§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province have prosthetic limbs; and what the causes of the disability are in each case. [187781]
§ Angela SmithAs at March 2004, the number of people who have prosthetic limbs in Northern Ireland is 1,716. The causes of the disability in each case are as follows.
Cause Number Trauma 589 Arterial 563 Congenital 223 Civil disturbance 128 Malignancy 99 Other 68 Neurological condition 26 Re-amputation—through non-healing 11 Venous 9 Northern Ireland total 1,716
§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed in the Province specifically to treat those with prosthetic limbs, broken down by profession. [187782]
§ Angela SmithInformation requested is provided in the following table.
Number of people employed in the Province to treat specifically those with prosthetic limbs. broken down by profession Profession Headcount WTE Physiotherapists 4 2.01 Prosthetists 5 5.00 Consultant in rehabilitation medicine 1 1.00 Occupational therapists 1 1.00
1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 Verbal abuse threat 132 67 77 50 56 109 Written material 1 4 1 4 3 10 Graffiti 5 7 6 2 4 7 Physical assault 15 54 58 37 50 103 Attack on home 13 53 49 38 59 148 Attack on property 20 37 45 33 39 57 Other 7 15 24 21 15 19 Total 93 237 260 185 226 453 The number of incidents reported for 2003–04 increased 100 per cent. from the same period the previous year. This increase is believed to reflect the considerable effort made by the Police Service to build confidence within Minority Ethnic Communities and encourage the reporting of such incidents.
§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of racially motivated offences in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [187415]
§ Mr. PearsonAccurate information in respect of conviction rates is not currently available. The Police Service of Northern Ireland have recently introduced new recording and monitoring systems in respect of
1488W
Number of people employed in the Province to treat specifically those with prosthetic limbs, broken down by profession Profession Headcount WTE Nurses 27 20.83 Total 38 29.84
§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland hat progress has been made on improving the cosmetic appearance, with particular reference to colour synergy, of prosthetic limbs provided in Northern Ireland. [187783]
§ Angela SmithThere is a range of silicone coverings (cosmeses) that may be provided to prosthetic users. These vary in cost from around £200 for a single colour covering to £5,000 for a high definition silicone covering. The latter are not provided routinely as part of prosthetic provision. Where the consultant and prosthetist consider there is a clinical need for a person to be supplied with a high definition cover, a case is made to the relevant Health and Social Services Board for funding.
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Green Part Healthcare Trust and Health and Social Services Boards are in discussion on the implications of widening provision of high definition coverings.