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.

NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY

Friday 20 June 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

Funding for Community and Voluntary Groups

Ms Ní Chuilín asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister how many community and voluntary groups it is currently funding; the amount of funding given to each project; and where these projects are based.

(AQW 7312/08)

The First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness):

Information on the number of community and voluntary groups to which OFMDFM currently provides funding, the amount of funding given to each project and where these projects are based is provided in the table below.

Additional information on the period in financial years over which the funding is provided and on the impact of the reach of some of the projects has also been provided in the table.

NAME OF PROJECT	AMOUNT OF FUNDING	PERIOD FUNDING COVERS	WHERE BASED	IMPACT
174 Trust	£44,000	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Ballynafeigh Community Development Association	£33,745	2008-2009	Belfast	South Belfast
Belfast Interface Project	£65,403	2008-2009	Belfast	Belfast-wide
Centre for Contemporary Christianity in Ireland	£42,268	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Community Relations Forum	£32,525	2008-2009	Newtownabbey	Local
Corrymeela Community	£132,088	2008-2009	Belfast / Coleraine	Multiple
Downtown Women’s Group / Women into Politics	£20,077	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
The Fermanagh Trust	£29,588	2008-2009	Enniskillen	Local
Groundwork NI	£27,755	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Institute for Conflict Research	£31,701	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Interaction Belfast	£56,534	2008-2009	Belfast	West Belfast
Intercomm	£24,218	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
The Junction / Holywell Trust	£86,773	2008-2009	Derry	Multiple
Kilcranny HousE	£27,474	2008-2009	Coleraine	Local
LINC Resource Centre	£78,769	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Mediation Northern Ireland	£123,106	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
The Nerve Centre	£17,118	2008-2009	Derry	Multiple
North Belfast Interface Network / Ashton Community Trust	£80,098	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
PAKT (Lurgan)	£27,901	2008-2009	Lurgan	Local
Partisan Productions	£24,000	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Peace & Reconciliation Group	£87,729	2008-2009	Derry	Multiple
REACT	£37,582	2008-2009	Armagh	Local
Rural Community Network	£41,417	2008-2009	Cookstown	Multiple
Suffolk / Lenadoon Interface Group (SLIG)	£12,725	2008-2009	Belfast	Local
TIDES (Training)	£42,400	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Tinderbox Theatre Company	£18,073	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Trademark	£60,000	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Ulster People’s College	£27,454	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
Workers’ Education Association	£46,783	2008-2009	Belfast	Multiple
North Belfast Advice Partnership	£124,261	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Rathcoole Community Empowerment Partnership	£103,769.92	2008-2009	Newtownabbey	North Belfast
Upper Ardoyne Community Empowerment Partnership	£65,852.	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Upper North Belfast Community Empowerment Partnership	£112,476.56	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
North Belfast Developing Leadership Community Empowerment Partnership	£157,806.60	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Greater New Lodge Community Empowerment Partnership	£108,129.57	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Greater Greencastle Community Empowerment Partnership	£81,504.12	2008-2009	Newtownabbey	North Belfast
Greater Ballysillan Community Empowerment Partnership	£67,803.48	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Citizen Youth Community Empowerment Partnership	£66,772.64	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Ardoyne Marrowbone Community Empowerment Partnership	£109,379.31	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Cliftonville Community Empowerment Partnership	£113,918.01	2008-2009	Belfast	North Belfast
Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Sexual Sector (LGB Sector), administered by the umbrella body Coalition on Sexual Orientation	£230,000	2007-2009	Belfast.	Multiple
AN MUNIA TOBER	£45,000	2008-2009	WEST BELFAST	Belfast-wide service
AN MUNIA TOBER – REGIONAL	£45,000	2008-2009	WEST BELFAST	Multiple
BALLYMENA INTER-ETHNIC FORUM	£45,000	2008-2009	BALLYMENA	LOCAL
BELFAST ISLAMIC CENTRE	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
CHINESE WELFARE ASSOCIATION	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
CRAIGAVON INTERCULTURAL PROGRAMME	£45,000	2008-2009	CRAIGAVON	Local
EAST BELFAST INDEPENDENT ADVICE CENTRE	£38,000	2008-2009	EAST BELFAST	Local
KILCRANNY HOUSE	£45,000	2008-2009	COLERAINE	Multiple
MULTI-CULTURAL RESOURCE CENTRE	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
NICEM	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
NICRAS	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
OLD WARREN PARTNERSHIP	£31,000	2008-2009	LISBURN	Local
POLISH ASSOCIATION NI	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
SEEDS	£45,000	2008-2009	NORTH WEST	Local
SOUTH BELFAST PARTNERSHIP BOARD	£45,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Local
STEP	£45,000	2008-2009	DUNGANNON	South Tyrone, Dungannon and beyond
WAH HEP	£45,000	2008-2009	CRAIGAVON	Local
YOUTHACTION NI	£45,000	2008-2009	NEWRY	Local
ARTSEKTA	£15,000	2008-2009	GREATER BELFAST	Multiple
AN MUNIA TOBER	£15,000	2008-2009	WEST BELFAST	Multiple
BELFAST ISLAMIC CENTRE	£15,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
FEILE AN PHOBAIL	£15,000	2008-2009	WEST BELFAST	Local
MULTI CULTURAL RESOURCE CENTRE	£15,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
MORNINGTON COMMUNITY PROJECT	£15,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Local
ST PATRICK’S CONFERENCE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY	£15,000	2008-2009	ARMAGH	Local
VOLUNTARY SERVICE BUREAU	£15,000	2008-2009	SOUTH BELFAST	Multiple
Aisling Centre	£163,439.94	2003-2009	Fermanagh
Ashton Centre	£190,111.44	2003-2009	Belfast
Ballymurphy Women’s Centre	£139,900.98	2003-2009	Ballymurphy
C.A.L.M.S	£279,468.34	2003-2009	Londonderry
Contact Youth	£179,225.86	2003-2009	Belfast
Corpus Christi Services	£281,181.47	2003-2009	Belfast
Cunamh	£346,515.85	2003-2009	Londonderry
Derry Well Woman	£170,821.09	2003-2009	Londonderry
F.A.I.R	£337, 837.55	2003-2009	Markethill
F.O.D.D.D	£189,011.64	2003-2009	Belfast
Firinne	£263,018.06	2003-2009	Lisnaskea
H.A.V.E.N	£160,842.27	2003-2009	Belfast
ICPD	£164,970.24	2003-2009	Belfast
Koram Centre	£301,049.28	2003-2009	Strabane
Lenadoon Community Counselling Project	£165,056.11	2003-2009	Belfast
Lifeline	£38,750.00	2003-2009	Lurgan
Lifeways Psychotherapy Counselling Centre	£225,139.27	2003-2009	Londonderry
M.A.S.T	£93,680.39	2003-2009	Kilkeel
Make Your Mark	£172,402.57	2003-2009	Londonderry
New Life Counselling Service	£132,778.40	2003-2009	Belfast
Nexus Institute	£81,667.56	2003-2009	Belfast
NI Music Therapy Trust	£161,983.73	2003-2009	Belfast
NOVA Project	£564,231.11	2003-2009	Portadown
Regimental Association of UDR	£180,860.74	2003-2009	Coleraine
Relatives for Justice	£545,675.77	2003-2009	Belfast
S.A.V.E.R./N.A.V.E.R	£292,238.91	2003-2009	Markethill
S.E. Fermanagh Foundation	£281,259.73	2003-2009	Lisnaskea
Shankill Stress and Trauma Group	£394,204.21	2003-2009	Belfast
South Down Action for Healing Wounds	£261,565.69	2003-2009	Rathfriland
Springhill Community House	£196,039.93	2003-2009	Belfast
Streetbeat Youth Project	£201,110.13	2003-2009	Belfast
Survivors of Trauma	£280,165.13	2003-2009	Belfast
Tara Centre	£332,626.18	2003-2009	Omagh
The Cross Group	£29,240.00	2003-2009	Belfast
The ELY Centre	£303,926.28	2003-2009	Enniskillen
The Wider Circle	£175,411.99	2003-2009	Belfast
United Services Club Victims Survivors Group	£152,163.27	2003-2009	Londonderry
VAST	£263,901.43	2003-2009	Belfast
WAVE Trauma Centre, Armagh	£278,148.40	2003-2009	Armagh
WAVE Trauma Centre, Ballymoney	£205,479.58	2003-2009	Bellymoney
WAVE Trauma Centre, Belfast	£430,642.01	2003-2009	Belfast
WAVE Trauma Centre, Omagh	£251,659.61	2003-2009	Omagh
WAVE Trauma Centre, Londonderry	£320,820.73	2003-2009	Londonderry
West Tyrone Voice	£369,969.58	2003-2009	Newtownstewart
Omagh Self Help and Support Group	£213,607.61	2003-2009	Omagh
HURT	£261,487.99	2003-2009	Lurgan
Ex-Servicemen (Combat Stress)	£238,640.37	2003-2009	Belfast
RUC Families	£15,000	2003-2009	Belfast

Financial Cost of Division

Dr Farry asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what conclusions have been drawn from the report of Deloitte and Touche into the financial cost of the Northern Ireland divide (i) on the Department's work; and (ii) in relation to potential efficiency savings.

(AQW 7441/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: As stated previously, the research was commissioned by the previous administration on 29th March 2006 and was conducted and finalised during direct rule.

The interpretation of and commentary on the datasets contained in the report represent the views of Deloitte and not us nor the Executive. The report does not form an agreed basis for future policy development.

Departmental Vehicles

Mr Savage asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister how much it has spent on fuel for vehicles it (i) owns; and (ii) leases.

(AQW 7730/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: As the Department does not own or lease any vehicles it has not incurred any expenditure on fuel for vehicles.

Departmental Vehicles

Mr Savage asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister how many cars it (a) owns; and (b) leases, and for each car, its (i) make and model; (ii) engine size; (iii) type of fuel used; (iv) fuel efficiency; and (v) purpose.

(AQW 7731/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: The Department does not own or lease any cars.

Sustainable Development Targets

Mrs D Kelly asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) why no measures are being taken against those Departments who failed to meet Sustainable Development targets; and (ii) have any steps been put in place to help Departments meet Sustainable Development targets.

(AQW 7735/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: OFMDFM does not have legislative powers to take measures against departments for failure to achieve legacy sustainable development targets. However, through our Sustainable Development Unit, we are engaging co-operatively with all departments in working towards the development and delivery of suitable sustainability goals.

It is intended that in developing a new Sustainable Development Strategy and associated Plans, OFMDFM will consider all options for ensuring the effective delivery of the sustainable development programme and any Sustainable Development targets that arise from it.

Changing Times Stormont Paper

Mrs D Kelly asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister why the Changing Times Stormont paper has not been published, who was responsible for the delay in its publication and what is the cost of its publication to date.

(AQW 7870/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: There have been internal discussions in OFMDFM on the possibility of a publication to mark the work of the Executive to date.

Some drafts had been produced for Ministers to consider. However, we have not yet taken any decision in relation to any possible content. Therefore no copies of a publication have been printed.

Capital Realisation Taskforce

Mr Beggs asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister to list all assets and their estimated value, that have been identified by the Capital Realisation Taskforce for sale, to enable reinvestment in alternative public infrastructure.

(AQW 7904/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: We regret that we are unable to provide the information that you have requested. Publication of this information would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interest of the public sector as owner of the assets identified in the report Capital Realisations Taskforce in any future sale processes that may take place.

Capital Realisation Taskforce Report

Mr Shannon asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister what progress has been made following publication of the Capital Realisation Taskforce Report.

(AQO 4141/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: As recommended in the Capital Realisation Taskforce Report, a Central Assets Realisations Team (CART) is being created. Recruitment for key posts is underway and specialist advisory services to support the work of the Team have been procured and are operational.

An interim programme director for CART has been working for a number of months to undertake critical tasks until the permanent team is in post to help ensure delivery of its targets for realisation of assets in the Budget.

Cost of Financial Division

Dr Farry asked the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, further to its answer to AQW 7106/08, for the cost implications of responding to individual requests for copies of the Deloitte Touche report into the financial cost of the Northern Ireland divide compared to the cost of placing the document on the OFMdFM website.

(AQW 7982/08)

Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: There are very minimal administrative costs associated with the provision of electronic versions of the Deloitte Touche report. Since August 2007 only 27 requests have been received and responded to by the Community Relations Unit.

Agriculture and Rural Development

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what progress is being made on measures to deal with bovine tuberculosis, particularly on vaccination and husbandry.[R]

(AQW 7657/08)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms M Gildernew): Recent developments within the TB programme include the use of supplementary blood testing where appropriate and enhanced movement restriction regimes.

At present, there is no vaccine against bovine TB available to use as part of our programme. Work is currently underway in Britain and in the South on vaccination against bovine TB. The South is looking at vaccination of badgers, whereas Britain is looking at both the vaccination of cattle and badgers. My Department will continue to maintain contact with, and where appropriate seek to collaborate with, this work.

An information package titled "TB In Your Herd" is available on the internet and each herdkeeper has been sent a copy of the "Biosecurity Code". Both contain preventative husbandry advice. In addition, each breakdown herd is contacted by a Veterinary Officer who gives preventative husbandry advice specific to the farm in question.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of the badger population carrying bovine tuberculosis.

(AQW 7658/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The most recent information of bovine TB in the badger population

available is from the Badger Road Traffic Accident Survey. In this survey, badgers found dead at a road side may be collected for examination.

Within this survey 18% of badgers were found on post mortem examination to have bovine tuberculosis.

However it is not possible to draw, with certainty, any conclusions on the whole badger population due to the natural limitations of the survey.

My staff are currently assessing the feasibility a disease prevalence

survey in badgers that should provide a more complete picture of the whole population in future.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what consideration she has given to the recommendations within Sir David King's report, which included a controlled badger cull in affected areas, in an attempt to eradicate tuberculosis.[R]

(AQW 7659/08)

Ms M Gildernew: On foot of the Badger Stakeholder Group’s work, my Department has a number of actions underway which are aimed at gathering information to better inform decisions relating to badgers and the control of TB in cattle in the North. One of these actions is an assessment of the available evidence in relation to the role of badgers in bovine TB. This assessment will consider Sir David King’s report, alongside the other available evidence. The aim of this work is to assess the significance of the available evidence to the situation in the North and to inform an appropriate course of action here, including whether it is appropriate to run a pilot badger management strategy (which may include the removal or vaccination of badgers). I expect that this work will be concluded shortly.

I will give full consideration to the conclusions of this work, and to what the Badger Stakeholder Group has said in its report, before coming to a decision on the way forward.

As the badger is a protected species, any decision to intervene in badger populations will also require the agreement of the Environment Minister.

Radioactivity Monitoring

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what level of radioactivity monitoring is carried out by her Department around the Irish Sea and across Northern Ireland.

(AQW 7663/08)

Ms M Gildernew: My Department routinely monitors radioactivity levels in milk and milk products on behalf of the Food Standards Agency. A range of monitoring of radioactivity in food and the environment is undertaken by other Departments and Agencies.

Departmental 2006 Consultation

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development when she intends to make publicly available an analysis of the responses to the Departmental 2006 consultation on animal health and welfare.

(AQW 7676/08)

Ms M Gildernew: As I said in my previous written answer to the Member on 14 March 2008, the Department consulted on proposals for new animal welfare legislation in late 2006 and, as this consultation was carried out under a different administration, I want to take time to consider the responses.

In order to ensure that any legislative proposals introduced here will provide the necessary protection for animals, I am continuing to meet animal welfare groups to discuss their views on the current legislative position.

I have asked my officials to finalise a report that will summarise the outcome of the responses to the 2006 consultation, and in doing so to reflect on the position in Britain and emerging legislative developments in the South.

Publication of the final analysis of the responses to the 2006 consultation, and the specific provisions of any new legislation, will therefore depend on my detailed consideration of the report on the 2006 consultation and on the outcome of my on-going meetings with stakeholders.

With regard to animal health, the Department consulted on a draft Diseases of Animals Bill earlier this year. The purpose of the Bill is to update existing legislation aimed at protecting and improving our animal health status through enhanced disease prevention, biosecurity and control measures. The Bill will provide flexibility to deal quickly and effectively with a disease outbreak in accordance with any relevant EU requirements. It will also enable policies to be introduced reflecting current and future developments in research and technology to trace and combat disease.

I was encouraged by the broad support for the Bill’s objectives and acceptance of the need for a more effective framework to deal with animal diseases in the future.

I hope to introduce the Bill to the Assembly for initial consideration before the summer recess. At that stage a summary of the consultation responses will be available on the Department’s website.

Animal Health and Welfare Bill

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what plans she has to introduce an Animal Health and Welfare Bill.

(AQW 7677/08)

Ms M Gildernew: I have asked my officials to finalise a report that will summarise the outcome of the responses to a 2006 consultation on proposals for new animal welfare legislation, and in doing so to reflect on the position in Britain and emerging legislative developments in the South. I am also meeting a number of animal welfare groups to hear their views on what new legislation may be required.

While the specific provisions of any new legislation will depend on my detailed consideration of the report and on the outcome of my on-going meetings with stakeholders, I have asked that my officials submit animal welfare legislative proposals to me by the end of the year.

With regard to animal health, the Department consulted on a draft Diseases of Animals Bill earlier this year. The purpose of the Bill is to update existing legislation aimed at protecting and improving our animal health status through enhanced disease prevention, biosecurity and control measures. The Bill will provide flexibility to deal quickly and effectively with a disease outbreak in accordance with any relevant EU requirements. It will also enable policies to be introduced reflecting current and future developments in research and technology to trace and combat disease.

I was encouraged by the broad support for the Bill’s objectives and acceptance of the need for a more effective framework to deal with animal diseases in the future.

I hope to introduce the Bill to the Assembly for initial consideration before the summer recess.

Agri-Food Bioscience Institute in Hillsborough

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for a breakdown of the annual running costs of the Agri-Food Bioscience Institute in Hillsborough.

(AQW 7689/08)

Ms M Gildernew:

The 2007 annual running costs of AFBI Hillsborough (one of the seven AFBI sites) are as follows:

Staff costs (industrial and non-industrial) £2.4m

Other direct costs: consumables, fertilisers, etc. £0.4m

Rates, water, cleaning, security, maintenance, etc £0.7m

Lease (paid to DARD) £0.3m

Utilities: Electricity, gas, oil £0.2m

 

Total £4.0m

Departmental Vehicles

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how many cars are currently (i) owned; and (ii) leased, by her Department; what is the (a) make; (b) model; (c) engine size; (d) fuel type; and (e) purpose, of each of these cars; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model.

(AQW 7705/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The following table details the number of cars currently owned by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development including the make, model, engine size, fuel type and purpose of each car.

Number of Cars Owned	Make of Car	Model of Car	Engine Size	Fuel Type	Purpose of Car	Fuel Efficiency
3	Vauxhall	Combo	1686cc	Heavy Oil	Fisheries Inspectorate Fleet Vehicle – Inspection and Monitoring	25-30 miles per gallon
1	Ford	Ranger 4x4	2499 cc	Heavy Oil	Fisheries Inspectorate Fleet Vehicle – Inspection and Monitoring	25-30 miles per gallon
1	Toyota	Landcruiser	2982cc	Heavy Oil	Fisheries Inspectorate Fleet Vehicle – Inspection and Monitoring	25-30 miles per gallon
1	Toyota`	Landcruiser Amazon	4164cc	Heavy Oil	Fisheries Inspectorate Fleet Vehicle – Inspection and Monitoring	25-30 miles per gallon
1	Citreon	Synergie 1.9TD	1905cc	Heavy Oil	Fisheries Inspectorate Fleet Vehicle – Inspection and Monitoring	35-40 miles per gallon

Departmental Vehicles

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how much money has been spent on fuel for vehicles (i) owned; and (ii) leased, by her Department, since devolution.

(AQW 7712/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and its Agencies has spent £675,822 on fuel for vehicles (includes cars, vans, jeeps/landrovers, minibuses, boats, and plant machinery etc) that are owned and leased by the Department since 8 May 2007. It is not possible to separate fuel expenditure for owned and leased vehicles.

Cattle in Ballymena and Larne

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how many cattle in Ballymena and Larne areas have tested positive for brucellosis as a result of the thirty day test.

(AQW 7747/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Premovement testing was introduced in the North in December 2004 to comply with the requirements of EC Animal Trade Directive 64/432/EEC.

Since then, in the Ballymena division there have been 2 reactors disclosed at premovement testing with 324 animals giving inconclusive results.

In Larne division since 2004 there have been no reactors disclosed at premovement testing and 337 animals giving inconclusive results.

Cattle in Ballymena and Larne

Mr T Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the number of cases of brucellosis in the (i) Ballymena area; and (ii) Larne area, in 2007.

(AQW 7748/08)

Ms M Gildernew: (i) In 2007, Ballymena division had 5 herds with serological reactors. None of the reactors were confirmed as being infected with Brucella abortus on bacteriological culture.

(ii) In 2007, Larne division had 9 herds with serological reactors. Four of the herds had animal(s) which were confirmed as being infected with Brucella abortus on bacteriological culture.

Welfare of Circus Animals

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what legislation exists to protect the welfare of circus animals while they are at their 'winter quarters'; how many inspections were carried out over the past five years, and what the findings of these inspections were.

(AQW 7760/08)

Ms M Gildernew: My Department’s role in circuses is currently very limited. Part III of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 1972 protects all animals from unnecessary cruelty or suffering. There are, however, no specific provisions on the welfare of animals in circuses.

DARD does not have powers of entry to circuses, and therefore has no authority to inspect circus animals at their ‘winter quarters’. No routine inspections have been carried out. However, if a welfare complaint is received regarding a circus animal, the PSNI does have the legal power of entry under the 1972 Act.

The Department did consult on proposals for new animal welfare legislation in 2006, including on the need for regulation of circuses. My officials are currently working on a paper summarising the outcome of the consultation exercise and lessons learned from the introduction of animal welfare legislation in Britain. The paper will also reflect on the recently published outline legislative proposals in the South. When I have considered this paper, I will decide what new legislation is needed.

Welfare of Animals During Transportation

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development whether European legislation in relation to the welfare of animals during transportation (Council regulation (EC) No.1/2005) applies to animal circuses; how many inspections were carried out over the past five years; and what the findings of these inspections were.

(AQW 7761/08)

Ms M Gildernew: EU Regulation 1/2005 aims to improve animal welfare through raising transportation standards. However, the transport of circus animals is not within the scope of the Regulation as the animals can be described as travelling in their housing. Therefore the Department has not carried out any routine inspections on animal circuses over the last 5 years.

There are however, no exclusions or exemptions from the general obligation under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 1972 which requires that animals must be transported in a way which does not cause, or is unlikely to cause, injury or unnecessary suffering.

Departmental Team Building Exercises

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development how many staff hours have been taken up with departmental or cross-departmental away days, or team-building exercises, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 7788/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The following table provides approximate information regarding the number of staff hours relating to staff away days, cross-departmental away days and staff team building exercises in each of the last five financial years.

2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
4,921	18,389	9,515	8,552	5,428

Departmental Team Building Exercises

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development the total cost incurred by the Department on away days or team-building exercises in each of the last five years.

(AQW 7790/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The table below shows the total cost of staff away days and staff team building exercises carried out by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and its Agencies in each of the last five financial years.

Year Total Cost of Staff Total Cost of Staff

Away Days Team Building Exercises

2003/2004 £17,305 £5,882

2004/2005 £87,626 £14,471

2005/2006 £36,478 £2,539

2006/2007 £27,147 £13,811

2007/2008 £23,160 £3,597

Departmental Land

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the revised value of £3-6 million given to land and property owned by the Department at Crossnacreevy in light of an earlier valuation given at £200 million.

(AQW 7791/08)

Ms M Gildernew: In June 2007 an initial informal valuation based on the market value of land at that time suggested that with appropriate planning permission, the holding could provisionally yield a capital receipt in the region of £200m, depending on future planning and development considerations. The Department was clear about this in correspondence with the ARD Committee at that time.

Since then, my officials have been working on the project and have encountered some difficulties, primarily around the prospect of securing the appropriate planning permission. In the context of acceptable alternative uses that do not involve planning permission, the current likely valuation is in the range £3m-£6m. This does not affect our agreement with DFP that funding is available in 2008/09 for the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme.

No change has been made to the activities on the site at Crossnacreevy and we await a report from AFBI on the advantages and costs of relocation.

Single Farm Payments

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the £8 million overpayments made in relation to Single Farm Payments.

(AQW 7792/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The SFP budget issue has had no impact on farmers’ payments. It has not given rise to, or been caused by, overpayments to farmers.

The SFP 2007/08 expenditure requirements were under estimated by some £14m because the Estimate was made on a cash, as opposed to an accruals, basis. The same applies to SFP income. The £14m reduces to £8m within the Department’s overall CAP budget. As SFP expenditure is matched by EU income overall, there is zero impact on DARD’s SFP budget.

2007-2013 Rural Development Fund

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the series of miscalculations made in relation to the first £50 million of the 2007-2013 Rural Development Fund.

(AQW 7794/08)

Ms M Gildernew: No actual funds were issued on the basis of the miscalculations which were issued as part of the guidance pack to council clusters last month to assist them in drawing up a local strategy (as required by the EU Regulations). Once the error was detected officials were able to provide me with the correct calculations based on population and deprivation.

The figures were based on an erroneous application by officials of the methodology for calculating deprivation and were therefore incorrect. This mistake was brought to my attention by my Special Advisor and a Sinn Fein statement from Martina Anderson, Francie Brolly and Pat Doherty. I subsequently announced the correct allocations at Oral Questions in the Assembly on 9 June.

Departmental Underspend

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the £31.4 million underspend by her Department.

(AQW 7795/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Whilst there is room for improvement in the headline figure it may be helpful to explain it within the context of the two main areas of expenditure: Current and Capital.

The Current expenditure underspend is £8.2m (3.4%). Of this, £1.0m is on Administration where we have been trying to keep costs down; £1.9m is in respect of a reduction in pension liabilities; and we have earned £1.4m more income than we had budgeted for.

A further £3.7m is in Modulation Match Funding which over the past number of years has been carried forward to help fund the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme until 2013.

The capital and capital grant underspend is £23.5m (34.6%). Some £14.5m is in respect of the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme (FNMS) and to a degree this reflects the demand led nature of capital grant schemes.

Similarly, expenditure fell short on other demand led capital grants – the Integrated Development Funds (£3.7m) and rural development schemes (£1.5m). We are seeking to carry forward £4.8m into 2008/09 to continue these schemes.

We have also been slower to spend capital than we had planned with an underspend of £3.3m on a small number of projects. Again we are seeking to carry this forward to 2008/09.

However, the Department is endeavouring to improve its monitoring and control processes and I expect to report a better position at the end of this financial year.

Farm Nutrient Management Scheme

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for her assessment of the £14.4 million that was returned to the Department of Finance and Personnel from the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme.

(AQW 7797/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The Farm Nutrient Management Scheme (FNMS) underspend reflects the fact that forecasting capital grant expenditure is less straightforward than for other types of expenditure because such schemes are, in part, driven by the activities of third parties.

The 2007/08 FNMS budget was based on an accruals estimate of the value of work that farmers would have completed at 31 March. The underspend reflects that for various reasons farmers have not been able to progress works for which they sought FNMS grant as quickly as was expected.

DARD has a budget of £50m in FNMS grant aid in 2008/09, and I encourage farmers to proceed with their works before the deadline runs out at 31 December 2008.

Pit Bull Type Dogs

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will make (i) muzzling; and (ii) the requirement for animals to be on a leash, mandatory for pit bull type dogs in public places.

(AQW 8140/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The control of dogs, including dangerous dogs, is regulated under the Dogs Order 1983, as amended by the Dangerous Dogs Order 1991. The Order designates certain types of dogs which it is an offence to be in possession of, such as the pit bull terrier.

District Councils are responsible for enforcing this legislation and may already seize any dog that appears to be a banned type. Such dogs should therefore not be in a public place, whether muzzled or on a leash.

However, I appreciate that there are conflicting views about the effectiveness of legislating for specific breeds or types of dogs, where such legislation may ban certain breeds or types, or may place specific control requirements on their owners such as muzzling. The issue of breed specific legislation is therefore central to my on-going review, and is an issue that I am continuing to discuss with experts and those with enforcement responsibilities.

Pit Bull Type Dogs

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if she will make seizure of suspected pit bull type dogs mandatory until their breed is established beyond doubt.

(AQW 8141/08)

Ms M Gildernew: The control of dogs, including dangerous dogs, is regulated under the Dogs Order 1983, as amended by the Dangerous Dogs Order 1991. The Order designates certain types of dogs which it is an offence to be in possession of, such as the pit bull terrier.

District Councils are responsible for enforcing this legislation and may currently seize any dog that appears to be a banned type. It is already the case that where a District Council believes a dog is a banned type, then the dog will be kept by the Council pending a court decision as to the type of dog and therefore whether an offence has been committed.

The issue of identification of dogs is something that I am looking at as part of the Review which I announced in the Assembly in November.

Dangerous Dogs Legislation

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for an update on her review of the Dangerous Dog legislation that she announced on 20 November 2007.

(AQW 8142/08)

Ms M Gildernew: Since I made my statement to the Assembly on 20 November 2007 on my plans to undertake a review of dangerous dogs and dog fighting legislation, my officials have been carrying out a scoping exercise on existing legislation with regard to all aspects of dog control, including dangerous dogs.

As part of my review I have met a number of key stakeholders including senior officials from the PSNI and District Councils, as well as a number of animal welfare groups, including the Kennel Club, the Companion Animal Welfare Committee and the Animal Welfare Federation. Arrangements are also in hand to meet the USPCA.

The review is ongoing. Once the scoping exercise is complete, I will consider a number of options, including whether new legislation is required and what it might cover.

Enforcement of the legislation remains a crucial aspect of the review as the issue of the safety of District Council officials in undertaking their duties has been raised on a number of occasions. As a result, when I met senior PSNI representatives I put forward a proposal for the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between District Councils and the PSNI on enforcement of dangerous dogs legislation. During my subsequent meeting with District Councils, my proposal was welcomed. As a result a small Working Group of Council and PSNI officers, together with my officials, is currently drafting the MOU.

I am currently considering the comments made during my stakeholder meetings, along with the written comments made to me in correspondence from a range of interested individuals and groups. A number of complex issues have been raised which will take time to analyse. However, once I have completed my consideration of all these comments, it is my intention to make a full report to the Assembly on the outcome of my review.

Culture, Arts and Leisure

Financial Cost of Division

Dr Farry asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what conclusions have been drawn from the report of Deloitte and Touche into the financial cost of the Northern Ireland divide (i) on his Department's work; and (ii) in relation to potential efficiency savings.

(AQW 7363/08)

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr G Campbell):

The report "The cost of division – A Shared Future Strategy" was a piece of research commissioned by the previous administration and represents the views of Deloitte and Touche only.

My Department has accordingly not considered it in planning its own work or in considering potential efficiency savings.

Departmental Phone Numbers

Mr Hamilton asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to list all 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers operated by, or on behalf of, his Department and its agencies; and the profit made on the lines in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 7522/08)

Mr G Campbell: Neither the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure or its former Agency, the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland has in the last 3 years operated any 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers.

Old Castle Gardens School in Newtownards

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he will consider releasing funds to assist the costs of the demolition of the Old Castle Gardens School, Newtownards, which is the site for the new library for Newtownards, as there are currently health and safety and anti-social behaviour issues associated with it.

(AQW 7605/08)

Mr G Campbell: I would indeed consider releasing funds for clearing the site. The South Eastern Education and Library Board, which is responsible for the former Castle Gardens Primary School site, has been informed that they may put a case to the Department for additional funding to clear the site on the grounds of Health and Safety.

Angling Industry Report

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action he is taking in light of the recent report by Price Waterhouse Coopers, which stated that the angling industry is working at only a third of its potential capacity.

(AQW 7691/08)

Mr G Campbell: 'The Social and Economic Impact to Northern Ireland, and areas within the Loughs Agency, of Recreational Fisheries, Angling and Angling Resources’, was commissioned to evaluate the social and economic impact of angling in Northern Ireland and to assist future planning and development. My Department is committed to providing angling services in Northern Ireland, through the provision of the public angling estate and the recommendations are currently being given full consideration in the context of potential benefits and available resources for implementation.

2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how many staff from his Department will be attending the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in whole or in part; and how much this will cost.

(AQW 7692/08)

Mr G Campbell: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) is still considering staff representation at the Beijing Olympic Games and how best Northern Ireland can be represented on this important world stage. To date one member of DCAL staff will be attending in their capacity as the Nations and Regions Group (NRG) representative as part of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) structure. The programme is being organised by the Visitbritain Olympic Family Networking Programme at an estimated cost of £ 15,000.

Departmental Vehicles

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how many cars are currently (i) owned; and (ii) leased, by his Department; what is the (a) make; (b) model; (c) engine size; (d) fuel type; and (e) purpose, of each of these cars; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model.

(AQW 7707/08)

Mr G Campbell: My Department does not own or lease any cars.

Departmental Vehicles

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how much money has been spent on fuel for vehicles (i) owned; and (ii) leased, by his Department, since devolution.

(AQW 7710/08)

Mr G Campbell: Since the restoration of devolution my Department has spent a total of £37,755.72 on fuel. This fuel has been used in vehicles which are owned by the Department.

Departmental Travel Expenses

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how much his Department has spent on travel since devolution.

(AQW 7728/08)

Mr G Campbell: Total expenditure on travel since devolution by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has been £255,060.56.

Irish Language Broadcasting Fund

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how many jobs were created by the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund from 2005 to 2007.

(AQW 7771/08)

Mr G Campbell: The total number of people employed by productions delivered by the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund, which were allocated funding from 2005 to 2007, is 1157.

Departmental Team Building Exercises

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how many staff hours have been taken up with departmental or cross-departmental away days, or team-building exercises, in each of the last five years.

(AQW 7786/08)

Mr G Campbell:

In total DCAL has organised 62 away days and team building events in the past five financial years.

The number of staff hours taken up by these events are detailed in the attached table.

• The away days covered a variety of subjects but most were related to strategic and business planning.

• The breakdown by number of staff hours per year is as follows.

Year	Number of staff hours*
2003-2004	810hrs 50mins
2004-2005	786hrs 10mins
2005-2006	1,757hrs 30mins
2006-2007	918hrs 35mins
2007-2008	791hrs 30mins
Total	5,064hrs 35mins

*1 Day = 7hrs 25mins.

• This answer is consistent with AQW7819 and AQ7922

Departmental Team Building Exercises

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure how many away days and team-building exercises have been organised by his Department for departmental staff in each of the last five years.

(AQW 7819/08)

Mr G Campbell: In total DCAL has organised 62 away days and team building events in the past five financial years.

Brandywell Sports Stadium

Mr McCartney asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, given that Derry City Football Club play in the Eircom League, what funding can his Department provide to Brandywell Properties to upgrade the Brandywell sports stadium and surrounding area.

(AQW 7884/08)

Mr G Campbell: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. SNI runs a number of programmes to which Derry City FC could be eligible to apply to help it upgrade Brandywell stadium. These include a Building Sport programme and a Stadia Safety programme. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is also currently considering a proposal from Brandywell Properties Trust Ltd to upgrade the Brandywell Sports stadium and surrounding area. This proposal is being considered in the context of both the capital budget for sport announced in the recent Budget and value for money and accountability requirements of public funding.

Chess in Schools

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action his Department has taken to promote chess, particularly within schools, in the last 5 years.

(AQW 7885/08)

Mr G Campbell: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland. Chess is not currently recognised by SNI as a sporting activity, however, a chess governing body would be eligible to apply for recognition to SNI.

The promotion of chess within schools is a matter for individual schools to determine.

Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics

Mr B Wilson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if his Department will provide funding to develop Inline/Roller Hockey, in light of representatives from Northern Ireland being selected to represent Great Britain at the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics.

(AQW 7886/08)

Mr G Campbell: Sport Northern Ireland (SNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of funding. The British Roller Sports Federation (BRSF) is the governing body for roller sports in Great Britain only and its jurisdiction does not currently extend to Northern Ireland. Until such time as the BRSF is recognised in Northern Ireland, SNI is unable to provide assistance from its funding programmes.

Zebra Mussels

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what effect Zebra mussels are having on course and game fish stock in local waters.

(AQW 7896/08)

Mr G Campbell: Zebra Mussels, were introduced into the Erne system circa 1996. Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and DCAL have been conducting surveys of Lower Lough Erne at intervals of approximately three years since 1991, enabling us to detail changes in fish stocks since before the arrival of zebra mussels. This is an important record enabling prediction of what might happen if and when zebra mussels reach new sites

Zebra mussels feed by filtering the water, removing microscopic algae and small animal plankton. The first effect they have is to make water clearer, particularly in summer. The removal of some of the plankton and filtering the water has changed the balance of numbers between different species of coarse fish. This is probably a result of changes in the food supply available, particularly to young fish, and changes in the ease with which fish can find food. Small perch have become much more abundant and small roach less abundant. A ratio of two or three roach to every perch has changed to a ratio of one roach to every perch in Lower Lough Erne.

This change in numbers of perch and roach has, however, not affected the relative proportions of fish in survey catches when expressed as weight. This is due to the fact that those roach that do manage to survive the first 3 years then go on to do well, whereas there appears to be high mortality of perch following improved survival in their early years.

Other coarse fish species are not measurably affected by zebra mussels. We detect no change in pike or bream stocks in surveys. Bream and the hybrids between roach and bream are able to feed heavily on zebra mussels.

The Department has not detected any significant changes in game fish abundance (salmon, trout and pollan) as a result of zebra mussels.

From reports by anglers, however there appears to have been an increase in the ease with which the trout present may be caught by anglers. This would tally with the noted increase in water clarity- trout feed by sight. Some of the factors controlling trout numbers are outside the lake waters in the feeder rivers where trout spawn and where the juveniles grow. These fast flowing rivers are not affected by zebra mussels

Pollan remain in Lower Lough Erne at low, perhaps endangered, numbers, as they were before zebra mussels arrived. Pollan eat plankton, but inhabit the deep water of the open lake, where their food and feeding is probably less impacted by zebra mussel. They spawn inshore on hard grounds, but seem to be holding on despite zebra mussel impacts in these areas.

Salmon do not feed in fresh water and are largely unaffected by zebra mussels in lakes. As for trout, their most sensitive spawning and juvenile life stages take place in fast flowing rivers where zebra mussels do not thrive.

Zebra Mussels are present in some small lakes in addition to Lower and Upper Lough Erne. No major changes have been observed, other than increases in water clarity.

Zebra mussels have been present in Lough Neagh since 2005. They are as yet there at very low numbers and have not yet affected water clarity or fish stocks. AFBI is actively investigating their spread and the potential for them to affect Lough Neagh fish. Their initial rate of increase in Lough Neagh appears to be lower than in the Erne system but a major infestation is distinctly possible in the near future.

Departmental Team Building Exercises

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what is the total cost incurred by the Department on away days or team-building exercises in each of the last five years.

(AQW 7922/08)

Mr G Campbell: In total DCAL has organised 62 away days and team building events in the past five financial years.

The cost incurred by the Department is detailed in the attached table.

• The away days covered a variety of subjects but most were related to strategic and business planning.

• The breakdown of the cost incurred by the department is as follows.

Year	Cost (£)
2003-2004	5,270
2004-2005	2,210
2005-2006	12,447
2006-2007	3,547
2007-2008	3,581
Total	27,055

• This answer is consistent with AQW7819 and AQW7786

Commonwealth Games Council

Mr Ross asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council to increase the number of sports that Northern Ireland teams can compete in at the Commonwealth Games.

(AQW 8110/08)

Mr G Campbell: Responsibility for determining which sports Northern Ireland athletes compete in at the Commonwealth Games rests with the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council. I am due to meet with representatives of this body within the next few weeks, however, and will be happy to raise this matter.

Commonwealth Games Council

Mr Ross asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure if he will hold discussions with (i) the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council; (ii) the Irish Hockey Union; and (iii) the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Union, to establish a Northern Ireland hockey team to compete in the Commonwealth Games.

(AQW 8111/08)

Mr G Campbell: Representation and affiliation arrangements within any sport are a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant governing bodies. I have, however, recently written to both the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council and the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association to ask them to consider this matter.

Education

School Admissions Criteria

Mr Ross asked the Minister of Education to detail any current legislation that would prevent schools from giving priority, in terms of admissions, to children who live in Northern Ireland.

(AQW 3394/08)

The Minister of Education (Ms C Ruane):

Níl aon dlí ann faoi láthair a chuirfeadh cosc ar scoileanna tús áite a thabhairt, ó thaobh iontrála de, do dhaoine óga atá ina gcónaí i dTuaisceart Éireann.

There is no legislation at present that would prevent schools from giving priority, in terms of admissions, to children who live in the North of Ireland.

I am however reviewing existing education legislation in this area to assess whether it conflicts with EU legislation.

New Build Programmes for Schools

Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister of Education to provide a timescale within which the new build programme for schools will start; and to detail the proposed completion dates.

(AQW 5839/08)

Ms C Ruane: Is próiseas leanúnach é soláthar foirgneamh nua. Sainaithníonn Tábla A thíos mórthionscadail chaipitil oibre a bhfuil a dtógáil ar siúl faoi láthair.

The provision of new buildings for schools is an ongoing process. Table A below identifies major capital works projects for which construction is currently underway.

TABLE A

SCHOOL	DETAILS OF PROJECT	ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION DATE
Bangor Academy	New replacement school on existing site	May 2008
Mount Lourdes G.S. Enniskillen	Extension & Refurbishment	June 2008
Holy Cross College, Strabane	New replacement school on existing site	July 2008
St Patrick’s P.S. Saul	New replacement school on new site	July 2008
Moorfields P.S. Ballymena	New replacement school on existing site	Aug 2008
Burnfoot/Dungiven/Largy P.S.	New replacement school on existing site	Aug 2008
Waringstown P.S.	Extension & Refurbishment	Sep 2008
Victoria P.S. Ballyhalbert	New replacement school on extended site	Sep 2008
Ballymacrickett P.S.	New replacement school on extended site	Nov 2008
Brookefield Special School, Moira	New replacement school on existing site	Feb 2009
Ballinderry P.S.	New replacement school on existing site	Feb 2009
St Colman’s College, Newry	Extension & Refurbishment	Feb 2009
La Salle Boys’ S.S. Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	April 2009
Drumragh Integrated College. Omagh	New replacement school on new site	April 2009
Pond Park P.S. Lisburn	New replacement school on extended site	April 2009
Towerview P.S. Bangor	New replacement school on existing site	July 2009
St Peter’s P.S. Cloughreagh	New replacement school on existing site	Sep 2009
Abbey G.S. Newry	New replacement school on new site	Nov 2009
Assumption G.S. Ballynahinch	Extension & Refurbishment	Dec 2009
St Dominic’s H.S. Belfast	Extension & Refurbishment	Jan 2010

There are also a number of major capital projects announced for funding in previous years and which are currently at various stages of the planning process prior to the construction stage. The details of these projects are listed in Table B. These projects are being progressed with the relevant education authorities and the estimated timescales for doing so will be subject to all statutory approvals being achieved, the necessary planning and building processes being completed satisfactorily, and the availability of resources in any particular year.

