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9 Dec 2002 : Column 50W—continued
Organised Crime
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to receive a report from Professor Goldstock giving recommendations for tackling the problem of organised crime in Northern Ireland. [83108]
Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State appointed Professor Goldstock in March 2002. He has been specifically asked to provide an international perspective on the problem of organised crime in Northern Ireland, to offer recommendations for tackling the problem and, in particular to formulate proposals for securing cross community support for action, drawing on his international experience.
Prof. Goldstock has provided the Secretary of State with a report of his preliminary findings on 15 September. He is expected to report to the Secretary of State in June 2003.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what agreement has been made with Professor Goldstock as to the number of days he is (a) required and (b) expected to spend working in his capacity as an adviser to the Secretary of State on organised crime. [83109]
Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State appointed Professor Goldstock, ex-director of the New York State Organised Crime Task Force, in March 2002 to act as his independent expert and to provide an international perspective on the problem of organised crime in Northern Ireland.
Professor Goldstock has been specifically asked to provide an international perspective on the problem of organised crime in Northern Ireland, to offer recommendations for tackling the problem and, in particular, to formulate proposals for securing cross community support for action, drawing on his international experience.
Professor Goldstock's appointment does not carry a stipulation on the amount of time he is expected or required to spend in his capacity as an adviser to the Secretary of State on organised crime. To date, Professor Goldstock has visited Northern Ireland on four occasions and has met with all the main stakeholders within the law enforcement agencies and Government. He has also met with representatives from the loyalist and nationalist communities.
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Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many meetings of the Organised Crime Task Force in Northern Ireland have taken place since its formation. [83105]
Jane Kennedy: The Organised Crime Task Force in Northern Ireland has met on 12 occasions since its formation in September 2000.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what priorities have been agreed by the law enforcement agencies in Northern Ireland as a result of the establishment of the organised crime task force. [83107]
Jane Kennedy: On 23 May 2002, the Secretary of State launched the second annual organised crime task force threat assessment and strategy. The OCTF threat assessment provides an overview of the scale and scope of organised crime in Northern Ireland and highlights trends and developments in the preceding year.
Based on the issues highlighted in the new threat assessment, the OCTF's strategy for countering the threat sets priority areas for concerted multi-agency action by the OCTF partners. These are extortion, drugs, oils-related fraud, tobacco and alcohol duty evasion. To this list we have also added the trade in counterfeit goods, as this has an on-going potential to affect investment in Northern Ireland; and armed robbery which is on the increase here.
During the year the OCTF, which I chair, will also keep a watching brief on emerging and new organised crime trends.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Officers are engaged full-time as investigators with the Organised Crime Taskforce. [85887]
Jane Kennedy: The Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF), is a Government-led multi-agency approach to tackling organised crime. The OCTF is established to provide strategic direction and generate close co-operation between the operational law enforcement agencies and other Government agencies backed up by a strong political will to succeed.
The OCTF does not initiate operations. Operational response is a matter for the individual law enforcement agencies that take the lead in tackling the strategic priorities agreed annually by the OCTF. There are no Police Officers engaged full-time as investigators with The OCTF.
The PSNI have established an Organised Crime Co-ordination Unit headed by a Detective Chief Superintendent to co-ordinate the work of the PSNI in combating organised crime.
Parade's Commission
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in implementing the recommendation made by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in their second
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report published in March 2001 in which they called for greater transparency in the procedures adopted by the Parades Commission. [80667]
Jane Kennedy: The commission is currently attempting to achieve greater transparency in the light of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) recommendation. Where the commission considers a parade in depth, it is prepared to make known, to those expressing interest, the substance of arguments and information presented to it, while continuing to adhere to its statutory rules on confidentiality.
This aspect of the commission's work has, for some time, been the subject of an application for judicial review. While both the Government and the commission would be keen, circumstances permitting, to see greater transparency (amending the Procedural Rules if necessary), neither would wish to pre-empt a judicial ruling on the subject.
Following the Weston Park talks, John Reid appointed Sir George Quigley to review the Parades Commission and the legislation under which it was established. Sir George's report, which addressed the issue of transparency, was issued for consultation on 7 November 2002.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out the total costs incurred by Her Majesty's Government in respect of the Review of the Parade's Commission carried out by Sir George Quigley. [83098]
Jane Kennedy: The total costs incurred by the Northern Ireland Office in respect of the Review of the Parade's Commission are:
| # | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 38,572.43 |
| 2002–03 | (6)102,156.53 |
(6) At end of October 2002
Police
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the basis is of the policy not to include members of the full-time police reserve in Northern Ireland in a pension scheme for service prior to 1988; [83121]
- (2) if he will take steps to ensure that service by members of the full-time police reserve in Northern Ireland prior to 1988 is included as years of service for the police pension scheme; [83122]
(3) if he will grant full rights of access to the police pension scheme to all serving and former full-time police reserve officers in Northern Ireland. [84514]
Jane Kennedy: The decision to extend the police pension scheme to the full-time reserve was taken after detailed consideration and extensive consultation.
The resultant policy led to the introduction of legislation in 1994, and this generously included recompense for prior denial to the police pension scheme, including six years free service credit for 1988–1994 and non-reclamation of SERFS
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Treasury advocated backdating credit in full to all members of the full-time reserve both former and present for service rendered prior to the 6 April 1988, as this is the date from which Social Security legislation reduced the threshold for preservation of pensions on leaving employment from five years to two years
These arrangements were unsuccessfully challenged by way of judicial review and petition to the House of Lords. Significantly, in the judicial review judgement from the Court of Appeal in 1997, the decision to backdate at all was considered very much an act of grace on the part of the Secretary of State. All aspects were given full and detailed consideration at that time, and there are no plans for a further review.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the full-time police reserve in Northern Ireland have been denied access to the police pension scheme because their service took place before 1988. [83123]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the successful candidates chosen after the recent competition for Chief Inspector posts in the Police Service of Northern Ireland have turned down two or more offers of postings. [84139]
Jane Kennedy: No successful candidates turned down two or more offers of postings.
Prison Officers (Protection)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prison officers in Northern Ireland have been warned that their personal details have come into the possession of the Provisional IRA. [83124]
Jane Kennedy: The Police Service of Northern Ireland have assessed that 1,426 staff have been identified as on the 'list'. At the time of writing, the majority of these staff have now received formal notification from the PSNI that their details have been compromised. The majority of those who have not yet received formal notification have been informed verbally. The notification process is ongoing.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are being introduced to protect those prison officers in Northern Ireland whose personal details have fallen into the hands of the Provisional IRA. [83125]
Jane Kennedy: I am satisfied that the schemes currently available to Prison Officers represent a proportionate and reasonable response to the situation. The schemes include the following:
- I. Key Persons Protection Scheme (KPPS)
II. Assisted Home Removals Grant (AHR)
III. Prison Service Protection Scheme (PSPS)
IV. Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings (SPED)
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