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16 Jan 2003 : Column 783W—continued
Police Service
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vacancies exist at present for the post of Chief Inspector in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [84138]
Jane Kennedy: Currently, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has sufficient officers in the rank of Chief Inspector to cover existing vacancies.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many officers have been recruited to the PSNI under the 50:50 rule since its introduction; and how many have been recruited in each recruitment phase; [85686]
- (2) how many police recruits from (a) the Roman Catholic population and (b) others have been recruited to the PSNI since its formation. [86444]
Jane Kennedy: As at 6 December 2002, 581 recruits, of whom 297 have declared themselves to be Catholic, and 284 non-Catholic, have been appointed to the PSNI. 305 appointments were made from Competition 1; and to date there have been 192 appointments from Competition 2 and 84 appointments from Competition 3. Further appointments from Competitions 2 and 3 have yet to be made.
While every effort is made to balance the total appointments from each competition on a 50:50 basis, the balance of appointments can be subject to some fluctuation between competitions. The appointments of a number of non-Catholic candidates from
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Competitions 2 and 3 have been deferred due to personal circumstances, and in some cases at the request of candidates themselves.
Police Widows
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial assistance the widow of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty will receive. [86654]
Jane Kennedy: The financial assistance awarded to the widows of police officers killed in the line of duty is governed by the RUC Pensions Regulations 1973 and 1988 and the RUC Injury Benefit Regulations 1988 which provide for the payment of a gratuity and a pension.
Prior to 25 November 1982 the gratuity was two average pensionable pay (APP). The APP was averaged over three years. From 25 November 1982 the gratuity was five annual rate of pay or four total remuneration, whichever is the lower, plus two maximum pay of a constable in the London Metropolitan less 1¼ APP.
The widow's pension awarded is the rate of pay plus rent allowance less child allowance for the first 13 weeks. Thereafter, the pension is 50 per cent. of APP. Child allowance is 10 per cent. of APP per child up to a maximum of 40 per cent.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many RUC widows have been widowed as a result of terrorist activity in Northern Ireland since 1973; and how much money has been distributed to RUC widows since 1973. [86652]
Jane Kennedy: Police Service of Northern Ireland records indicate that 224 awards have been paid as a result of officers being killed in the line of duty as a direct result of terrorist activity. The total amount of money distributed in respect of these 224 awards could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.
The above awards would not take into account the #4.2 million paid by Government to those RUC widows whose husbands were killed by terrorists prior to 25 November 1982, or any subsequent payments made to RUC widows by the Police Fund.
Policing Board
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are made for publishing the proceedings of the Policing Board; and on what date minutes of proceedings were placed on the Policing Board website in each month since the formation of the board. [84209]
Jane Kennedy: This is a matter for the Policing Board. I have written to the Chief executive and asked that he respond direct to my hon. Friend.
Provisional IRA
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of Provisional IRA activity along the roads of south Armagh; and what action he intends to take. [84458]
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Jane Kennedy: The Government do not comment on intelligence assessments. The Secretary of State continues to make judgments on ceasefires, taking account of all the relevant factors, but it has been made plain that there must be an end to all paramilitary activity, including training, targeting and punishment attacks.
Until terrorism has been set aside in favour of totally democratic and peaceful means, Government will maintain an appropriate security response to protect all the people of Northern Ireland.
RUC Officers (Dependants)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance is available to dependants of ex-RUC officers murdered by terrorists. [84518]
Jane Kennedy: The RUC Benevolent Fund, the Police Dependants Trust and the Northern Ireland Police Fund are in a position to provide financial assistance to the families of ex-police officers murdered as a direct result of terrorism. In addition to financial support, PSNI Welfare Services and the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust can provide emotional and counselling support.
Dependants of ex-officers murdered may also apply to the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund, an independent charity largely funded by Government that provides financial assistance and grants to victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
RUC Officers (Remembrance)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to ensure that ex-RUC officers murdered by terrorists are recognised (a) on police memorials and (b) in the Book of Remembrance. [84519]
Jane Kennedy: The majority of memorials erected locally within police stations, and the Book of Remembrance at PSNI HQ Brooklyn, commemorate the death of serving police officers as a result of terrorist activity. There are no plans to include ex-officers in these memorials. Ex-officers will however be named on the planned memorial to be erected within the RUC George Cross Garden of Remembrance at PSNI HQ Brooklyn.
Scheduled Offences
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) juveniles and (b) adults have been charged with offences arising out of civil disturbances in (i) north Belfast, (ii) east Belfast and (iii) Northern Ireland in the current year. [86643]
Jane Kennedy: The table provides details of the number of persons charged between 1 January and 30 November 2002 with specific offences relating to disorderly/riotous behaviour/throwing of petrol bombs.
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| Age Group | Belfast North DCU | Belfast East DCU | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 17 years | 10 | 2 | 13 |
| Age 17 years and over | 32 | 15 | 82 |
Notes:
Juveniles are classified as being 16 years and under.
The above figures are provisional and may be subject to minor adjustment.
Secondary Education
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the formation of parental consultation bodies to consider the Burns proposals for secondary education. [88788]
Jane Kennedy: I want to hear the views of parents on the responses to the Burns consultation and on the next stages of the post-primary review. A sample of schools, drawn from all sectors and management types across the five education and library boards, (a copy of which has been placed in the Library) have each been asked to nominate a parent to meet with my officials in mid-January to give their views on these issues. This follows the process used by CCEA in its consultation on the Curriculum Review.
Security (North Belfast)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when steps will be taken to provide increased security measures at the Ardoyne road interface in North Belfast. [86645]
Jane Kennedy: Sectarian violence in North Belfast is constantly monitored by both NIO and PSNI and, in response to this, security measures are kept under continual review. A 3 m high extension has been completed to the security fence that runs along the Alliance avenue/Glenbryn park interface, bringing the total height to 9 m. Also, in addition to the CCTV camera already in place at the junction of Ardoyne road/Alliance avenue, the PSNI are currently installing two new cameras at Berwick road and Etna drive.
I am confident that these measures will not only bring some respite to local residents, who suffer most as a result of sectarian violence, but will also assist police both in terms of efficiently deploying resources and effecting arrests.
SPED Applications
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) police officers and (b) prison
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officers have applied for the Scheme for the Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings in Northern Ireland in the current year; how many have been successful; and what the total cost was in each case. [86620]
Jane Kennedy: From 1 April 2002 175 prison officers have applied for SPED, and to date 112 have been accepted on to the scheme. Within the Police Service of Northern Ireland, 126 officers have applied for SPED and 107 have been accepted.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), operates the SPED scheme. Under the scheme, if the Chief Constable issues a certificate confirming that a threat or intimidation is real, this is sufficient for the NIHE to invoke the scheme. Therefore, the NIHE do not know the background of cases. Up to 12 December the NIHE have had 433 applications at a total cost of #22.213 million.
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