Friday 09 March 2001

Written Answers to Questions

Ms Sue Ramsey asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister when they will reply to Assembly Members in respect of the debate on 30 January 2001 on the appointment of a Children's Commissioner.

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister (Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon): All members who raised questions during the debate on a Commissioner for Children on 30 January will by now have received written replies. The letters were issued on 21 February and copies have been placed in the Library.

Mr Sean Neeson asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail (a) what vacancies have been advertised to staff the office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels (b) the date and place of advertisement of the vacancies (c) what vacancies are to be advertised in the near future (d) the expected dates of future advertisements and (e) where future vacancies will be advertised.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: A trawl notice was issued across departments for the post of Head of Office in December last year and an appointment was made in February. A trawl notice for the deputy post in the Office will be issued shortly and an appointment is expected at the end of this month.

These posts were not externally advertised. Scotland and Wales have followed similar appointment procedures for the staff of their Offices in Brussels.

Two locally engaged staff will be appointed in due course to help run the Office.

It is anticipated these posts will be advertised in April or May in the appropriate Belgian press.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail the projected spend on consultancy services in the 2001/02 financial year.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: The planned expenditure on consultancy services for projects identified to date in 2001/02 is £714,000.

Mr Eamonn ONeill asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail (a) what recommendations have been made with regard to public service agreements (b) by whom they have been made and (c) who will decide whether or not they are adopted.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: The intention to produce public service agreements (PSAs) for each department was included in the draft Programme for Government. The Economic Policy Unit and the Department of Finance and Personnel have worked with departments to progress the exercise. To assist this process, consultants were engaged to provide advice. Ministers took views from their respective departmental committees prior to finalising their Public Service Agreements for inclusion in the Executive’s Programme for Government and its presentation to the Assembly for endorsement. The Programme explains that further work will be undertaken to develop the Public Service Agreements.

Ms Monica McWilliams asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to recognise the contribution made by the women's voluntary sector in respect of adult education, childcare, family support and community development and to outline the timetable envisaged for the provision of mainstream funding for this sector.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: We fully recognise the valuable contribution which women’s voluntary organisations make.

There is a range of sources to which women’s voluntary organisations can apply for support for projects and services, including Health and Social Services Trust, the Training and Employment Agency, the National Lotteries Charities Board and charitable trusts.

Denis Haughey, Sean Farren and Bairbre de Brun will meet members of the Women's Support Network later this month.

The Ministers have indicated their willingness to take part in the meeting to show their support for the valuable work undertaken by women's groups and to demonstrate their commitment to the equality agenda.

Ms Mary Nelis asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail how it is intended to progress new Targeting Social Need (TSN) in respect of the Travelling Community and to state how the Programme for Government can reduce the inequalities experienced by travellers.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: We are committed to tackling root causes of social exclusion among the Travelling Community.

New TSN is designed to benefit all those objectively shown to be in greatest social need. This includes members of the Travelling community.

As part of the Promoting Social Inclusion element of New TSN, we have published for consultation the report of a Working Group on Travellers.

After the consultation we will consider the report’s recommendations and views expressed in the consultation. We will then publish a short report identifying what we intend to do over the following 3 years.

Actions in the Programme for Government which will benefit Travellers include:

A commitment to bring forward and implement cross-departmental policies to tackle racial inequality within a 3 year strategic framework; and support for ethnic minority groups and projects.

Development of appropriate permanent accommodation which best meets Travellers’ needs.

Appropriate measures to address the educational needs of Traveller children and children from other minority ethnic backgrounds

The creation of a social Inclusion/Community Regeneration Fund, which will cover initiatives on community relations and cultural diversity.

A Single Equality Bill to be introduced in 2002 which will bring together existing anti-discrimination law and taken account of recent developments in Europe on discrimination in relation to race.

Implementing Departmental equality schemes, which require proofing of policies to assess their impact on equality of opportunity for persons of different racial groups.

These policies demonstrate our commitment to eradicating racism and to creating the equitable inclusive society we all wish to see in Northern Ireland.

Mr Edwin Poots asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail what representations it has made to the Secretary of State regarding human rights abuses by paramilitary organisations.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: We have not jointly discussed this matter with the Secretary of State. Our respective parties have, however, met the Secretary of State on a number of occasions to express our total condemnation of acts of violence.

Dr Alasdair McDonnell asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail what steps have been taken to promote community relations within Northern Ireland.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: We refer the member to the answer to Assembly Question 844/00, given on 19 February 2001.

Under the Executive’s Community Relations Programme, funding is provided to a wide range of groups which promote community relations, with the bulk of the support channelled through the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council and the District Council Community Relations Programme. In the current financial year the Department’s Community Relations budget, including research provision, amounts to some £5.5m. The Department of Education also has its own community relations programme for schools and young people amounting to £3.4m this financial year. In addition, under the EU Peace Programme "Pathways to Reconciliation" Measure which is administered by the Community Relations Council, over £3m was available for projects during this financial year.

Mr Oliver Gibson asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to outline what Government Programmes are in place to support victims of the Omagh Bomb.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: Following the atrocity, a co-ordinated response to the needs of the victims was put in place by the Northern Ireland Office, which was responsible for all victims’ matters at that time. The Omagh victims can presently avail of a range of help and support, including:

• the Victims Memorial Fund;
• Northern Ireland Office initiatives on core funding and capacity building for victims organisations;
• the forthcoming Peace II programme which will include a specific measure for victims;
• support for the Trauma Advisory Panels and specific projects to be funded by our Department; and
• help and advice from our Department’s Victims Unit.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail what funding will be made available for the Community Relations programme beyond 31 March 2001.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: Our Department’s total budget for community relations for the year 2001/2002 will be £5.36 million. Final decisions on the allocation of these resources have not yet been made, but the total is likely to be distributed approximately as follows:

• a grant of £2.7 million to the Community Relations Council;
• £1.65 million for the District Council Community Relations Programme;
• £310,000 for research; and
• £70,000 to fund capital projects and organisations which fall outside the remit of the Community Relations Council.

Our Department will also be responsible for administering the "Reconciliation for Sustainable Peace" measure of the European Peace II programme, with total funding of over £11 million.

The Department of Education has a community relations programme for schools and young people with funding of approximately £3.4 million per year.

Mr Alex Maskey asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to outline the steps being taken to ensure that Public Service Agreements will contain specific linkages between objectives, budget allocations and key targets in respect of Targeting Social Need.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: The Executive is committed to the objectives of the New Targeting Social Need policy. This is set out clearly in the Programme for Government and in the individual departmental Public Service Agreements. Each of the PSAs has as an integral part a commitment by each department to implement its New TSN Action Plan. New TSN Action Plans have been produced for each department and they contain the details of targets and actions. The Plans are due to be published shortly.

