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Information Technology Projects
Ms Church: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many information technology projects have been undertaken since 1992, and are planned for the coming year, arranged in cost bands of £1,000,000. [1920]
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 7 November 1996]: The information requested of the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments is listed.
| IT projects undertaken 1992-93 to 1996-97 | IT projects planned 1997-98(24) | |
|---|---|---|
| £0-£1 million(23) | 81 | 8 |
| £1 million-£2 million | 6 | 2 |
| £2 million-£3 million | 1 | -- |
| £3 million-£4 million | 1 | -- |
| £4 million-£5 million | -- | -- |
| £5 million-£6 million | 1 | -- |
(23) Includes projects above the general agreement on tariffs and trade threshold on contract value (£108,000).
(24) Excludes the Department of the Environment (NI).
Further Education Colleges
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost of the conference on incorporation of the further education colleges held at Slieve Donard hotel, Newcastle on 4 and 5 November; how many people were involved; and by whom the cost was borne. [2728]
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Mr. Ancram: The cost of the consultation conference was £12,300 including VAT; 128 delegates from across the sector attended. The cost was borne by the Department of Education.
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what work on management information systems will be classified as nugatory if incorporation of further education colleges does not proceed. [2729]
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what expenditure the Department of Education planned to incur on commissioning consultants to advise on the adequacy and implementation of college action plans. [2730]
Mr. Ancram: The planned expenditure is up to £80,000.
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the additional costs of appointing (a) personnel management, (b) estate management, and (c) financial management and marketing staff as a consequence of the incorporation of further education colleges. [2731]
Mr. Ancram: The Department is currently in negotiation with the education and library boards to determine the level of resources to colleges on incorporation. This will include provision for these additional staffing costs. It will be for the colleges to determine their management structures.
Royal Ulster Constabulary
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what legislative proposals he has in respect of the RUC in the current parliamentary Session. [2735]
Sir John Wheeler: The following measures in the Police Bill published by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 1 November will extend to Northern Ireland:
the placing of the national criminal intelligence service on a statutory basis;
the placing of police intrusive surveillance operations on a statutory footing;
the placing of the police information technology organisation on a statutory basis
the creation of a criminal records agency.
Education and Library Boards
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the basis of what criteria he chose the proposed boundaries for each of the new education and library boards. [2738]
Mr. Ancram: I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 7 of my statement of 25 June 1996 on the review of educational administration, a copy of which is available in the Library.
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Prisoners
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners in Northern Ireland have applied on compassionate grounds to visit close relatives living in the Republic of Ireland in each of the last five years; how many have (a) been allowed and (b) been refused; and how may are awaiting decisions. [3302]
Sir John Wheeler: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Northern Ireland Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. Alan Shannon. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Alan Shannon to Mr. Max Madden, dated 11 November 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to the Parliamentary Question that you tabled seeking information concerning the numbers of prisoners in Northern Ireland who have applied on compassionate grounds to visit close relatives living in the Republic of Ireland in each of the last 5 years.
The Information that you are seeking is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Records of prisoners seeking periods of temporary release are not maintained in a form that would enable us to identify applications from prisoners whose relatives live outside Northern Ireland.
There are no outstanding applications from prisoners requesting a visit to relatives who reside int he Republic of Ireland.
Deregulation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what regulations his Department proposes to repeal by the end of 1996; if he proposes to conduct a compliance cost assessment on each regulation repealed; and what is the estimated cost of undertaking a compliance cost assessment to determine the advantages and disadvantages of such a repeal. [3441]
Mr. Ancram: A list of the regulations my Department currently proposes to repeal or amend by the end of 1996 has been placed in the Library of the House.
Since the effect in each case will be to reduce, rather than increase, compliance costs, a compliance cost assessment--CCA--is not required. Departments do, however, seek to estimate approximate savings wherever possible. The cost of undertaking a CCA varies from case to case, but is generally modest. Because part of the cost falls on the businesses consulted, a full CCA would be inappropriate for measures designed to reduce business burdens.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
BSE
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what mechanisms his Department is able to identify the cattle assessed as being at risk from BSE which require to be slaughtered under the Florence agreement; how many such cattle there are in England and Wales; and what is the minimum practical time scale for completing the accelerated cull in England and Wales. [2134]
Mrs. Browning: The Government have announced that it is not proceeding with the selective cull at present until the scientific evidence and options for a certified herd
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scheme have been considered further. The animals would need to be identified by reference to farm records. It is not possible to say how many animals might be involved, their location, or how long any cull programme might take, until that further analysis has been carried out and a decision taken. The estimated number of animals covered by our original proposals, and the distribution of natal herds, is contained in the UK's eradication plan, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Unlicensed Fishing Vessels
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what steps are being taken to curb the activities of unlicensed fishing vessels operating for profit in United Kingdom waters; [2890]
- (2) what information his Department collates on the number of unlicensed fishing vessels operating for profit in United Kingdom waters. [2889]
Mr. Baldry: Vessels fishing for profit must possess a license issued by the fisheries departments in accordance with the Sea Fishing Licensing Order 1992 (SI 1992 No. 2633) (as amended). Checks are carried out to ensure that vessels hold an appropriate licence as part of the surveillance operations carried out by the Ministry's sea fisheries inspectorate and the Royal Navy. There have been three successful prosecutions since the beginning of 1994.
Rabies
Dr. Marek: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the annual costs to owners of (a) the present animal quarantine system against rabies and (b) a system based on identification and vaccination. [2808]
Mrs. Browning: We estimate that the annual cost to pet owners of the current animal quarantine system is some £11 million.
There are a number of possible systems based on identification and vaccination. These are being considered as part of the review of rabies controls announced in my reply of 5 November 1996 to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) Official Report, column 488. Any costs associated with these options will be identified during the review.
Dr. Marek:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of rabies prevention and research for the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [2809]
Mrs. Browning:
The cost of the present policy to the public purse is estimated at £1.3 million per year. About £0.4 million of this is for research. The remainder covers the costs of inspection of quarantine premises, licensing of imports, laboratory testing of suspect animals and publicity.
11 Nov 1996 : Column: 73
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