---

Bilingual Medical Certificates

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements he has made for the printing of bilingual medical certificates at alternative printing premises after the closure at the HMSO Llanishen operation. [7145]

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 502

Mr. Roger Evans: The Benefits Agency provides bilingual versions of forms SC1 and SSP1, which are self-certificates. Medical certificates are produced in English only.

The requirements to provide bilingual versions of SC1 and SSP1 have not been changed by the closure of HMSO Llanishen.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alcohol-related Crime (Minors)

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) people and (b) children under the age of 18 years have been prosecuted for alcohol-related crime in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [4408]

Sir John Wheeler: Information is not available in the form requested. Statistics are kept on offences directly related to alcohol consumption but not on crimes where the offender is under the influence of alcohol. The table gives figures for primary offences involving alcohol, some of which also cover drugs. The majority are motoring offences such as driving while unfit through drink or drugs or driving with excess alcohol in breath. The "other" category includes, for example, simple drunk, and drunk in charge of a loaded firearm.

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 501

	PPA	Guilty	PPA	Guilty	PPA	Guilty	PPA	Guilty	PPA	Guilty
Motoring offences	2,758	2,681	3,407	3,321	3,266	3,176	3,228	3,031	3,031	2,944
Other	158	155	123	120	129	121	119	101	114	103
Total	2,916	2,836	3,530	3,441	3,395	3,297	3,347	3,132	3,147	3,047
Minors all (Offences)	10	10	14	14	16	15	11	10	15	14

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 501

Alcohol Sales (Minors)

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions for selling (a) alcohol and (b) alcopops to under-age children have taken place in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; what proportion of prosecutions have involved sales from (i) public houses, (ii) off licences, (iii) supermarkets and (iv) other outlets; and if he will make a statement. [4402]

Sir John Wheeler: Such information as is available is given in the table. It is not possible to give separate figures for alcohol and alcopops, or to distinguish, without incurring disproportionate cost, the proportion of prosecutions by the nature of the outlet.

	Persons proceeded against	Found guilty
1991	17	8
1992	6	5
1993	11	7
1994	7	4
1995	12	5

Decommissioning Bill

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will consult the Home

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 502

Department with a view to extending the provisions of the proposed decommissioning Bill to England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [5118]

Sir John Wheeler: I have done so, and the Bill so extends.

Punishment Beatings

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the total cost to public funds of the assaults known as punishment beatings in Northern Ireland; and if he will break down the costs in terms of (a) police costs, (b) medical costs and (c) cost of compensation paid to the victims in the last two financial years and the current year to date. [5852]

Sir John Wheeler: It is not possible to estimate precisely the total cost to public funds of so-called punishment beatings. However, for illustrative purposes, a victim of a punishment attack who suffered a broken leg and spent 10 days in hospital could cost the public purse £9,000 in potential medical and policing costs and subsequent compensation awards. There are believed to have been 563 of these assaults between 1 January 1994 and 25 November 1996. This figure does not include shooting attacks.

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 503

Mr. Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many punishment beatings have taken place in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and the current year to date. [5855]

Sir John Wheeler: The number of punishment assaults for the period 1991 to 25 November 1996 is set out in the table:

Year	By loyalist groups	By republican groups	Total
1991	22	40	62
1992	38	38	76
1993	35	6	41
1994	38	32	70
1995	76	141	217
1996(2)	118	158	276

(2) To 25 November 1996. This does not include punishment shootings, which are recorded separately.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons are presently

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 504

employed at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing, Coleraine, what have been the figures for each of the last three years; how many grades of employees there are and how many employees there are in each grade; how many (a) have retired (b) left their employment and (c) been dismissed in those years; how many have been hired in the same period and grades; and what are the pay scales for each grade. [5847]

Mr. Moss: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland under its chief executive, Mr. Brendan Magee. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Brendan Magee to Mr. William Ross, dated 26 November 1996:

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply to your recent question about staffing in DVLNI, Coleraine.
The information requested is set out in the tables. The figures exclude short term period appointments (Casuals). Throughout the three year period DVLNI employed on average 29 Casual AAs.

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 503

Permanent staff in DVLNI--Coleraine

Grade	(3)Staff	Retired	Resigned	Dismissed	Hired
1994
2 year fixed term AA	6	--	--	--	6
SGB2	3	--	--	--	--
SGB1	1	--	--	--	--
AA	35	--	--	--	--
AO	86	3	--	--	--
EO2	14	--	--	--	--
EO1	6	1	--	--	--
SO	8	1	--	--	--
DP	1	1	--	--	--
Gd 7	1	--	--	--	--
Chief Executive	1	--	--	--	--
1995
2 year fixed term AA	4	--	2	--	--
SGB2	--	--	--	--	--
SGB1	1	--	--	--	--
AA	40	1	2	--	--
AO	89	2	--	--	--
EO2	15	--	--	--	--
EO1	5	--	--	--	--
SO	7	2	--	--	--
DP	1	--	--	--	--
Gd 7	1	--	--	--	--
Chief Executive	1	--	--	--	--
1996
2 year fixed term AA	4	--	1	--	--
AA	42	1	--	--	6
AO	100	--	1	--	3
EO2	13	--	--	--	--
EO1	6	--	--	--	--
SO	6	--	--	--	--
DP	3	--	--	--	--
Gd 7	1	--	--	--	--
Chief Executive	1	--	--	--	--




(3) Staff in post figure as at 1 September each year.

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 503

Grade	Pay ranges at 1 August 1996
AA	7,166-10,632
AO	9,080-12,592
EO2	11,323-15,678
EOI	13,324-18,450
SO	15,839-21,274
DP	19,611-30,064
Gd 7	26,154-40,504
Chief Executive	(4)37,849




(4) Plus a non-pensionable bonus of up to 10 per cent.

2 Dec 1996 : Column: 505

Residential Homes

Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many residential homes for the elderly there are in Northern Ireland in the private sector.[6109]

Mr. Moss: At 31 March 1996, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 131 private residential care homes for elderly people in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to support the private residential home sector in Northern Ireland. [6113]

Mr. Moss: Government remain firmly committed to the people first community care objective that there should be a strong independent sector alongside good quality public services. In the area of residential and nursing home care, the independent sector continues to be the main provider of care. At 30 September 1996, 86 per cent. of residential care and nursing home placements made by Health and Social Services trusts were in private and voluntary sector homes.

---