Mr George Savage asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to detail what progress has been made in implementing the actions on addressing the needs of victims, as set out in the chapter entitled, "Growing as a Community" in the Programme for Government.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: Significant progress has been made on taking forward the actions relating to victims in the Programme for Government. A cross-departmental working group has been established and a draft strategy on victims is being developed which will be subject to widespread consultation.

In addition, capacity building programmes both for victims groups and policy makers have begun; a programme of visits to victims groups has been established; and research will shortly be commissioned to determine victims’ needs and the level and quality of services currently available to them.

Mr Jim Wilson asked the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to give an assessment on the Executive Programme Funds.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon: The Executive Programme Funds received broad support in our consultation on the draft Programme for Government. The five Funds will be used to support programmes or projects of major importance to the Executive. They will assist the development of new policies and programmes and new, improved services and will have regard to and be fully consistent with the Executive’s Priorities in the Programme for Government. The Executive is expected to consider departmental proposals for allocations from the Funds later this month.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her projected spend on consultancy services in the 2001/02 financial year.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms Rodgers): Projected expenditure of external management consultancy services in the 2001/02 financial year is estimated at some £0.48m.

Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her spending on the promotion and development of organic farming in 2000/01 and proposed spending in 2001/02; and to make a statement.

Ms Rodgers: My Department’s total spending on the promotion and development of organic farming in 2000/01 will be some £660,000. This expenditure may be broken down as follows:-

• Payments to farmers under the former Organic Aid Scheme and Organic Farming Scheme- £450,000;
• Cost of Organic Conversion Advisory Service (provision of technical advice from Greenmount College)- £112,000;
• Organic Farming Model and Consumer Survey ( most of this is payments to farmers to provide detailed data on actual organic farming costs in Northern Ireland to inform the provision of technical advice)- £55,000;
• Strategic Study of the Organic Farming Industry by independent consultants (to ensure that the organic production sector develops in the best possible way to take advantage of market opportunities)- £25,000;
• Administrative costs of the Organic Aid and Organic Farming Schemes- £18,000;

Projected expenditure on the promotion and development of organic farming for 2001/02 is, of course, speculative as it will depend upon how many of those farmers who have indicated interest in entering the Scheme actually do so. That said, our proposed spending for 2001/02 should amount to some £1.2 million pounds. Projected spending may be broken down as follows:-

• Payments to farmers under the former Organic Aid Scheme and Organic Farming Scheme- £1,053,000;
• Costs of Organic Conversion Advisory Service (provision of technical advice from Greenmount College)- £128,000;
• Administrative costs of the Organic Aid and Organic Farming Schemes- £19,000.

Increasing market opportunities have been identified for organic produce and I am doing everything possible to encourage the development of this sector in Northern Ireland. That is why I commissioned consultants to undertake a strategic study on how best to develop organic farming in Northern Ireland. The consultant’s report should be received in early March and I shall, thereafter, initiate an extensive consultation exercise with all interested parties.

Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail her spending on the promotion and development of sheep and goats milk and milk products in 2000/01 and proposed spending in 2001/02; and to make a statement.

Ms Rodgers: The generic promotion of milk, whether from goats, sheep or cows is a matter for the various commercial interests in line with EU State Aid rules. I nevertheless recognise that niche market opportunities exist and we are seeking to exploit these through the development of the goats and sheep milk units and new products. This action will provide valuable alternative enterprises for producers and increased employment opportunities particularly in border counties. In 2000/01 my Department spent £60,141 on development costs for various projects and expects to pay a further £1000 in 2001/02. In addition £49,537 was paid in 2000/01 towards the cost of expanding processing facilities for goats milk products. The low expenditure in 2000/01 is because the various schemes are currently closed for applications and the Transitional Objective 1 Programme for 2000/2006 has not yet been approved by the EU.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development whether she will provide assistance to fishing vessels following reductions in cod quotas in the North Channel and Clyde Estuary.

Ms Rodgers: It has not been practice to compensate fishermen for loss of earnings due to reductions in the fish quotas. However the European Commission has approved 29m euros for assistance to the Northern Ireland fishing industry as a whole. Details of how this funding is to be allocated between different measures, including for the decommissioning of fishing vessels, have still to be agreed by the Commission as they are contained in the overall Northern Ireland Transitional Objective 1 Programme.

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail (a) whom she has employed as special advisor(s) (b) the qualifying criteria for the appointment and (c) the remit of the special advisor(s).

Ms Rodgers: I have appointed Conall McDevitt as a Special Adviser to me as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Mr McDevitt, was appointed on the basis of his ability to carry out the functions of the post. The remit of my Special Adviser is set out in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the standard contract of employment for such advisers, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail those meetings she has held with pig farmers' representatives within the last year to discuss the state of the pig industry.

Ms Rodgers: I am taking the reference in your question to "the last year" to literally mean just that ie the 12 month period ending on 23 February 2001, the date on which your question was tabled. However, as the Assembly was suspended from 11 February to 31 May 2000, in practical terms, the period in question actually begins on 1 June 2000. Since then, I have met three delegations of pig producers accompanied by their political representatives, as well as having meetings with officials from the Ulster Farmers’ Union on a similar number of occasions. I would add that I have responded positively, by agreeing to meetings, to all requests from pig farmers’ representatives who wished to discuss this issue.

In addition, as you would surmise, my officials also have had a number of meetings with the farming unions and interested parties in relation to aid for the sector.

Indeed in January this year, they were involved, in conjunction with the Ulster Farmers’ Union and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers’ Association, in a series of public meetings about the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme. Subsequently, and as an immediate follow-up, they ran a number of workshops to provide guidance for those interested in the Ongoers element of the scheme, particularly on the content of business plans. Upwards of 1,000 producers attended the 4 public meetings and around 200 producers (approximately 25% of those still in the sector) attended the 10 workshops.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the number of Karate organisations in Northern Ireland.

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (Mr McGimpsey): The Northern Ireland Karate Board (NIKB) is the Sports Council’s recognised governing body for the sport in Northern Ireland and is directly affiliated to the European Karate Federation and the World Karate Federation. The NIKB is comprised of eight associations, each of which practices a slightly different style of the sport and some of the associations have a number of clubs attached to them. Individual Club members are licenced to take part in the sport and the number of licences which were current, in June 2000, totalled 1,043. In addition, karate is practiced by a number of clubs and other organisations which have chosen not to affiliate to the NIKB. Their membership numbers are not known to the Sports

Council, but they operate under a fairly informal umbrella organisation entitled ‘The Ulster Karate Council’.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to give a breakdown of funding made available to the sport of karate in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Mr McGimpsey: The breakdown of funding made available to the sport of karate in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years is as follows:

1999 2000 2001

£ £ £

NI Karate Board 2,500 2,500 2,500

(annual exchequer grant

from SCNI)

Ophir Karate Club - 2,000 -

(Millennium Small

Awards Grant)

NI Karate-Do Wado Kai - - 6,877

Mr Oliver Gibson asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail his policy on recreational shooting.

Mr McGimpsey: The term "recreational shooting" embraces a wide variety of shooting activities ranging, for example, from game shooting to target shooting. Underpinning all recreational shooting activity is the absolute need for firearms holders to comply at all times with the Northern Ireland Firearms legislation. Any individual wishing to participate in a recognised bona fide recreational shooting activity is advised to seek the assistance and instruction provided by the appropriate governing body within the shooting disciplines.

In pursuance of the objective of raising the performance level of sport in Northern Ireland the Sports Council currently recognise and invest in the activity programmes of three Northern Ireland Shooting Governing Bodies; namely the Ulster Rifle Association, the Northern Ireland Small Bore Shooting Union and the Ulster Clay Pigeon Shooting Association. Each of these governing bodies has exclusive access to International competition programmes and responsibility for selecting elite performers to represent Northern Ireland at Major competition events such as the Commonwealth Games.

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to detail the criteria used by Departmental agencies when distributing funding from the European Union and the International Fund for Ireland in North Antrim.

Mr McGimpsey: I am not aware of any agencies under my authority that are at present responsible for distributing European funds or funds from the International Fund for Ireland anywhere in Northern Ireland.

Ms Mary Nelis asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to initiate a Northern Ireland Audit Office enquiry into the tendering procedures associated with the procurement of the Odyssey Project to establish if this represented best value.

Mr McGimpsey: All major contracts awarded for the Construction of the Odyssey Project at Queen’s Quay, Belfast were tendered strictly in accordance with European Union Procurement Regulations. These contracts included:

• Appointment of Design Consultants;
• Appointment of Project Manager
• The Enabling Works Contract;
• The Main Construction Contract.

At all times The Odyssey Trust Company Ltd was advised and guided on tendering matters by its solicitors and other expert consultants.

In the light of this I see no need to initiate a Northern Ireland Audit Office enquiry into the tendering procedures associated with the procurement of the Odyssey Project.

Mr Ken Robinson asked the Minister of Education to confirm that (a) pupils at Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD) schools are denied the option of remaining at school beyond 16 years and (b) this is a situation based on past practice rather than one based upon legislation.

The Minister of Education (Mr McGuinness): The normal leaving age for pupils at special schools for moderate learning difficulties is the upper limit of compulsory school age (16). At 16 such pupils are generally considered capable of leaving the sheltered environment of such schools and beginning to make their own way in the world independently. Their transition from school to further education or training will have been prepared for from age 14, in consultation with parents, teachers and career officers. Beyond the age of 16, pupils with more severe difficulties, who are still considered to need a statement of special educational needs, will transfer to schools for severe learning difficulties (SLD). In such cases statements can be maintained up to age 19 where pupils need this. These arrangements are made in the best interests of the pupils, and are based on good practice rather than legislation.

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Education to detail the qualifications required to become a home education tutor.

Mr McGuinness: Since home tutors have to teach the same subjects as in school, they are expected to hold the normal qualifications required for appointment as a teacher. Occasionally because of excessive demands on home tuition, Boards may not always be able to obtain the services of qualified teachers. A similar situation exists with regard to the appointment of substitute teachers.

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Education to detail the maximum number of children assigned to a home tutor in each (a) education and library board area and (b) each local council area in each of the last three years and the current year to date.

Mr McGuinness: The information is not available in the form requested.

There is no statutory or recommended maximum number of children who can be assigned to a home tutor. The actual number, however, will depend on a number of factors - age, medical condition of the child, geographical location, the number of subjects the tutor can teach at secondary school level and the number of hours per week that the home tutor is willing to work.

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Education to detail the cost per hour of a home tutor in each of the education and library board areas for (a) primary and (b) secondary level tutoring and what were the sums expended in each board area in each of the last three years and the current year to date.

Mr McGuinness: Home tutors are paid the same hourly rate as part-time teachers. The current hourly rate for qualified home tutors at both primary and secondary school level is £14.47. The available information on expenditure is as follows : -

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Education to detail the total number of children receiving home tutoring in (a) primary and (b) secondary level education broken down by (i) council and (ii) education and library board area in each of the last three years and the current year to date.

Mr McGuinness: I understand from the Education and Library Boards that the information is not available for previous years.

The number of children in each area currently receiving home tuition provided by the relevant Board is as follows : -

These figures can change from day to day depending on the number of children unable to attend school.

Mr Oliver Gibson asked the Minister of Education to detail the steps he is taking to address the backlog of building replacement and improvements required by all publicly funded schools.

Mr McGuinness: On 1 March I announced details of an investment package to address the backlog of building work across the schools estate. The package was in two parts. The first part included 17 projects to be taken forward under the conventional school building programme representing an investment of over £62 million. The second part provided for up to 8 secondary school projects to be taken forward under Public Private Partnerships with a total capital value of some £70 million.

Mr Oliver Gibson asked the Minister of Education to detail the action he is taking to mitigate the impact of no-win, no fee litigation on schools' liability for injuries incurred in school playgrounds.

Mr McGuinness: All school authorities are aware of their responsibility for the safety of pupils, the prevention of injury and thus avoidance of litigation. It is a matter for the owners of school property - education and library boards or voluntary trustees - to deal with public liability claims in light of their own legal advice.

Mr Oliver Gibson asked the Minister of Education to detail when he will reach his target of 87% pre-school places and to make a statement.

Mr McGuinness: I expect that, as a result of my Department’s Pre-School Education Expansion Programme, some 9,200 new pre-school education places will have been secured by 2001/02, thus reaching the target of making places available for at least 85% of all children in their final pre-school year.

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of home education tutors available at (a) primary and (b) secondary level in (i) each education and library board area and (ii) each district council area and how many were actually employed in each of those areas in each of the last three years and the current year to date.

Mr McGuinness: I understand from the Education and Library Boards that the information is not available in the form requested, or for previous years.

Four Boards have registers of home tutors and current numbers on their registers are as follows : -

Home tuition in the Belfast Board area is provided by the Belfast Hospital and Jaffe Special Schools.

