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NORTHERN IRELAND
Terrorist Organisations
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations have claimed responsibility for terrorist or criminal acts in Northern Ireland since Good Friday 1998; and for which acts. [53689]
Jane Kennedy: We have made inquiries with the police service of Northern Ireland concerning the issue raised and they have advised that it will take some time for them to investigate the matter. I will reply to the hon. Member in due course.
Paramilitary Beatings
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many paramilitary beatings were carried out between 31 March and 30 April by (a) Loyalists, (b) Republicans and (c) others. [55721]
Jane Kennedy: The information is as follows:
| 31 March | 1–30 April | |
|---|---|---|
| Attributed to Loyalists | ||
| Assaults | 1 | 7 |
| Shootings | — | 4 |
| Attributed to Republicans | ||
| Assaults | — | 3 |
| Shootings | — | 4 |
Note:
2002 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor adjustment at a later date.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what efforts are being made to encourage more women and members of ethnic communities, with particular reference to the Chinese community, to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [55720]
Jane Kennedy: Consensia have taken particular account of the need to attract more women and members of ethnic communities in both the design and publication of advertisements for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Familiarisation days, consisting of presentations from various specialisms within the Police Service, have also been held for both females and the Chinese community in the course of marketing the PSNI as a worthwhile career.
Under section 48 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, the Policing Board are required to make an action plan for monitoring the number of women in the service, and for increasing their numbers if they are under- represented.
In addition, part-time working arrangements have been introduced to encourage more women to consider a career in the Police Service.
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PRIME MINISTER
Ms C. Booth
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will make a statement on the role he has asked Ms C. Booth QC to play in connection with Government policy formulation; [55834]
(2) if he will list the official functions which he has asked Ms C. Booth QC to undertake since 1 January 2000; [55835]
(3) if he will make a statement on the public accountability of Ms C. Booth QC in respect of activities she undertakes which contribute to the work of Government; [55836]
(4) whether Lord Birt was present at the recent transport seminar chaired by Ms C. Booth QC; [55837]
(5) if he will list those who attended the recent seminar on transport at No. 10 Downing Street chaired by Ms C. Booth QC; [55838]
(6) if he will make it his policy that seminars held at No. 10 Downing Street will henceforth be chaired by elected Ministers; [55742]
(7) if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent transport seminar at 10 Downing Street chaired by Ms C. Booth QC; [55743]
(8) if he will list the dates since 1 May 1997 on which Ms C. Booth QC has chaired seminars at 10 Downing Street listing in each case (a) the subject under discussion and (b) which Ministers attended. [55744]
The Prime Minister: Mrs. Blair does not participate in the work of the Government and therefore the issue of accountability does not arise. She has not chaired a policy-making seminar at No. 10.
The nature of the lectures Mrs. Blair has attended at No. 10 was made clear in the press notice issued by my office of 5 January 1999: "The Prime Minister and Mrs. Blair will launch a debate on Britain in the new millennium by hosting a series of lectures by leading figures to highlight some of the challenges we will face in the next century. The 1999 millennium lectures will cover education, work, leisure, wealth creation, science, arts and culture and what it means to be British in the 21st century". The lectures are not part of the policy-making process and there are no formal outcomes. Mrs. Blair has invited questions from guests when I have been unable to remain for the duration of the lecture, and hosted the drinks reception after the lecture. She plays no part in the discussions.
Mrs. Blair has attended the following lectures:
- 27 January 1999—Professor Jonathan Gershuny on work and leisure.
11 March 1999—Professor Susan Greenfield on science.
26 May 1999—David Potter on wealth creation and the knowledge economy.
15 July 1999—Sir Geoff Hampton on education.
13 October 1999—Derrick Anderson on art and culture.
8 December 1999—Professor Linda Colley on Britishness.
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6 March 2000—Sue Page on health.
4 December 2000—Tessa Tennant on the environment.
17 December 2001—K. Y. Amoako on Africa.
11 February 2002—Jeremy Acklam on transport.
13 May 2002—Martin Narey on the criminal justice system.
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People who attended were from Government and a wide range of outside organisations. Representatives from the media have been invited and have attended the series of lectures. Lord Birt did not attend the transport seminar.
For details of official and charity receptions hosted by Mrs. Blair and me, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1444–48W.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Social Exclusion (Transport)
Mr. Rammell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress the Social Exclusion Unit has made in its project on transport and social exclusion. [57434]
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State: The Social Exclusion Unit will publish interim findings from its transport and social exclusion project, 'Making the Connections—Transport and Social Exclusion: Interim Findings' on its website (www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk) on Thursday. Copies will be placed in both Libraries of the House in due course.
Child Care
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 24 April 2002 to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint), Official Report, columns 315–16, on the National Child Care Strategy, if
15 May 2002 : Column 716W
he will break down the total expenditure on the new tax credit system into figures showing the cost of each individual credit. [56469]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The costs of the new tax credit system are shown in Table A.1 on page 154 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report April 2002. It is not possible to split these costs between the working tax credit and the child tax credit.
Ministerial Training
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52729]
Mr. Leslie: Information concerning specific types of training is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, total training expenditure can be broken down as follows:
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Cabinet Office | 1,068 | 1,192 | 1,223 | 1,326 |
| Central Office of Information | 298 | 195 | 237 | 441(10) |
| Centre for Management and Policy Studies | 70 | 116 | 118 | 137 |
(10) This includes training partly funded by the Civil Service Modernisation Fund.
Regional Government
Mr. Brady: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 9 May 2002, what proportion of the £730 million annual budget for a regional assembly in the north-west would be constituted of funds at present spent by (a) local government and (b) central Government Departments. [56489]
Mrs. Roche: All of the £730 million estimated annual budget for a regional assembly in the north-west will be made up of funds currently allocated by central Government Departments, their agencies and public bodies. Of this total my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions allocates £130 million to local authorities, for housing capital investment to improve their own housing stock, to support new build by housing associations and to renew private stock. Should an elected assembly be established in the north-west, it would be responsible for providing resources to local authorities in the north-west for these purposes.
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