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Queen's University
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many part-time courses are available at Queen's university, Belfast.
Dr. Mawhinney : A total of 590 part-time courses were available during the 1987-88 academic year.
Goat Milk
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce measures to control the standard of hygiene of goat milk production.
Mr. Viggers : The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland will shortly be issuing an agreed code of practice on the hygienic production of goats' milk.
Life Imprisonment
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) republican and (b) loyalist prisoners serving sentences of life imprisonment or at the Secretary of State's pleasure have been reviewed since January 1988 ; and how many have been released.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The information requested is set out in the following table.
|c|Indeterminate sentence prisoners reviewed,
recommended for release|c|
|c|and released since January 1988 by
believed paramilitary affiliation|c|
|c|at the time of their offence|c|
|Number
---------------------------------------------
Loyalist' cases reviewed |106
Number recommended for release |52
Republican' cases reviewed |86
Number recommended for release |40
Loyalist' prisoners released |19
Republican' prisoners released |8
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) republican and (b) loyalist prisoners serving sentences of life imprisonment or at the Secretary of State's pleasure who have been reviewed and put back for further review are to be reconsidered in(i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five years.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The information requested is set out in the following table.
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|c|Indeterminate sentence prisoners who have been reviewed|c|
|c|by the life sentence review board and deferred to be
reconsidered|c|
|c|in 1-5 years from the time of the last review. By believed|c|
|c|paramilitary affiliation at time of offence|c|
|0-1 Year |1-2 Years|2-3 Years|3-4 Years|4-5 Years
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Republican |13 |15 |14 |14 |32
Loyalist |4 |18 |14 |18 |10
Wildlife Poisoning
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list for each of the last five years the number of cases of wildlife poisoning in Northern Ireland caused by the illegal use of pesticides or poisons ; and if he will identify the species involved and if possible the poison or pesticide involved.
Mr. Needham : The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland is not aware of any cases of wildlife poisoning where the illegal use of pesticides or poisons has been proven.
However, in 1986 the death of one peregrine falcon was probably caused by high levels of the pesticides DDT and DDE. In 1986 another peregrine falcon and a sparrowhawk died, possibly through ingesting pesticides, and in 1987 a further sparrowhawk died from what may have been the same cause. In these cases it is not possible to state how or where the birds ingested these substances.
Neither DDT nor DDE were illegal prior to 1 January 1988 when the Control of Pesticides Regulations (NI) 1987 came into operation. A case earlier this year of about 100 feral pigeons dying through ingesting alpha- chloralose (a stupefying bait) is being investigated. The deliberate use of alpha-chloralose against wild birds is illegal except under licence.
Social Security Payments
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many families in Northern Ireland were in receipt of family income supplement in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Needham : The number was 14,415 families at 1 March 1988.
Elderly People (Residential Homes)
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will call for a report from the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland on the extent to which social security payments and state pensions are adequate to meet the costs of elderly people in private residential homes ; and as to the extent of the practice of using residents' pocket money to meet the extra costs of staying in such homes.
Mr. Needham : Information is not held centrally about the numbers of residents in private homes for persons in need whose charges exceed the amounts of their benefits and who may use their personal expenses allowance towards the excess. From 10 April 1989, the relevant income support limits will range from £140 to £200 a week.
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has as to the average income of an elderly person in a residential home in Northern Ireland, excluding any private source of income.
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Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the latest available information that he has as to the costs of maintaining a resident in (a) a private residential home for the elderly in Northern Ireland, (b) a residential home for the elderly run by a social services board and (c) a private nursing home in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : Information is available only on (b) the average cost, excluding capital and central administration costs, being some £162 a week in the year ended 31 March 1988.
Rates
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average percentage increase in the regional rates levied by the Department of Environment for Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.
Mr. Needham : The regional rate, which is struck by the Department of Finance and Personnel each February, has increased as follows in each of the last three years.
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1987-88 |2.9
1988-89 |7.98
1989-90 |12.63
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average percentage increase in rates struck by district councils in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.
Mr. Needham : The average percentage increase in rates struck by district councils in Northern Ireland over the last three years is as follows :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1987-88 |4.98
1988-89 |4.26
1989-90 |2.36
Married Teachers
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for how long married women teachers have been paying exactly the same contributions from salary as married male teachers for pension and benefit purposes.
Dr. Mawhinney : All teachers, whether male or female, married or single, have paid similar basic percentage contributions since the introduction of the teachers' superannuation scheme in the 1920s.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether contributions for pensions and benefits already paid by married women teachers prior to 6 April 1988 require to be supplemented by buying back all or part of previous service to provide equality of pension and benefit provision for a widower with that to which the widow of a teacher is entitled.
