39 Questions Stormont Doesn’t Want to Answer
05 December 2011
Statement by North Antrim MLA Jim Allister:
“The failure by departments to provide answers to written questions within the time limit stipulated by Standing Orders – 10 working days – has been a persistent problem. I first raised the issue on 14th June as a point of order in the chamber and the Speaker undertook to press departments on the matter. On 7th July I wrote to the Speaker highlighting that the problem was continuing.
“Two of the questions I raised in my letter of 7th July remain unanswered along with 37 others which are outstanding more than 10 days.
“Six of the questions are pre-summer, 12 were tabled in September and 9 in October.
Far and away the worst offender is the Office of co-First Ministers Robinson and McGuinness. In that department alone they have failed to answer 19 of my questions within the time limit stipulated in the Assembly’s Standing Orders.
“Sammy Wilson’s Department of Finance and Personnel has failed to respond to 11 questions many of which were on the issue of Special Advisers and the Department of Social Development – again headed by a DUP Minister – had failed to respond to three questions.
“Why is it that departments headed by DUP ministers are the worst offenders? It is outrageous that there should be this frustrating of scrutiny when there are legitimate concerns about the use of tax payers’ money.”
The full list of unanswered questions is as follows:
To ask the First and deputy First Ministers as the lead department of government in Northern Ireland what plans are being made to celebrate Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. 18/11/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) their position on the proposed changes to the Act of Settlement (1700); and (ii) what contact they have had with Her Majesty's Government in relation to this issue. 16/11/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether it was within the First Minister’s Principal Private Secretary’s official duties to make contact with the Community Relations Council on 18 February 2010 regarding the content of a victims’ group website. 09/11/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister why only one of the groups from the victims sector and none of the ex-prisoner groups funded by their Department has been audited in the last three years. 08/11/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) how many times the First Minster's Private Secretary has contacted the Community Relations Council to express concerns about the use of funding provided by their Department; and (ii) the groups and concerns raised in each case. 08/11/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the level of funding allocated to each victims' group in each of the last five years. 28/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the total amount of the salaries paid to departmental staff in OFMDFM in the last 12 months. 28/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) the persons or bodies to whom their Department has provided hospitality; and (ii) the cost of providing this hospitality in each of the last 12 months. 28/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline the status within their Department of the Department of Finance and Personnel's review of the appointment of Special Advisers. 18/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in relation to Standing Order 20 (B) which states that a written answer 'shall' be answered by the end of ten working days after it is published, (i) why AQW 116/11-15, AQW 827/11-15, AQW 1550/11-15, AQW 1608/11-15 and AQW 1609/11-15 have not been answered; and (ii) to provide answers to these questions. 13/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for their assessment of whether the first term of reference of the St Andrews Review into North-South Implementation Bodies and Areas of Co-operation, embraces the option of reducing the number of bodies; and whether this option is being considered as part of the Review. 12/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) to outline what role, either formal or informal, their Department has in relation to planned public and private visits by Heads of State of foreign countries including the President of the Republic of Ireland; and (ii) whether their Department receives advance notification of such visits, and if so, who does it notify. 07/10/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) the total cost of their recent visit to the USA; and (ii) who accompanied them on their visit. 28/09/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) whether they were consulted on, and consented to, the decision taken by the Department of Finance and Personnel on 18 July 2011 to increase the upper limit of the Band B salary scale for Special Advisers to £90,000; (ii) when they became aware of the planned increase; and (iii) what input they had to the decision. 21/09/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they can offer an assurance that in their lobbying for a PEACE IV Programme they have not, and will not, advocate its extension to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender interests. 05/09/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) how many traffic accidents the deputy First Minister’s driver has been involved in since May 2007; (ii) how many of these were his responsibility; (iii) how many resulted in prosecution; and (iv) how much has been paid in compensation to third parties. 05/09/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in the case of each Special Adviser within their Department, (i) how many candidates were considered for the posts of Ministerial Special Adviser; (ii) what account was taken of any potential imbalance in religious background or gender in the pool from which they selected the Special Advisers; (iii) how wide was the trawl for candidates and how did they ensure that it was 'broadly based' as required by the Code of Practice on the Appointment of Special Advisers; and (iv) to publish the job description and person specification drawn up before the Special Advisers were appointed. 01/07/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister (i) to detail the arrangements relating to the recruitment, status and payment of their ministerial drivers; (ii) whether the arrangements differ from those that were in place prior to 1 April 2011; and (iii) if so, how the arrangements differ. 14/06/2011