TABLE B

SCHOOL	DETAILS OF PROJECT	ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION DATE
St Joseph's P.S Madden, Armagh	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
St Catherine's College, Armagh	Extension to Irish medium unit	2008/09
Lisnagelvin P.S.	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Whitehouse PS, N'Abbey	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
Carrick P.S. Warrenpoint	New replacement school on extended site	2009/10
Banbridge Academy	Extension & refurbishment	2011/12
St Mary's P.S, Newcastle	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
Lisbellaw P.S.	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Templepatrick PS	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
St Columba's P.S, Straw, Draperstown	New replacement school on new site	2009/10
St Patrick’s & St Brigid's P.S. B'castle	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Magherafelt HS	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Magherafelt P.S.	New replacement school on new site	2009/10
Coranny & Cornagague P.S.	New replacement school on new site	2009/10
Glendhu NS, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2008/09
Ravenscroft NS, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2008/09
St Clare’s Abbey PS Newry	New replacement school on extended site	2010/11
Bangor Grammar	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
Strathearn GS, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Scoil Na Fuiseoige P.S, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
St Colman's P.S. Lambeg	New replacement school on extended site	2009/10
St Columbkille's P.S. Carrickmore	New replacement school on extended site	2010/11
St Oliver Plunkett P.S. Forkhill	New replacement school on new site	2010/11
Parkhall College, Antrim	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Dromintee P.S.	New replacement school on extended site	2009/10
St Teresa's PS, Lurgan	New replacement school on extended site	2009/10
Knockbreda HS, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Tannaghmore P.S, Lurgan	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
St Louis Grammar, Kilkeel	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Colaiste Feirste, Belfast	Extension & refurbishment	2010/11
St Patrick's College, Banbridge	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
St Columbanus College, Bangor	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
St Mary's P.S, Banbridge	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Knockevin Spec School, Downpatrick	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
St Bronagh's P.S (Conv of Mercy/St Mary's Boys P.S) Rostrevor	New replacement school on extended site	2010/11
Dromore Central P.S.	New replacement school on new site	2010/11
Edendork P.S	New replacement school on new site	2010/11
Little Flower Girls S.S, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Glastry College, Ballyhalbert	New replacement school on extended site	2011/12
St Joseph's Convent PS, Newry	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Lurgan College	New replacement school on existing site	2012/13
St Pat's Boys/Girls Acad, Dgnon	New replacement school on existing site	2012/13
Portadown College	New replacement school on existing site	2012/13
Artigarvan PS, Strabane	New replacement school on new site	2010/11
BallyKelly PS, Limavady	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
New Buildings PS, Derry	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Eglinton PS, Derry	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Enniskillen Model PS	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Victoria College, Belfast	Extension & refurbishment	2012/13
St Patrick's G.S. Armagh	Extension & refurbishment	2012/13
Ebrington PS, L'Derry	New replacement school on new site	2010/11
Springhill P.S. Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Strand / Sydenham P.S.	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Glenwood P.S./Edenderry NS, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Strandtown PS, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
St Conor's P.S, Omagh	New replacement school on extended site	2010/11
Foyle & Londonderry College	New replacement school on new site	2012/13
Methodist College, Belfast	Extension & refurbishment	2013/14
Omagh IPS	New replacement school on new site	2010/11
Priory College, Holywood	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
The High School, Ballynahinch	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Holy Family PS, Magherafelt	New replacement school on extended site	2011/12
Belmont Special School	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Limegrove / Glasvey Special School	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
St Paul's P.S. Irvinestown	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
Devenish College	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
Mitchell House Special School	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
Greenwood Assessment Centre	New replacement school on new site	2011/12
Cranny Special School, Omagh	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Arvalee Spec School, Omagh	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Taughmonagh P.S. Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Holywood PS	New replacement school on new site	2012/13
Ashfield Girls H.S. Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
Belfast Boys Model School	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Belfast Model School for Girls	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
Grosvenor G.S. Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Orangefield P.S. Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
Ballymoney H.S.	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
Holy Trinity College, Cookstown	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Loreto College, Omagh	New replacement school on existing site	2011/12
Lagan College, Belfast	Extension & refurbishment	2010/11
Our Lady & St Patrick’s College, Belfast	New replacement school on existing site	2010/11
St Cecilia’s College, Derry (PPP)	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
St Mary’s College, Derry	New replacement school on new site	2009/10
St Mary’s P.S. Portglenone	New replacement school on extended site	2009/10
S Joseph’s P.S. Carryduff	New replacement school on extended site	2009/10
St Patrick’s G.S. Downpatrick	New replacement school on existing site	2009/10
Tor Bank Special School, Dundonald	New replacement school on new site	2010/11

St Colman's Primary School in Newry

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Education to detail her plans to provide additional classroom facilities for the pupils and teachers of St Colman's Primary School, Saval, Newry.

(AQW 5936/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Fuair mo Roinn iarratas ar chóiríocht bhreise i mí Aibreáin dhá mhíle a seacht.

A request for additional teaching accommodation was received in my Department in April 2007. The assessment made at the time was that there was sufficient accommodation for the current enrolment though there was a deficiency in special needs provision. My department has approved special needs provision for the school. The projected intake for September 2008 should be able to be accommodated at the school but I have arranged for departmental officials to undertake a further assessment of the provision. I visited the school recently and was very impressed by the commitment and dedication of the teachers and pupils.

Regulation of Pupil Behaviour on School Buses

Mr Hamilton asked the Minister of Education to outline her policies for dealing with unruly schoolchildren travelling on regularly scheduled buses.

(AQW 6020/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Níl aon bheartas Roinne ann maidir le déileáil le hiompar daltaí ar bhusanna atá ar sceideal rialta. Is ceist do scoileanna é iompar daltaí.

There is no Departmental policy on dealing with pupil behaviour on regularly scheduled buses. Pupil behaviour is a matter for schools.

All grant-aided schools are required, by law, to have measures in place to promote good pupil behaviour as part of their discipline policy. The Department has issued guidance to schools on this; however, it is for each school to decide, taking account of its own ethos and circumstances, what behaviours and situations will be covered by its discipline policy.

When developing a policy, a school community must decide on its position in respect of pupil behaviour off site and out of school hours, for example while travelling to and from school. The school’s position should be clearly set out in the discipline policy and the entire school community, including pupils, parents and staff, should be fully aware of it and its implications.

Neighbourhood Renewal Areas

Mrs McGill asked the Minister of Education to detail, in addition to her department's mainstream responsibilities, the resources that have been allocated to (i) Neighbourhood Renewal Areas; and (ii) the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area, in each of the last 2 years.

(AQW 6287/08)

Ms C Ruane: Cuireann an tábla leis seo sonraí ar fáil i dtaca leis na hacmhainní, chomh maith leis an maoiniú i gcoitinne, atá cionroinnte i Limistéir Athnuachana Chomharsanachta do raon de chláir oideachas-bhunaithe i ngach ceann den dá bhliain seo caite.

The attached table provides details of resources, in addition to mainstream funding, allocated in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas for a range of education based programmes in each of the last two years.

	2007/08		2008/09
	Neighbourhood Renewal Areas	Strabane	Neighbourhood Renewal Areas	Strabane
Early Years	£1,345k	£0	£0	£0
Extended Schools	£4,036k	£64k	mainstreamed	mainstreamed
Belfast Regeneration Office – Youth Provision	£55k	£0	£0	£0
Healthy Schools	£410k	£0	£80k	£0
IDF BELB IDF SEELB	£2,272k £948k	£0 £0	mainstreamed	mainstreamed
Nurture Units	£105k	£0	£75k	£0
Renewing Communities	£715k	£0	£230k	£0
School Improvement	£670k	£0	£0	£0
Special Education	£187k	£92k	£0	£0
Youth & Community Relations	£89k	£0	£61k	£0
Specialist Schools & Vocational Education Programme	£2,678k	£0	£632k (further resources to be allocated in year)	£0
Neighbourhood Renewal programmes (technical transfers from DSD)	£134k	£0	resources to be allocated in year	£0
Total	£13,644k	£156k	£1078k	£0

Extended Schools Scheme

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Education to detail the consultations she undertook with key stakeholders before the change of criteria for funding through the Extended Schools scheme.

(AQW 6412/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The main difference to the criteria has been the move to more accurate, post-code based data for special and primary schools which draw over half their pupils from Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (NRA). It was always our intention to use that more accurate data once it became available. We have, additionally and necessarily, targeted the available resources directly at schools serving the most socially disadvantaged communities. This is in line with the aim of the Extended Schools programme.

Bhí na critéir cháilitheachta mar ábhar plé leis an Idir-Bhord de chuid Phainéal na Scoileanna Sínte agus CSCC.

The eligibility criteria were the subject of discussions with the Inter-Board Extended Schools Panel and CCMS.

Children First Policy

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Education to confirm which Department is responsible for overseeing the Children First policy.

(AQW 6413/08)

Ms C Ruane: Rianaigh an ráiteas polasaí Children First (Leanaí sa Chéad Áit) na bearta chun cúram leanaí d’ardchaighdeán agus ar chostas réasúnta le haghaidh leanaí d’aois suas le 14 i ngach pobal áitiúil i dTuaisceart Éireann a chinntiú.

The Children First policy statement outlined the measures to ensure high quality, affordable childcare for children aged up to 14 in every local community in the North of Ireland. This was a shared Policy Statement between three central departments: Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Department for Employment and Learning and the Department of Education. Since the policy was reviewed in 2005, policy responsibility for Early Years transferred to DE in 2006. Policy responsibility for Sure start, home based childcare and private daycare of children aged 0 – 12 transferred to DE in accordance with the relevant sections of the Children (NI) Order 1995. Policy responsibility for childcare 0 – 14 remains divided between a number of government Departments.

Appointment of Members of the Five Area Groups

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Education to detail (i) how the members of the five area groups were appointed; (ii) how the positions were advertised before they were filled; and (iii) the expenses that can be directly claimed by the central group and the five local groups.

(AQW 6849/08)

Ms C Ruane: The members of the five area groups were drawn from sectors and organisations which are owners or promoters of schools – the education and library boards, the catholic managed sector, Comhairle Na Gaelscolaíochta, the Council for Integrated Education, the Governing Bodies Association and the Transferors Representatives’ Council - as well as from the further education sector which has an important interface with post primary education provision. These organisations and sectors were asked to nominate representatives to the groups. I selected the chairpersons on the basis of their contribution to our community and to education in the north of Ireland.

As these appointments are not public appointments but persons selected to carry out a time-bounded task, there was no requirement to advertise the posts.

Beidh aisíocaíocht taistil agus cothabhála ar rátaí státseirbhíse ar fáil ag baill na ngrúpaí láir agus áitiúla.

Reimbursement of travel and subsistence at civil service rates will be available to the members and chairpersons of the central and local groups.

Extended Schools Funding

Mr Storey asked the Minister of Education which schools in the North Eastern Education and Library Board qualified for extended schools funding in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.

(AQW 7092/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Details are set out in the annexes:-

Annex 1 - lists the schools in the North Eastern Education and Library Board Area that qualified for extended schools funding in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

Annex 2 - lists those schools that no longer meet eligibility criteria and exit the programme.

The Extended Schools programme will continue to be funded during the 2008/09 financial year. The amount previously available under the Children and Young People funding Package (CYPFP) has unfortunately been greatly reduced.

As is the case in any budget process there is never sufficient resources to address all of the things we would want to address and difficult choices have to be made. I had to consider very carefully the allocation of the education budget across a range of competing priorities to ensure that key priority areas were addressed and at the same time core services maintained and inescapable pressures covered. In doing so I ensured that the £16m which had been provided direct to schools under the CYPFP was mainstreamed within school delegated budgets. That funding is therefore being maintained on a recurrent basis as part of schools delegated budgets. In addition to this I have made provision for other elements of former CYPFP funding including £8m a year for the early years programmes and counselling services in schools.

As regards the extended schools programme I wanted to continue funding at previous levels but with the resources available was unable to do so. Despite finding efficiencies from other areas I have only been able to continue funding at 60% of the level available to schools over the last two years meaning a massive cut from £10m to £5.8m.

In determining how best to allocate the reduced budget, we have had to take account of several key factors;

• Continuing to facilitate those schools that draw very significant pupil enrolments from areas of social disadvantage;
• Minimise the negative impact for schools and local communities.

Accordingly the following eligibility criteria apply for schools in the 2008/09 financial year;

Primary, Post-primary, Special schools with 51% or more of their pupils drawn from a Neighbourhood Renewal Area or from the 30% most deprived wards or with a free school meals entitlement at or above 37%;

Nursery School pupils with FSME or income based job seekers allowance at or above 37%.

I have raised the difficulties and registered most strongly my concerns, as far back as 20 September 2007 in a meeting with the Finance Minister and through correspondence on 8 separate occasions since, that the shortfall in funding presents.

Leanfaidh mé, gach deis atá ar fáil le linn na bliana, de bheith ag iarraidh tuilleadh acmhainní, ó thacaigh an Tionól le linn rún 20 Bealtaine, le hathbhunú an chláir thábhachtaigh seo.

I will continue to press at every available opportunity during the year for additional resources, given the endorsement by the Assembly during the motion on 20 May, to restore this important programme.

DENI Ref	Extended Schools Eligible for 2008/09	Eligible Allocation		Annex 1
3010726	DUNSEVERICK PS	£ 11,480	New School
3010781	HARRYVILLE PS	£ 10,472
3010827	WHITEHOUSE PS	£ 19,075
3010842	THE WM PINKERTON MEMORIAL PS	£ 8,288
3010860	SUNNYLANDS PS	£ 11,984
3010862	ABBOTS CROSS PS	£ 17,045
3010873	BUSHMILLS PS	£ 10,094
3010895	RATHCOOLE PS	£ 13,286
3012237	KILLOWEN PS	£ 13,202
3012264	MILLBURN PS	£ 19,936
3013315	BALLYKEEL PS	£ 17,899
3013331	BALLYCRAIGY PS	£ 9,688
3016005	SILVERSTREAM PS	£ 10,976
3016038	HOLLYBANK PS	£ 12,908
3016040	ARMOY PS	£ 7,000
3016052	HARPURS HILL PS	£ 13,538
3016058	PARKHALL PS	£ 7,928	Buffer School
3016063	DUNCLUG PS	£ 10,640
3016171	BALLEE PS	£ 8,288
3016249	EARLVIEW PS	£ 11,522
3016252	BALLYSALLY PS	£ 14,175
3030719	ST OLCAN'S PS	£ 7,168
3033317	ST JOHN'S PS	£ 12,866
3036039	ST MARY'S PS (GLENVIEW)	£ 17,584	New School
3036559	ST PATRICK'S & ST BRIGID'S PS	£ 19,285	New School
3050519	CARNLOUGH CONTROLLED INTEGRATED PS	£ 6,832
3053333	BALLYCASTLE INTEGRATED SCHOOL	£ 10,850
3056231	RATHENRAW INTEGRATED PS	£ 8,960
3056248	ROUNDTOWER INTEGRATED PS	£ 13,790
3116263	BALLYSALLY NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 7,112
3210090	MAGHERA HIGH SCHOOL	£ 12,068
3210124	BALLYCASTLE HIGH SCHOOL	£ 18,277
3210200	MONKSTOWN COMMUNITY SCHOOL	£ 24,038
3210233	BALLEE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL	£ 18,109
3210279	NEWTOWNABBEY COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL	£ 15,015
3230203	EDMUND RICE COLLEGE	£ 21,966
3310018	ROSSTULLA SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 12,404	New School
3316512	SANDELFORD SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 11,690
3316676	CASTLETOWER SCHOOL	£ 16,380	New School
3340002	JORDANSTOWN SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 7,504

NB the buffer zone – due to the change in eligibility criteria some previously funded schools may slip below the qualifying criteria one year and then qualify the next. Therefore a "buffer" zone" has been created to allow previously funded schools falling a few percentage points below the threshold to be funded for 2 years at a reduced amount, (50%) if eligibility has not been re-established after 2 years, these schools will exit the programme.

DENI Ref	Schools - Not Eligible	Allocation		Annex 2
3010553	CARRICKFERGUS MODEL PS	£ 3,553
3010558	DUNEANE PS	£ 1,110
3010631	BALLYCLARE PS	£ 4,338
3010841	CARRICKFERGUS CENTRAL PS	£ 2,200
3010870	MOYLE PS	£ 3,464
3010880	KING'S PARK PS	£ 3,835
3012267	MAGHERAFELT CONTROLLED PS	£ 3,702
3013301	CARNMONEY PS	£ 3,286
3013322	CAMPHILL PS	£ 3,818
3013325	LEANEY PS	£ 3,204
3016015	MOSSLEY PS	£ 4,085
3016594	BUSHVALLEY PS	£ 2,496
3030713	CARLANE PS	£ 1,219
3030898	ST ANNE'S PS	£ 1,725
3030900	ST ANTHONY'S PS	£ 2,056
3033303	ST OLIVER PLUNKETT'S PS	£ 2,461
3033304	TIR-NA-NOG PS	£ 1,219
3033709	ST JOHN'S PS	£ 2,737
3036046	ST MARY'S ON THE HILL PS	£ 3,038
3036050	ST JOSEPH'S PS	£ 2,997
3036100	ST JAMES' PS	£ 3,242
3036154	ST PATRICK'S PS	£ 2,823
3036562	HOLY FAMILY PS	£ 4,451
3036563	ST NICHOLAS' PS	£ 1,803
3066561	CORRAN INTEGRATED PS	£ 2,875
3110037	BALLYMENA NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,205
3116162	MOSSLEY NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,270
3116165	DUNCLUG NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,275
3116177	MAGHERAFELT NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,760
3116215	KYLEMORE NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,438
3116220	BALLYCLARE NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,765
3136183	ST JOSEPH'S NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,461
3136332	ST ANTHONY'S NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,461
3316510	HILL CROFT SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 1,590
3316514	RODDENS VALE SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 1,783
3316570	KILRONAN SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 1,430

Extended Schools Funding

Mr Storey asked the Minister of Education which schools in the North Eastern Education and Library Board area will no longer qualify for extended schools funding in 2008-2009.

(AQW 7093/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Details are set out in the annexes:-

Annex 1 - lists the schools in the North Eastern Education and Library Board Area that qualified for extended schools funding in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

Annex 2 - lists those schools that no longer meet eligibility criteria and exit the programme.

The Extended Schools programme will continue to be funded during the 2008/09 financial year. The amount previously available under the Children and Young People funding Package (CYPFP) has unfortunately been greatly reduced.

As is the case in any budget process there is never sufficient resources to address all of the things we would want to address and difficult choices have to be made. I had to consider very carefully the allocation of the education budget across a range of competing priorities to ensure that key priority areas were addressed and at the same time core services maintained and inescapable pressures covered. In doing so I ensured that the £16m which had been provided direct to schools under the CYPFP was mainstreamed within school delegated budgets. That funding is therefore being maintained on a recurrent basis as part of schools delegated budgets. In addition to this I have made provision for other elements of former CYPFP funding including £8m a year for the early years programmes and counselling services in schools.

As regards the extended schools programme I wanted to continue funding at previous levels but with the resources available was unable to do so. Despite finding efficiencies from other areas I have only been able to continue funding at 60% of the level available to schools over the last two years meaning a massive cut from £10m to £5.8m.

In determining how best to allocate the reduced budget, we have had to take account of several key factors;

• Continuing to facilitate those schools that draw very significant pupil enrolments from areas of social disadvantage;
• Minimise the negative impact for schools and local communities.

Accordingly the following eligibility criteria apply for schools in the 2008/09 financial year;

Primary, Post-primary, Special schools with 51% or more of their pupils drawn from a Neighbourhood Renewal Area or from the 30% most deprived wards or with a free school meals entitlement at or above 37%;

Nursery School pupils with FSME or income based job seekers allowance at or above 37%.

I have raised the difficulties and registered most strongly my concerns, as far back as 20 September 2007 in a meeting with the Finance Minister and through correspondence on 8 separate occasions since, that the shortfall in funding presents.

Leanfaidh mé, gach deis atá ar fáil le linn na bliana, de bheith ag iarraidh tuilleadh acmhainní, ó thacaigh an Tionól le linn rún 20 Bealtaine, le hathbhunú an chláir thábhachtaigh seo.

I will continue to press at every available opportunity during the year for additional resources, given the endorsement by the Assembly during the motion on 20 May, to restore this important programme.

DENI Ref	Extended Schools Eligible for 2008/09	Eligible Allocation		Annex 1
3010726	DUNSEVERICK PS	£ 11,480	New School
3010781	HARRYVILLE PS	£ 10,472
3010827	WHITEHOUSE PS	£ 19,075
3010842	THE WM PINKERTON MEMORIAL PS	£ 8,288
3010860	SUNNYLANDS PS	£ 11,984
3010862	ABBOTS CROSS PS	£ 17,045
3010873	BUSHMILLS PS	£ 10,094
3010895	RATHCOOLE PS	£ 13,286
3012237	KILLOWEN PS	£ 13,202
3012264	MILLBURN PS	£ 19,936
3013315	BALLYKEEL PS	£ 17,899
3013331	BALLYCRAIGY PS	£ 9,688
3016005	SILVERSTREAM PS	£ 10,976
3016038	HOLLYBANK PS	£ 12,908
3016040	ARMOY PS	£ 7,000
3016052	HARPURS HILL PS	£ 13,538
3016058	PARKHALL PS	£ 7,928	Buffer School
3016063	DUNCLUG PS	£ 10,640
3016171	BALLEE PS	£ 8,288
3016249	EARLVIEW PS	£ 11,522
3016252	BALLYSALLY PS	£ 14,175
3030719	ST OLCAN'S PS	£ 7,168
3033317	ST JOHN'S PS	£ 12,866
3036039	ST MARY'S PS (GLENVIEW)	£ 17,584	New School
3036559	ST PATRICK'S & ST BRIGID'S PS	£ 19,285	New School
3050519	CARNLOUGH CONTROLLED INTEGRATED PS	£ 6,832
3053333	BALLYCASTLE INTEGRATED SCHOOL	£ 10,850
3056231	RATHENRAW INTEGRATED PS	£ 8,960
3056248	ROUNDTOWER INTEGRATED PS	£ 13,790
3116263	BALLYSALLY NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 7,112
3210090	MAGHERA HIGH SCHOOL	£ 12,068
3210124	BALLYCASTLE HIGH SCHOOL	£ 18,277
3210200	MONKSTOWN COMMUNITY SCHOOL	£ 24,038
3210233	BALLEE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL	£ 18,109
3210279	NEWTOWNABBEY COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL	£ 15,015
3230203	EDMUND RICE COLLEGE	£ 21,966
3310018	ROSSTULLA SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 12,404	New School
3316512	SANDELFORD SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 11,690
3316676	CASTLETOWER SCHOOL	£ 16,380	New School
3340002	JORDANSTOWN SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 7,504

NB the buffer zone – due to the change in eligibility criteria some previously funded schools may slip below the qualifying criteria one year and then qualify the next. Therefore a "buffer" zone" has been created to allow previously funded schools falling a few percentage points below the threshold to be funded for 2 years at a reduced amount, (50%) if eligibility has not been re-established after 2 years, these schools will exit the programme.

DENI Ref	Schools - Not Eligible	Allocation		Annex 2
3010553	CARRICKFERGUS MODEL PS	£ 3,553
3010558	DUNEANE PS	£ 1,110
3010631	BALLYCLARE PS	£ 4,338
3010841	CARRICKFERGUS CENTRAL PS	£ 2,200
3010870	MOYLE PS	£ 3,464
3010880	KING'S PARK PS	£ 3,835
3012267	MAGHERAFELT CONTROLLED PS	£ 3,702
3013301	CARNMONEY PS	£ 3,286
3013322	CAMPHILL PS	£ 3,818
3013325	LEANEY PS	£ 3,204
3016015	MOSSLEY PS	£ 4,085
3016594	BUSHVALLEY PS	£ 2,496
3030713	CARLANE PS	£ 1,219
3030898	ST ANNE'S PS	£ 1,725
3030900	ST ANTHONY'S PS	£ 2,056
3033303	ST OLIVER PLUNKETT'S PS	£ 2,461
3033304	TIR-NA-NOG PS	£ 1,219
3033709	ST JOHN'S PS	£ 2,737
3036046	ST MARY'S ON THE HILL PS	£ 3,038
3036050	ST JOSEPH'S PS	£ 2,997
3036100	ST JAMES' PS	£ 3,242
3036154	ST PATRICK'S PS	£ 2,823
3036562	HOLY FAMILY PS	£ 4,451
3036563	ST NICHOLAS' PS	£ 1,803
3066561	CORRAN INTEGRATED PS	£ 2,875
3110037	BALLYMENA NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,205
3116162	MOSSLEY NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,270
3116165	DUNCLUG NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,275
3116177	MAGHERAFELT NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,760
3116215	KYLEMORE NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,438
3116220	BALLYCLARE NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,765
3136183	ST JOSEPH'S NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,461
3136332	ST ANTHONY'S NURSERY SCHOOL	£ 1,461
3316510	HILL CROFT SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 1,590
3316514	RODDENS VALE SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 1,783
3316570	KILRONAN SPECIAL SCHOOL	£ 1,430

Mobile Classrooms in Schools

Mr Storey asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 4564/08, how long is 'short term'.

(AQW 7148/08)

Ms C Ruane: There are no set timescales for the use of temporary accommodation. It will depend on the overall accommodation needs at the school, taking into account whether a replacement school is planned or whether the need to accommodate increased enrolments is expected to continue. It would be expected in such circumstances that short term could be for a period of several years.

Déantar an gá atá le seomraí so-aithritheacha a athsholáthar ar bhonn thosca ar leith na scoile.

The need to replace mobiles is assessed on the basis of the particular circumstances at the school.

Mobile Classrooms in Schools

Mr Storey asked the Minister of Education how many schools, broken down by sector and Education and Library board, operate completely out of mobiles.

(AQW 7149/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá na scoileanna amháin atá ag feidhmiú go huile as cóiríocht sho-aistritheach sna hearnálacha comhtháite trí Ghaeilge agus faoi chothabháil stáit. Is é a líon mar seo a leanas:

The only schools operating completely out of mobile accommodation are in the Irish medium and grant maintained integrated sectors. The numbers are as follows:

Education and Library Board area	Irish medium schools	Grant maintained integrated schools
BELB	2	0
SEELB	2	2
NEELB	4	2
SELB	1	2
WELB	5	2

Proposed Leaflet Concerning the Post-Primary Transfer Policy

Mr Beggs asked the Minister of Education how much it will cost to produce and deliver to every household the proposed leaflet concerning the post-primary transfer policy.

(AQW 7242/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Faoi láthair tá mé ag smaoineamh ar conas is fearr mo chuid moltaí maidir le haistriú iarbhunscoile a chur in iúl agus a mhíniú don phobal i gcoitinne.

I am currently considering how best to communicate and explain my proposals on post primary transfer to the wider community.

Taughmonagh Primary School

Mr Spratt asked the Minister of Education for an update on plans for a new build for Taughmonagh Primary School, South Belfast.

(AQW 7282/08)

Ms C Ruane: Tá curtha in iúl ag Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne Bhéal Feirste go bhfuil pleanáil don scoil nua ar siúl agus go bhfuil idirbheartaíocht ar bun lena chomhpháirtí straitéiseach faoin tionscadal.

The Belfast Education and Library Board has advised that planning of the new school is underway and that negotiations are taking place with its strategic partner on the project. It is estimated that construction work could start on site in the autumn 2009 with an estimated 18 month construction period. The timescale is of course subject to the necessary planning and building processes being completed satisfactorily and the availability of resources in any particular year.

Grammar Schools and Entrance Exams

Mr Easton asked the Minister of Education what Grammar schools have indicated they intend to set their own entrance exams.

(AQW 7297/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Is ar bhonn neamhspleách ón Roinn Oideachais agus ón Chomhairle Churacalaim, Scrúdúcháin agus Mheasúnachta atá moltaí roinnt scoileanna gramadaí chun scrúduithe iontrála a thabhairt isteach á dtabhairt chun cinn.

The proposals by a number of grammar schools to introduce entrance examinations are being taken forward independently of the Department of Education and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment. The Department therefore has no involvement in these proposals.

The Department has only taken receipt of one school’s (Lumen Christi Grammar School, Derry) intention to introduce an entrance examination for admissions in September 2010, an intention also announced in the Press on 20 March, 2008.

In addition, in a press release issued by the Association for Quality Education on 23 April, it was stated that thirty grammar schools had agreed to the establishment of a corporate mechanism to deliver a common entrance examination. These schools are named in the AQE Press Release.

Departmental Meetings with Teaching Unions

Miss McIlveen asked the Minister of Education how many meetings she has held with each of the teaching unions since taking up office, including (i) the date of, and (ii) the reason for, each meeting.

(AQW 7414/08)

Ms C Ruane: Ó chuaigh mé i mbun oifige thionóil mé cruinnithe le gach ceann de na ceardchumainn mhúinteoireachta mar seo a leanas:

Since taking up office I have held meetings with each of the teaching unions as follows:

NASUWT Meetings	2 Meetings
31 May 2007	The vision for Education in NI
16 January 2008	Negotiating Arrangements Social Partnership Restoration of Parity Workforce Review

NAHT Meetings	2 Meetings
2 July 2007	Funding Teacher Welfare Teacher Workload/Overload Special Education/Social Inclusion
25 April 2008	English as an Additional Language

INTO Meetings	2 Meetings
20 June 2007	Education Funding RPA Post Primary Review
7 November 2007	Curran Report Planning, Preparation & Assessment Time Teacher Education Negotiating Committee Constitution Colleges to offer Irish as an option in Primary Initial Teacher Training Classes Revised Curriculum

NITC Meetings	2 Meetings
29 June 2007	Education Funding RPA Academic Selection
5 March 2008	Academic Selection Premature Retirement Compensation Scheme Teacher Education Negotiating Committee Constitution

All Teacher Unions	1 Meeting
19 May 2008	Post Primary Transfer

As well as the meetings detailed above, I have also attended the following events:

13 April 2007	NASUWT Conference
7 March 2008	NASUWT Conference
14 March 2008	UTU Conference
8 August 2007	Interview for ATL Magazine
29 May 2008	NAHT Conference
29 February 2008	INTO Northern Conference
25 March 2008	INTO Conference

Violence and Expulsion in Primary and Post-Primary Schools

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education how many (i) incidents of persistent bad behaviour; (ii) incidents of violence; and (iii) expulsions, have occurred in (a) primary; (b) secondary; and (iii) grammar schools, in the East Belfast constituency, in each of the last 3 academic years.

(AQW 7426/08)

Ms C Ruane: Information collected annually from the Education and Library Boards on suspensions and expulsions gives an indication of the level of persistent bad behaviour and violence in schools. The position in schools in the East Belfast constituency in each of the last 3 academic years is set out in the following tables:

Table A

Number of suspensions in the East Belfast constituency due to incidents of persistent bad behaviour¹

Sector	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Primary	5	*	*
Secondary	44	32	42
Grammar	*	6	26

¹ Incidents of persistent bad behaviour includes the number of occasions pupils were suspended for persistent infringement of school rules

* denotes fewer than five cases

Table B

Number of suspensions in the East Belfast constituency due to incidents of violence¹

Sector	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Primary	27	23	13
Secondary	55	54	59
Grammar	11	19	14

¹ Incidents of violence includes the number of occasions pupils were suspended for a physical attack on a pupil or for a physical attack on a member of staff

Ina iomláine, tharla níos lú ná 5 dhíbirt ó bhunscoileanna, meánscoileanna agus scoileanna gramadaí i dToghlach Bhéal Feirste Thoir le linn na 3 bliana seo caite.

In total, there have been fewer than 5 expulsions from primary, secondary and grammar schools in the East Belfast Constituency over the course of the last 3 school years.

Improvement of Educational Achievement Levels in East Belfast

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education to outline her strategy to (i) improve educational achievement levels; and (ii) upgrade the schools' estate, at primary level in the East Belfast constituency.

(AQW 7427/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Mar Aire Oideachais, dírím ar fheabhsú leibhéil ghnóthachtála ar fud an tuaiscirt agus go háirithe ar a chinntiú go mbainfidh na daoine óga uilig amach a n-acmhainneacht.

As Education Minister my focus is on improving achievement levels across the north and particularly on ensuring that all our young people fulfil their potential.

The revised school improvement policy, ‘Every School a Good School’ is a key policy in our drive to promote achievement and tackle underachievement. Consultation on proposals for the revised policy has been completed and we are reviewing and amending the policy in light of the comments received.

The school improvement policy will be supported and complemented through other developments such as the revised curriculum; a review of Special Educational Need and in particular a revised literacy and numeracy strategy which will be published for consultation in the coming weeks. Additionally, the Belfast and Western Education Library Boards are undertaking targeted programmes aimed at supporting teachers and young people in the two cities in addressing particular challenges relating to underachievement in literacy and numeracy.

In relation to your question about the schools' estate at primary level, I can advise that a number of major capital projects are currently being planned for schools in the East Belfast constituency. These include the amalgamation of Strand P.S. with Sydenham P.S. in a new school on their existing site and a new school for Strandtown P.S. on the existing site. Funding for both projects was approved in 2004 and 2006 respectively and planning is currently being taken forward by the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB). A new school for Orangefield P.S. on a new site is also being taken forward by the BELB. This project will be funded through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and is currently under construction, with an estimated completion date of April 2009.

CCMS has also identified the potential need for a capital scheme for St Joseph’s P.S., Holland Drive. However, they have also identified a number of other, rationalisation, schemes that they consider to be of a higher priority and these schemes are being progressed in the first instance.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) as part of its strategic review of the school estate within its domain, has identified the need for future rationalisation of primary provision along the Castlereagh dual carriageway area but there are no current or imminent proposals.

The BELB last year published a consultation document on "Building Schools for the Future" in which it examined the position of the primary school estate within its domain. Although the Board has held a series of consultations about the schools estate with a number of primary schools no proposals have been confirmed as yet.

Youth Groups in East Belfast

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education how many youth groups in the East Belfast constituency are registered with the Belfast Education and Library Board; how much funding is received by each of these groups; and what plans she has to increase the funding for these groups.

(AQW 7428/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The Department of Education currently provides funding to the Belfast Education and Library Board for youth services in its area.

The Chief Executive of the Belfast Education and Library Board has confirmed that there are 82 youth groups in the East Belfast constituency registered with the Board, of which 54 received funding during the 2007/08 financial year. Information for 2008/09 is not yet available as funding applications are still being processed by the Board.

The table below details the groups registered with the Belfast Education and Library Board and the amount of funding they received under the two funding schemes operated by the Board:

Youth Service Programme

UNIT	2007/08 £s
100th Boys Brigade	500
10th Belfast Scouts	3,145
113th Boys Brigade	Nil
114th Girl Guides	600
11th Belfast Scouts	2,847
11th Belfast Venture Scouts	210
11th Brownies	Nil
148th Girls Brigade	Nil
15th Cregagh Methodist Girls Brigade	75
233rd Girls Brigade	Nil
25th Belfast Boys Brigade	2,504
26th Belfast Scouts	952
29th Girls Brigade	Nil
30th Belfast Guides	Nil
30th Boys Brigade	Nil
33rd Belfast Scouts	447
3rd St Brendan’s Scouts	500
4th Belfast Scouts	Nil
66th South East Scouts	Nil
69th Belfast Guides	Nil
79th Boys Brigade	Nil
82nd Boys Brigade	296
83rd Girls Brigade	75
86th Belfast Guides	Nil
89th Girl Guides	Nil
93rd Belfast Brownies	Nil
93rd Belfast Guides	Nil
93rd Girls Brigade	Nil
94th Boys Brigade	Nil
95th Girls Brigade	Nil
99th Belfast Scouts	Nil
AGAPE Youth Fellowship	Nil
Archway Youth Club	42,491
Ardcarn Residents Association	1,000
Ballymac	4,000
Bloomfield Methodist	Nil
CEHT Community House	1,000
Clarawood Youth Club	7,599
Doyle Youth Club	80,889
East Belfast Area Project	197,580
East Belfast Mission	2,000
Inner East Youth Project	6,500
Knock Junior Youth Club	Nil
Knocknagoney Youth Club	4,142
KPC Youth	1,063
Ledley Hall Youth Club	45,941
Nemesis Special Needs Club	Nil
Orangefield Youth Club	15,809
Park Avenue Free Methodist Church	500
Playzone	1,100
Roslyn Street Youth Club	7,001
St Brendan’s Rainbows, Brownies & Guides	500
St Mathews Guides	Nil
Stormont Guides	Nil
Sydenham Methodist Girls Brigade	Nil
Sydenham Youth club	17,367
The Bridge Community Association Youth Club	1,300
Walkway Community Association	5,741
Wandsworth Community Centre	1,000
Total	456,674

Youth Service Community Relations Support Scheme

UNIT	2007/08 £s
10th Belfast Scout Troop	600
11th Belfast Scouts	600
St Colmcille’s Brigin Section	563
Archway Youth Centre	1,245
Ardcarn Residents Association	600
Ballymac Youth Project	287
CEHT Community House	600
Clarawood Community Association	1,200
Doyle Youth Club	5,399
East Belfast Area Project	7,328
East Belfast Mission	600
Inner East Youth Project	600
KPC Youth	600
Ledley Hall Boys & Girls Club Trust	1,060
Park Avenue Free Methodist Church	120
Playzone	600
Roslyn Street Youth Club	600
Sydenham Youth Club	1,100
The Bridge Youth Club	520
Walkway Community Association	600
Wandsworth Community Association	500
Total Funding	25,322

Tá an fhreagracht ar Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne Bhéal Feirste cinneadh a dhéanamh faoi conas a bhuiséad a dháileadh agus faoi na grúpaí a mhaoiníonn sé bunaithe ar a mheasúnú ar riachtanais sa limistéar.

It is the responsibility of the Belfast Education and Library Board to decide how to distribute its budget and what groups funds based on its assessment of needs in the area.

Special Education Officers

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education how many officers dealing with special education, particularly children with cerebral palsy, are qualified teachers with a minimum of 5 years teaching experience and qualified to teach children with cerebral palsy, broken down by Education and Library Board.

(AQW 7462/08)

Ms C Ruane:

I have been advised by the Chief Executives of the education and library boards that the number of officers dealing with special education who are qualified teachers with a minimum of 5 years teaching experience and qualified to teach children with cerebal palsy is as follows:-

BELB	78
NEELB	56
SEELB	43
SELB	55
WELB	38

Déanann na figiúirí thuas tagairt d’oifigigh Bhoird ar a n-áirítear múinteoirí taistil.

The above figures refer to Board officers including peripatetic teachers.

Independent Special Schools

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education to list the special schools that specialise in educating children with cerebral palsy in each Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 7465/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Ní chomhlíonann aon scoil ar leith sainfheidhm eisiatach i dtaca le pairilís cheirbreach. Ach tá ar chumas gach scoil speisialta faoi chothabháil stáit soláthar cuí a dhéanamh in oiliúint linbh le pairilís cheirbreach agus lucht sláinte gairmiúil oilte ag tacú leo a chuirfeadh teiripe ar fáil atá sainiúil do riachtanais an pháiste

No individual school fulfils an exclusive specialist function in relation to cerebral palsy. Rather all grant-maintained special schools are capable of making appropriate provision in educating a child with cerebral palsy supported by trained health professionals who would provide therapy specific to the needs of the child.

Independent Special Schools

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education to list the independent special schools in each Education and Library Board area; and how many of these schools educate children with cerebral palsy.

(AQW 7466/08)

Ms C Ruane:

BELB	None
NEELB	None
SEELB	Glencraig Curative School, Craigavad
SELB	Buddy Bear School, Dungannon
WELB	None

Díobh siúd cuireann an Buddy Bear School oideachas stiúrtha ar fáil do leanaí le pairilís cheirbreach.

Of these the Buddy Bear School currently offers conductive education to children with cerebal palsy.

Sure Start Funding

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety why the Sure Start funded group for the Ards peninsula does not cover Millisle.

(AQW 7477/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The current policy of the Department of Education is to maintain Sure Start coverage of the 20% most deprived ward areas in the north of Ireland, as ranked by the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure Score. As Millisle falls outside the catchment areas there are no Sure Start programmes/services available within their ward area.

Ó thaobh na tíreolaíochta de, tá na limistéir bharda atá cuimsithe ag Sure Start agus an maoiniú measta atá ar fáil i 2008/2009, do gach tionscadal, le fáil sa tábla seo thíos:

Geographically, the ward areas covered by Sure Start and the estimated funding available in 2008/09, for each project, are contained within the table below:

Sure Start Projects	Ward Areas Covered	Estimated available budget 08-09
Smile	New Lodge Waterworks Duncairn Mt.Vernon & Shore Cres. (Castleview) York Park (Fortwilliam)	£441244
Glenbrook	Ardoyne Cliftonville Legoniel	£411704
Shankill	Shankill Highfield Glencairn Woodvale Ballysillan Crumlin (Belfast)	£487149
Clan Mor	Falls Clonard	£447685
Downpatrick Downpatrick (continued)	Cathedral Ardglass Ballymote (Flying Horse) Audleys Acre Quoile Strangford Killough	£551404
Lower Ards Peninsula	Portaferry Ballywalter Kircubbin Portavogie Scrabo	£481795
Colin Neighbourhood	Collin Glen Twinbrook Kilwee Lagmore (Derryaghey) Old Warren Poleglass	£546349
East Belfast	Island The Mount Ballymacarrett Woodstock Enler Tullycarnet	£594634
South Belfast	Shaftesbury Ballynafeigh Botanic Blackstaff Upper Malone	£618620
Outer West (Andersonstown)	Andersonstown Glencolin Glen Road Ladybrook	£419682
Upper Springfield	Falls Park Upper Springfield Whiterock	£378682
Beechmount	Beechmount	£163432
Little Hands, Creevagh	Rosemount Crevagh Springtown	£440984
Shantallow	Shantallow East Shantallow West Carnhill Culmore Area	£500370
Dungiven	Greystone The Highlands Dungiven Feeny Upper Glenshane Glack Coolessan	£461186
Strabane	North South East West Ballycolman Sion Mills Finn Dunnamanagh Plumbridge	£667787
Last, Omagh	Lisanelly Drumragh Killyclogher Camowen Strule Fintona Termon	£508805
Cherish Irvinestown	Irvinestown Kesh, Ederney and Lack Lisnarrick Ballinamallard Trillick Devenish Rosslea Newtownbutler	£511688
West Bank, Derry	Brandywell The Diamond Westland Strand Beechwood Creggan Central Creggan South	£338458
East Bank, Derry	Victoria Ebrington Clondermott Enagh	£438979
West Tyrone	Castlederg Glenderg Clare Drumquin Newtownstewart	£321387
Ballymena South	Dunclug Fair Green Ballykeel Moat Ballee Harryville	£658642
Coleraine	University Ballysally Cross Glebe Central Churchland Knocklynn	£539433
Dalriada	Ballylough Bushmills Dunseverick Kinbane Moss-side and Moyarget Armoy Dalriada Glentaisie Benamargy and Rathlin	£487882
Gold	Oldtown Gortalowry Killymoon Ardboe	£553169
Horizon/Larne Horizon/Larne (continued)	Love Lane Northland Clipperstown Sunnylands Ballyloran Craigy Hill Antiville	£449864
Newtownabbey	Cloughfern Monkstown Dunanney Coole Abbey Whitehouse Valley	£567556
Clogher Valley	Anghnacloy Augher Ballygawley Clogher Fivemiletown	£455728
Orana	Ballybot Daisyhill Drumalane Drumgullion St Mary’s St Patrick’s Windsor Hill	£638249
Close To Home (Dungannon)	Ballysaggart Benburb Coalisland South Coolhill Drumglass Killymeal Moygashel Mullaghmore Castlecaulfield	£500127
South Armagh	Bessbrook Camlough Creggan Crossmaglen Derrymore Newtownhamilton	£549277
Blossom	Annagh Ballybay Ballyoran Brownstown Corcrain Tavanagh	£501947
Arke Early Years	Keady Callanbridge	£102500
Splash	Church Court Drumgask Drumgor Drumnamoe Taghnevan	£552359

Sure Start Funding

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what Sure Start funded programmes are available for people in Millisle.