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Dr. Mawhinney : Married women teachers may, by making the appropriate payments, have all or part of their service prior to 6 April 1988 counted for widowers' pension purposes.
Firearms
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show for each year from 1976 to 1988, the number of (a) shotguns, (b) rifles, (c) handguns, (d) air and gas-powered weapons held on firearms certificates in Northern Ireland or as much of such information as is available to him.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
Year |(a) Shotguns |(b) Rifles |(c) Handguns |(d) Air Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1976 |67,148 |13,877 |10,189 |11,830 1977 |69,525 |13,914 |10,322 |12,112 1978 |71,119 |13,834 |9,978 |12,491 1979 |72,843 |13,839 |9,946 |13,362 1980 |74,836 |13,550 |10,257 |14,450 1981 |76,087 |13,765 |10,184 |15,103 1982 |77,392 |13,691 |10,288 |15,635 1983 |78,587 |13,691 |10,246 |16,071 1984 |79,845 |13,654 |10,188 |16,659 1985 |81,247 |13,642 |10,238 |17,240 1986 |82,601 |13,596 |10,427 |17,701 1987 |82,554 |13,414 |10,566 |17,858 1988 |82,913 |13,321 |10,752 |18,114
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show how many (a) police officers by rank and (b) civilian staff by grade have been engaged at police headquarters in processing firearms certificates for each year since 1976 to the latest available date ; what has been the total costs of remunerating such staff in each year ; in each year how many firearms certificates were (i) issued, (ii) renewed, and (iii) varied ; how many applications were refused for (a) issues of a new certificate, (b) renewals and (c) variation ; and how many certificates were withdrawn.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
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|c|(a) Police officers and ranks|c|
|Superintendent |Chief Inspector|Inspector |Sergeant |Constable
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976 |- |- |- |- |-
1977 |- |- |- |- |-
1978 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1979 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1980 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1981 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1982 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1983 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1984 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1985 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1986 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1987 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
1988 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
Note: Figures are not available for 1976 and 1977.
|c|Pay|c|
Year<1> |Salaries |Overtime and Allowances|Superannuation and ERNI|Total Cost of
|Remuneration
|(£'000s) |(£'000s) |(£'000s) |(£'000s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976-77 |64.3 |19.8 |21.5 |105.6
1977-78 |72.3 |15.3 |24.6 |112.2
1978-79 |98.6 |16.1 |31.7 |146.4
1979-80 |102.8 |14.5 |32.9 |150.2
1980-81 |132.2 |17.2 |41.9 |191.3
1981-82 |143.2 |17.2 |45.2 |205.6
1982-83 |159.8 |26.4 |51.2 |237.4
1983-84 |181.0 |28.2 |59.5 |268.7
1984-85 |183.1 |34.1 |61.3 |278.5
1985-86 |243.8 |30.6 |75.9 |350.3
1986-87 |272.1 |24.3 |83.4 |379.8
1987-88 |315.0 |26.9 |90.7 |432.6
<1>Pay calculated on basis of financial year, 1 April to 31 March.
Year |(i) Firearm Certificates |(ii) Firearm Certificates|(iii) Firearm
|Granted |Renewed |Certificates Varied
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976 |5,116 |15,361 |9,283
1977 |5,484 |13,065 |9,539
1978 |4,318 |28,710 |6,465
1979 |4,389 |19,121 |10,278
1980 |4,362 |14,201 |8,934
1981 |3,639 |29,704 |9,140
1982 |4,297 |21,685 |9,246
1983 |3,714 |17,016 |7,748
1984 |4,011 |30,066 |8,574
1985 |4,222 |22,463 |7,082
1986 |3,895 |17,933 |7,197
1987 |3,743 |29,296 |8,903
1988 |3,672 |22,164 |8,800
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|(a) |(b) |(c)
Year |Refused to grant new |Refused to renew firearm|Refused to vary firearm |Firearm certificate
|firearm certificate |certificate |certificate |revoked
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976 |281 |49 |510 |192
1977 |293 |58 |504 |23
1978 |229 |48 |428 |100
1979 |267 |92 |331 |101
1980 |294 |79 |387 |123
1981 |360 |79 |390 |103
1982 |377 |78 |439 |124
1983 |336 |79 |389 |157
1984 |313 |88 |465 |154
1985 |326 |61 |374 |178
1986 |308 |43 |320 |147
1987 |308 |53 |420 |146
1988 |262 |62 |471 |148
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many rifles held on firearms certificates in Northern Ireland are of .22 calibre ; and how many are of larger calibre ; and how many in each category are held under the condition, possession only.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
|Total Numbers |Possession only
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rifles of .22 calibre |12,146 |974
Rifles of larger calibre |1,175 |786
Note: Figures refer to 31 December 1988.
