asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 86), whether there was any requirement for knowledge of the Ulster-Scots Language in the recruitment of the current chief executive of the Ulster-Scots Agency. [HL3372]

No. The chief executive post was advertised in October 2002 and the essential criteria included an ability to promote the Ulster-Scots language and its development and a knowledge of Ulster-Scots history, heritage and culture.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 85-6) concerning the budget for the Ulster-Scots Agency, whether the need for equality and parity of esteem is a consideration in the development of the indicative budget. [HL3397]

I have nothing further to add to the Answers I gave to the Noble Lord on 18 April 2007 (Official Report col. 681W) and 26 March 2007 (Official Report cols. WA251 and WA252) .

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 86) concerning the job application for the Ulster-Scots Agency, under what authority the agency is required to agree all job advertisements with the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. [HL3408]

As directed in the financial memorandum of the North/South Language Body the chief executives shall ensure that the body is staffed in accordance with the staffing principles of North/South Implementation Bodies. The staffing complement must be agreed by both the sponsoring and finance departments. The chief executive of the Ulster-Scots Agency will advise the sponsor departments regarding job advertisements when appropriate.