At any time, the tutors actually employed reflect pupil needs: tutors are drawn from the list according to the age of the child, the subjects to be taught (if of secondary school age), the reason for absence from school, and geographical availability. If no-one suitable on the register is available, the board may make arrangements using peripatetic teaching staff, through the child’s own school, or using a substitute teacher.

The latest available information about the number of home tutors actually employed in each Education and Library Board area in the current school year is as follows : -

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of requests received by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment to remark "A" level examination papers in (a) 1998 (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 and to give his assessment of the implications of any regrading.

Mr McGuinness: I understand from the Chief Executive of CCEA that the information requested is as follows:

Year	Number of Re-marks Requested	% Upgrades
1998	2324	0.7
1999	1974	0.6
2000	905	0.7

The reduction in the number of requests is a result of the Council making more detailed information on results available to candidates. For candidates using the Council’s accelerated remark service, a change in grade should have no implications for their ability to take up a university place. CCEA is the only examination board which sets a 15 day remark service and meets that target.

Mr Sammy Wilson asked the Minister of Education to detail the religious breakdown of teachers employed in each of the following sectors (a) Controlled (b) Catholic Maintained (c) Voluntary (d) Integrated and (e) Irish Medium in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

Mr McGuinness: It is not possible to provide these figures as information on the religion of teachers is not collected.

Ms Mary Nelis asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to give his assessment on the prospects for future employment in the textile industry in the North-West.

(AQW 1965/00)

The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Sir Reg Empey): The Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA) Report set out an action plan to address the problems faced by the textile and clothing industry in Northern Ireland. The KSA Report has been endorsed by the Government, industry bodies and the trade unions. An implementation team, including representatives from the industry in the North West, IDB and other parties, is taking forward the key recommendations. The Report anticipates a change in the nature of employment in favour of higher value added skills of merchandising, brand management, design, supply chain management and IT, as well as manufacture of higher value products.

Mr Alex Maskey asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the steps he is taking in conjunction with the voluntary and community sectors to agree an integrated approach to the development of the social economy in order to maximise its contribution to economic growth as outlined in the draft Programme for Government.

Sir Reg Empey: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in conjunction with the Department of Social Development and other interested Departments has recently appointed a consortium of Colin Stutt (consultant), Dr Brendan Murtagh (QUB) and Professor Mike Campbell (Leeds Metropolitan University ) to carry out a study on the Social Economy for completion by end of April 2001 and covering the following areas –

_ agree a working definition of the Social Economy ;

_ provide a profile of the existing social economy measures outlining the resources involved and key outputs ;

_ identify key policies of central importance and best practices in Northern Ireland and elsewhere;

_ recommend a range of actions and programmes which are particularly suited to implementation at a local level ;

_ report on the present role of the Social Economy Agency and develop a monitoring and evaluation framework including indicators.

The consultancy study will be ‘participative ‘ in that contact will be made with key social economy and community sectors, trade union and business interests and agencies. A website has also been set up to allow a wide range of interested parties to contribute. The address is http://www.colinstutt.com/social_economy.htm An interdepartmental steering group has also been established to oversee the process and comprises representatives from DETI, DSD, DARD, DHFETE, LEDU and NICVA. The intention is that the study will inform the development of a strategy for development of the social economy for consideration by the Executive.

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail what types of partnership arrangements he is considering for the future development of the Causeway tourist site.

Sir Reg Empey: Moyle District Council, in conjunction with the National Trust, DOE Environment & Heritage Service and NITB are engaged in a process designed to identify, agree and co-ordinate the most appropriate way to take forward the development of the Causeway site. This process will identify and test various options for the provision of appropriate visitor facilities at what is Northern Ireland's only World Heritage site.

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the steps he is taking to involve the rural community in the tourism industry.

Sir Reg Empey: The development of rural community tourism offers opportunities for the regeneration of rural areas. In recognition of this NITB in conjunction with DARD, and DOE Environment & Heritage Service have been working together on a collaborative bid for a natural resource rural tourism measure under the Peace II element of the next round of EU funding.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if he intends to offer grant aid assistance to Carpets International to bring the roof of the factory to the standards required by health and safety regulations.

Sir Reg Empey: The Company is renewing the factory roof on its own volition. I understand some 75 per cent of the work is already complete. It is not normal practice to offer grant assistance for normal maintenance of property.

Mr Boyd Douglas asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (a) whom he has employed as special advisor(s) (b) the qualifying criteria used for the appointment and (c) the remit of the special advisor(s).

Sir Reg Empey: (a) The Minister, Sir Reg Empey, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has appointed Ray Hayden as special advisor.

(b) The selection criteria used for the appointment were:

• He/she will need a wide network of political contacts in NI, and preferably beyond, and be able to present the Minister’s positions and perspectives positively and sensitively, absorb the views of others in the political arena and gain understanding of the likely actions by both opponents and supporters.
• He/she will need to have or be able to gain the confidence of those in the ETI Assembly Committee and in the North-South and East-West institutions and bodies relevant to the work of the Minister.
• He/she will need to be able to maintain an overview of the operational activities of the Department and their impact.
• He/she will have an understanding of how legislation is conceived and of its passage through the Assembly.
• He/she will require to have an in-depth working knowledge of the UUP’s economic policies and agenda for Government and be able to discuss these appropriately with party members, other Ministers, Assembly members and with a wide range of people in the economics, business and political fields in and beyond NI.
• He/she will have to have a reputation for being discreet, but will need experience in and talent for developing positive public relations and excellent media handling.

(c) The remit is set out in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the standard contract of employment for such advisers, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (a) the cost of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's "Gulliver " project and (b) the income the project has generated locally, since its inception.

Sir Reg Empey: Gulliver is an innovative project developed jointly by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Bord Failte. The development cost borne by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board prior to Public Private Partnerships (PPP) arrangements in 1997 is £1.5m. Income generated locally over the past 5 years averages £129k per annum.

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (a) how many Northern Ireland accommodation providers currently subscribe to "Gulliver" (b) what proportion of all Northern Ireland accommodation providers this represents and (c) how many accommodation bookings were secured through "Gulliver" by local providers in 2000.

Sir Reg Empey: 694 Accommodation premises currently subscribe to Gulliver, representing 39% of all tourist accommodation in Northern Ireland. 3,165 automated bookings, to the value of £165k were secured through Gulliver to local providers in 2000.

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the action he is taking following the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

Sir Reg Empey: I can confirm that all weaknesses identified in the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding the Northern Ireland Tourist Board have been addressed fully and new control procedures are already in place.

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail (a) which company printed the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's brochure "Where to Stay in Northern Ireland" for 1999 (b) whether the printing contract was competitively tendered (c) how many copies of the brochure were printed (d) the cost of the contract and (e) how many of these copies were pulped.