Special Category Prisoners
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available to indicate how many prisoners gave up special category status in each of the past four years ; for how many of these prisoners the
Column 180
case went to the life sentence review board within a year of giving up their status ; how many reviews these prisoners have had ; how many in each year (a) were given release dates, (b) had their cases referred to the judiciary, and (c) had their cases referred back for further review after one year, two years or three years ; and how many have been released.Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1989] : No fixed sentence prisoners have relinquished their special category status in the last four years. Fifty indeterminate sentence prisoners have relinquished their special category status since March 1985, of whom 28 have been released and 15 either have provisional release dates or are at consultation with the judiciary with a view to setting dates. The remaining seven prisoners all transferred to segregated "Republican" or "Loyalist" wings after relinquishing their special category status and have remained in segregated accommodation. The detailed information requested is set out in the following table.
Column 179
Numbers relinquishNumbers who went tNumber of reviews Release dates set Referred to judiciDeferred (by number of Numbers released
special within relinquishing special years)
category
Year |category status |1 year |status |0-1 |1-2 |2-3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985 |19 |9 |6 and 1 review |2 |12 |- |- |- |-
|7 and 2 reviews
|1 had 3 reviews
|1 had 4 reviews
|4 had NIL reviews
|-see note below
1986 |23 |6 |5 had 1 review |15 |11 |5 |- |1 |3
|5 had 2 reviews
|13 had no reviews
|-see note below
1987 |5 |1 |1 had 2 reviews |8 |10 |6 |3 |- |16
|4 had no reviews
|-see note below
1988-89 |3 |NIL |None have had a |8 |10 |2 |3 |- |9
|review
Note:The 24 prisoners who relinquished Special Category status in the four years 23 March 1985-22 March 1989 and have not since been reviewed were all recommended for consultation with the
judiciary prior to their decision to relinquish Special Category status.
Statistical Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions
Column 180
in the Northern Ireland Office ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90.Column 181
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 13 March 1989] : The Northern Ireland Office has one statistical division which is located in Belfast. The division has a complement of nine, which consists of three specialist grades (one principal economist, one deputy economist, one senior assistant economist) and six administrative grades (two executive officers, two administrative officers, two administrative assistants), a programmer is also attached to the division on loan.
The division is fully up to strength and the complement is not expected to change in the foreseeable future.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 13 March 1989] : The information for 1979-80 to 1983-84 is available throughout Northern Ireland Departments only at disproportionate cost. Information for the year 1984-85 to date is as follows :
|£
---------------------------------------
1984-85 |2,352,311
1985-86 |2,427,200
1986-87 |2,742,192
1987-88 |3,363,213
1988-89 |<1>3,273,430
<1> Estimate.
In addition, the Northern Ireland Office and the Department of Finance and Personnel jointly shared the cost of a review of the Northern Ireland information services carried out in 1988. The review cost approximately £8,000.
Wages Councils
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the number and percentage of establishments and
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services covered by wages councils in 1979 and 1988, (i) by wages council and (ii) nationally, (b) the number, and percentage of register, of establishments and workers (i) checked by all methods and (ii) visited and the number and percentage in (i) and (ii) found to be illegally underpaying, nationally and by wages council, (c) the number and percentage of registers of establishments found to be illegally underpaying and prosecuted in each year from 1979 to 1988, and (d) the number of inspectors employed by wages council and nationally, in each year from 1979 to 1988.Mr. Viggers [holding answer 22 March 1989] : The information requested is :
(a) The number and percentage of establishments covered by wages councils in Northern Ireland in 1979 and 1988 are as follows :
Wages Council |1979 |Per cent. |1988 |Per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baking |255 |4.0 |341 |4.4
Boot and Shoe Repairing |29 |0.5 |100 |1.3
Catering |3,825 |60.6 |4,469 |57.9
Clothing Manufacturing |- |- |171 |2.2
Dressmaking and Women's
Light Clothing<1> |122 |2.0 |- |-
Laundry |17 |0.3 |15 |0.2
Linen and Cotton
Handkerchief and
Household goods and
Linen Piece goods |84 |1.3 |49 |0.6
Paper Box |17 |0.3 |17 |0.2
Ready made and Wholesale
Bespoke<1> Tailoring |58 |0.9 |- |-
Retail Bespoke Tailoring<2> |4 |0.1 |- |-
Road Haulage |1,756 |27.8 |2,536 |32.8
Shirtmaking<1> |85 |1.3 |- |-
Sugar Confectionery and
Food Preserving |55 |0.9 |29 |0.4
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Northern Ireland Totals |6,307 |100 |7,727 |100
<1> These wages councils were abolished in 1982 and one new wages councils (Clothing
Manufacturing Wages Council) was established in their place.