(AQW 7478/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The current policy of the Department of Education is to maintain Sure Start coverage of the 20% most deprived ward areas in the north of Ireland, as ranked by the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure Score. As Millisle falls outside the catchment areas there are no Sure Start programmes/services available within their ward area.

Ó thaobh na tíreolaíochta de, tá na limistéir bharda atá cuimsithe ag Sure Start agus an maoiniú measta atá ar fáil i 2008/2009, do gach tionscadal, le fáil sa tábla seo thíos:

Geographically, the ward areas covered by Sure Start and the estimated funding available in 2008/09, for each project, are contained within the table below:

Sure Start Projects	Ward Areas Covered	Estimated available budget 08-09
Smile	New Lodge Waterworks Duncairn Mt.Vernon & Shore Cres. (Castleview) York Park (Fortwilliam)	£441244
Glenbrook	Ardoyne Cliftonville Legoniel	£411704
Shankill	Shankill Highfield Glencairn Woodvale Ballysillan Crumlin (Belfast)	£487149
Clan Mor	Falls Clonard	£447685
Downpatrick Downpatrick (continued)	Cathedral Ardglass Ballymote (Flying Horse) Audleys Acre Quoile Strangford Killough	£551404
Lower Ards Peninsula	Portaferry Ballywalter Kircubbin Portavogie Scrabo	£481795
Colin Neighbourhood	Collin Glen Twinbrook Kilwee Lagmore (Derryaghey) Old Warren Poleglass	£546349
East Belfast	Island The Mount Ballymacarrett Woodstock Enler Tullycarnet	£594634
South Belfast	Shaftesbury Ballynafeigh Botanic Blackstaff Upper Malone	£618620
Outer West (Andersonstown)	Andersonstown Glencolin Glen Road Ladybrook	£419682
Upper Springfield	Falls Park Upper Springfield Whiterock	£378682
Beechmount	Beechmount	£163432
Little Hands, Creevagh	Rosemount Crevagh Springtown	£440984
Shantallow	Shantallow East Shantallow West Carnhill Culmore Area	£500370
Dungiven	Greystone The Highlands Dungiven Feeny Upper Glenshane Glack Coolessan	£461186
Strabane	North South East West Ballycolman Sion Mills Finn Dunnamanagh Plumbridge	£667787
Last, Omagh	Lisanelly Drumragh Killyclogher Camowen Strule Fintona Termon	£508805
Cherish Irvinestown	Irvinestown Kesh, Ederney and Lack Lisnarrick Ballinamallard Trillick Devenish Rosslea Newtownbutler	£511688
West Bank, Derry	Brandywell The Diamond Westland Strand Beechwood Creggan Central Creggan South	£338458
East Bank, Derry	Victoria Ebrington Clondermott Enagh	£438979
West Tyrone	Castlederg Glenderg Clare Drumquin Newtownstewart	£321387
Ballymena South	Dunclug Fair Green Ballykeel Moat Ballee Harryville	£658642
Coleraine	University Ballysally Cross Glebe Central Churchland Knocklynn	£539433
Dalriada	Ballylough Bushmills Dunseverick Kinbane Moss-side and Moyarget Armoy Dalriada Glentaisie Benamargy and Rathlin	£487882
Gold	Oldtown Gortalowry Killymoon Ardboe	£553169
Horizon/Larne Horizon/Larne (continued)	Love Lane Northland Clipperstown Sunnylands Ballyloran Craigy Hill Antiville	£449864
Newtownabbey	Cloughfern Monkstown Dunanney Coole Abbey Whitehouse Valley	£567556
Clogher Valley	Anghnacloy Augher Ballygawley Clogher Fivemiletown	£455728
Orana	Ballybot Daisyhill Drumalane Drumgullion St Mary’s St Patrick’s Windsor Hill	£638249
Close To Home (Dungannon)	Ballysaggart Benburb Coalisland South Coolhill Drumglass Killymeal Moygashel Mullaghmore Castlecaulfield	£500127
South Armagh	Bessbrook Camlough Creggan Crossmaglen Derrymore Newtownhamilton	£549277
Blossom	Annagh Ballybay Ballyoran Brownstown Corcrain Tavanagh	£501947
Arke Early Years	Keady Callanbridge	£102500
Splash	Church Court Drumgask Drumgor Drumnamoe Taghnevan	£552359

Sure Start Funding

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what geographical areas are covered by each of the Sure Start funded groups.

(AQW 7479/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The current policy of the Department of Education is to maintain Sure Start coverage of the 20% most deprived ward areas in the north of Ireland, as ranked by the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure Score. As Millisle falls outside the catchment areas there are no Sure Start programmes/services available within their ward area.

Ó thaobh na tíreolaíochta de, tá na limistéir bharda atá cuimsithe ag Sure Start agus an maoiniú measta atá ar fáil i 2008/2009, do gach tionscadal, le fáil sa tábla seo thíos:

Geographically, the ward areas covered by Sure Start and the estimated funding available in 2008/09, for each project, are contained within the table below:

Sure Start Projects	Ward Areas Covered	Estimated available budget 08-09
Smile	New Lodge Waterworks Duncairn Mt.Vernon & Shore Cres. (Castleview) York Park (Fortwilliam)	£441244
Glenbrook	Ardoyne Cliftonville Legoniel	£411704
Shankill	Shankill Highfield Glencairn Woodvale Ballysillan Crumlin (Belfast)	£487149
Clan Mor	Falls Clonard	£447685
Downpatrick Downpatrick (continued)	Cathedral Ardglass Ballymote (Flying Horse) Audleys Acre Quoile Strangford Killough	£551404
Lower Ards Peninsula	Portaferry Ballywalter Kircubbin Portavogie Scrabo	£481795
Colin Neighbourhood	Collin Glen Twinbrook Kilwee Lagmore (Derryaghey) Old Warren Poleglass	£546349
East Belfast	Island The Mount Ballymacarrett Woodstock Enler Tullycarnet	£594634
South Belfast	Shaftesbury Ballynafeigh Botanic Blackstaff Upper Malone	£618620
Outer West (Andersonstown)	Andersonstown Glencolin Glen Road Ladybrook	£419682
Upper Springfield	Falls Park Upper Springfield Whiterock	£378682
Beechmount	Beechmount	£163432
Little Hands, Creevagh	Rosemount Crevagh Springtown	£440984
Shantallow	Shantallow East Shantallow West Carnhill Culmore Area	£500370
Dungiven	Greystone The Highlands Dungiven Feeny Upper Glenshane Glack Coolessan	£461186
Strabane	North South East West Ballycolman Sion Mills Finn Dunnamanagh Plumbridge	£667787
Last, Omagh	Lisanelly Drumragh Killyclogher Camowen Strule Fintona Termon	£508805
Cherish Irvinestown	Irvinestown Kesh, Ederney and Lack Lisnarrick Ballinamallard Trillick Devenish Rosslea Newtownbutler	£511688
West Bank, Derry	Brandywell The Diamond Westland Strand Beechwood Creggan Central Creggan South	£338458
East Bank, Derry	Victoria Ebrington Clondermott Enagh	£438979
West Tyrone	Castlederg Glenderg Clare Drumquin Newtownstewart	£321387
Ballymena South	Dunclug Fair Green Ballykeel Moat Ballee Harryville	£658642
Coleraine	University Ballysally Cross Glebe Central Churchland Knocklynn	£539433
Dalriada	Ballylough Bushmills Dunseverick Kinbane Moss-side and Moyarget Armoy Dalriada Glentaisie Benamargy and Rathlin	£487882
Gold	Oldtown Gortalowry Killymoon Ardboe	£553169
Horizon/Larne Horizon/Larne (continued)	Love Lane Northland Clipperstown Sunnylands Ballyloran Craigy Hill Antiville	£449864
Newtownabbey	Cloughfern Monkstown Dunanney Coole Abbey Whitehouse Valley	£567556
Clogher Valley	Anghnacloy Augher Ballygawley Clogher Fivemiletown	£455728
Orana	Ballybot Daisyhill Drumalane Drumgullion St Mary’s St Patrick’s Windsor Hill	£638249
Close To Home (Dungannon)	Ballysaggart Benburb Coalisland South Coolhill Drumglass Killymeal Moygashel Mullaghmore Castlecaulfield	£500127
South Armagh	Bessbrook Camlough Creggan Crossmaglen Derrymore Newtownhamilton	£549277
Blossom	Annagh Ballybay Ballyoran Brownstown Corcrain Tavanagh	£501947
Arke Early Years	Keady Callanbridge	£102500
Splash	Church Court Drumgask Drumgor Drumnamoe Taghnevan	£552359

Sure Start Funding

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what funding has been made available to each Sure Start group for the 2008-09 financial year.

(AQW 7480/08)

Ms C Ruane:

The current policy of the Department of Education is to maintain Sure Start coverage of the 20% most deprived ward areas in the north of Ireland, as ranked by the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure Score. As Millisle falls outside the catchment areas there are no Sure Start programmes/services available within their ward area.

Ó thaobh na tíreolaíochta de, tá na limistéir bharda atá cuimsithe ag Sure Start agus an maoiniú measta atá ar fáil i 2008/2009, do gach tionscadal, le fáil sa tábla seo thíos:

Geographically, the ward areas covered by Sure Start and the estimated funding available in 2008/09, for each project, are contained within the table below:

Sure Start Projects	Ward Areas Covered	Estimated available budget 08-09
Smile	New Lodge Waterworks Duncairn Mt.Vernon & Shore Cres. (Castleview) York Park (Fortwilliam)	£441244
Glenbrook	Ardoyne Cliftonville Legoniel	£411704
Shankill	Shankill Highfield Glencairn Woodvale Ballysillan Crumlin (Belfast)	£487149
Clan Mor	Falls Clonard	£447685
Downpatrick Downpatrick (continued)	Cathedral Ardglass Ballymote (Flying Horse) Audleys Acre Quoile Strangford Killough	£551404
Lower Ards Peninsula	Portaferry Ballywalter Kircubbin Portavogie Scrabo	£481795
Colin Neighbourhood	Collin Glen Twinbrook Kilwee Lagmore (Derryaghey) Old Warren Poleglass	£546349
East Belfast	Island The Mount Ballymacarrett Woodstock Enler Tullycarnet	£594634
South Belfast	Shaftesbury Ballynafeigh Botanic Blackstaff Upper Malone	£618620
Outer West (Andersonstown)	Andersonstown Glencolin Glen Road Ladybrook	£419682
Upper Springfield	Falls Park Upper Springfield Whiterock	£378682
Beechmount	Beechmount	£163432
Little Hands, Creevagh	Rosemount Crevagh Springtown	£440984
Shantallow	Shantallow East Shantallow West Carnhill Culmore Area	£500370
Dungiven	Greystone The Highlands Dungiven Feeny Upper Glenshane Glack Coolessan	£461186
Strabane	North South East West Ballycolman Sion Mills Finn Dunnamanagh Plumbridge	£667787
Last, Omagh	Lisanelly Drumragh Killyclogher Camowen Strule Fintona Termon	£508805
Cherish Irvinestown	Irvinestown Kesh, Ederney and Lack Lisnarrick Ballinamallard Trillick Devenish Rosslea Newtownbutler	£511688
West Bank, Derry	Brandywell The Diamond Westland Strand Beechwood Creggan Central Creggan South	£338458
East Bank, Derry	Victoria Ebrington Clondermott Enagh	£438979
West Tyrone	Castlederg Glenderg Clare Drumquin Newtownstewart	£321387
Ballymena South	Dunclug Fair Green Ballykeel Moat Ballee Harryville	£658642
Coleraine	University Ballysally Cross Glebe Central Churchland Knocklynn	£539433
Dalriada	Ballylough Bushmills Dunseverick Kinbane Moss-side and Moyarget Armoy Dalriada Glentaisie Benamargy and Rathlin	£487882
Gold	Oldtown Gortalowry Killymoon Ardboe	£553169
Horizon/Larne Horizon/Larne (continued)	Love Lane Northland Clipperstown Sunnylands Ballyloran Craigy Hill Antiville	£449864
Newtownabbey	Cloughfern Monkstown Dunanney Coole Abbey Whitehouse Valley	£567556
Clogher Valley	Anghnacloy Augher Ballygawley Clogher Fivemiletown	£455728
Orana	Ballybot Daisyhill Drumalane Drumgullion St Mary’s St Patrick’s Windsor Hill	£638249
Close To Home (Dungannon)	Ballysaggart Benburb Coalisland South Coolhill Drumglass Killymeal Moygashel Mullaghmore Castlecaulfield	£500127
South Armagh	Bessbrook Camlough Creggan Crossmaglen Derrymore Newtownhamilton	£549277
Blossom	Annagh Ballybay Ballyoran Brownstown Corcrain Tavanagh	£501947
Arke Early Years	Keady Callanbridge	£102500
Splash	Church Court Drumgask Drumgor Drumnamoe Taghnevan	£552359

Primary Languages Programme

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education who will monitor and evaluate the Primary Languages Programme; what methods will be used in the monitoring; and when it will take place.

(AQW 7500/08)

Ms C Ruane: A Primary Languages Group, representative of key education partners, has been set up to manage and monitor the Primary Languages Programme on an ongoing basis. The Group reports to the Partnership Management Board and to my Department.

D’iarr mé ar an gCigireacht Oideachais & Oiliúna measúnú neamhspleách a dhéanamh ar mo Chlár Teangacha Bunscoile, a mbeidh i gceist leis agallaimh le múinteoirí, teagascóirí agus príomhoidí agus cleachtas sa seomra ranga a bhreathnú. Beidh sé sin ar siúl le linn na scoilbhliana 2008-9.

I have asked the Education & Training Inspectorate to carry out an independent evaluation of my Primary Languages Programme, which will involve interviews with teachers, tutors and principals and observation of practice in the classroom. This will take place during the 2008-09 school year.

Retirement Age of Education and Library Board Officers

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education to clarify the age of retirement (i) Education and Library Board officers; and (ii) departmental officials.

(AQW 7513/08)

Ms C Ruane: The compulsory retirement age for Education and Library Board officers is 65 (except where this has been increased by local agreement, i.e. School Crossing Patrols age 75).

The compulsory age of retirement for department officials is 65. However, Department staff may retire without having their accrued pension entitlement reduced, at age 60 or 65, depending on their pension arrangements under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (NI).

Ina theannta sin, tugann na Rialacháin um Chomhionannas Fostaíochta (Tuaisceart Éireann) 2006, a tháinig i bhfeidhm ó Dheireadh Fómhair 2006, an ceart bunreachtúil do gach fostaí obair a iarraidh i ndiaidh aois a 65.

In addition, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006, effective from October 2006, gives all employees the statutory right to request to work beyond 65.

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education if (i) any of the Education and Library Boards; or (ii) her Department, have made, or are currently making, adjustments to accommodate individuals working beyond the age of 65.

(AQW 7514/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Thug na Rialacháin um Chomhionannas Fostaíochta (Aois) 2006, atá i bhfeidhm ó 1 Deireadh Fómhair 2006, an ceart reachtúil d’fhostaithe obair a iarraidh i ndiaidh aois 65.

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, effective from 1 October 2006, has provided employees with the statutory right to request to work beyond age 65.

No applications to work beyond 65 have been received by the Department. Available information from the Education and Library Boards indicates that 295 applications have been received, of which 254 have been approved; 36 remain under consideration; and 5 have been turned down. These figures are in respect of all non-teaching staff, including school-based staff. The decision on approval or otherwise rests with the employing authority and the legislation does not require a reason to be given for the decision. There is no provision within age discrimination legislation to make adjustments to accommodate individuals working beyond 65. The Boards advise that no adjustments were necessary in respect of the applications that have been approved.

Chief Executive Officers of Education and Library Boards

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education what (i) quangos; and (ii) non-departmental bodies or agencies, on which the Chief Executive officers of (a) the Education and Library Boards; and (b) Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, are currently members.

(AQW 7517/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sainaithníonn an tábla seo thíos na comhlachtaí a bhfuil Príomhoifigí Fheidhmiúcháin (a) na mBord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne, agus (b) Chomhairle na Scoileanna Caitliceacha faoi Chothabháil ina mbaill díobh faoi láthair.

The table below identifies the bodies of which the Chief Executive officers of (a) the Education and Library Boards; and (b) Council for Catholic Maintained Schools are currently members.

BOARD/CCMS	QUANGO/NDPB /AGENCY
BELB	Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards. British Council NI Advisory Committee.
CCMS	Middletown Autism Centre. DARD – Independent Board Member. South Eastern Trust – Non Executive Director.
NEELB	The General Teaching Council (NI).
SEELB	None
SELB	Council for Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Cookstown Local Strategic Partnerships. Newry Local Strategic Partnerships.
WELB	Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards.

Departmental Phone Numbers

Mr Hamilton asked the Minister of Education to list all 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers operated by, or on behalf of, her Department and its agencies; and the profit made on the lines in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 7523/08)

Ms C Ruane: Ní fheidhmíonn an Roinn Oideachais ná Comhlachtaí Neamhrannacha Poiblí (CNRP) in earnáil an oideachais uimhreacha teileafóin 0845 ná 0870 ar bith. Níl áisínteachtaí ar bith ag an Roinn.

Neither the Department of Education nor any Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) in the education sector operate 0845 or 0870 telephone numbers. The Department does not have any agencies.

Summer Schemes for Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education what funding is available for summer schemes for children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in the Strangford constituency; and if any schemes are pending this funding.

(AQW 7540/08)

Ms C Ruane: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the South-Eastern Education and Library Board that the Board does not plan to arrange summer schemes for children with a specific diagnosis of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in the Strangford constituency.

Beidh scéim samhraidh ann, áfach, do dhaltaí le mórdheacrachtaí foghlama atá ina ndaltaí ag Scoil Speisialta Clifton, Beannchar.

There will be, however, a summer scheme for pupils with severe learning difficulties who are pupils at Clifton Special School, Bangor.

Lisnasharragh High School

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education what plans she has for the Lisnasharragh High School building/site, following the closure of the school.

(AQW 7546/08)

Ms C Ruane: Tá curtha in iúl ag Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirdheiscirt go bhfuil beartaithe acu láithreán Lios na Searrach a choinneáil ar feadh tamaill agus iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar a oiriúnacht d’úsáid eile oideachais.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board have advised that it plans is to retain the Lisnasharragh site for the time being and to explore its suitability for alternative educational use.

Lisnasharragh High School

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education what action she is taking to provide additional support to the secondary schools that will be receiving pupils with special needs requirements from Lisnasharragh High School, following the closure of the school.

(AQW 7547/08)

Ms C Ruane: I have been advised by the Chief Executives of the Belfast and South-Eastern Education and Library Boards that there are currently 7 pupils with special educational needs attending Lisnasharragh High School.

I ngach cás beidh soláthar iomchuí oideachais á shocrú ag an mBord, ar a n-áirítear breis tacaíochta teagaisc, chun freastal ar riachtanais speisialta oideachais na ndaltaí ina suíomh nua scoile.

In all cases the Board will be arranging the appropriate educational provision, including additional teaching support, to meet the pupils’ special educational needs in their new school setting.

School Age Childcare Services

Mr A Maskey asked the Minister of Education what action has been taken by her Department to prevent the closure of School Age Childcare Services which were established under Governmental policy (Children First, 1999), given the fact that Playboard have began informing parents that the service may not be available during the summer holidays and that a number of staff may face redundancy.

(AQW 7554/08)

Ms C Ruane: Níl aon fhreagracht ar an Roinn Oideachais tacú leis na Seirbhísí Cúraim Leanaí d’Aois Scoile a sholáthraíonn Playboard ná maoiniú a chur ar fáil.

The Department of Education does not have responsibility nor the funding available to fund the School Age Childcare Services provided by Playboard.

Nursery School Places in East Belfast

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education how many nursery school places are currently available in East Belfast.

(AQW 7566/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá 234 áit i naíscoileanna reachtúla agus 468 áit i naí-aonaid atá i gceangal le bunscoileanna reachtúla i mBéal Feirste Thoir. Ina theannta sin, tá 120 áit réamhscoile mhaoinithe san earnáil dheonach/phríobháideach.

There are 234 places in statutory nursery schools and 468 places in nursery units attached to statutory primary schools in East Belfast. In addition, there are 120 funded pre-school places in the voluntary/private sector.

Nursery School Places in East Belfast

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education what plans she has to change the number of nursery school places available in East Belfast.

(AQW 7567/08)

Ms C Ruane:

In relation to the present position, it is too early to say if the number needs to be increased as the admissions process to pre-school provision is still ongoing.

Under the Open Enrolment in Nursery Schools: Arrangements for September 2008 Admissions, the initial process of admissions was completed on 2^nd May 2008 when parents received a letter notifying them of the setting for which their pre-school child has been accepted.

Parents of pre-school aged children, unplaced in settings of their choice at 2^nd May 2008, were advised where alternative provision is still available.

Education and Library Boards, who operate the admissions process, are now going through the re-allocation of places process for those children who were not placed at 2^nd May 2008. It is expected that this process will be completed by mid to end June.