Sir Reg Empey: The 1999 edition of "Where to Stay in Northern Ireland" was printed after tendering by W&G Baird Ltd. Two other companies tendered for the contract and a total of 15,000 copies were printed at a total cost of £18,370. At the end of the year a total of 3118 copies were unsold and were pulped.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail his plans to market Carrickfergus Castle as a major tourist attraction.

Sir Reg Empey: Carrickfergus Castle is owned by DOE Environment and Heritage Service and is promoted along with other major monuments by that agency. The opportunity for the property to be promoted by the regional tourism organisation, as part of the Causeway Coast and Glens Ltd brand, exists and is currently being considered by Environment and Heritage Service.

Mr John Dallat asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail the benefits realised for Northern Ireland accommodation providers as a result of the introduction of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's "Gulliver" system.

Sir Reg Empey: Gulliver permits details of every accommodation premises in Northern Ireland to be distributed to Tourist Information Offices throughout Ireland and provides international presence via the Internet. In addition, Gulliver provides on-line reservations capability for almost 40% of tourism accommodation providers in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Annie Courtney asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to give his assessment on the draft Programme for Government commitments on Energy Infrastructure.

Sir Reg Empey: Promoting the development and reinforcement of the gas and electricity infrastructure on an all-island basis is essential to improve our competitiveness, create a downward pressure on prices, and secure Northern Ireland’s position within a European energy market.

Rev Dr William McCrea asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail what plans the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland has to attract investment to the Mid-Ulster area.

Sir Reg Empey: IDB promotes Northern Ireland in targeted overseas markets and works with local councils, including those in Mid Ulster, both to support the councils’ own efforts and to ensure co-operation with IDB in the attraction of projects. IDB has recently acquired land for a new industrial estate in the Magherafelt area.

Mr Eddie McGrady asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to detail what action will be taken to safeguard the telecommunications jobs in the Viasystems factory located on the Antrim Road, Ballynahinch, and if he will make a statement.

Sir Reg Empey: IDB maintains a close working relationship with management at Ballynahinch and with its parent in the UK. The IDB and the company recently completed an "e-business" initiative regarding fast-turn manufacture that will lead to new business opportunities over the next 3/6 months.

In the short-term, the company will continue to monitor the market/business conditions closely and react to the situation in matching its workload and employment levels. The company will liaise closely with IDB.

Management at Viasystems - Ballynahinch are confident regarding medium-term prospects and will be working closely with IDB to develop the business.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to confirm when he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow an Agricultural Occupancy clause to be exchanged from a new dwelling to the original farmhouse.

The Minister of the Environment (Mr Foster): I have no plans to bring forward new legislation in this area.

The purpose of such conditions is to help protect rural areas where it is necessary to exercise strict planning control over new development in Green Belts, Countryside Policy Areas and along protected routes.

I believe that this control would be weakened if the condition could be transferred to the original farmhouse. Such a change would call into question the purpose of imposing the condition in the first place, and would also allow development, which is not based on agricultural need.

I am satisfied with the safeguards provided by the present system, which allows for an application to be made to have the condition removed or modified.

Mr Ken Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his plans to monitor the water quality of the Three Mile Water and its tributaries.

Mr Foster: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of my Department has monitored the water quality of the Three Mile Water by regular sampling at a point close to Whiteabbey since the early 1990s. This monitoring regime will continue.

Based on the monitoring results the chemical and biological water quality of the river is classified each year. The biological quality of the river has ranged from ’fair’ to ‘poor’ since monitoring began. The chemical quality of the river has been ‘fairly good’ over the same period.

The main reasons for the water quality problems in the river appear to be urban run-off and discharges from combined storm overflows on the sewerage system which serves the extensive built-up area through which the lower reach of the river and its tributaries flow. I understand that the Department for Regional Development is currently considering proposals for improving the sewerage infrastructure in the Whiteabbey/Newtownabbey/ Monkstown area and a decision on the next stage should be taken by September 2001.

Following a review in 1999, river monitoring throughout Northern Ireland was extended to smaller watercourses with a mean daily flow of at least 5,000 cubic metres per day.

None of the tributaries of the Three Mile Water has a mean daily flow at this level. Therefore there are no plans to extend routine monitoring of this river system to include any of the tributaries.

Mr P J Bradley asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning applications for the construction of telecommunication masts which were approved in each of the twenty six council areas in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Foster: The information for the last five calendar years for which records are available is set out below.

Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans for dealing with historic building grant funding in the financial year 2001/02.

Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: The Environment and Heritage Service of my Department is currently finalising its business plan and budget for 2001/2 for my approval. However it is likely that the allocation for Historic Buildings grant-aid will be of the order of £2m.

It remains my intention to begin accepting new applications for grant-aid from 1 April 2001. Letters of offer for eligible projects will be issued when all relevant cost information has been received. Offers of grant will be made on the understanding that payment should not be expected before the 2002/03 financial year.

Payments of grant will continue to be made during 2001/02 on projects for which applications were accepted prior to the suspension.

Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment to detail those projects, including the amounts awarded, that have received funding from the Historic Building Grant Scheme since its establishment.

Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: Historic Buildings grants have been available since 1972. Some 8500 applications have been processed since then. The information sought is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Information about grant aid is published in the annual report of my Department’s Environment and Heritage Service. Expenditure in the last 3 financial years in each of the four main categories of grant was as follows:

Private Grants 1,335,000 1,173,000 1,254,000

Church Grants 41,000 157,000 676,230

District Council 60,000 32,000 273,320

National Trust 498,958 223,760 292,437

Total 1,934,958 1,585,760 2,495,612

Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment if, pursuant to AQO 680/00, he will confirm his intention that new applicants for an historic building grant cannot expect funding until after 1 April 2002.

Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: I can confirm that it remains my intention that new applications for historic buildings grant-aid will be accepted from 1 April 2001. However, offers of grant to eligible projects will be made on the understanding that payment should not be expected before the 2002/03 financial year.

Mr Derek Hussey asked the Minister of the Environment if, pursuant to AQO 680/00, he will detail the thirty-two large schemes that have been issued with invitations to claim an historic building grant.

Mr Foster: [holding answer 22 February 2001]: Since I replied to AQO 680/00, officials in EHS have made final payments to a number of schemes which are as follows –

Lissue House Hospital, Lisburn;

Royal Belfast Golf Club House, Craigavad;

The Former Corn Exchange, Belfast;

McHugh’s Bar, Belfast;

Presbyterian Church, May Street Belfast; and

St Nicholas Parish Church, Carrickfergus.

I am pleased to report that there are now 26 large schemes remaining. The details of these buildings are as follows:-

PRIVATELY OWNED

Women’s Centre, 5 Guildhall Street, Londonderry;

Magee College, Londonderry -(Phase 1, Phase 2);

Portglenone House, Portglenone;

60 Newmills Road, Dungannon;

Manor House, Moneymore;

Erganagh Rectory, Omagh;

Brownlow House, Lurgan;

Carrickfergus Gas Works;

Bridge House, Bangor;

Good Shepherd Convent, Belfast;

Campbell College, Belfast;

Great Hall – Queens University;

Music Dept - Queens University;

Yorkshire House, Belfast;

Northern Whig Building, Belfast.

DISTRICT COUNCIL OWNED

Bangor Town Hall;

St Georges Market, Belfast

CHURCH OWNED

Holy Trinity Church, Portrush;

Derryloran Parish Church, Cookstown;

Enniskillen Methodist Church;

1^st Presbyterian Church, Newry;

Rademon Meeting House, Crossgar;

Hillhall Presbyterian Church, Lisburn;

St Comgall’s Parish Church, Bangor;

St Mark’s Dundela – Phase 1B & Phase 2;

Clonard Monastery, Belfast

My Department does not divulge financial information on individual buildings.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of planning applications for telecommunication masts in the Strangford parliamentary constituency that have been (a) approved and (b) refused in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Foster: The Planning Service does not currently record details of planning applications on a parliamentary constituency basis.

Details of planning applications, including applications for Prior Approval, for telecommunications masts in the Ards, Castlereagh and Down District Council areas, which comprise the greater part of the Strangford constituency, are as follows: -

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his policy on waste management for Northern Ireland.

Mr Foster: Policy on waste management is set out in the Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland, published by my Department in March 2000. A copy of the Strategy is available in the Assembly Library.

The key objectives of the Strategy are to reduce the amount of waste generated, to re-use, recycle or recover as much of the waste produced as possible and to dispose of waste to landfill only as a last resort. The Strategy sets short and long term targets to achieve these objectives.

The Strategy requires District Councils to prepare Waste Management Plans for their areas by 30 June 2001. These Plans will show how the Councils intend to meet the targets and objectives of the Strategy and identify the network of waste facilities needed. Councils have formed three groups to prepare these plans at a sub-regional level. The requirement for plans and the timetable are dictated by the terms of the EU Waste Framework and Landfill Directive.

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of the Environment to give his assessment of the estimated number of unlicensed vehicles being used on Northern Ireland's roads and to detail the amount of revenue lost as a result.

Mr Foster: The collection and enforcement of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) are excepted matters. They are carried out in Northern Ireland by DVLNI under the terms of a formal agency agreement between DOE and the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions.

VED evasion is estimated through three yearly roadside surveys. The following table indicates the rate of evasion in Northern Ireland in the two most recent surveys:

The percentage figures for 1999 represent around 75,000 unlicensed vehicles.

In 1999/2000 the estimated loss of revenue to the UK Exchequer from VED evasion in Northern Ireland was £11.9m.

The detection of unlicensed vehicles is primarily the responsibility of the RUC, although my Department also undertakes direct action through its road transport enforcement work and the wheel clamping initiative.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of (a) planning application requests (b) those approved (c) those refused and (d) refusals overturned on appeal in the parliamentary constituency of Strangford in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

Mr Foster: The Planning Service does not currently record details of planning applications on a parliamentary constituency basis.

Details of planning applications in the Ards, Castlereagh and Down District Council areas, which comprise the greater part of the Strangford constituency, are as follows: -

District Number Number Number Refusal o/t

Council Received Approved Refused on appeal

Area 98/99 99/00 98/99 99/00 98/99 99/00 98/99 99/00

Ards 903 951 770 727 38 47 1 5

C’reagh 494 595 409 429 31 36 3 2

Down 1150 1144 872 990 83 66 6 6

Total 2547 2690 2051 2146 152 149 10 13

Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of cases of retrospective planning approval that have been granted by the Planning Service in each District Council area in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Foster: I refer the Member to the answer given to AQO 1006/00 on Monday 5 March 2001

Mrs Iris Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (a) what discussions he has had with the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in each of the last two years and (b) the nature of those discussions.

Mr Foster: I have had no discussions with the USPCA in the last two years.

Mr David Ford asked the Minister of the Environment, if, in light of his recent admission that Planning Service had miscalculated the figures for the provision of open space in both the draft Lisburn Area Plan and the draft Craigavon Area Plan, he will ensure that the corrected figures are used when considering the recommendations of the Public Appeals Commission in relation to these two Area plans.

Mr Foster: The Planning Service did not miscalculate the figures for the provision of open space in these draft Area Plans. It is accepted, however, that the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) Standards were misinterpreted, by mistakenly including publicly owned golf courses, in the analysis of open space set out in the Technical Supplement. This analysis, which is a statistical assessment in reference to NPFA standards, was purely for comparative purposes.

The primary role of these Area Plans in regard to open space is to facilitate the requirements of the relevant District Councils, which have responsibility for assessing and providing for future open space needs, by the zoning of appropriate sites. During the consultation process followed in the preparation of these draft plans, each Council advised my Department on the future open space needs of their local areas, based on their own assessment.

The role of the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) in Area Plan Inquiries is to hear objections and make recommendations to the Department as to how they should be dealt with.

As regards the Lisburn Area Plan, my Department is currently assessing the recommendations from PAC prior to Plan adoption later this year. The general issue relating to the overall provision of open space and recreation within the draft Lisburn Area Plan was not raised at the Public Inquiry.

As for the draft Craigavon Area Plan, my Department’s acknowledgement of the misinterpretation with the accompanying Technical Supplement has been clarified by Public Notice. The Public Inquiry into the draft Plan is not programmed to commence until May 2001. There have been no objections raised regarding the general issue of overall provision of open space and recreation within the draft Plan.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the cost of maintaining Carrickfergus Castle in each of the last five years.

Mr Foster: The costs of maintaining the historic fabric of Carrickfergus Castle were as follows:

1996-97 - £95,000

1997-98 - £120,000

1998-99 - £100,000

1999-2000 - £180,000

2000 – 2001 (estimate) £210,000

In addition to these costs, my Department incurs other costs, including marketing, building running costs, grounds maintenance, tour guides and the castle manager. These costs are offset by receipts from admissions, sales and events. Information on these costs and receipts for any year before 1997/98 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

For each year since then, the running costs and receipts of the Castle were as follows:-

1997-1998 – expenditure £158,853

income £94,272

net cost £64, 581

1998-1999 – expenditure £209,040

income £112,842

net cost £96,198

1999-2000 – expenditure £219,729

income £107,807

net cost £111,922

Running costs figures for the current financial year are not yet available.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of visitors to Carrickfergus Castle in each of the last five years.