<2> This wages council was abolished in 1981.
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|c|(b) (i) The number, and percentage of register, of establishments checked in 1988 and those found to be underpaying are as follows:|c|
Wages Council Establishments
|Number checked by all |Per cent. of register |Number checked by visit|Per cent. of register |Number found to be |Per cent. of register
|methods |underpaying
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baking |78 |22.9 |78 |22.9 |16 |4.7
Boot and shoe repairing |21 |21.0 |21 |21.0 |1 |1.0
Catering |583 |13.0 |488 |10.9 |68 |1.5
Clothing manufacturing |27 |15.8 |27 |15.8 |12 |7.0
Laundry |6 |40.0 |6 |40.0 |- |-
Linen and cotton handkerchief and
household goods and linen piece goods |19 |38.8 |19 |38.8 |2 |4.1
Paper box |5 |29.4 |5 |29.4 |- |-
Road haulage |310 |12.2 |296 |11.7 |13 |0.5
Sugar confectionery and food preserving |4 |13.8 |4 |13.8 |- |-
Northern Ireland Totals |1,053 |13.6 |944 |12.2 |112 |1.4
|c|(b) (ii) The number, and percentage of register, of workers checked in 1988 and the number found to be underpaid are as follows:|c|
Wages Council Workers
|Number checked by all |Per cent. of register |Number checked by visit|Per cent. of register |Number found to be |Per cent. of register
|methods |underpaying
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baking |283 |29.5 |283 |29.5 |17 |1.8
Boot and shoe repairing |23 |30.7 |23 |30.7 |2 |2.7
Catering |2,785 |17.4 |2,385 |14.9 |104 |0.7
Clothing manufacturing |1,537 |14.0 |1,537 |14.0 |118 |1.1
Laundry |29 |10.0 |29 |10.0
Linen and cotton handkerchief and
household goods and linen piece goods |612 |46.5 |612 |46.5 |2 |0.2
Paper box |217 |25.2 |217 |25.2
Road haulage |982 |18.2 |771 |14.3 |15 |0.3
Sugar confectionery and food preserving |23 |14.8 |23 |14.8
Northern Ireland Totals |6,491 |18.0 |5,880 |16.3 |258 |0.7
|c|(c) The number and percentage of register of establishments found to be underpaying since 1982 are as follows:|c|
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
Wages Council |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baking |12 |4.8 |8 |3.0 |5 |1.9 |11 |4.0 |14 |3.3 |9 |2.4 |16 |4.7
Boot and Shoe Repairing |1 |3.2 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |1.0
Catering |16 |0.5 |17 |0.5 |32 |1.0 |28 |0.9 |35 |0.8 |76 |1.5 |68 |1.5
Clothing Manufacturing |- |- |- |- |4 |2.9 |1 |0.8 |6 |4.7 |10 |5.4 |12 |7.0
Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing<1> |- |- |1 |1.9 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Laundry |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |8.3 |1 |7.1 |- |-
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household
Goods and Linen Piece Goods |- |- |- |- |1 |2.0 |- |- |1 |2.2 |2 |4.2 |2 |4.1
Paper Bfox |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Ready Made and Wholesale Bespoke<1> Tailoring |- |- |1 |3.3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Road Haulage |9 |0.6 |6 |0.4 |10 |0.8 |5 |0.4 |7 |0.4 |6 |0.3 |13 |0.5
Shirtmaking<1> |- |- |1 |2.0 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Sugar Confectionery and Food Preserving |1 |2.4 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Northern Ireland Totals |39 |0.7 |34 |0.7 |52 |1.0 |45 |0.9 |64 |0.9 |104 |1.3 |112 |1.4
Notes:
These Wages Councils were abolished in 1982 and one new Wages Council (Clothing Manufacturing Wages Council) was established in their place.
Figures are not available for the period prior to 1982. There have been no prosecutions in this period.
(d) Since 1979 there have been two wages inspectors employed to enforce wages councils orders in Northern Ireland.
Royal Ulster Constabulary-Gardai Meetings
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether meetings between officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and Gardai about border security take place, turn about, at rendezvous north and south of the Border ; and how many meetings have taken place since the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Meetings take place frequently both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland, but no record is kept of the number of meetings which have taken place.
Column 184
Election Expenses
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing how much a candidate may expend for election purposes in the local government elections this year for each district electoral area in each council area in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ian Stewart : No. As in the rest of the United Kingdom it is for individual candidates to satisfy themselves that their expenses are kept within the limits prescribed.
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