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RUC (Equal Opportunities Unit)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when was the last inspection of the RUC Equal Opportunities Unit by HM Inspector of Constabulary; what were its findings; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [94660]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 19 October 1999]: The Equal Opportunities Unit was last inspected by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary as part of the 1998-99 inspection of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Sections 3.73 to 3.81 of the Report refer. A copy was placed in the Library on 23 July 1999.

RUC (Portadown)

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the role of the Independent Commission for Police Complaints in relation to the investigation by the

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Royal Ulster Constabulary into whether officers present when Robert Hamill and Gregory Girvan were assaulted in Portadown town centre on 27 April 1997 will be subject to disciplinary charges. [95359]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 1999]: The role of the ICPC is as laid down in Part II of the Police (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. In the particular cases of the assaults on Robert Hamill and Gregory Girvan, the ICPC is currently supervising the police investigation of disciplinary matters arising from a complaint relating to the conduct of police in Portadown on 27 April 1997. When the disciplinary investigation report is submitted the Commission will issue a statement as to whether or not the investigation was conducted to its satisfaction. Following this, the Chief Constable will inform the Commission of his opinion in relation to the preferring of charges. At that juncture, the Commission will review all the evidential documentation and decide whether or not the bringing of disciplinary charges is warranted.

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will identify (a) by rank and (b) by perceived religious/community origin, the officers employed within Portadown sub-division of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. [95361]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 1999]: The RUC have advised that officers of the following ranks served in Portadown Sub-Division at 1 July 1999:

Rank	Number
Superintendent and above	12
Chief Inspector	7
Inspector	21
Sergeant	55
Constable	263
Total	358

The perceived religious/community origin is 319 perceived Protestant, 28 perceived Roman Catholic and 11 undetermined.

Macpherson Report

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Mr. Efford), on 19 April 1999, Official Report, column 468, what has been the outcome of the examination of the recommendations in the Lawrence report and what measures have been adopted to promote racial, religious, sex and disability equality. [95350]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 1999]: As I said in an earlier reply, the terms of reference of the Review of Criminal Justice and the Patten Report cover areas highlighted by the report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The Criminal Justice Review team is due to report shortly and the Government are currently consulting on the recommendations of the independent Commission on Policing as required by the Good Friday Agreement. The Government will be making a statement

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on the outcome of consultation on the Patten report, "A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland", after that consultation is complete.

The Government remain committed to the principles of equality of treatment, respect for human rights and different cultures as fundamental elements of policing in Northern Ireland. Since April the Government have announced a number of significant measures. For example, the new Equality Commission for Northern Ireland was established on 1 October and the appointment of Mrs. O'Loan as Police Ombudsman Designate was announced on 11 October.

The report of the working group considering the treatment of vulnerable or intimidated witnesses in the criminal justice system was published in July. The group endorsed the recommendations made by a similar working group in England and Wales. In particular they recommended, and I agreed, that the provisions in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, which relate to such witnesses, should be extended to Northern Ireland by means of Order in Council. This has now been done. The group is continuing to meet to oversee implementation of its recommendations.

Following the Report the Deputy Chief Constable of the RUC has taken responsibility for co-ordinating activities and action plans are being introduced. A Positive Action Team has been set up to progress ethnic minority recruitment. All probationers complete a Police Community Relations module dealing with equality and race relations legislation, human rights and harassment. Officers receive local training on how to respond effectively and sensitively to racial incidents. Family Liaison Officers have been established force-wide.

Local Community Affairs officers monitor racially motivated incidents as defined in the Lawrence Report. Community Affairs Branch in partnership with the Police Authority for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities supported by the Commission for Racial Equality have set up a Community and Police Liaison Committee with ethnic minority organisations. Contact has been established with the Chinese Welfare Association and a crime desk set up at the Indian Community Centre.

RUC (Guidelines)

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance is issued to Royal Ulster Constabulary officers on the circumstances in which the assistance of Army units should be sought in dealing with public order problems; and whether a copy of such guidance will be placed in the Library. [95364]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 1999]: Guidance is reviewed and issued annually in a Force Policy document. This is a confidential operational policing manual and it would therefore be inappropriate to place a copy in the Library.

Paramilitary Violence

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many families have left their homes due to paramilitary intimidation in Northern

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Ireland (a) since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and (b) during 1999; and if he will make a statement. [95716]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 1999]: The figures listed in the table are for people (owner-occupiers and tenants from both the private and social housing sectors) who have approached the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and have been awarded A1 status for reasons of sectarianism, terrorist intimidation or threat of intimidation. These cases would arise from a variety of sources, for example paramilitary feuds and alleged anti-social behaviour.

	Number
April to December 1998	253
January to 2 September 1999	300
Total	553

"Forced Upon Us"

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the Northern Ireland Arts Council decided to withdraw funding from the Dubbeljoint/Just Us production of their play, "Forced Upon Us"; what reasons were given for this decision; on what date the theatre company was informed; if he will list the correspondence received by the Arts Council from the RUC, the Police Authority, and any other public authority in connection with this play; and if he will make a statement on freedom of expression and political vetting in the Arts. [95368]

Mr. McFall [holding answer 27 October 1999]: I am advised by the Chief Executive of the Arts Council that the Artistic Director of Dubbeljoint Productions was informed in a letter of 28 June 1999 that Arts Council revenue funding for the production of "Forced Upon Us" was conditional upon receipt of a completed script which the Council could assess artistically. Two unfinished scripts which were received by the Arts Council on 24 June and 15 July 1999 fell well below the threshold of artistic acceptability in the opinion of the Council and its external assessors. The Council informed Dubbeljoint Productions and Just Us Community Theatre on 22 July 1999 that their script of "Forced Upon Us" fell well below the artistic standard which the Council expected from its clients and that no Council funding could be directed towards it production.

I am advised that no correspondence was received by the Arts Council from the RUC, the Police Authority or any other public authority in connection with "Forced Upon Us". The Arts Council of Northern Ireland operates at arm's length from Government and has complete independence in exercising its artistic judgment within available resources.

From the information available to me, I am satisfied that the Arts Council's decision to withhold funding from Dubbeljoint Productions for its production of "Forced Upon Us" was taken solely on artistic grounds and was not motivated by any political considerations. The Arts

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Council and Dubbeljoint Productions issued a joint statement on 1 October 1999 indicating that the matter had been resolved to their mutual satisfaction.

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