Mr Foster: My Department records visitors numbers at Carrickfergus Castle by financial year. The information sought is as follows:-

1996-1997 – 58,043

1997-1998 – 56,759

1998-1999 – 64,611

1999-2000 – 60,821

2000–2001 (to 1^st January)- 50,888.

Within these totals, the number of those visiting free in school groups for educational purposes was as follows:-

1996-1997 – 14,946

1997-1998 – 15,441

1998-1999 – 14,734

1999-2000 – 14,984

2000-2001 (to 1^st January) – 10,520.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans to promote Carrickfergus Castle as a venue for cultural events.

Mr Foster: The Environment and Heritage Service of my Department maintains Carrickfergus Castle and features the Castle in its annual Events Programme.

In early May, the Castle will host an armourer who will display medieval weaponry and demonstrate his craft skills. On 28 July, the Castle will hold the annual Lughnasa Fair. In October, the Castle will house a travelling exhibition of photographs of historic monuments and buildings.

In November, a walking tour of the historic town will feature in the Queen’s University Belfast Festival.

EHS is currently running a campaign advertising its historic monuments and featuring the Castle on Translink buses. The castle features prominently on a ‘super colour’ bus, which is routed throughout the Greater Belfast area.

EHS encourages applications from other bodies, such as the District Council, to hold cultural and other events in the Castle, subject to standard conditions of use.

Ms Pauline Armitage asked the Minister of the Environment to give his assessment of the need to review the current planning regulations relating to apartment development.

Mr Foster: My Department is seeking to strengthen planning policy to deal with this issue in two ways.

The Department is currently finalising, following public consultation, a Planning Policy Statement entitled "Quality Residential Developments". This will provide a policy context against which proposals for housing development both on greenfield lands and within existing urban areas can be considered, including their relationship with existing development. The Department is also preparing, for consultation, supplementary Planning Guidance in the form of a Development Control Advice Note giving guidance specifically related to proposals for small-unit housing within existing residential areas. I hope to publish both documents in the spring.

I understand that the Department for Regional Development will be preparing a Regional Planning Policy Statement entitled "Housing in Settlements", which will also provide guidance on this matter.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of the Environment to outline his policy on waste management for the Parliamentary constituency of East Antrim.

Mr Foster: Policy on waste management generally is set out in the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy published by my Department in March 2000. The Strategy is a requirement of the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997.

District Councils are required by the 1997 Order to prepare, by 30 June this year, Waste Management Plans for public consultation. Once agreed by the Department, these Plans will form the waste management policy for the area which they cover.

The District Councils within the Parliamentary constituency of East Antrim are members of the Eastern Region Waste Management Group which comprises 11 Councils. The Group is currently developing a Waste Management Plan providing for the establishment of an integrated network of facilities within the area covered by the 11 Councils.

Ms Patricia Lewsley asked the Minister of the Environment if he intends to review Planning Policy Statement 2 (PPS2) on Planning and Nature Conservation, in the light of the Department's recent guidance on protecting plants and wildlife under its 'Creating Places' quality initiative (paragraphs 2.21-2.24).

Mr Foster: I have no plans at present to review Planning Policy Statement 2.

It is considered that the policies within Planning Policy Statement 2 generally provide a sufficient policy framework for the guidance contained within "Creating Places".

A revised Planning Policy Statement Programme will be published in the Planning Service’s Corporate & Business Plan 2001-2003, taking account of available resources and priorities.

Mrs Iris Robinson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail all current applications for development in the Comber and Ballygowan areas.

Mr Foster: Within the development limits of Comber, as defined in the North Down and Ards Area Plan, which remains the statutory Development Plan for the area, there are twenty three current planning applications proposing various forms of development. Within the development limits of Ballygowan, the corresponding figure is nine.

It would not be practical to detail all these applications today, but I will write to the Member with details of these applications.

In addition, my Department is considering two major applications for housing development in the Belfast Urban Area Green Belt in the Comber area.

Mr Oliver Gibson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail his plans to increase road safety awareness.

Mr Foster: I remain totally committed to increasing road safety awareness in Northern Ireland. I intend to publish a consultation document shortly seeking views on a new Road Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland to 2010. This has been drawn up in conjunction with local departments, agencies and the RUC, and the issues have been discussed with the Environment Committee.

The Department is in the process of recruiting 10 additional Road Safety Education Officers, doubling the existing number. These officers play a vital role in increasing understanding of road safety and encouraging positive road user attitudes among children and young people, as well as other road users.

In addition, my Department will be increasing its targeted road safety publicity aimed at the main causes of road casualties – excessive speed, drink driving and failure to wear seat belts.

In November 2000 I launched, jointly with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government in the South, a new anti drink drive commercial - Shame. This campaign is ongoing.

Work is also underway to prepare a publicity campaign promoting seat belt wearing, to be launched later this year.

Dr Esmond Birnie asked the Minister of the Environment to make a statement on his Department's Equality Scheme.

Mr Foster: I am pleased to report that my Department’s Equality Scheme was approved by the Equality Commission on 8 February 2001.

The scheme confirms the Department’s commitment to its statutory obligations on the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations and sets out the ways in which those obligations will be fulfilled. It covers all the functions, duties and powers of the Department.

An action plan has been drawn up to help implement the commitments in the scheme and an Equality Unit has been created within my Department to oversee the programme of work and to monitor and review progress regularly.

Initial training has been provided to staff on the new duties and a full training and communication plan is being prepared.

Mr Arthur Doherty asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the impact on his Department of the recent decision of the European Commission to issue a Reasoned Opinion against the United Kingdom for failure to apply the European Union's Habitats Directive.

Mr Foster: The reasoned opinion issued by the European Commission against the United Kingdom relates to licences issued by the statutory nature conservation authorities in the United Kingdom to relocate protected species where development is taking place. The Commission considers that the issue of these licences was not in accordance with the Habitats Directive.

The case arose following complaints to the Commission about the relocation of Great Crested Newts in England and Wales from sites where planning permission for development had been granted.

The Great Crested Newt does not occur in Northern Ireland and the need for my Department to issue similar licences for other protected species has not arisen.

The matter may, nevertheless, have some relevance to Northern Ireland. The Habitats Directive is transposed into Northern Ireland legislation by means of Regulations which set out the basis on which such licences may be issued. In consultation with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and the other devolved administrations, I shall wish to consider whether there is any need to amend the Regulations in light of the outcome of the reasoned opinion.

Mr Barry McElduff asked the Minister of the Environment to detail criteria used when assessing applications for a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence.