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the travel and subsistence costs incurred by their Department on trips outside Northern Ireland in each year of the 2007-11 mandate, broken down by the costs incurred by (i) the First Minister; (ii) the deputy First Minister; (iii) special advisers; and (iv) support staff. 23/05/2011
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning (i) how many student places are available in the Graduate School of Professional Legal Education at the Magee campus of the University of Ulster; (ii) what has been the student uptake since its inception; (iii) what is its staffing complement; and (iv) what is the school's annual cost. 07/11/2011
To ask the Minister for Regional Development to detail how many terrorist commemorations to (i) Republicans; and (ii) Loyalists exist on property owned by his Department, and its arm's-length bodies, broken down by council area. 26/09/2011
To ask the Minister for Social Development how much his Department has spent on Special Advisers since May 2007, broken down by (i) salary; (ii) pension contributions; (iii) expenses; (iv) office costs; and (v) other costs. 17/06/2011
To ask the Minister for Social Development whether his Special Adviser is paid within Band A or Band B of the Department of Finance and Personnel's salary scale; and, if it is within Band B whether, in light of the DFP decision to increase the upper limit of the Band B scale to £90,000, there has been an increase in salary or an increase is planned. 16/09/2011
To ask the Minister for Social Development, in relation to Standing Order 20 (B) which states that a written answer 'shall' be answered by the end of ten working days after it is published, (i) why AQW 1004/11-15 and AQW 2105/11-15 have not been answered; and (ii) to provide answers to these questions. 19/10/2011
To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (i) for her assessment of the Common Arrangements for Gas proposal; (ii) whether work is continuing on the project and by whom; and (iii) whether her Department or the Utility Regulator has control over the project. 19/09/2011
To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether her Special Adviser is paid within Band A or Band B of the Department of Finance and Personnel's salary scale; and, if it is within Band B whether, in light of the DFP decision to increase the upper limit of the Band B scale to £90,000, there has been an increase in salary or an increase is planned. 14/09/2011
To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how much her Department has spent on Special Advisers since May 2007, broken down by (i) salary; (ii) pension contributions; (iii) expenses; (iv) office costs; and (v) other costs. 17/06/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel if the unqualified commitment in the draft Programme for Government to press for the devolution of Corporation Tax powers mean he has changed his stance of December 2010 when he said that the devolution of the powers would be 'totally unattractive' if it resulted in a substantial cut to the block grant. 25/11/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel, in light of the commitment in the draft Programme for Government, to outline the nature of the social clauses which will be included in all public procurement contracts. 24/11/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel how the commitments in the draft Programme for Government effect the income and spending plans in the current Budget. 23/11/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel, in light of the commitment in the draft Programme for Government to reduce the level of staff sick absence across the Civil Service, (i) what is the target; (ii) what percentage of improvement is required to attain the target; and (iii) what measures will be taken to achieve the target. 23/11/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 3640/11-15, whether the campaigning of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for a candidate in the Irish Presidential election (i) was consistent with these regulations; and (ii) if not, what action he has taken, or intends to take, to recoup any of the money spent by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development during her official visit to the Irish Ploughing Championships. 16/11/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel, in relation to Standing Order 20 (B) which states that a written answer 'shall' be answered by the end of ten working days after it is published, (i) why AQW 509/11-15, AQW 1711/11-15, AQW 1805/11-15, AQW 2038/11-15 and AQW 2401/11-15 have not been answered; and (ii) to provide answers to these questions. 19/10/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel, since the appointment of his current Special Adviser to date, how many meetings (i) he has had with his Special Adviser; (ii) his Special Adviser has had with departmental officials; and (iii) he has attended, accompanied by his Special Adviser. 27/09/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether his Special Adviser is paid within Band A or Band B of the his Department's salary scale; and, if it is within Band B whether, in light of the decision to increase the upper limit of the Band B scale to £90,000, there has been an increase in salary or an increase is planned. 15/09/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel (i) to outline the specialism which his Special Adviser brings to his office and (ii) whether his Special Adviser holds any role or post outside of his office for which he is remunerated. 09/09/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel (i) where and when the proposal to increase the upper limit of the Band B salary scale for Special Advisers to £90,000 originated; (ii) whether the First Minister and deputy First Minister were consulted about the decision taken by his Department on 18 July 2011 in relation to the increase; (iii) what input the First Minister and deputy First Minister had to the decision; and (iv) whether other Ministers were consulted. 07/09/2011
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel, pursuant to AQW 1/11-15, (i) whether the bonus approved by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment for the CEO of Invest NI was contractually necessary; (ii) is he has studied any such contractual term; (iii) for his assessment of such a contractual obligation; and (iv) and, if he has not studied such a term, will he undertake to do so. 06/06/2011
To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if his policy approach anticipates a reduction in the number of pharmacies in the coming years. 23/11/2011