Déanfaidh BOLBF agus BOLOD monatóireacht leanúnach ar an soláthar réamhscoile d’fhonn aghaidh a thabhairt ar ghá ar bith le háiteanna breise réamhscoile má shainaithnítear a leithéid.

The BELB and the SEELB will continue to monitor pre-school provision in East Belfast in order to address any need for additional pre-school places if identified.

Nursery School Admission Criteria

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education what the criteria is for admission to nursery schools; and what changes to this criteria are planned (i) to reduce long waiting lists; and (ii) to address over demand for places.

(AQW 7568/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá socraithe ag an Roinn go dtabharfadh scoileanna tosaíocht, in ord na tosaíochta seo a leanas do:

The Pre-School Education in Schools (Admissions Criteria) Regulations 1999 state that schools should give priority in their admissions criteria in the following order of priority to:

1. children from socially disadvantaged circumstances who will be aged 4 before 1 September in their final pre-school year
2. children from socially disadvantaged circumstances who will be aged 3 before 1 September in their final pre-school year
3. children not falling within i. or ii. who will be aged 4 before 1 September in their final pre-school year
4. children not falling within i. or ii. who will be aged 3 before 1 September in their final pre-school year.

There are currently no plans for changes to be made to the above regulations.

Additional criteria for admission to particular nursery schools are the responsibility of the board of governors of each school and will reflect the governors’ priorities for admission to their school.

It is too early to say if there will be a shortfall in the number of funded places in pre-school settings in the 2008/09 school year as the admissions process to pre-school provision is still ongoing. Under the Open Enrolment in Nursery Schools: Arrangements for September 2008 Admissions, the initial process of admissions was completed on 2 May 2008 when parents received a letter notifying them of the setting for which their pre-school child has been accepted. Parents of pre-school aged children unplaced in settings of their choice at 2 May 2008 were advised where alternative provision is still available.

Education and library boards, who operate the admissions process, are now going through the re-allocation of places process for those children who were not placed at 2 May 2008. It is expected that this process will be completed by mid to end June.

The education and library boards will continue to monitor pre-school provision in their respective areas in order to address any need for additional pre-school places, if identified.

English as a Second Language

Mr Newton asked the Minister of Education how many children born outside the United Kingdom were admitted to nursery schools in East Belfast in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 7569/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Ní bhailítear an fhaisnéis atá á iarraidh. Tá líon na bpáistí le Béarla mar theanga bhreise (BTB) curtha ar fáil ina ionad.

The information requested is not collected. Numbers of children with English as an additional language (EAL) has been provided as a proxy.

EAL pupils attending nursery schools in the East Belfast constituency – Last 3 years

Year	No. of EAL pupils
2005/06	6
2006/07	6
2007/08	10

Source: school census

Note: A child with English as an additional language is defined as one for whom English is not their first language and who has significant problems with the English language and requires assistance.

New Nursery and Primary School in Magherafelt

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister of Education, pursuant to her answer to AQW 1868/08, for an update on the start date for work to commence on a new nursery and primary school in Magherafelt.

(AQW 7575/08)

Ms C Ruane: Planning of the proposed new schools for Magherafelt P.S. and Magherafelt N.S. is currently at pre-tender stage. The NEELB had earlier anticipated that planning approval would have been obtained to allow the scheme to start this spring. However Planning approval has not yet been granted for the construction of the new schools on the proposed new site at Castledawson Road. I understand this has also been delayed following a recent request from the Environment and Heritage Service for further ground investigation reports of the proposed new site. The Board has confirmed that work on this is underway.

Go dtí go ndeonaítear cead pleanála, ní féidir le BOLO sealbhú an láithreáin a chur i gcrích. Agus seo amhlaidh, chuir an Bord in iúl nach féidir san am seo dáta táscach a dtosófar an obair thógála a thabhairt, ach táthar ag súil go gcuirfear tús léi go luath sa bhliain 2009.

Until planning approval has been granted, the NEELB cannot complete the acquisition of the site. In light of this the Board has advised that it is not possible at this stage to give an indicative date for construction work to commence but it is hoped that this should be in early 2009.

Upgrading Primary Schools in North Down

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Education to outline her strategy to upgrade the schools' estate at primary school level, in the North Down constituency.

(AQW 7577/08)

Ms C Ruane: The planning of the schools estate is initiated in the first instance by the relevant school authorities.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board, as part of its strategic review of the schools estate within its responsibility, identified the need for some rationalisation of primary provision in the Bangor area, though there are no current proposals for this.

The Board is also progressing two major capital projects for primary schools for which funding has been approved by the Department. These are a new 11 classbase school for Towerview P.S. and the amalgamation of Holywood P.S. and Redburn P.S. in a new school building on a new site. Construction work is underway on the new building for Towerview P.S. and is expected to be completed in spring 2009. The project for Holywood / Redburn P.S. is in the early stages of planning.

In addition major capital works at two other schools in the constituency have recently been completed. These are a new school building for Kilmaine P.S. which was completed in February 2006 and a major extension & refurbishment for Ballyholme P.S. which was completed in February 2008.

Faoi láthair níl moltaí ar bith ann bunscoileanna faoi chothabháil i dToghlach Dhúin Thuaidh a uasghrádú.

There are no proposals currently to upgrade any of the maintained primary schools in the North Down constituency.

Post-Primary School Places

Dr Farry asked the Minister of Education (i) how many; and (ii) what percentage of, P7 children attending schools in the North Down constituency have not been allocated a place at a post-primary school for the 2008-09 academic year.

(AQW 7582/08)

Ms C Ruane: Bhí 30 leanbh B7, atá comhionann le 3 faoin gcéad, ag freastal ar scoileanna i dToghlach Dhúin Thuaidh nár cionroinneadh ionad dóibh ag iarbhunscoil don bhliain acadúil 2008-09.

There were 30 P7 children, which equates to 3 percent, attending schools in the North Down constituency who have not been allocated a place at a post-primary school for the 2008-09 academic year.

Post-Primary School Figures

Dr Farry asked the Minister of Education how many year 8 places there are in each post-primary school in the (i) North Down; (ii) Strangford; and (iii) East Belfast constituencies, for the 2008-09 academic year; and how many of these have been filled for each post-primary school.

(AQW 7583/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá líon na n-ionad do bhliain a hocht atá i ngach iarbhunscoil i dtoghlaigh (i) Dhún Thuaidh; (ii) Loch Cuain; (iii) Bhéal Feirste Thoir, don bhliain acadúil 2008-09; agus cé mhéad díobh atá líonta do gach iarbhunscoil ar fáil sa tábla atá leis seo.

The number of year 8 places there are in each post-primary school in the (i) North Down; (ii) Strangford; and (iii) East Belfast constituencies, for the 2008-09 academic year; and how many of these have been filled for each post-primary school is provided on the attached table.

		(i) Approved Year 8 Places 2008/09	(ii) Filled Year 8 Places 2008/09
North Down
4210031	DONAGHADEE HIGH SCHOOL	76	10
4210296	BANGOR ACADEMY AND 6TH FORM COLLEGE	242	242
4230107	ST COLUMBANUS' COLLEGE	90	90
4250024	PRIORY COLLEGE	94	94
4410097	GLENLOLA COLLEGIATE	157	157
4420015	BANGOR GS	125	125
4420044	SULLIVAN UPPER SCHOOL	150	150
Strangford
4210012	MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	180	77
4210045	NENDRUM COLLEGE	80	80
4210046	GLASTRY COLLEGE	112	112
4210063	SAINTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL	69	69
4210262	DUNDONALD HIGH SCHOOL	120	37
4230067	ST COLUMBA'S HIGH SCHOOL	104	51
4260295	STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	80	80
4410063	REGENT HOUSE SCHOOL	210	210
		(i) Approved Year 8 Places 2008/09	(ii) Filled Year 8 Places 2008/09
East Belfast
1210014	ASHFIELD GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL	113	113
1210015	ASHFIELD BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL	110	110
1210266	ORANGEFIELD HIGH SCHOOL	145	31
1410079	GROSVENOR GS	155	155
1420018	BLOOMFIELD COLLEGIATE	100	100
1420020	CAMPBELL COLLEGE	140	140
1420089	STRATHEARN SCHOOL	110	110
4210086	KNOCKBREDA HIGH SCHOOL	120	120
4260255	LAGAN COLLEGE	200	200
4420259	OUR LADY AND ST PATRICK'S COLLEGE	181	181

Donaghadee High School

Dr Farry asked the Minister of Education for her assessment of the impact the proposed closure of Donaghadee High School will have on the availability of year 8 places in post-primary schools in the North Down constituency.

(AQW 7584/08)

Ms C Ruane: The two-month consultation period for the receipt of comments on the development proposal for the closure of Donaghadee High School ends on 30 June 2008. The availability of suitable alternative post-primary provision in the area will be examined before deciding on this proposal.

Déanfar cinneadh freisin maidir leis an moladh forbartha ar leith, a foilsíodh ar 26 Feabhra 2008, chun go bhfaighidh an scoil stádas comhtháite rialaithe.

A decision will also be made on the separate development proposal, published on 26 February 2008, for the school to acquire controlled integrated status.

New School in Millburn, Coleraine

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Education what plans she has to build a new school in Millburn, Coleraine.

(AQW 7595/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Is bunscoil rialaithe í seo faoi shainchúram Bhord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne an Oirthuaiscirt (BOLOT) agus chuir an Bord in iúl nach bhfuil beartaithe acu Bunscoil Millburn a athsholáthar.

This is a controlled primary school within the remit of the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) and the Board has advised that it has no plans to replace Millburn Primary School.

Primary School Capacity in Derry/Londonderry

Miss McIlveen asked the Minister of Education what is the pupil capacity for each primary school in the city of Derry/Londonderry, for each sector, in each of the last 5 years.

(AQW 7608/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá an acmhainneacht daltaí do gach bunscoil i gcathair Dhoire, do gach earnáil, i ngach ceann de na 5 bliana seo caite á cur ar fáil sa tábla atá leis seo.

The pupil capacity for each primary school in the city of Derry, for each sector, in each of the last 5 years is provided in the attached table.

		Approved Enrolment Numbers
		2003/2004	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008
2010380	LONDONDERRY MODEL PS	380	380	380	380	380
2010382	EBRINGTON CONTROLLED PS	551	551	551	551	551
2012052	CULMORE PS	77	77	82	82	75
2012227	DRUMAHOE PS	261	261	290	290	290
2012261	NEWBUILDINGS PS	355	355	355	355	355
2016071	GREENHAW PS	254	254	254	254	254
2016124	ASHLEA PS	230	230	230	230	230
2016203	LISNAGELVIN PS	592	592	592	592	592
2016564	FOUNTAIN PS	141	141	141	141	141
2030364	ROSEMOUNT PS	523	523	523	523	523
2030373	NAZARETH HOUSE PS	395	395	395	395	395
2030381	HOLY CHILD PS	404	404	404	404	404
2036032	ST JOHN'S PS	726	726	726	726	726
2036069	ST ANNE'S PS	724	724	724	724	724
2036084	STEELSTOWN VOL MAINTAINED PS	657	657	657	657	657
2036142	ST BRIGID'S PS	603	603	603	603	603
		Approved Enrolment Numbers
		2003/2004	2004/2005	2005/2006	2006/2007	2007/2008
2036143	ST OLIVER PLUNKETT PS	273	273	273	273	273
2036227	ST PAULS PS, SLIEVEMORE	527	527	527	527	527
2036247	ST COLUMBA'S PS	175	175	175	175	175
2036259	TRENCH ROAD PS	553	553	553	553	553
2036288	GOOD SHEPHERD PS AND NURSERY SCHOOL	408	408	408	408	408
2036461	ST THERESA'S PS, LENAMORE	487	487	487	487	487
2036465	CHAPEL ROAD PS	276	276	276	276	276
2036472	HOLY FAMILY PS	640	640	640	640	640
2036473	ST EITHNE'S PS	552	552	552	552	552
2036475	LONGTOWER PS	605	605	605	605	605
2036533	HOLLYBUSH PS	396	396	396	396	396
2036555	ST EUGENE'S PS	473	473	473	473	261
2036574	BUNSCOIL CHOLMCILLE	243	243	243	196	196
2036581	ST PATRICKS PS	940	930	930	930	930
2046646	GAELSCOIL EADAIN MHOIR	116	116	145	145	145
2052035	GROARTY INTEGRATED PS	63	63	63	63	63
2066558	OAKGROVE INTEGRATED PS	400	400	400	400	400

Controlled School Places in North Down

Mr Cree asked the Minister of Education what plans she has to ensure there is adequate provision of controlled school places in the North Down constituency.

(AQW 7635/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Chuir sonraí an Daonaireamh Scoile do Dheireadh Fómhair 2007 in iúl go bhfuil farasbarr acmhainne laistigh de scoileanna rialaithe i dToghlach Dhúin Thuaidh.

The School Census data for October 2007 indicated that there is surplus capacity within controlled schools in the North Down Constituency.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board have advised that they intend to address over provision through rationalisation and assessments of capacity where new school buildings are being planned.

After-Schools Programmes

Mr I McCrea asked the Minister of Education how much funding is available in the Mid-Ulster constituency for after schools programmes.

(AQW 7642/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Ní bhailíonn an Roinn aon eolas ar shainimeachtaí iarscoile a chuireann scoileanna aonair ar fáil.

The Department does not collect information on specific after school activities offered by individual schools.

The vast majority of grant-aided schools in the north of Ireland have been offering after school programmes for many years and do so through a combination of voluntary effort, school’s delegated budgets and parental contributions.

In addition the Extended Schools programme provides a recognised funding stream for the most socially disadvantaged schools and these resources can be used for after school activities. Details of Extended Schools in the Mid-Ulster constituency are attached.

Extended Schools in the Mid Ulster Constituency
DENI Ref	School name	Eligible/Not Eligible	Ward	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
3012267	MAGHERAFELT CONTROLLED PS	No Longer Eligible	TOWN PARKS EAST	30,475	30,245	3,702
3036039	ST MARY'S PS (GLENVIEW)	New School	LOWER GLENSHANE	0	0	17,584
3036562	HOLY FAMILY PS	No Longer Eligible	GLEBE (MAGHERAFELT)	34,949	35,018	4,451
3210090	MAGHERA HIGH SCHOOL	Eligible	MAGHERA	18,475	17,950	12,068
5012615	BALLYTREA PS	Eligible	STEWARTSTOWN	14,605	14,720	9,884
5012632	DONAGHMORE PS	New School	DONAGHMORE (DUNGANNON)	0	0	7,112
5012643	STEWARTSTOWN PS	New School	STEWARTSTOWN	0	0	6,160
5012649	COAGH PS	No Longer Eligible	COAGH	11,385	10,695	1,449
5016200	QUEEN ELIZABETH II (POMEROY) PS	Eligible	POMEROY	6,800	5,900	5,936
5032692	ST MARY'S PS	Eligible	STEWARTSTOWN	15,813	16,158	10,304
5032699	ST MARY'S PS	Eligible	DUNNAMORE	20,815	20,384	12,614
5032703	ST PETER'S PS	Eligible	ARDBOE	23,230	22,195	13,328
5032713	DERRYCHRIN PS	Eligible	ARDBOE	16,071	15,381	10,094
5032717	ST PATRICK'S PS	New School	KILLYCOLPY	0	0	12,824
5036033	ST JOSEPH'S PS	New School	ALTMORE	0	0	13,118
5036047	ST PATRICK'S PS	No Longer Eligible	WASHING BAY	25,070	24,610	2,990
5036057	ST MALACHY'S PS	No Longer Eligible	MONEYMORE	7,705	7,935	1,254
5036108	ST JOSEPH'S PS	Eligible	DUNNAMORE	11,615	11,730	8,736
5036118	ST MARY'S PS	Eligible	POMEROY	22,626	21,505	12,824
5036590	PRIMATE DIXON PS	Eligible	COALISLAND WEST AND NEWMILLS	34,420	34,397	20,944
5046637	GAELSCOIL UI NEILL	Buffer School	COALISLAND NORTH	13,225	13,300	5,173
5230192	ST JOSEPH’S HIGH SCHOOL	Eligible	COALISLAND WEST AND NEWMILLS	34,880	33,730	20,706
			Total
Source:I school census 2007/08
NB The buffer zone – due to the change in eligibility criteria some previously funded schools may slip below the qualifying criteria one year and then qualify the next. Therefore a "buffer zone" has been created to allow previously funded schools falling a few percentage points below the threshold to be funded for 2 years at a reduced amount, (50%) if eligibility has not been re-established after 2 years, these schools will exit the programme.

Nursery School Places in North Down

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Education what plans she has to change the number of nursery school places available in North Down parliamentary constituency.

(AQW 7674/08)

Ms C Ruane:

In relation to the present position, it is too early to say if the number needs to be revised as the admissions process to pre-school provision is still ongoing.

Under the Open Enrolment in Nursery Schools: Arrangements for September 2008 Admissions, the initial process of admissions was completed on 2^nd May 2008 when parents received a letter notifying them of the setting for which their pre-school child has been accepted.

Parents of pre-school aged children, unplaced in settings of their choice at 2^nd May 2008, were advised where alternative provision is still available.

Education and Library Boards, who operate the admissions process, are now going through the re-allocation of places process for those children who were not placed at 2^nd May 2008. It is expected that this process will be completed by mid to end June.

Déanfaidh BOLOD monatóireacht leanunach ar an soláthar réamhscoile i dtoghlach parlaiminteach Dhúin Thuaidh d’fhonn aghaidh a thabhairt ar ghá ar bith le háiteanna breise réamhscoile má shainaithnítear a leithéid.

The SEELB will continue to monitor pre-school provision in the North Down parliamentary constituency in order to address any need for additional pre-school places if identified.

Nursery School Places in North Down

Mr Weir asked the Minister of Education how many nursery school places are currently available in North Down parliamentary constituency.

(AQW 7675/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá 182 áit i naíscoileanna reachtúla agus 286 áit i naí-aonaid atá i gceangal le bunscoileanna reachtúla i dtoghlach parlaiminteach Dhúin Thuaidh. Ina theannta sin, tá 291 áit réamhscoile mhaoinithe san earnáil dheonach/phríobháideach.

There are 182 places in statutory nursery schools and 286 places in nursery units attached to statutory primary schools in the North Down parliamentary constituency. In addition, there are 291 funded pre-school places in the voluntary/private sector.

Unauthorised Absences in Schools

Mr Elliott asked the Minister of Education how many cases of unauthorised absence by pupils for 10 or more consecutive school days occurred in each of the last 5 years, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 7693/08)

Ms C Ruane: Ní bhailíonn an Roinn an t-eolas atá á iarraidh.

The Department does not currently collect the information sought.

Since September 2006, a new standardised system of recording absences has been used in schools, following an update of the attendance module of the Classroom 2000 (C2K) system. This enables schools to record pupils’ absences, the reasons for the absence and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.

The Department had planned to collect this new data with the annual school census in October 2007. However additional software is required to facilitate the transfer of detailed, yet anonymised, attendance data to the Department for analysis. This software has been commissioned and the intention is to collect data for the 2006/07 and 2007/08 school years during the census in October 2008.

A separate exercise took place earlier this year to collect detailed attendance data from all post-primary schools and this data was recently published on the Department’s website. This information and the data from both primary and post-primary schools that will be collected in October 2008 will be used to inform the setting of targets on pupil attendance. Once targets have been developed, the Department will issue guidance to schools on how best to promote regular attendance and on approaches to early and effective intervention.

The Department does collect information from the education and library boards about pupils referred due to concerns around non-attendance. This information is collected at the end of each school year and is published on the Department’s website. The Education and Welfare Service will receive a referral from a school when a pupil’s attendance pattern causes concern and each referral will be dealt with according to the individual circumstances.

Vacant Places in Irish Medium Schools

Mr S Wilson asked the Minister of Education how many vacant school places there are currently in Irish Medium schools.

(AQW 7750/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Faoi láthair tá 768 áit fholamh i scoileanna Gaeilge.

There are currently 768 vacant places in Irish Medium schools.

Saint Cecilia's College in Derry/Londonderry

Mr Durkan asked the Minister of Education (i) for her assessment of progress on the delivery of a new school for Saint Cecilia's College in Derry/Londonderry; and (ii) to detail any delays which have occurred.

(AQW 7766/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá sé beartaithe go bhfaighfear na foirgnimh nua scoile do Choláiste N. Síle agus do Choláiste N. Muire trí chomhpháirtíocht idir an earnáil phoiblí agus an earnáil phríobháideach.

It is planned that new school buildings for St Cecilia’s College and for St Mary’s College will be procured through a public private partnership. The Department has worked closely with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and the Project Manager to address a number of issues which have arisen during the scrutiny of the Full Business Case (FBC) for the project. This has taken longer than anticipated due to the need to take account of revised value for money guidance and the requirement for further work to be carried out on the FBC . A final version of the FBC was submitted to the department on 10 April. The work will be completed very shortly and the business case will then be forwarded to the Department of Finance and Personnel for approval.

Saint Mary's College in Derry/Londonderry

Mr Durkan asked the Minister of Education (i) for her assessment of progress on the planned new school for Saint Mary's College in Derry/Londonderry; and (ii) to detail any delays which have occurred.

(AQW 7768/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá sé beartaithe go bhfaighfear na foirgnimh nua scoile do Choláiste N. Síle agus do Choláiste N. Muire trí chomhpháirtíocht idir an earnáil phoiblí agus an earnáil phríobháideach.

It is planned that new school buildings for St Cecilia’s College and for St Mary’s College will be procured through a public private partnership. The Department has worked closely with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and the Project Manager to address a number of issues which have arisen during the scrutiny of the Full Business Case (FBC) for the project. This has taken longer than anticipated due to the need to take account of revised value for money guidance and the requirement for further work to be carried out on the FBC . A final version of the FBC was submitted to the department on 10 April. The work will be completed very shortly and the business case will then be forwarded to the Department of Finance and Personnel for approval.

