Unemployed

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the grants available to train the long-term unemployed in traditional trades.

(AQW 3636/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Training for Success is the Department for Employment and Learning’s apprenticeship scheme for young people aged 16-24. Under this provision, technical and professional frameworks are developed by Sector Skills Councils, to address the skills needs of that particular sector. If an apprenticeship framework is developed by a Sector Skills Council which includes a particular trade, then the Department will fund the provision of training for an apprentice in that trade.

Within the New Deal programmes, participants may have the opportunity to undertake an NVQ Level 2 in certain occupational areas which reflect employers’ skills needs and/or job vacancies. All employers recruiting New Deal participants qualify for a subsidy of up to £75 a week, for the first six months of employment.

ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Tourism Funding

Mr D Hilditch asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the tourism funding his department has provided in the East Antrim constituency in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 2936/08)

The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Mr N Dodds): The East Antrim constituency area forms a key part of the Causeway Coast and Glens Signature Project, one strand of which is the Causeway Coast and Glens Tourism Masterplan which provides the overarching tourism strategy for the area.

The financial assistance in the table below has been offered by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Invest NI in the last three financial years to tourism projects wholly within the East Antrim constituency.

2005/06	2006/07	2007/08 to date	Total
£219,000	£130,000	£102,250	£451,250

In addition, the East Antrim constituency area benefits from a significant element of funding which is allocated to the Signature Project area in general. This includes £410,807 spent on the Causeway Coastal Route in 2006/07 an