Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
CBT instructors purchase books of CBT certificates from the Department. They are required to store
these safely, maintain accurate and up to date records of certificates that have been issued, and
provide monthly returns to the Department.
In order to carry out a preliminary evaluation of the scheme, the Driver & Vehicle Agency has invited all
AMIs and members of the stakeholder group to a seminar on 6 June 2012. The purpose of this will be
to provide an opportunity for all those who deliver courses to discuss the scheme and ascertain if any
improvements can be made to further enhance the process at this stage.
To date 2200 courses have been completed. In addition there has been a 45% increase in the number
of applications for motorcycle tests compared with 2010-11.
In summary, the CBT scheme has started well, and I am confident that it will make a positive
contribution to road safety in Northern Ireland.
Chief Executive or Senior Officer in a Council
Mr McNarry asked the Minister of the Environment to provide details of any chief executive or senior
officer in a council, who is not paid through the PAYE system, but through a limited company.
(AQW 12211/11-15)
Mr Attwood: Each of the 26 District Councils has reported that its Chief Executive and senior officers
are paid through the PAYE system.
Arm’s-Length Bodies and Quangos
Mr Gardiner asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the current number of arm’s-length bodies
and quangos that are attached to his Department; and how this figure compares with the number in (i)
2008; (ii) 2009; (iii) 2010; and (iv) 2011.
(AQW 12230/11-15)
Mr Attwood: There are a total of five Arms Length Bodies (ALBs) attached to the Department of
Environment (DoE). These are the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation
Committee, the Local Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland, the Council for Nature
Conservation and the Countryside, the Historic Buildings Council and the Historic Monuments Council.
The number of ALBs attached to DoE has not changed over the three year period 2008-10.
Internships in the Department of the Environment
Mr Weir asked the Minister of the Environment how many internships are available in his Department;
and if none, what plans he has to introduce an internship scheme.
(AQW 12482/11-15)
Mr Attwood: In addition to a number of GAP and under-graduate placements and 10 Programme Led
Apprenticeship placements, my Department has made available 180 Steps to Work placements. To
date the Department has facilitated 28 Steps to Work placements, a further 18 individuals have been
offered a placement and work is ongoing with the lead contractors and DEL to fill the other available
placement opportunities on an ongoing basis.
These Steps to Work placements last for either 8 or 26 weeks and largely mirror the JobBridge
internship scheme in the ROI.
In addition, I have also asked my officials to identify ways to specifically target a number of these Steps
to Work placements at young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). As a
result the Department is now considering how it can join up the provision of work placements in the
DOE with the work of the Gerry Rogan Initiative Trust (GRIT) initiative.
The GRIT initiative commenced in 2008, and targets young people who are substantially disadvantaged,
who face major barriers to progress positively in their lives and who are at risk of becoming
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