Donaghadee High School

Mr Easton asked the Minister of Education for her assessment of the impact that the possible closure of Donaghadee High School will have on the over subscription of pupil enrolments in the North Down constituency.

(AQW 7785/08)

Ms C Ruane: Tá fad curtha go dtí 30 Meitheamh leis an gcomhairliúchán ar an Togra Forbartha le hArdscoil Dhomhnach Daoi a dhúnadh. Agus an cinneadh á dhéanamh agam, beidh na fachtóirí ábhartha á chur san áireamh agam, ina theannta sin, an leibhéal soláthar iarbhunoideachais sa cheantar.

The consultation on the Development Proposal to allow for the closure of Donaghadee High School will extends until 30 June. In making my decision on the proposal I will take all relevant factors into account including the level of post-primary provision in the area.

Glastry College

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Glastry College through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7796/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Nendrum College

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Nendrum College through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7798/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Strangford College

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Strangford College through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7806/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Regent House School

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Regent House School through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7807/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Movilla High School

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Movilla High School through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and to state the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7827/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Bangor Academy

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Bangor Academy through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and to state the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7828/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Bangor Grammar School

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Education how many pupils applied for entrance to Bangor Grammar through the Transfer Scheme, and of those pupils, how many were (i) accepted; and (ii) refused; and to state the Transfer Test Grades of those in both categories.

(AQW 7829/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Sa tábla thíos, liostáiltear líon na n-iarratas ar áiteanna i ngach ceann de na scoileanna atá ainmnithe sa tsraith seo ceisteanna, mar aon le líon na n-iarratas briste síos de réir an ghráid a fuarthas sa teist aistrithe. Is féidir an grád a fuair iarratasóirí sa teist aistrithe a oibriú amach ón eolas sin.

The number of applications for places at each of the schools named in this series of questions is listed in the table below, along with the number of admissions broken down by transfer test grade. The transfer test grade obtained by applicants can be deduced from this.

2008/09	Grade A	Grade B1	Grade B2	Grade C1	Grade C2	Grade D	Other	Total
	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm	App/Adm
GLASTRY COLLEGE	2/2	0/0	5/5	13/12	19/15	44/38	40/40	123/112
NENDRUM COLLEGE	0/0	6/5	1/0	13/6	15/12	53/37	29/20	117/80
STRANGFORD INTEGRATED COLLEGE	1/0	1/0	7/2	17/6	23/11	60/26	50/35	159/80
REGENT HOUSE	183/183	32/23	16/2	12/0	5/0	9/1	1/1	258/210
MOVILLA HIGH SCHOOL	0/0	0/0	2/2	7/7	7/7	28/28	39/39	83/83
BANGOR ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	0/0	1/0	13/13	35/22	37/29	133/111	81/67	300/242
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL	75/75	24/24	19/19	22/2	17/0	12/2	4/3	173/125

Substitute Teachers

Mr Savage asked the Minister of Education how many teachers have retired from full-time teaching but are engaged or have been engaged in substitute teaching over the 2007-08 academic year.

(AQW 7844/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá an t-eolas a iarradh mionsonraithe sa tábla faoi iamh.

The information requested is detailed in the attached table.

Numbers of teachers retired from full-time teaching but engaged or have been engaged in substitute teaching over the 2007-08 academic year.

Retirement Type	Number of Re-Employments
Age	330
Actuarially Reduced	12
Efficient Discharge	61
Redundancy	1,518
TOTAL NUMBER OF RE-EMPLOYMENTS	1,921

Pre-School Education Advisory Group Funding

Mr Kennedy asked the Minister of Education why playgroups lose Pre-School Education Advisory Group (PEAG) funding when a child leaves to attend reception/primary school during the year.

(AQW 7857/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Faoin Chlár um Fhorbairt na Réamhscolaíochta (PSEEP), meallann naíonraí deonacha méid áirithe in aghaidh gach áit mhaoinithe. Má fhágann páiste naíonra deonach, cuirtear stop leis an mhaoiniú a mheallann an páiste sin, ar an ábhar nach bhfuil sé/sí ag freastal níos mó.

Under the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme (PSEEP), voluntary pre-school settings attract an amount per funded place. If a child leaves a voluntary pre-school setting, the funding that child attracts stops, as they are no longer in attendance.

Zero Rated Primary Schools

Mr Kennedy asked the Minister of Education what is the position of Education and Library Boards in relation to primary schools who are zero rated but are still enrolling pre-school children into reception classes.

(AQW 7860/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Ní thugtar nialas mar ráta do pháistí i ranganna fáiltithe nó do ghrúpaí i mbunscoileanna maidir le maoiniú faoi Scéim Maoinithe na Roinne i gcomhair Bainistíocht Áitiúil ar Scoileanna.

Children in reception classes or groups in primary schools are not zero-rated for funding purposes under the Department’s Common Funding Scheme for Local Management of Schools.

Independent Schools Admissions Criteria

Mr Moutray asked the Minister of Education what measures her Department can take to prevent schools that are operating the Dickson Plan for education from pressing ahead with independent schools admissions criteria, including an academic selective element, in the absence of an agreed way forward on a schools transfer system.

(AQW 7867/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Mura rialaítear socruithe aistrithe don bhliain 2010 agus ina diaidh féachfaidh an Roinn Oideachais le hord agus soiléireacht a thabhairt d'iontrálacha scoileanna trí threoir a thabhairt.

If transfer arrangements for 2010 and beyond are not regulated, the Department of Education will seek to bring order and clarity to school admissions through guidance. This guidance cannot and will not seek to prevent schools from continuing some form of academically selective element within their admissions processes, but it will make clear the issues and risks involved in the operation of independently administered academic selection.

Academic Selection

Mr Simpson asked the Minister of Education what changes have been made to the legislative position regarding the legality of (a) academic selection; and (b) the selective elements of the Craigavon based Dickson Plan for education, from that inherited at the restoration of devolution.

(AQW 7869/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Ní dhearnadh aon athruithe ar an reachtaíocht iomchuí ó athbhunaíodh an Tionól.

No changes have been made to the relevant legislation since the restoration of devolution.

Gender of Children Sitting the 11 Plus Exam

Miss McIlveen asked the Minister of Education how many children, broken down by gender, have taken the eleven plus exam in the South Eastern Education and Library Board and Belfast Education and Library Board areas in each of the last five years.

(AQW 7876/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá an t-eolas a iarradh mionsonraithe sa tábla faoi iamh.

The information requested is detailed in the attached tables.

Transfer test results for the north of Ireland by gender and academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Number of boys achieving Grade A	3,145	2,901	3,036	2,849	2,901
Number of boys achieving Grade B1	674	689	635	574	645
Number of boys achieving Grade B2	661	655	643	675	640
Number of boys achieving Grade C1	625	600	577	598	649
Number of boys achieving Grade C2	566	583	597	567	641
Number of boys achieving Grade D	1,955	1,952	2,014	2,116	1,942
Total number of boys sitting test	7,626	7,380	7,502	7,379	7,418
Number of girls achieving Grade A	3,019	2,992	3,009	2,817	3,236
Number of girls achieving Grade B1	772	722	674	622	716
Number of girls achieving Grade B2	686	728	730	661	647
Number of girls achieving Grade C1	631	661	606	564	692
Number of girls achieving Grade C2	664	656	674	610	640
Number of girls achieving Grade D	2,293	2,211	2,088	2,271	1,983
Total number of girls sitting test	8,065	7,970	7,781	7,545	7,914
Total number achieving Grade A	6,164	5,893	6,045	5,666	6,137
Total number achieving Grade B1	1,446	1,411	1,309	1,196	1,361
Total number achieving Grade B2	1,347	1,383	1,373	1,336	1,287
Total number achieving Grade C1	1,256	1,261	1,183	1,162	1,341
Total number achieving Grade C2	1,230	1,239	1,271	1,177	1,281
Total number achieving Grade D	4,248	4,163	4,102	4,387	3,925
Total number sitting test	15,691	15,350	15,283	14,924	15,332

Transfer test results for schools in the Belfast Education & Library Board by gender and academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Number of boys achieving Grade A	464	407	412	422	424
Number of boys achieving Grade B1	92	89	78	80	94
Number of boys achieving Grade B2	96	100	82	97	84
Number of boys achieving Grade C1	107	99	75	81	109
Number of boys achieving Grade C2	93	102	87	82	80
Number of boys achieving Grade D	374	362	379	353	379
Total number of boys sitting test	1,226	1,159	1,113	1,115	1,170
Number of girls achieving Grade A	485	468	432	397	465
Number of girls achieving Grade B1	124	107	105	80	97
Number of girls achieving Grade B2	82	120	98	84	88
Number of girls achieving Grade C1	89	95	96	79	102
Number of girls achieving Grade C2	106	98	113	97	118
Number of girls achieving Grade D	514	454	417	429	392
Total number of girls sitting test	1,400	1,342	1,261	1,166	1,262
Total number achieving Grade A	949	875	844	819	889
Total number achieving Grade B1	216	196	183	160	191
Total number achieving Grade B2	178	220	180	181	172
Total number achieving Grade C1	196	194	171	160	211
Total number achieving Grade C2	199	200	200	179	198
Total number achieving Grade D	888	816	796	782	771
Total number sitting test	2,626	2,501	2,374	2,281	2,432

Transfer test results for schools in the South Eastern Education & Library Board by gender and academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Number of boys achieving Grade A	809	785	763	757	790
Number of boys achieving Grade B1	162	161	144	146	165
Number of boys achieving Grade B2	147	165	154	161	130
Number of boys achieving Grade C1	155	127	126	151	138
Number of boys achieving Grade C2	123	126	129	123	160
Number of boys achieving Grade D	467	458	491	481	454
Total number of boys sitting test	1,863	1,822	1,807	1,819	1,837
Number of girls achieving Grade A	766	727	770	753	855
Number of girls achieving Grade B1	182	183	154	134	177
Number of girls achieving Grade B2	151	180	170	176	143
Number of girls achieving Grade C1	158	140	139	145	159
Number of girls achieving Grade C2	151	156	159	140	116
Number of girls achieving Grade D	504	512	503	523	450
Total number of girls sitting test	1,912	1,898	1,895	1,871	1,900
Total number achieving Grade A	1,575	1,512	1,533	1,510	1,645
Total number achieving Grade B1	344	344	298	280	342
Total number achieving Grade B2	298	345	324	337	273
Total number achieving Grade C1	313	267	265	296	297
Total number achieving Grade C2	274	282	288	263	276
Total number achieving Grade D	971	970	994	1,004	904
Total number sitting test	3,775	3,720	3,702	3,690	3,737

Gender of Children Sitting the 11 Plus Exam

Miss McIlveen asked the Minister of Education how many children, broken down by gender, have received an A, B1, B2, C1 or C2 grade, in (i) Northern Ireland; and (ii) the South Eastern Education and Library Board and Belfast Education and Library Board areas.

(AQW 7878/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá an t-eolas a iarradh mionsonraithe sa tábla faoi iamh.

The information requested is detailed in the attached tables.

Transfer test results for Northern Ireland by gender and academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Number of boys achieving Grade A	3,145	2,901	3,036	2,849	2,901
Number of boys achieving Grade B1	674	689	635	574	645
Number of boys achieving Grade B2	661	655	643	675	640
Number of boys achieving Grade C1	625	600	577	598	649
Number of boys achieving Grade C2	566	583	597	567	641
Number of boys achieving Grade D	1,955	1,952	2,014	2,116	1,942
Total number of boys sitting test	7,626	7,380	7,502	7,379	7,418
Number of girls achieving Grade A	3,019	2,992	3,009	2,817	3,236
Number of girls achieving Grade B1	772	722	674	622	716
Number of girls achieving Grade B2	686	728	730	661	647
Number of girls achieving Grade C1	631	661	606	564	692
Number of girls achieving Grade C2	664	656	674	610	640
Number of girls achieving Grade D	2,293	2,211	2,088	2,271	1,983
Total number of girls sitting test	8,065	7,970	7,781	7,545	7,914
Total number achieving Grade A	6,164	5,893	6,045	5,666	6,137
Total number achieving Grade B1	1,446	1,411	1,309	1,196	1,361
Total number achieving Grade B2	1,347	1,383	1,373	1,336	1,287
Total number achieving Grade C1	1,256	1,261	1,183	1,162	1,341
Total number achieving Grade C2	1,230	1,239	1,271	1,177	1,281
Total number achieving Grade D	4,248	4,163	4,102	4,387	3,925
Total number sitting test	15,691	15,350	15,283	14,924	15,332

Transfer test results for schools in the Belfast Education & Library Board by gender and academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Number of boys achieving Grade A	464	407	412	422	424
Number of boys achieving Grade B1	92	89	78	80	94
Number of boys achieving Grade B2	96	100	82	97	84
Number of boys achieving Grade C1	107	99	75	81	109
Number of boys achieving Grade C2	93	102	87	82	80
Number of boys achieving Grade D	374	362	379	353	379
Total number of boys sitting test	1,226	1,159	1,113	1,115	1,170
Number of girls achieving Grade A	485	468	432	397	465
Number of girls achieving Grade B1	124	107	105	80	97
Number of girls achieving Grade B2	82	120	98	84	88
Number of girls achieving Grade C1	89	95	96	79	102
Number of girls achieving Grade C2	106	98	113	97	118
Number of girls achieving Grade D	514	454	417	429	392
Total number of girls sitting test	1,400	1,342	1,261	1,166	1,262
Total number achieving Grade A	949	875	844	819	889
Total number achieving Grade B1	216	196	183	160	191
Total number achieving Grade B2	178	220	180	181	172
Total number achieving Grade C1	196	194	171	160	211
Total number achieving Grade C2	199	200	200	179	198
Total number achieving Grade D	888	816	796	782	771
Total number sitting test	2,626	2,501	2,374	2,281	2,432

Transfer test results for schools in the South Eastern Education & Library Board by gender and academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08

	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Number of boys achieving Grade A	809	785	763	757	790
Number of boys achieving Grade B1	162	161	144	146	165
Number of boys achieving Grade B2	147	165	154	161	130
Number of boys achieving Grade C1	155	127	126	151	138
Number of boys achieving Grade C2	123	126	129	123	160
Number of boys achieving Grade D	467	458	491	481	454
Total number of boys sitting test	1,863	1,822	1,807	1,819	1,837
Number of girls achieving Grade A	766	727	770	753	855
Number of girls achieving Grade B1	182	183	154	134	177
Number of girls achieving Grade B2	151	180	170	176	143
Number of girls achieving Grade C1	158	140	139	145	159
Number of girls achieving Grade C2	151	156	159	140	116
Number of girls achieving Grade D	504	512	503	523	450
Total number of girls sitting test	1,912	1,898	1,895	1,871	1,900
Total number achieving Grade A	1,575	1,512	1,533	1,510	1,645
Total number achieving Grade B1	344	344	298	280	342
Total number achieving Grade B2	298	345	324	337	273
Total number achieving Grade C1	313	267	265	296	297
Total number achieving Grade C2	274	282	288	263	276
Total number achieving Grade D	971	970	994	1,004	904
Total number sitting test	3,775	3,720	3,702	3,690	3,737

Groomsport Primary School

Mr Easton asked the Minister of Education how many (i) fully-funded; and (ii) part-funded, nursery places are available for Groomsport Primary School.

(AQW 7967/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá Bunscoil Phort an Ghiolla Ghruama druidte ó bhí 31 Lúnasa 2007 ann.

Groomsport Primary School closed with effect from 31 August 2007.

English as a Second Language

Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Education how many school pupils do not have English or Irish as a first language; and what is the first language of these pupils, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 7989/08)

Ms C Ruane: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh mionsonraithe sa tábla faoi iamh.

The information requested is detailed in the attached table.

Children with English as an additional language by Education and Library Board 2007/08

Home Language	Belfast	Western	North Eastern	South Eastern	Southern	Total
Arabic	23	9	#	21	*	63
Bengali	22	0	*	36	#	67
Cantonese	171	30	70	109	85	465
Chinese	*	*	*	5	*	13
Czech	0	*	5	*	*	12
Dutch	*	*	5	*	8	19
Filipino	127	31	47	67	42	314
French	*	*	*	*	5	13
German	7	7	5	16	5	40
Greek	*	*	*	*	0	9
Gujarati	0	*	*	0	#	11
Hindi	28	6	35	18	21	108
Hungarian	*	22	*	*	14	47
Indian (not specified)	*	7	7	8	*	30
Italian	*	0	*	12	*	19
Japanese	0	0	*	*	0	5
Latvian	0	18	8	8	78	112
Lithuanian	9	51	44	53	490	647
Malaysian	14	11	10	11	12	58
Mandarin	29	8	9	12	14	72
Malayalam	*	6	*	12	8	33
Punjabi	22	#	16	*	8	55
Pashto	0	0	*	*	*	5
Polish	300	288	364	155	743	1,850
Portuguese	10	*	23	*	371	409
Romanian	17	*	8	*	7	38
Russian	#	*	9	6	32	55
Slovakian	*	#	19	0	28	63
Spanish	6	#	*	15	10	39
Tagalog	24	*	0	8	*	37
Thai	*	*	0	*	*	9
Turkish	*	*	*	*	*	11
Urdu	16	*	11	#	21	60
Other languages	278	119	165	158	154	874
Total	1,136	668	896	770	2,192	5,662

Source: school census

Note:

1. Children with English as an additional language are those children for whom English is not their first language and who have difficulty with English and require support.
2. ‘*’ relates to fewer than 5 pupils.
3. ‘#’ means figure >= 5 has been treated under rules of disclosure.

Strangford Integrated College

Mr Easton asked the Minister of Education the religious breakdown for new pupils attending Strangford Integrated College in each of the last 3 years.

(AQW 8007/08)

Ms C Ruane: Tá an t-eolas a iarradh mionsonraithe sa tábla faoi iamh.

The information requested is detailed in the attached table:

Religion of Year 8 Pupils attending Strangford Integrated College 2005/06 – 2007/08

Pupil Religion	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Protestant	61	29	39
Catholic	19	20	29
Other religions/none/not known	5	41	16
Total Year 8 enrolment	85	90	84

Source: school census

Strangford Integrated College

Mr Easton asked the Minister of Education the religious breakdown of pupils attending Strangford Integrated College.

(AQW 8008/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá an t-eolas a iarradh mionsonraithe sa tábla faoi iamh.

The information requested is detailed in the attached table:

Pupil Religion	Number of Pupils
Protestant	258
Catholic	125
Other religions/none/not known	120
Total enrolment	503

Source: school census 2007/08

Streaming School Pupils

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education what secondary schools 'stream' pupils according to ability at Year 8, and what criteria is this 'streaming' based on, broken down by Area Board.

(AQW 8038/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Is ceist í do gach scoil aonair cinneadh ar an dóigh is fearr lena ranganna a eagrú le riar do riachtanais oideachais a ndaltaí. Ní choinnítear taifid de chinntí na scoileanna.

It is a matter for individual schools to decide how to best organise their classes to meet their pupil’s educational needs. No records are kept of the school decisions.

Substitute Teacher Register

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education how many teachers are on the Substitute Teachers' Register, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

(AQW 8039/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Is é 7,116 líon na múinteoirí atá cláraithe faoi láthair ar Chlár Múinteoirí Ionaid Thuaisceart Éireann (CMITÉ). Ní choinnítear an t-eolas seo, áfach, i bhformáid ná de réir cheantar Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne agus bheadh costas díréireach ar aon bheart lena leithéid de mhiondealú a sholáthar.

The number of teachers currently registered on the Substitute Teacher Register (NISTR) is 7,116. However, this information is not held or maintained in Education & Library Board area or format and any exercise to provide such a breakdown would result in disproportionate cost.

St Columbanus Integrated College

Mr Easton asked the Minister of Education for the religious breakdown of pupils attending St Columbanus Integrated College.

(AQW 8074/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Níl Coláiste N. Colmcille ainmnithe mar scoil imeasctha. Tá sonraí ar chreideamh na ndaltaí atá ag freastal ar an scoil i 2007/08 thíos:

St. Columbanus’ College is not designated as an integrated school. The religion of pupils attending the school in 2007/08 is detailed below:

Pupil Religion	Number of Pupils
Protestant	185
Catholic	248
Other religions/none/not known	112
Total enrolment	545

Source: school census.

Funding Gap in the Primary and Post Primary Sectors

Mr Armstrong asked the Minister of Education to explain the rationale for the funding gap between the primary and post-primary sectors.

(AQO 3952/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá Maoiniú Coiteann do scoileanna deartha le roinnt chothrom trédhearcach cistí a bhaint amach i ngach scoil de réir a riachtanais choibhneasta.

Common Funding for schools is designed to achieve an equitable and transparent division of funds across all schools based on their relative level of need.

The common funding formula is made up of a range of factors developed to reflect the main costs associated with the running of a school and the main funding factor within the formula, the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) factor, is driven by pupil numbers.

Pupil numbers are weighted in order to reflect the differing costs to each phase of education in delivering the school curriculum and the differential in per-capita funding between a primary pupil and a post-primary pupil arises largely from this and reflects the greater cost demands which arise for post-primary schools in delivery of the curriculum.

In the primary sector, the arrangements provide for a pupil centred approach with pupils normally taught in one class for all their subjects. The nature of the post-primary curriculum, its mode of delivery and the extent of support arrangements, results in additional cost in areas such as teaching, equipment and resource materials, specialist facilities and examination fees.

In order to reflect this within the funding formula, AWPU weightings are higher for post-primary pupils and this is the main reason for the differential in the amount of per-pupil funding allocated on average to a primary school as compared to a post-primary school.

