---

Organised Crime

Mr. John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to combat organised crime. [23509]

Sir John Wheeler: The Government are continuously seeking to enhance the effectiveness of the law to combat racketeering and organised crime in Northern Ireland in a way which balances the freedom of law-abiding people to go about their business against the threat from those who would pervert this freedom.

Our primary concern has been to counter the murderous campaigns of republican and loyalist terrorists. This will remain the case so long as it is necessary to combat the activities of groups, or a particular group, who espouse violence as a means of achieving their ends. The Government recognise that racketeering in Northern Ireland is intimately bound up with the activities of the terrorists. Indeed, the problem did not disappear during the ceasefires.

There has never been a clear distinction between "terrorist" racketeering and racketeering for personal gain and the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee on Organised Crime has recently warned that combating this menace

"should not be hindered by concern about what is and is not 'organised' crime".

This is why we are taking a number of measures to strengthen the law in dealing with organised crime--no matter what its motivation.

It is vital that those who are willing to testify against criminals are properly protected. Included in the Criminal Procedures and Investigation Bill are proposals which protect the fairness of trials from being prejudiced by intimidation: it will be possible for acquittals to be

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 617

reopened where there has been an offence involving intimidation of witnesses and jurors. In the same Bill, the rules of disclosure in advance of trial are to be recast, with the intention of reducing the risk of unmeritorious acquittals, as where a prosecution has to be stopped to protect the identity of informers. And we hope shortly to bring forward proposals for a new offence of witness intimidation. In other areas, changes which will enable the security services to become involved in the investigation of serious crime will extend to Northern Ireland. No less importantly, we will be taking steps to strengthen and update the law on the confiscation of the proceeds of criminal activity of any nature, in the draft Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order which I hope will be laid soon.

I will also be looking for ways to enable improved co-operation and exchange of information between the RUC and other forces, whether this concerns intelligence, information technology, DNA samples or other issues. I will look carefully at arrangements between police forces to make sure that arrangements which best serve the needs of the RUC and other forces in the UK are implemented in Northern Ireland. I am also considering ways to facilitate the sharing of information between different agencies and to make sure that Northern Ireland can benefit from full participation in new arrangements at the international level.

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 618

Orders in Council

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the annual number of extra Northern Ireland Orders in Council that will flow from the proposed Deregulation and Contracting-out Order in Council. [14546]

Mr. Ancram [holding answer 13 February 1996]: A composite deregulation Order in Council will be introduced next year and as frequently as necessary thereafter, to carry forward in Northern Ireland, as appropriate, changes being made in Great Britain under the order-making powers in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 and any measures unique to Northern Ireland.

Unemployment

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current number of (a) men and (b) women unemployed (i) as a percentage of the work force and (ii) in total for each council or other convenient geographical area. [22010]

Mr. Ancram: Travel-to-work areas are the only geographical areas within Northern Ireland for which both unemployment numbers and rates are available. Male, female and total figures for Northern Ireland TTWAs at 8 February 1996 are shown in the following table:

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 617

Numbers and percentages of unemployed claimants in travel to work areas(10) on 8 February 1996

Travel-to-work area	Total unemployed by travel-to-work area			Percentage unemployed(11)
	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
Ballymena	1,735	611	2,346	10.0	4.5	7.6
Belfast	32,498	9,414	41,912	13.7	5.3	10.2
Coleraine	4,084	1,132	5,216	17.3	6.9	13.1
Cookstown	1,356	341	1,697	18.4	8.7	15.0
Craigavon	5,330	1,460	6,790	12.7	4.9	9.5
Dungannon	2,134	574	2,708	17.1	7.5	13.5
Enniskillen	2,512	570	3,082	16.4	6.2	12.5
Londonderry	7,756	1,544	9,300	22.4	6.4	15.8
Magherafelt	1,531	400	1,931	16.3	6.6	12.5
Newry	4,682	1,042	5,724	22.0	7.8	16.5
Omagh	2,081	508	2,589	16.2	6.0	12.2
Strabane	2,076	373	2,449	23.3	7.8	17.9
Northern Ireland total	67,775	17,969	85,744	15.3	5.7	11.4

(10) Travel-to-work areas are designated by the name of the major town in the area. Some of them coincide with a single District Council area and some are made up from several District Council areas.

(11) All rates are based on the estimated workforce at June 1994.

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 617

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Equal Opportunities

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Attorney-General what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22515]

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 618

The Attorney-General: No such payments have been made by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Government Property Lawyers or the Serious Fraud Office.

The Crown Prosecution Service has made the following payments in respect of alleged equal opportunities breaches which did not proceed to tribunals or courts:

1994: 2 payments of £4,000 each to existing staff.
1995: 1 payment of £17,595.80 to a former member of staff.
1996: Nil.

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 619

Electro-shock batons

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Attorney-General if he will seek to prosecute (a) SMDS, (b) J and S Franklin, (c) Compass Safety International/Compass Maritime, (d) CCS, and (e) Civil Defence Supply for their role in the supply of electro-shock batons. [22978]

The Solicitor-General: The question of prosecution does not arise unless there has been a prior criminal investigation. These companies to which the hon. Member refers have not featured in the investigation carried out by the Ministry of Defence police. If she has any evidence tending to support allegations that these companies or their employees have committed criminal offences, then she should make it available to the police.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Equal Opportunities

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) her Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which she is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22518]

Mr. Robin Squire: The information requested is set out in the following table:

Financial year	(a) (i)	(a) (ii)	(b) (i)	(b) (ii)
1995-96	1 person £1,000	2 people £5,000 + £12,000	1 person £1,000	--
1994-95	--	--	1 person £16,105	--
1993-94	--	--	1 person £500	1 person £1,500

Contracts

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidelines are currently in force in her Department and its executive agencies relating to competitive tendering and the use of single negotiated tenders; on what grounds single negotiated tenders can be used; and what procedures are in place within her Department to ensure that the use of single negotiated tenders in competitive tendering processes is justified in all cases. [22847]

Mr. Robin Squire: Written guidance is fully in accordance with Government procurement policies, including the principles set out in the recent White Papers "Competing for Quality" and "Setting New Standards" and compliant with the EC procurement directive has been disseminated to staff.

27 Mar 1996 : Column: 620

Tendering processes are designed to ensure that the Department achieves best value for money when entering into contracts. Single tender action is undertaken only after justification has been provided to, and written agreement received from, senior management.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by her Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if she will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contracts awarded by her Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22861]

Mr. Squire: Information in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

---