| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
NORTHERN IRELAND
IRA Ceasefire
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 23 May 2002, Ref. 48766, on the IRA ceasefire, what activities (a) within and (b) outside the UK by the Provisional IRA he assessed in order to reach his determination on the level of threat to the ceasefire; and what activities he defines as constituting a breach of the ceasefire. [60259]
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1198W
Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State keeps the status of all paramilitary ceasefires under constant review. Any judgment on the status of an organisation's ceasefire is made in the round in the light of all the available information and taking account of the views of security advisers.
Job Advertisements
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 579W, on job advertisements, what the outcome was of the advertisements placed in each case; and how many more have joined his Department's payroll as a result. [50554]
Jane Kennedy: As a result of the advertisements, detailed in the answer of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 579W, all the vacancies have been filled/are in the process of being filled by successful candidates. A total of 15 new starts have so far joined the Department's payroll.
Statutory Instruments
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the statutory instruments issued by his Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals. [36230]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is as follows:
Statutory instrument—The Financial Investigations (Northern Ireland) 2001
- Purpose
- This amends Part IV of the Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (NI9) ("the 1996 Order").
- The Order provides additional investigation powers to cover investigations into the extent or whereabouts or property held or transferred within the previous six years by or to a person who has benefited from conduct of a criminal nature. The Order also allows senior customs officers to apply for a financial investigator to be appointed and other powers to assist in the recovery of the proceeds of crime. The Order also extends a power to require information regarding money laundering and a power to require a solicitor to provide information as to whether a specified person was a client of his in respect of certain matters and about the nature of any transaction relating to them. The Order also extends the time limit for bringing summary proceedings for offences.
- Costs
- There will be a neutral impact on any public expenditure incurred on implementing the proposals, as they will be met within existing resources. It is anticipated that these proposals will result in additional revenue from the confiscation of the proceeds of crime. There will be a small impact on businesses, particularly solicitors. It is anticipated that no more than eight man hours would be required to meet an individual request from a financial investigator at £15 to £20 per hour, this suggests a maximum of £160 per request. As to the number of requests that are likely to be made on solicitors for information in a similar regime which already exists regarding banks 20 such requests have been made since 1998. There will be no financial impact on individuals.
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1199W
Statutory Instrument—The Police (Northern Ireland) Order 2001
- Purpose
- The Order amends two provisions of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. Section 41, which deals with trainees, is amended so that, before the Northern Ireland Policing Board is established, references to the Board are to be construed as references to the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.
- Section 76 is amended so that draft orders under section 47(3) (renewal of temporary provisions on recruitment) and 54 (emblems and flags) are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure rather than the procedure provided for in section 6 of the Statutory Instruments Act 1946.
- The Order also amends the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 to include police trainees and police reserve trainees in the provision which exempts police officers from the need for a firearm certificate.
- Costs
- No costs to either public funds, businesses or individuals.
- Purpose
- This Order repeals the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988. It replaces the arrangements under that Order for paying compensation for criminal injuries. The key features of the new arrangements are:
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1200W
- (a) the introduction of a new statutory scheme;
- (b) the establishment of a tariff of injuries to calculate the standard amount of compensation;
- (c) in certain cases payment for loss of earnings and special expenses;
- (d) the introduction of a new bereavement support payment;
- (e) provision for review of decisions;
- (f) the establishment of an independent appeals panel to hear appeals against decisions of the Secretary of State;
- (g) the introduction of funded support and assistance from a designated body to replace paid legal assistance.
- Costs
- It is anticipated that the proposed scheme will be capable of delivering fair compensation without incurring any additional costs to the Exchequer. It is likely that savings will accrue in the longer term, but, for the initial five years, additional funds for the compensation budget will be necessary while claims are settled under both the new and existing schemes. There are no costs to businesses and individuals.
Young People
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what subjects and on which dates his Department has consulted organisations representing young people; and if he will list such organisations. [52496]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is set out in the following table.
| Organisation | Subject consulted on | Date consulted |
|---|---|---|
| Childline | Proposed Draft Criminal Injuries Compensation (NI) Order | June 2001 |
| Children's Law Centre | Proposed Draft Criminal Injuries Compensation (NI) Order | June 2001 |
| Putting Children First | Proposed Draft Criminal Injuries Compensation (NI) Order | June 2001 |
| Youth Council for NI | Proposed Draft Criminal Injuries Compensation (NI) Order | June 2001 |
| NIACRO | Community Safety | 2000 |
| Youth Council | Community Safety | 2000 |
| DENI | Community Safety | 2000 |
| Extern | Community Safety | 2000 |
| Belfast Education and Library Board | Community Safety | 2000 |
Press Subscriptions
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the newspapers subscribed to (a) Monday to Saturday and (b) on Sunday by his Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost. [52829]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is as follows:
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1201W
The annual cost is £63,528.55.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |