§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any further discussions have taken place between officials of his Department and representatives of the Government of the Irish Republic since the publication of the White Paper "Northern Ireland: A Framework for Devolution"; what was the nature of those discussions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PriorIn the last two months a number of my officials have met officials of the Government of the Irish Republic for the discussion of practical issues of common concern, for example, agriculture, environment and energy.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further representations he has received from persons other than political parties in Northern Ireland since the publication of the Northern Ireland Bill; and if he will make a statement.
134W
Notified live and still births and babies weighing less than 2,500 grams Notified births less than 2,500 grams as a percentage of all notified births District 1976 1977 1978 1979 1976 1977 1978 1979 Down 40 54 43 44 4.2 5.9 4.3 4.2 East Belfast and Castlereagh 121 124 104 93 7.7 7.8 6.6 5.8 Lisburn 83 106 98 91 6.2 7.7 7.2 6.3 North Down & Ards 139 97 109 104 7.4 5.1 5.7 4.9 North and West Belfast 241 201 219 246 7.8 6.9 7.3 7.6 South Belfast 62 78 65 72 6.7 8.5 7.1 7.2 Area Total 686 660 638 650 7.1 6.9 6.5 6.2 Antrim and Ballymena 92 106 136 124 5.4 6.5 7.8 6.7 Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle 103 98 90 92 7.2 7.5 6.4 6.2 Larne and Carrickfergus 40 48 57 53 4.7 5.9 6.8 6.2 Magherafelt and Cookstown 69 91 84 71 6.1 7.5 6.9 5.4 Newtownabbey 66 77 70 79 5.2 6.2 5.6 6.2 Area Total 370 420 437 419 5.8 6.8 6.8 6.2 Armagh and Dungannon 124 89 96 79 6.8 5.0 5.3 4.1
§ Mr. PriorSince 20 April I have received 12 letters commenting on the Government's proposals. They contain varying degrees of support and, in some cases, criticism. Nonetheless my daily involvement with Northern Ireland affairs encourages my belief that the people of Northern Ireland are responding constructively to the Government's constitutional proposals and there is evidence of a growing recognition that the flexible approach proposed by the Government is the right one in the circumstances of Northern Ireland. The Government, therefore, attach great importance to providing the earliest possible opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland to have a greater say in the conduct of the Province's affairs.