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Targeting Social Need Initiative

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources will be allocated to Government departments in order to implement the strategic plan for the targeting social need initiative. [15707]

Mr. Ancram: Many departmental spending programmes already contribute to the targeting social need initiative and departments are encouraged to direct existing resources in relevant programmes, as far as possible, to areas and people in greatest need. Planned spending over the survey period 1996-99 on making Belfast work and Londonderry initiatives remains substantial and additional funds are being made available for a major hospital redevelopment project in west Belfast. The Government's contribution to the new European Union special programme for peace and reconciliation will also have a positive TSN impact.

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he will take to ensure that the Departments of (a) Agriculture, (b) Environment, (c) Economic Development and (d) Finance and Personnel publish a targeting social need strategic plan. [15708]

Mr. Ancram: All Departments take TSN principles into account in drawing up policies and determined expenditure priorities, but it is for each to decide, in the light of its particular responsibilities, whether it is necessary to develop a strategic plan and, if so, whether to publish it.

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Social Deprivation

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the council areas in Northern Ireland by degree of social deprivation. [15770]

Sir John Wheeler: A list of council areas in Northern Ireland by degree of deprivation has been published by the Department of Finance and Personnel in a policy planning and research unit occasional paper, No. 28 of September 1994, entitled "Relative Deprivation in Northern Ireland". Copies of this report have been deposited in the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries.

Water Supply Pipes

Dr. Hendron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) percentage and (b) mileage of water main supplies pipes in Northern Ireland are made from asbestos cement. [16033]

Mr. Moss: It is estimated that approximately 11 per cent., or 1,400 miles, of water mains in Northern Ireland are made from asbestos cement.

Public Bodies

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provision under the citizens charter. [16020]

Sir John Wheeler: The remit of the Parliamentary Commissioner does not extend to executive non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration investigates complaints of alleged injustice as a consequence of maladministration by Northern Ireland Departments, including their agencies, while the function of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints investigates similar complaints against local and public bodies.

The current list of executive non-departmental public bodies which are subject to the jurisdiction of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints is as follows:


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There are no executive non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland that are subject to scrutiny by the Audit Commission.

The following executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office are subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office.


The responsibility for the National Audit Office does not extend to the six Northern Ireland Departments, which have their own similarly appointed body--the Northern Ireland Audit Office. The following executive non-departmental public bodies are subject to scrutiny by the NIAO:



    Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland
    Education and Library Boards
    Enterprise Ulster
    Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland
    Fair Employment Commission for Northern Ireland
    Fire Authority for Northern Ireland
    General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland
    Labour Relations Agency
    Local Enterprise Development Unit
    Mental Health Commission for Northern Ireland
    National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland Commissioner for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action
    Northern Ireland Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members
    Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment
    Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority
    Northern Ireland Housing Executive
    Northern Ireland Tourist Board
    Sports Council for Northern Ireland
    Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards
    Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
    Ulster Museum
    Youth Council for Northern Ireland.

The executive non-departmental public bodies that are subject to the statutory provisions for open government

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are those bodies listed as under the jurisdiction of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints.

All executive non-departmental public bodies listed in the publication "Public Bodies 1995" are subject to performance indicators and the provisions under the citizens charter. A copy of "Public Bodies 1995" is available in the Library.

Transfer Examinations

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what analysis has been made of the questions used in the transfer examinations to determine whether either gender has been advantaged by the type of questions on the examination papers. [16254]

Mr. Ancram: The questions used in the tests are trialled to seek to ensure that they are free of bias in relation to any factor, including gender. My Department is, however, commissioning an analysis of the responses of pupils to the 1995-96 transfer test.

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was in (a) 1993-94, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1995-96 the total number of children involved in transfer procedure; how many were (i) boys and (ii) girls; which grades were obtained; what was the percentage of total entrants awarded each grade; and what was the percentage variation between boys and girls. [16253]

Mr. Ancram: The numbers of pupils transferring from primary to secondary education in the years 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96, analysed by gender, are shown in Table 1:

Table 1

1993-941994-951995-96
Boys13,25812,97613,570
Girls12,16412,72312,736
Total25,42225,69926,306

Tables 2 and 3 show the numbers of pupils who obtained each grade, and the percentage of the entrants for the tests in each year which those numbers represent, analysed by gender.

Table 2

GradeBoysPercentage of test entrantsGirlsPercentage of test entrantsPercentage variation
1993-94
A3,35437.13,37836.80.3
B1,17012.91,26113.70.8
C1,33914.81,38415.10.3
D3,17335.13,16834.50.6
1994-95
A3,04934.73,56638.03.3
B1,26814.41,31414.00.4
C1,23514.11,33214.20.1
D3,23536.83,17633.83.0


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Table 3

GradeBoysPercentage of test entrantsGirlsPercentage of test entrantsPercentage variation
1995-96
A3,43638.53,27836.12.4
B17318.27238.00.2
B26547.36527.20.1
C16627.47207.90.5
C26277.06737.40.4
D2,80531.53,03433.41.9

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