Mr Foster: The term Public Service Vehicle or PSV licence can apply either to licences issued for vehicles used as taxis or buses or to licences issued to the drivers of such vehicles. Different criteria apply depending on the licence applied for.

For a taxi driver’s licence, the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 requires the Department to be satisfied that the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

In fulfilling this obligation, the Department requires an applicant:

• to have had a full driving licence for at least one year;
• to demonstrate that he or she is medically fit; and
• to satisfy a repute check based on the applicant’s criminal record.

In assessing repute, a conviction for murder or a serious sexual offence will lead to the Department refusing the application. For other offences, my Department operates generally to guidelines which require an applicant to have a clear record for twelve months, in the case of convictions for minor offences, or for three years, where serious offences are involved.

An applicant for a bus driver’s licence is required to satisfy the same criteria and, in addition, to be 21 years of age or over.

There is a right of appeal to a magistrate’s court against a decision by the Department to refuse an application on repute or medical grounds.

To obtain a PSV vehicle licence for a taxi or a bus, the vehicle must be presented for an annual inspection to ensure its roadworthiness. These tests are carried out by my Department’s Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency.

Mrs Joan Carson asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the steps he is taking to investigate the recent killing of thousands of fish at the Marble Arch Hatchery, Fermanagh.

Mr Foster: The Erne and Melvin Enhancement Company Ltd reported On 26 January 2001 that the water abstracted by the hatchery from the Claddagh River was contaminated with slurry. My Department’s Environment and Heritage Service asked the Fisheries Conservancy Board to investigate. The pollutant was traced back to agricultural premises where statutory samples were taken for analysis with a view to prosecution should this be warranted.

On 11 February 2001, a report was made direct to the Fisheries Conservancy Board that a fish kill had occurred at the hatchery. On investigation it was discovered that the perimeter fence at the premises had been cut. It also would appear that the water in the fish tanks had been deliberately contaminated. Accordingly the matter was referred to the RUC who are undertaking an investigation. It is my understanding that the RUC is following a definite line of inquiry.

I deplore both of these events which led to the loss of thousands of fish at the hatchery and represented a serious blow to the programme for restocking Lough Erne and Lough Melvin.

Mr Roy Beggs asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the number of cases of retrospective planning approval granted by the Planning Service in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Foster: The Planning Service does not have the historic information available and to obtain it would involve a manual check of over 100,000 applications.

This could only be done at disproportionate cost. I have however asked officials to start recording this information on the existing database, in respect of future cases.

Mr Alex Maskey asked the Minister of the Environment to outline what progress has the North-South Ministerial Council made on environmental co-operation, in particular, the initial work programme on environmental research, water quality management and waste management as outlined in the Programme for Government.

Mr Foster: The Environment sectoral group of the North/South Ministerial Council has met on three occasions, the most recent meeting being in County Fermanagh on 23 February.

These meetings have been progressively developing a work programme to address the seven environmental areas for enhanced co-operation mandated by the inaugural plenary meeting of the Council on 13 December 1999.

I am required by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to make a statement to the Assembly following each meeting. I last reported on the work of the Environmental sectoral group on 14 November 2000. The Assembly Official Report for that date contains a transcript of my statement. My report on the 23 February meeting is scheduled for 12 March.

Taken together these statements provide details of the progress being made in taking forward the North/South Ministerial Council work programme of environmental co-operation.

Mr Eddie McGrady asked the Minister of the Environment to detail what further progress has been made on the designation of National park status for the Mourne Mountains.

Mr Foster: As I said during the debate on the Member’s motion on this subject last October, I have asked my officials to prepare a report on the issues surrounding both the creation of National Parks and the designation of the remaining Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I expect to receive this report in the very near future. I will then wish to consider the way forward in consultation with the Assembly Environment Committee.

This will involve consideration of a number of significant and complex issues. These include the role now played by National Parks elsewhere, the responsibilities undertaken by their management Boards, the financial implications and the operational arrangements.

In relation to National Park status for the Mournes, it would also be necessary to examine the implications for other areas. While I accept that there are some arguments in favour of National Park declaration, this requires full consideration of the issues, and I am not in a position to make a commitment to designation.

Mr Edwin Poots asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the steps he is taking to address the issue of driving under the influence of drugs.

Mr Foster: I share the concern of many that driving under the influence of both medicinal and illicit drugs is increasing in Northern Ireland and that this may be a factor in collisions. My Department and the RUC are seeking to establish the extent of driving under the influence of drugs and the extent to which drug-taking impairs driving. Officials are also closely monitoring the research programme of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in Whitehall on issues such as this. When further evidence is available we will consider what needs to be done by way of publicity and enforcement to address the issue.

Recent research in Great Britain indicates that, of drivers killed in road traffic collisions, 4% had consumed medicinal drugs and 18% had taken illicit drugs, mainly cannabis. The figure for illicit drugs represents a six-fold increase when compared with a previous study in the mid 1980s.

An independent survey last year, on behalf of my Department, found that almost one-third of young people aged 18 to 28 in Northern Ireland admitted to having been driven by someone who had been taking drugs.

However, from the research that has been carried out in Great Britain and elsewhere, there is, as yet, insufficient conclusive evidence on the causal links between drug taking and driver impairment and the extent to which this contributes to the number or severity of road casualties. Until research can provide clearer evidence, the scope to develop specific measures to tackle the problem is limited.

My Department continues to keep this under close review, and I can confirm that RUC Officers have been provided with guidelines to assist in recognising if driver behaviour is affected by drugs. The RUC is also considering the provision of formal drug-driving recognition training, including co-ordination testing.

I will also be considering, in the context of the new Road Safety Plan, on which I hope to go to full public consultation shortly, the need to strengthen Police powers to test for drug-driving.

Mr David Hilditch asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail his projected spend on consultancy services in the 2001/02 financial year.

The Minister of Finance and Personnel (Mr Durkan): The Department of Finance and Personnel has a projected spend of £3,469,000 for consultancy services in the 2001/02 financial year.

Ms Mary Nelis asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail how the Executive Programme Fund addresses the needs of disadvantaged Traveller Children.

Mr Durkan: I refer you to my answer to AQW 1894/00 given on 28 February 2001.

Mr Conor Murphy asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to confirm the date for publication of unemployment differential statistics compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Mr Durkan: The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency publishes unemployment differential statistics annually as part of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) Religion Report. The most recent report, which was based on the 1999-2000 LFS was published on 1 March.

In addition, the Agency plans to publish a "Source Book on Fair Employment Statistics" later this month. This publication will also include unemployment differential statistics.

Mr Jim Shannon asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the number of Protestants employed and the percentage of the workforce they represent in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.