Written Answers to Questions Official Report (Hansard) Friday 18 April 2014 Volume 94, No WA3 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. Contents Written Answers to Questions Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister ............................................................... WA 245 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development .................................................................. WA 247 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure ................................................................................ WA 256 Department of Education ...................................................................................................... WA 288 Department for Employment and Learning .............................................................................. WA 302 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment .................................................................... WA 316 Department of the Environment ............................................................................................. WA 322 Department of Finance and Personnel ................................................................................... WA 346 Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety ......................................................... WA 348 Department of Justice .......................................................................................................... WA 387 Department for Regional Development ................................................................................... WA 407 Department for Social Development ...................................................................................... WA 423 Northern Ireland Assembly Commission ................................................................................. WA 438 Suggested amendments or corrections will be considered by the Editor. They should be sent to: The Editor of Debates, Room 248, Parliament Buildings, Belfast BT4 3XX. Tel: 028 9052 1135 · e-mail: [email protected] to arrive not later than two weeks after publication of this report. Assembly Members Agnew, Steven (North Down) McCallister, John (South Down) Allister, Jim (North Antrim) McCann, Fra (West Belfast) Anderson, Sydney (Upper Bann) McCann, Ms Jennifer (West Belfast) Attwood, Alex (West Belfast) McCarthy, Kieran (Strangford) Beggs, Roy (East Antrim) McCartney, Raymond (Foyle) Bell, Jonathan (Strangford) McCausland, Nelson (North Belfast) Boylan, Cathal (Newry and Armagh) McClarty, David (East Londonderry) Boyle, Ms Michaela (West Tyrone) McCorley, Ms Rosaleen (West Belfast) Bradley, Dominic (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Basil (Lagan Valley) Bradley, Ms Paula (North Belfast) McCrea, Ian (Mid Ulster) Brady, Mickey (Newry and Armagh) McDonnell, Alasdair (South Belfast) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Byrne, Joe (West Tyrone) McGahan, Ms Bronwyn (Fermanagh and Cameron, Mrs Pam (South Antrim) South Tyrone) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Cochrane, Mrs Judith (East Belfast) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Copeland, Michael (East Belfast) McIlveen, David (North Antrim) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Cree, Leslie (North Down) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) McKevitt, Mrs Karen (South Down) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) McKinney, Fearghal (South Belfast) Dobson, Mrs Jo-Anne (Upper Bann) McLaughlin, Ms Maeve (Foyle) Douglas, Sammy (East Belfast) McLaughlin, Mitchel (South Antrim) Dunne, Gordon (North Down) McMullan, Oliver (East Antrim) Durkan, Mark (Foyle) McNarry, David (Strangford) Easton, Alex (North Down) McQuillan, Adrian (East Londonderry) Eastwood, Colum (Foyle) Maginness, Alban (North Belfast) Elliott, Tom (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Maskey, Alex (South Belfast) Farry, Stephen (North Down) Milne, Ian (Mid Ulster) Fearon, Ms Megan (Newry and Armagh) Morrow, The Lord (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Flanagan, Phil (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Moutray, Stephen (Upper Bann) Ford, David (South Antrim) Nesbitt, Mike (Strangford) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Gardiner, Samuel (Upper Bann) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Girvan, Paul (South Antrim) Ó hOisín, Cathal (East Londonderry) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) O’Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Hale, Mrs Brenda (Lagan Valley) O’Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Hamilton, Simon (Strangford) Overend, Mrs Sandra (Mid Ulster) Hay, William (Speaker) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Hazzard, Chris (South Down) Ramsey, Pat (Foyle) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Ramsey, Ms Sue (West Belfast) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Hussey, Ross (West Tyrone) Robinson, Peter (East Belfast) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Rogers, Sean (South Down) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Ross, Alastair (East Antrim) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Ruane, Ms Caitríona (South Down) Kennedy, Danny (Newry and Armagh) Sheehan, Pat (West Belfast) Kinahan, Danny (South Antrim) Spratt, Jimmy (South Belfast) Lo, Ms Anna (South Belfast) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Lunn, Trevor (Lagan Valley) Swann, Robin (North Antrim) Lynch, Seán (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Weir, Peter (North Down) Lyttle, Chris (East Belfast) Wells, Jim (South Down) McAleer, Declan (West Tyrone) Wilson, Sammy (East Antrim) Northern Ireland Assembly Friday 18 April 2014 Written Answers to Questions Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister Strategy Planning and Review Group Mr Agnew asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) the remit of the Strategy Planning and Review Group (SPRG) for the Children and Young People’s Strategy; (ii) the dates the SPRG for the Children and Young People’s Strategy met, including when each of the Junior Ministers were in attendance. (AQW 31463/11-15) Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness (The First Minister and deputy First Minister): The Strategy Planning and Review Group (SPRG) was set up in 2008 with a remit ■ to review the 2008-11 Action Plan under the Children and Young People’s Strategy and to make recommendations taking into account feedback from the Children’s Champions Group; Parents’ Advisory Group; Research and Information Group; and Practitioners; ■ to link the regional and area Children’s Services Plans to the Strategy Action Plan; ■ to monitor progress on delivery of the strategy action plan; and ■ to submit review reports to the Ministerial sub-committee on children and young people. Membership of the SPRG included senior representatives of statutory, community and voluntary sector organisations and government departments including the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Courts Service. The Departmental representatives were drawn from the Children and Young People’s Inter-departmental Group (IDG) which was set up to oversee the development of the Strategy. The SPRG met on four occasions during the lifetime of the 2008-11 Action Plan, on 10 September 2008, 11 November 2008, 24 March 2009 and 30 November 2010. Junior Ministers attended and chaired all of these meetings. OFMDFM continued to monitor progress on the actions in the Plan up until the end of the Plan in April 2011. Since then, delivery on the Children and Young People’s Strategy has been taken forward under the auspices of the Delivering Social Change (DSC) framework. Progress on the framework is monitored and overseen by DSC Programme Board which reports to the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Children and Young People and the Executive Sub-Committee on Poverty and Social Inclusion Victims and Survivors Service: Scheme 6 Fund Mr Allister asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister why the Scheme 6 fund, under the Victims and Survivors Service, was closed to applications on 30 June 2013; and why those, who hitherto had been receiving financial assistance from the NI Memorial Fund and who transferred to Scheme 6, were included in the stoppage on applications. (AQW 32057/11-15) WA 245 Friday 18 April 2014 Written Answers Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: The application process for Financial Assistance Scheme 6 was closed on 30 June 2013 due to budgetary pressures. It is not unusual to have time limited application periods. All those successful applicants continued to receive financial support. Owing to significant demand, we sought additional resources and were able to extend the Scheme to all remaining applicants. Ethnic Minorities Mr Lyttle asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what work they have undertaken to assess the extent of ethnic minority poverty further to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report on Poverty and Ethnicity finding in February 2013 that ‘the precise household circumstances and relative extent of poverty among minority ethnic groups in Northern Ireland are unknown. (AQW 32105/11-15) Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness: We acknowledge the significant gaps in the knowledge base that have been highlighted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report. We are, of course, not unique in this. Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s publication Poverty and ethnicity: A review of evidence (May 2011) refers to “weaknesses in the evidence relating to Scotland,