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Fire Brigade

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what was the composition of the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade by (i) gender and (ii) by perceived community origin (a) in the last month for which figures were available, (b) for the same month five years ago and (c) 10 years ago; [101886]

Mr. Mandelson: Responsibility for this subject has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Security Policy and Operations Department

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the functions of the Security Policy and Operations Department; how many staff, at what grades, are assigned to this unit; and how many additional staff have been (i) appointed and (ii) seconded in the last six months. [101888]

Mr. Ingram: The aim and objectives of the Security Policy and Operations Division were set out on pages 32 and 33 of the Government's Expenditure Plans 1999-2000 to 2001-02 for Northern Ireland (Cm 4217). A copy is available in the Library of the House.

15 Dec 1999 : Column: 199W

The Division has 20.5 staff across the full range of administrative grades from Senior Civil Service to D2. In the last six months an additional 1.5 staff have been appointed--none have been seconded.

Civil Service Review

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the terms of reference of the review of the composition of the senior grades of the Civil Service; what is the composition of the senior grades of the Civil Service; what is the composition of the review team; when the review began; when it will report; and when its recommendations will be published. [101884]

Mr. Mandelson: Responsibility for this subject has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Criminal Justice (Working Group)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the membership of the working group announced on 4 November 1998 to consider the implementation of the recommendations of the Third report of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of session 1997-98 (HC337); how many times the group has met; what representations it received from the Northern Ireland Police Federation; and if he will make a statement on its terms of reference and work to date. [101877]

Mr. Ingram: The working group on membership of exclusive organisations within the Criminal Justice system comprised representatives of the Northern Ireland Office, the RUC, the Police Authority for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Court Service, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland. The working group met formally on four occasions and received no representations from the Northern Ireland Police Federation. The working group's terms of reference were as announced on 4 November 1998. It submitted its report to the Secretary of State in July 1999. The Report of the Independent Commission on Policing (published on 9 September) proposed that police officers should be obliged to register their interests and associations. The Government are currently considering the responses to consultation on all the Commission's recommendations and awaiting the conclusions of the Criminal Justice Review.

TREASURY

External Consultants

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies have spent on external consultants and advisers since May 1997. [102076]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 13 December 1999]: The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

15 Dec 1999 : Column: 200W

Low Birthweight Babies

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the proportion of low birthweight babies in each health authority area of England, in each of the last five years. [102228]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 15 December 1999:



    The information requested is shown in the attached table.

Percentage of live births with a stated birthweight less than 2,500g England, regional offices and health authorities (9), 1994-1998

Health Authority19941995199619971998
England7.07.37.37.57.5
Northern and Yorkshire7.37.77.47.97.6
Bradford9.38.88.79.19.8
Calderdale and Kirklees7.78.77.78.48.2
County Durham6.67.37.27.87.0
East Riding7.26.97.58.27.4
Gateshead and South Tyneside7.37.97.48.16.8
Leeds8.08.58.18.28.4
Newcastle and North Tyneside8.27.77.98.37.5
North Cumbria5.96.67.07.56.6
Northumberland6.77.36.07.16.7
North Yorkshire5.86.55.56.66.0
Sunderland6.37.68.08.18.4
Tees7.37.87.37.67.8
Wakefield7.67.97.67.97.7
Trent7.07.37.37.67.8
Barnsley6.77.66.66.97.8
Doncaster7.07.56.88.87.7
Leicestershire7.58.08.28.28.0
Lincolnshire6.16.46.26.87.3
North Derbyshire6.55.96.16.56.4
North Nottinghamshire7.28.08.08.97.7
Nottingham7.87.57.47.27.8
Rotherham7.38.07.17.37.8
Sheffield7.87.97.97.78.4
South Derbyshire6.26.56.97.07.9
South Humber6.37.17.07.58.2
Anglia and Oxford6.66.86.97.07.0
Bedfordshire6.86.77.37.27.6
Berkshire6.66.96.87.17.6
Buckinghamshire6.66.86.77.26.6
Cambridge and Huntingdon6.36.86.56.25.8
East Norfolk6.77.36.76.76.9
Northamptonshire7.97.07.57.77.5
North West Anglia6.47.67.87.48.1
Oxfordshire5.85.76.26.35.9
Suffolk6.46.36.56.97.0
North Thames7.27.57.47.67.6
Barking and Havering6.46.26.87.46.8
Barnet7.07.87.57.97.2
Brent and Harrow8.68.69.08.78.4
Camden and Islington7.87.47.57.87.2
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow7.47.77.77.88.2
East and North Hertfordshire6.76.86.56.66.1
East London and The City9.09.08.99.79.7
Enfield and Haringey7.57.97.78.28.3
Hillingdon6.78.37.27.58.2
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster7.47.87.77.67.5
North Essex6.06.56.36.26.4
Redbridge and Waltham Forest8.58.37.98.07.7
South Essex5.85.75.96.76.3
West Hertfordshire5.96.56.96.06.8
South Thames6.87.06.97.07.0
Bexley and Greenwich6.96.97.47.37.6
Bromley7.06.96.96.46.3
Croydon7.48.37.87.98.7
East Kent6.46.76.27.46.3
East Surrey6.96.56.35.85.9
East Sussex, Brighton and Hove6.66.46.77.16.3
Kingston and Richmond5.85.75.96.25.4
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham8.99.18.78.88.8
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth7.17.16.96.76.9
West Kent5.96.76.66.36.9
West Surrey6.36.45.76.26.5
West Sussex6.36.66.46.86.6
South and West6.46.76.86.76.6
Avon6.36.87.07.06.3
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly6.26.86.75.86.2
Dorset6.56.36.56.87.0
Gloucestershire7.36.96.56.86.5
Isle of Wight5.96.57.17.37.3
North and East Devon6.56.76.96.36.7
North and Mid Hampshire5.96.27.26.26.4
Portsmouth and South East Hampshire6.76.96.76.46.6
Somerset6.06.56.76.46.3
Southampton and South West Hampshire6.37.16.86.67.0
South and West Devon6.26.66.77.46.7
Wiltshire6.97.06.67.36.5
West Midlands7.68.08.18.18.4
Birmingham8.89.59.29.410.0
Coventry9.08.79.78.78.7
Dudley7.77.98.58.38.8
Herefordshire6.16.46.86.96.7
North Staffordshire6.47.17.47.08.2
Sandwell 9.99.79.510.010.4
Shropshire6.07.17.06.77.0
Solihull7.16.68.57.26.6
South Staffordshire6.76.67.06.57.4
Walsall7.68.89.110.110.3
Warwickshire6.86.96.36.76.7
Wolverhampton8.39.29.610.110.0
Worcestershire6.47.16.67.26.6
North West7.07.77.77.88.1
Bury and Rochdale7.88.38.28.69.2
East Lancashire7.88.77.78.39.5
Liverpool7,98.38.57.78.2
Manchester8.39.99.29.29.3
Morecambe Bay7.37.47.36.26.9
North Cheshire5.45.56.66.26.5
North West Lancashire7.17.17.68.18.3
St. Helen's and Knowsley6.67.98.08.18.5
Salford and Trafford7.98.07.88.38.3
Sefton6.67.17.27.67.9
South Cheshire5.56.56.46.66.1
South Lancashire6.46.46.97.06.3
Stockport5.46.96.36.17.2
West Pennine7.37.87.68.48.4
Wigan and Bolton6.88.28.38.78.9
Wirral6.36.67.67.08.0

(9) Boundaries as at 1 April 1998


15 Dec 1999 : Column: 201W


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