This is a complex issue, but I am making more funding available, both within and outside the current formula arrangements.

I have taken on board the views of primary schools and others during the most recent consultation on LMS funding issues, and the change in the primary pupil AWPU weighting from 1.02 to 1.04 in 2008/09 compared to 2007/08, placed over £3.7m more into primary schools.

Within the £20.4m uplift to schools budgets for 2008/09 compared to 2007/08, some £12.67m was directed to primary schools, representing an overall cash uplift of over 3% and over 4% per pupil. For 2008/09, the average per pupil increase for primary schools of £102 per pupil (4%) is higher than the average per pupil increase for post-primary schools. I have also signalled my intentions to increase further the primary AWPU weighting over the next two years of this budget period.

Over the next three years, I have been able to secure additional funding of almost £12 million to help primary school teaching principals and a further £32 million to support primary schools with the delivery of the Foundation Stage of the revised curriculum.

Alternative Education Projects

Ms J McCann asked the Minister of Education for her assessment of the benefits of Alternative Education Projects; and to give an assurance that Alternative Education providers will continue to be resourced to deliver their services to young people with complex needs.

(AQO 4047/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Is sa scoil is fearr páistí agus daoine óga a theagasc. Mar sin féin, tá a fhios agam nach bhfóireann socrúchán scoile do gach duine óg agus gur fearr mar sin socrú eile de chineál éigin a chur ar fáil dóibh le riar ar a riachtanais oideachais agus ar a gcuid riachtanas eile.

The best place for children and young people to be educated is at school. I do, recognise however that, for some young people a school placement cannot be sustained and that some form of alternative education provision is necessary to meet their educational and other needs. Responsibility for making provision for these young people rests with the relevant Education and Library Board.

The arrangements for alternative education provision vary across Boards but the majority of places are in settings organised and managed by the Boards. In the Greater Belfast area, there are a number of alternative education projects organised by the community sector.

The Education and Training Inspectorate reports on all forms of alternative education provision – statutory and community based - are generally satisfactory, in terms of the engagement of the young people with beneficial learning and the commitment of staff to meeting their needs. The reports do, however, identify areas for improvement such as greater breadth of curriculum on offer and consistency across Board areas around the criteria for referral, placement and monitoring the actual outcomes for each young person.

My Department does not directly fund alternative education projects. Funding is provided to the Education and Library Boards for alternative education and it is for them to decide how this can be used to best meet the needs of the young people in their area. In meeting the needs of pupils in their area, Boards can consider entering into partnership arrangements with the community sector or to purchase places in existing community based provision.

My Department has been undertaking a review of alternative education. Work is currently in hand to develop a model of provision which will apply across all Board areas and which will be consistent with other emerging policy proposals, in particular the proposals following the review of special educational needs and school improvement. During the course of the Review, my officials and I have met with staff from the statutory and community based sectors. I am aware of their concerns and pay tribute to them for their ongoing high levels of commitment, dedication and support to our most marginalised young people. Our review of alternative education provision has looked at all of the issues and I hope to be in a position to publish our proposals for public consultation in the autumn.

St Colman's Primary School in Newry

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Education what action she is taking to ensure that St Colman's Primary School, Newry, has adequate accommodation for the numbers of pupils in the school.

(AQO 4012/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Fuair mo Roinn iarratas ar chóiríocht bhreise i mí Aibreáin dhá mhíle a seacht.

A request for additional accommodation was received in my department in April 2007. The assessment made at that time was that there was sufficient accommodation for the current enrolment though a deficiency in special needs provision. The department has approved special needs provision for the school. It is anticipated that the projected intake for September 2008 should be able to be accommodated at the school but I have arranged for departmental officials to visit the school to undertake an assessment of the provision. I visited the school recently and was very impressed by the commitment and dedication of the teachers and pupils.

Primary Languages Programme

Mr Cobain asked the Minister of Education if she intends to increase the number of languages offered in the primary languages programme in the forthcoming academic year.

(AQO 3950/08)

Ms C Ruane: Beidh mé ag tabhairt isteach Clár na bPríomh-theangacha le tacaíocht a thabhairt do na bunscoileanna sin ar mian leo Spáinnis nó Gaeilge a chur ar fáil.

I am introducing the Primary Languages Programme this school year to support those primary schools who wish to offer Spanish or Irish. Spanish is a key global language and Irish is the native language of Ireland and an official European language. There has been a high level of interest in the programme and tutors are now beginning to work in schools. It is important that we get these schools off to a good start this school year and into the new school year.

As part of the Budget 2007 outcome, I have secured funding to allow for continuation and expansion of the Programme over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 and in the coming months will be taking decisions on the expansion of the programme in the next school year, including any support for additional languages. I am also expecting recommendations shortly on a languages strategy for the North from the joint University of Ulster-Queen’s University Belfast Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. This will include recommendations on introducing languages in primary schools and it will inform thinking on the expansion of the Languages Programme generally in the future.

Asbestos in School Buildings

Ms Ní Chuilín asked the Minister of Education what action she has taken in relation to the identification and removal of asbestos building materials from the school estate.

(AQO 4039/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Chríochnaigh na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne suirbhéanna ar scoileanna le suíomh, cineál agus staid na n-ábhar sin a bhfuil aispeist iontu a chinntiú.

Education and Library Boards have completed surveys of schools to determine the location, type and condition of asbestos containing materials. The risk posed by these materials was also assessed and, where it was considered necessary they have been removed.

Any asbestos containing materials that remain do not pose a sufficient risk to require immediate removal. Boards and other school authorities are responsible for managing asbestos safely and a rolling programme of surveys will continue.

Statements of Special Educational Needs

Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister of Education how many pupils are currently awaiting a statement of special educational need.

(AQO 4020/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Thug Príomhfheidhmeannaigh na mbord oideachais agus leabharlainne eolas dom faoin líon daltaí a ndearnadh measúnú reachtúil ar a riachtanais speisialta oideachais, faoin líon a measann na Boird ráiteas riachtanas speisialta oideachais a bheith de dhíth orthu, agus faoin líon atá ag fanacht lena ráiteas a bheith réidh. Seo leanas an líon:

I have been advised by the Chief Executives of the education and library boards that the number of pupils who have undergone a statutory assessment of their special educational needs, are considered by the Boards to require a statement of special educational needs, and who are currently awaiting completion of their statement is as follows:-

1. Belfast Education and Library Board - 26

2. North-Eastern Education and Library Board - 13

3. South-Eastern Education and Library Board - 42

4. Southern Education and Library Board - 193

5. Western Education and Library Board - 30

These figures represent those pupils on whom a statutory assessment of their special educational needs has been completed and who are currently awaiting either a proposed or final statement of special education needs.

Teaching and Learning Resources for the Irish Language

Mr McGlone asked the Minister of Education what action she is taking to ensure that teaching and learning resources for the Irish language at KS3, KS4, AS and A2 levels are comparable to those available in other modern languages at those levels.

(AQO 4017/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Cinneann scoileanna na hacmhainní a úsáideann siad le haon réimse den churaclam a sholáthar, lena n-áirítear an Ghaeilge.

Schools determine the resources they use to deliver any area of the curriculum, including Irish. In support of the provision of resources, at Key Stage 3 my Department has allocated £67,000 to the Southern Education and Library Board, on behalf of all Boards, for the development of a suitable resource to support the teaching of Irish. It is intended that this will be provided to schools later this year.

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), along with the National Council for Curriculum & Assessment in the South, has produced guidelines for teachers on the education of gifted and talented pupils from Foundation Stage through to A-level.  This includes specific guidance to assist teachers in identifying learners who are more able in the use of the Irish language at any age and key characteristics of learners with linguistic ability.

Resources will also be provided to support the teaching of Irish in those primary schools participating in my Primary Languages Programme who have opted for Irish and this will support those continuing with the language at post-primary level.

CCEA provides a range of materials to support teachers and learners taking any GCSE and GCE A-Level course, including Irish. The support that CCEA provides across languages is broadly similar.  However, as other languages have a wide range of support materials available for teachers from commercial suppliers, CCEA has produced some additional material for Irish to help compensate for a lack of materials from commercial suppliers to support its revised GCSE and GCE A-Level Irish specifications. This adds to materials currently available via its dedicated Irish micro-site and includes the support packages Cluas, Cluaisín, Translations, matching the AS literature to the textbook Saíocht and commissioning two textbooks for the revised GCSE Irish, which will be taught from September 2009.

I also recently launched Bille na gCeart i Scoileanna: Acmhainn d’Iarbhunscoileanna, the Irish Language version of the Bill of Rights in Schools: A Resource for Post-Primary Schools.

Education Issues

Mr W Clarke asked the Minister of Education what items will be on the agenda for her next meeting with the Minister for Education and Science; and when the North-South Ministerial Council next meets in education sectoral format.

(AQO 4036/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Bhuail mé le Batt Ó Cuív, TD, Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta sa deisceart ag cruinniú de chuid na Comhairle Aireachta Thuaidh/Theas i bhformáid na hearnála oideachais in Ardscoil De La Salle, Dún Phádraig, ar an ochtú lá is fiche de mhí Bealtaine.

I met with Batt O’Keeffe, TD, Minister for Education and Science in the south, at the North South Ministerial Council in Education Sectoral format held in De La Salle High School, Downpatrick, on 28 May. We discussed a range of issues including educational underachievement, teacher qualifications and teachers’ superannuation, special education needs and school, youth and teacher exchanges. I wish to pay tribute to the staff and pupils of De La Salle School for hosting the event and to the principals of the other schools who were involved on the day. I also wish to record my thanks to Ministers Batt O’Keeffe and Edwin Poots for their participation.

I am due to meet Batt O’Keeffe again at the next Council meeting in the autumn. As yet, no date or agenda has been set.

Children with Dyslexia

Mr K Robinson asked the Minister of Education if a screening test or an observation method has been used to identify the numbers of children with dyslexia.

(AQO 3948/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Dúirt Príomhfheidhmeannaigh na mbord oideachais agus leabharlainne liom go moltar do gach scoil teisteanna scagtha agus modhanna breathnaithe a úsáid mar chuid den mheasúnú tosaigh ar pháistí ar féidir leo disléicse a bheith orthu.

I have been advised by the Chief Executives of the education and library boards that all schools are encouraged to use both screening tests and observation methods as part of the initial assessment of those children who may have dyslexia. Any child who has been identified as having dyslexia and is receiving support from the Board peripatetic service will have been assessed by an Educational Psychologist.

A psychological assessment examines a child’s cognitive functioning, including verbal, perceptual, information processing and short-term memory abilities. The child’s reading, spelling/writing and mathematical skills would be examined using a mixture of standardised tests, observations and discussions with parents and teachers. Associated difficulties would also be considered.

Educational psychologists also offer schools consultations about a pupil’s individual difficulties prior to formally assessing a pupil if this is required.

Most schools are fully aware of the appropriate observation and assessment methods through appropriate training and will, as a matter of course, screen their classes for underlying specific learning difficulties.

Funding for Primary Schools

Mr Ford asked the Minister of Education what action her Department is taking to increase funding for primary schools to match the level for secondary schools.

(AQO 4030/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Thug mé le fios cheana fein go bhfuil mé tiomanta don mhaoiniú idir daltaí bunscoileanna agus daltaí iarbhunscoileanna a fheabhsú taobh istigh de na hacmhainní críochta atá ar fáil do dhaltaí ag gach leibhéal

I have previously signalled that I am committed to improving the balance of funding between primary and post-primary pupils within the finite resources that are available for pupils at all levels.

However, the different structures associated with these phases of education and in particular, the provision of a wider range of subjects by post-primary schools which results in additional cost in areas such as teaching, materials and equipment, specialist facilities and examination fees; mean that equal funding for a primary pupil and a post-primary pupil is not appropriate.

Nevertheless, I have taken on board the views of primary schools and others during the most recent consultation on LMS funding issues, and the change in the primary pupil AWPU weighting from 1.02 to 1.04 in 2008/09 compared to 2007/08, placed over £3.7m more into primary schools.

Within the £20.4m uplift to schools budgets for 2008/09 compared to 2007/08, some £12.67m was directed to primary schools, representing an overall cash uplift of over 3% and over 4% per pupil. For 2008/09, the average per pupil increase for primary schools of £102 per pupil (4%) is higher than the average per pupil increase for post-primary schools. I have also signalled my intentions to increase further the primary AWPU weighting over the next two years of this budget period.

Over the next three years, I have been able to secure additional funding of almost £12 million to help primary school teaching principals and a further £32 million to support primary schools with the delivery of the Foundation Stage of the revised curriculum.

Omagh High School

Mr Bresland asked the Minister of Education to outline what action the Western Education and Library Board is taking to build a replacement school for Omagh High School.

(AQO 3947/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá Ardscoil na hÓmaigh ar cheann de chúig scoileanna a thug le fios go bhfuil suim acu sa mholadh le hathshuí go comh-champas nua oideachais ar iarláithreán na hAireachta Cosanta ag Lios an Eallaigh.

Omagh High School is one of five schools which have expressed an interest in the proposal to relocate to a new shared educational campus on the former Ministry of Defence site at Lisanelly. A business case is currently being developed to inform decisions on the acquisition and development of Lisanelly, and the Western Education and Library Board is closely involved in the work. I have visited Lisanelly on two occasions and have seen the potential the site offers. I congratulate the Church representatives and the schools for their efforts in taking the initiative and working together to develop a proposal for a shared educational campus.

Literacy and Numeracy Skills in Schools

Mr Burnside asked the Minister of Education, given the most recent report on the literacy and numeracy of pupils, what action her Department is taking to encourage stronger links between pre-school, primary and post-primary schools in the teaching of literacy and numeracy.

(AQO 3951/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Is maith is eol dom chomh luachmhar atá sé naisc idir scoileanna a chothú le múineadh litearthachta agus uimhríochta a fhorbairt.

I fully appreciate the value of encouraging links between schools to develop the teaching of literacy and numeracy.

You will be aware that the Department is currently undertaking a review of its literacy and numeracy strategy, and the promotion of links between schools has been considered as part of this review. The revised strategy, which will issue for consultation very shortly, aims to reflect and build on the work that many excellent and committed teachers are already doing in classrooms across the north, and to ensure that every child in every classroom is receiving that same high quality teaching.

The strategy recognises the important role that performance data can have in supporting assessment for learning. The sharing not just of data, but of information on pupils’ achievements, interests and learning styles between pre-schools, primary schools and post-primary schools is an important element in making sure that every child is supported in reaching her or his full potential.

Provision of Education to the Travelling Community

Mr Boylan asked the Minister of Education what discussions she has had under the North-South Ministerial Council format in relation to the provision of education to the travelling community.

(AQO 4046/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Tá oideachas pháistí an Lucht Taistil á bhreithniú faoi obair maidir le tearc-ghnóthachtáil oideachais.

The education of children from the Traveller community is being considered within current work relating to educational underachievement.

At a recent meeting of the North South Ministerial Council in education sectoral format, officials from both north and south gave presentations on their work with Traveller children and young people. A discussion followed around attainment and attendance and the need for positive action to improve educational outcomes for this community.

At the same meeting, it was agreed to establish an Educational Underachievement Working Group to be jointly chaired by lead officials in both the Department of Education and Department of Education and Science. Initially the group will consider approaches both north and south to raise overall levels of achievement in education and to tackle underachievement, particularly among more disadvantaged groups, including the Traveller community.

I am establishing a Committee for the Education of Traveller children which will bring together statutory and non statutory sectors in the north and I will ensure that there are members of the Traveller community on the Committee. The Committee will actively work to improve educational outcomes for Traveller children and will work with the National Traveller Monitoring and Advisory Committee in the south of Ireland.

Independent Admissions Criteria in Schools

Mr Moutray asked the Minister of Education to give her assessment of the legal permissibility of schools operating the Dickson Plan to (a) establish new independent admissions criteria; and (b) to continue with all existing admissions criteria in the absence of an agreed alternative.

(AQO 3973/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Muna féidir creatlach reachtaíochta nua do iontrálacha iarbhunscoile ó Aistriú dhá mhíle a deich a chomhaontú agus a chur i bhfeidhm, beidh Aistriú i ndiaidh dhá mhíle a deich gan rialú.

If a new legislative framework for post-primary school admissions from Transfer 2010 cannot be agreed and implemented, then Transfer from 2010 will be un-regulated. This means that when school Boards of Governors turn to determining their admissions criteria for 2010 admissions there will be no regulations either specifically permitting or prohibiting their use of any admissions criteria. This will apply to all post-primary schools.

Independent Admissions Criteria in Schools

Mr Neeson asked the Minister of Education what is her assessment of the plans of 31 grammar schools to set up a company to administer a separate selection test.

(AQO 4027/08)

Ms C Ruane:

Níl measúnú agam ar na pleananna seo, nó ní bhfuair mé amharc ró-mhaith orthu.

I do not have an assessment of these plans as I have not seen them in any substantial form. I am aware only of the risks that will be faced by schools that choose to operate their own independent procedures for academic selection. I have stated before – I regard this as a prospect fraught with administrative and litigious perils.

I brought proposals on post-primary transfer to the Executive on May 15, 2008. These proposals offer the prospect of a consensual way forward and include significant and difficult steps on my own part in the interests of reaching agreement. If these proposals can be agreed then we can avoid the danger of un-regulation and support transfer and admissions with the robust legislative framework that this pressured function requires.

Employment and Learning

Irish Language Courses

Mr G Robinson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many Irish language courses are run at the Limavady and Coleraine campuses of the Northern Regional College.

(AQW 7596/08)

The Minister for Employment and Learning (Sir Reg Empey): There are presently no Irish language courses running at the Limavady campus of the North West Regional College, nor at the Coleraine campus of the Northern Regional College.

HND Fine Art Students at the North West Regional College

Ms Anderson asked the Minister for Employment and Learning to comment on the availability of top-up degree courses for HND Fine Art students at the North West Regional College.

(AQW 7619/08)

Sir Reg Empey: There are no top-up degree courses available for HND Fine Art students at the North West Regional College. This is in line with my Department’s policy that Further Education Colleges should not normally offer modules at a level beyond year two of a degree course.

New Pay Scale for College Directors

Dr McDonnell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning why the four new bands of pay scale for College Directors were introduced in 2007.

(AQW 7799/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Four new pay bands for FE College Directors were introduced in 2007 following the further education college mergers, as the existing highest pay band was inadequate to cope with the salary position of a Director in a college the size of Belfast Metropolitan College, which is considerably larger than the other five new colleges. Directors’ pay bands are based on college size in terms of full time equivalent enrolments. Only the two lowest of the four new pay bands are currently in use; the lowest replicates the former highest pay band.

Student Figures in Further Education Colleges

Dr McDonnell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning how many students have (i) started; (ii) been retained; and (iii) qualified from, each of the Further Education Colleges over the last three years.

(AQW 7800/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The information requested has been placed in the library.

College Lecturers' Pay Dispute

Dr McDonnell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what provisions each of the sixteen existing and six new Colleges have made in their accounts for the settlement of the College Lecturers' pay dispute.

(AQW 7801/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The most recent audited accounts available for the FE Colleges were those at 31 July 2007, which was the final year of the 16 colleges prior to merger to form the current 6 area based colleges. At that date, no separate provision had been created in the college accounts in anticipation of a settlement of the lecturer’s pay dispute. However, a sum of £3,160k had been estimated and included in the accounts in relation to the annual anticipated cost of living increase for that year for academic staff. This equates to an increase in academic staff costs of between 2% and 3% for each college.

Training for Success

Dr McDonnell asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what monitoring is conducted by his Department on the wage levels paid to Training for Success trainees by their employers; if the Department will make payment of training allowances conditional on reasonable wage levels being paid to trainees; and over what timeframe it will address this matter.

(AQO 3989/08)

Sir Reg Empey: The Department does not currently monitor the level of wages to apprentices. In its operational guidelines for Training for Success, the Department advises that apprentices should be paid the appropriate rate for the job in line with the National Minimum Wage regulations.

The Low Pay Commission, however, has embarked on a review, including the pay of apprentices, and is due to report early next year following consultation. In preparing its response to this consultation the Department will consider the introduction of a minimum wage for apprentices that is linked to funding for training.

St Mary's University College

Mr Attwood asked the Minister for Employment and Learning why his Department is proposing to cut the Liberal Arts intake for the 2008-09 academic year at St Mary's University College given its success, the proven quality of this qualification, and the number of students from lower social economic backgrounds undertaking this degree.

(AQO 3994/08)

Sir Reg Empey: At present there are 286 students enrolled on the Liberal Arts course at St. Mary’s University College. It is intended that the total enrolment for the next academic year will be 260, a drop of less than 10%. Liberal Arts provision at the College will therefore be 31% of the total student population next year, the same percentage as this year. I am aware that the course has a good track record in attracting those from a lower socio economic background and would hope that such a trend will continue.

Deaf Courses in Strangford

Mr Shannon asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what steps he is taking to provide access for deaf people from the Strangford constituency to classes and courses at local colleges.

(AQO 3963/08)

Sir Reg Empey: Under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Order Colleges are required to make appropriate adjustments to ensure that all their courses are accessible to students with disabilities, including those with hearing impairments.

My Department provides financial assistance to help Colleges meet their obligations under the Order. This is available through the Further Education funding mechanism and the Additional Support Fund, which assists with the costs of technical and personal support, such as signers.

Colleges operating in the Strangford constituency have been allocated £212,000 during the 2007/08 academic year from the Fund.

Funding to Stranmillis and St Mary's University Colleges

Mr Burnside asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what method his Department uses to calculate funding to Stranmillis and St Mary's University Colleges.

(AQO 3937/08)

Sir Reg Empey: To date my Department has determined recurrent funding for the University Colleges, in the main, by applying an inflationary uplift to the previous year’s block grant. Since the introduction of variable fees, a part deduction has been made, although, in common