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Welfare Organisations (Prison Visits)
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out the criteria for payments
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to the representatives of welfare organisations making visits to prisons in Northern Ireland for meetings with terrorist prisoners. [102308]
Mr. Ingram:
There are no such criteria, because no payments are made to representatives of welfare organisations making visits to prisons in Northern Ireland for meetings with prisoners.
Mr. Crausby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the total workforce in his Department is of ethnic minority origin; and what steps he is taking to encourage the employment of people from the ethnic minorities in his Department. [102731]
Mr. Mandelson:
The Northern Ireland Office is composed of staff from the Home Civil Service (HCS) and the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS). Of the HCS group based in London, 20 per cent. are of ethnic minority origin. Information about the ethnic origin of staff within Northern Ireland is not yet available. Race Relations legislation was recently introduced to Northern Ireland and the NIO has surveyed all staff on their ethnic origin. The data are presently being analysed.
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 16 December 1999, Official Report, column 264W, corporate action that we are taking to encourage the employment of people from ethnic minorities. Staff are recruited to the NIO HCS group by way of a recruitment agency and figures indicate that candidates from ethnic minorities are joining the Department.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies have spent on external consultants and advisers since May 1997. [102078]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 13 December 1999]: Since May 1997 the money spent by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies on external consultants and advisers was £2,358,138.99.
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the cost of registering an elector on the electoral register in Northern Ireland; and what is the cost of entering a name to correct an omission from the register. [102547]
Mr. George Howarth:
The cost of registering an elector on the 1999 Northern Ireland electoral register was approximately 44p. In addition, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland spent £12,465 on press adverts encouraging voters to check the draft register and displaying both the draft and final versions of the register at sub-post offices throughout Northern Ireland.
Correcting the register to amend a clerical error would incur a nominal cost of approximately 20p. It is not possible to estimate the cost of including a name on the register as a result of a successful claim considered at
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revision hearing and at which a Deputy Electoral Officer presides. The administrative cost of such hearing varies depending on the location and the number of claims heard.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) task forces in Northern Ireland (i) on 1 May 1997, (ii) on 1 May 1998 and (iii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [102488]
Mr. Ingram:
Since 1 May 1997 to 1 November 1999 the number of non-departmental public bodies for Northern Ireland has been nine. A nil return for task forces.
Mr. Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for the closure of the (a) Greencastle and (b) York Road RUC stations. [102485]
Mr. Ingram:
The allocation and use of all resources is entirely a matter for the professional judgment and operational discretion of the Chief Constable.
The RUC and the Police Authority for Northern Ireland have advised that there are no plans for the closure of (a) Greencastle and (b) York Road RUC Stations.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what rules and guidelines govern the use of RUC insignia; and what penalties apply to the use of insignia without permission. [101879]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: It is a matter for the discretion of the Chief Constable as to whether he may seek the assistance of the courts to prevent or stop the unauthorised or alleged misuse of the insignia.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to refuse permission for use of the RUC insignia in association with political campaigns. [102082]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: The use of the insignia of the Royal Ulster Constabulary is a matter for the Chief Constable.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is the appointed auditor for the (a) Northern Ireland Police Federation, (b) the Police Association for Northern Ireland and (c) Northern Ireland Police Authority; and what recommendations have been made by each of those auditors concerning the guidelines for expenditure on political campaigning. [101876]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: The auditors to the Police Federation for Northern Ireland are George Hay & Co. The Police Association for NI receives no funds and has no accounts. The National Audit Office audits the accounts of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland. Neither George Hay & Co. nor the Comptroller
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and Auditor General made any recommendations concerning guidelines for expenditure on political campaigning by either organisation.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (a) when, (b) how many and (c) for what periods RUC officers will be deployed in the former Yugoslavia; under whose discipline they will operate; and in which areas they will be deployed. [101880]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: In accordance with the provisions of Section 8 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, the RUC have seven officers serving with the United Nations International Police Task Force in Bosnia, four since March 1999 and three from October 1999, where they are monitoring the performance of the Bosnian police service. At the end of November, 60 RUC officers took up positions with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo where they are undertaking an executive policing role pending a new Kosovan police service being trained and ready to take over law enforcement there. All of the secondments are for a period of 12 months and the officers are under the command of the United Nations Police Commissioner.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from the US Congress concerning US-sponsored training and exchange programmes with the RUC. [101875]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: I have received no representations from the US congress concerning US-sponsored training and exchange programmes with the RUC.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the RUC were unable to identify persons involved in illegal parades in 1999; and if he will make a statement. [101874]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: Police actions in relation to such parades are constrained by the need to minimise disruption to the wider community. In many instances such parades are short-lived affairs where police intervention to arrest participants would exacerbate the situation.
The primary aim of police is therefore to monitor such parades in order to prevent serious disorder. The secondary aim is to gather sufficient evidence to allow the identification/prosecution of participants. If sufficient notice of the parade is obtained, technical resources can be deployed to gather video and still photographic images. These efforts can however be frustrated by a number of factors such as:
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Furthermore, in order to be able to substantiate a prosecution, police must be in a position to prove that individuals knew the parade to be illegal. Often such parades can be over before the police can respond and for operational reasons police may be deployed at some distance from the parade.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what days the Union flag was flown at RUC Garnerville in the last year; what body is responsible for policy on flags and emblems at this establishment; and on what date policy on the flying of flags was last reviewed. [101758]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: The Union Flag has been flown at RUC Garnerville on the following occasions over the past year:
(1) Many illegal parades take place at night
(2) Clarity of images can be affected by distance and weather conditions.
(3) Participants are often strangers to the area.
(4) Band uniforms are not always worn.
6 February 1999--Her Majesty's Accession
8 February 1999--Death of King Hussein of Jordan
19 February 1999--Birthday of HRH the Prince of York
8 March 1999--Commonwealth Day
10 March 1999--Birthday of HRH the Earl of Wessex
21 April 1999--Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen
2 June 1999--Coronation Day
10 June 1999--Birthday of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
12 June 1999--Official Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen
4 August 1999--Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
15 August 1999--Birthday of HRH the Princess Royal
21 August 1999--Birthday of HRH the Princess Margaret
14 November 1999--Birthday of HRH the Prince of Wales/ Remembrance Day
20 November 1999--Anniversary of Her Majesty's Wedding.
The Chief Constable is responsible for determining Force policy on flags and emblems at this and all other RUC establishments. The policy was last reviewed in September 1998.
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