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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 11 January 1999

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Staff

Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list (a) the (i) task forces, (ii) review panels and (iii) advisory groups her Department has, (b) the remit of each and (c) the members of each together with their principal employment and their level of remuneration. [62813]

Mr. Paul Murphy: This information has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure in her Department since May 1997 on (a) public opinion research, (b) television, radio and newspaper advertising and (c) direct mail. [63914]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The information for the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Department is as follows:

(a) £447,837

(b) £2,883,221

(c) £966,887.

All figures exclude the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, and (c) also excludes the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, as information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Fair Employment

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what targets she has set for reducing the unemployment differential between Catholics and Protestants; and by what criteria she will measure the impact of fair employment legislation. [64209]

Mr. Ingram: Government alone cannot reduce the unemployment differential. It also requires practical action and attitudinal change on the part of employers, educators and the unemployed themselves. To assess the rate of progress, the Government propose to commission the Equality Commission to agree with the representatives of employers, employees, political parties and other interests, benchmark measures for the future reduction of the unemployment differential, informed by up-to-date professional analysis. Moreover, the Equality Commission

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will be given a role in advising the Government on measures which they might introduce to reduce the number of, or religious imbalance in, the unemployed.

The impact of the legislation will continue to be measured by changes in the composition of the workforce and by the comparison of the Community composition of those appointed to jobs with that of those applying.

Security

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the measures taken in each month since February to reduce security activity. [64205]

Mr. Ingram: Since the reinstatement of the Provisional IRA ceasefire in July 1997, the Chief Constable has announced a progressive reduction in security measures in the Province. Each step has been fully consistent with the level of threat and taken after a review of the security situation.

From February to the end of August, key factors which influenced the levels of security across the Province included the "tit for tat" killings following the murder of Billy Wright in 27 December 1997, devices in 5 town centres, attacks of security forces and the marching season.

However, from September, the following measures have been taken:

Base Reductions

October

Vacation of Letterkenny, Muff and Hemp vehicle checkpoints

Demolition of Crumlin Road Sangar

Demolition of R16 Road Sangar

Announcement of closure of Fort Whiterock

November

Demolition of three PVCPs at Bessbrook

Work started to demolish Muff vehicle checkpoint (Ongoing)

Work started to demolish Letterkenny and Aughnacloy vehicle checkpoints (Ongoing)

Work started to demolish Hump vehicle checkpoint (Ongoing)

January 1999

Work started to demolish Fort Whiterock Army Base (Ongoing)

Troop Movements

September

The last remaining company of the Rural Reinforcement Battalion (RRB) returned to the Mainland

October

The last remaining company of the Urban Reinforcement Battalion (URB) returned to the Mainland

November

Drumadd Roulement Battalion (DRB) returned to the Mainland

Military Patrol Support to RUC

September

Military patrols ceased in Belfast Region

Military patrols ceased in South Derry

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October

Military patrols ceased in Waterside and City side, Londonderry

Military patrols ceased in RUC G Division

November

Military patrols ceased in the Strabane Sub Division.

Robberies

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was for each police division in Northern Ireland for (a) 1996, (b) 1997 and (c) 1998 up to the latest available date the number of incidents of robbery and attempted robbery from the dwellings of persons of pension age and above where violence was used or threatened, the number of persons who have been made

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amenable in the courts, the number of cases pending, the sums stolen and the value of goods stolen and the number of persons injured by the robbers. [64763]

Mr. Ingram: Statistical data are not maintained in a manner to indicate, readily, the number of prosecutions pending for such offences or how many persons have been made amenable through the courts. The following tables record the available statistics including information in relation to robberies and attempted robberies which have been cleared up by the police. The figures for 1998 require end-year verification and are therefore quoted on a provisional basis. For statistical purposes, a case is said to be cleared if a person has been charged, summonsed, or cautioned for the offence; if the offence is taken into consideration by a court; if there is sufficient evidence to charge a person but it is not proceeded with because, for example, the suspect is under the age of criminal responsibility; or if the suspect has died.

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The number of robberies in dwellings, recorded and cleared, by Division 1996, 1997 and 1998 to end November(where victim was aged 65 and over)

	Armed robbery		Attempted armed robbery		Robbery		Attempted robbery
	Recorded	Cleared	Recorded	Cleared	Recorded	Cleared	Recorded	Cleared
1996
A	1	0	0	0	4	1	1	1
B	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0
D	0	0	0	0	5	1	1	0
E	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
G	1	1	0	0	7	0	0	0
H	0	0	0	0	7	0	2	0
J	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
K	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
L	2	0	1	0	3	0	1	0
N	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
O	0	0	1	0	4	0	0	0
P	1	0	0	0	4	1	0	0
Total	13	2	3	0	38	3	6	1
1997
A	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	1
B	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0
D	4	0	0	0	5	2	0	0
E	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
G	0	0	0	0	5	0	3	0
H	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
J	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
K	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0
L	3	1	0	0	4	0	0	0
N	1	0	0	0	2	1	0	0
O	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
P	0	0	0	0	3	1	1	0
Total	9	1	0	0	33	5	5	1
1998
A	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
B	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
D	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
E	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
G	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
H	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
J	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0
K	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
L	0	0	1	0	4	0	0	0
N	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
O	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
P	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Total	3	0	1	0	18	0	1	0

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The value of goods stolen (£), by Division, 1996, 1997 and 1998 to end November in respect of incidents recorded above

	1996	1997	1998
A	1,530	7,430	--
B	226	1,565	220
D	4,377	21,394	5,350
E	120	1,150	--
G	2,910	5,420	--
H	2,856	--	2,201
J	32,130	23	1,220
K	12,300	6,040	1,055
L	10,280	10,340	730
N	40	1,025	--
O	2,860	470	8,850
P	1,957	1,250	3,100
Total	71,586	56,107	22,726

Note:

Where the value appears to be particularly high the amount may include the value of a car stolen during the same incident.

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Injuries sustained during robberies, by Division, 1996, 1997 and 1998 to end November in respect of incidents recorded above

	1996			1997			1998
	Serious	Minor	None	Serious	Minor	None	Serious	Minor	None
A	1	0	5	1	1	4	0	0	0
B	0	1	2	0	1	3	0	0	1
D	0	3	3	0	5	4	0	2	0
E	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
G	0	2	6	1	2	5	0	1	0
H	0	4	5	0	0	0	0	0	3
J	1	1	2	0	1	0	1	1	2
K	0	1	2	0	2	0	0	2	1
L	0	1	6	0	2	5	0	1	4
N	0	1	2	1	1	1	0	0	0
O	0	1	4	0	1	1	0	1	2
P	1	2	2	0	1	3	0	1	0
Total	4	17	39	3	20	26	1	9	13

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