| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
8 May 2003 : Column 882W—continued
Departmental Pay
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the pay review in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if he will make a statement. [106728]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Government made a commitment in response to the Equal Opportunities Commission Task Force "Just Pay" report, that all Departments and agencies would review their pay systems by April 2003 and prepare action plans to close any unequal pay gaps.
The Northern Ireland Office Equal Pay Review is on-going. The Department continues to meet with unions to discuss the issues, and will report back to the Cabinet Office and staff at the review's conclusion.
The Northern Ireland Administration, including its Agencies, carried out a review of its pay and grading arrangements in 1998, which examined the gender gap between administrative grades (majority female) and professional and technical grades (predominantly male). A programme of work that aligns the salaries of the two groups will be complete by April 2003. The need for a further equal pay audit is currently under consideration.
District Policing Partnerships
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people convicted of an offence for which a sentence of five years or more was passed have been appointed to District Policing Partnerships in Northern Ireland. [105905]
Jane Kennedy: Under the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, a person is disqualified for being an independent member of a District Policing Partnership if he or she has at any time been convicted in Northern Ireland or elsewhere of any offence and has had passed on him or her a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not).
8 May 2003 : Column 883W
The answer in relation to political members appointed by District Councils could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Electronic Tagging
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the recent trial of electronically tagging juvenile sex offenders; how many individuals were involved; what cost was incurred; how much the retention of these individuals in prison would have cost; and what plans he has to implement this policy with adult offenders. [111411]
Mr. Browne: There has been no such trial of electronically tagging juvenile sex offenders in Northern Ireland. Indeed, there is no legal authority to allow electronic monitoring of offenders in this jurisdiction.
Environmental Protection
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken by the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment to (a) measure the decline of saltmarsh on the shores of Strangford Lough and (b) develop a strategy to prevent further declines in this habitat. [111532]
Angela Smith: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department of the Environment has in place a monitoring programme covering Strangford Lough which assesses the condition of all the habitats and species of national and European importance. As part of this programme, the quality and quantity of saltmarsh is monitored. The information currently available to EHS does not indicate that there is any significant decline in the extent of saltmarsh around Strangford Lough.
In September 2002, the Department launched a voluntary management scheme to maintain and enhance the habitats and species of Areas of Special Scientific Interest. This scheme is aimed at land managers and will play an important role in, among other things, helping to prevent any further decline of saltmarsh by ensuring that inappropriate management and potentially damaging activities are discouraged.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has to designate special protection areas to conserve the habitat of the Hen Harrier. [111538]
Angela Smith: No sites have yet been selected in Northern Ireland for the Hen Harrier under the UK Special Protection Area (SPA) Review. There have been several reasons for this. There has been limited information until now about the geographical distribution and continuity of breeding site use in relation to the species. Moreover, much of the relevant nesting habitat is commercial forest, whereas the Department's policy has been to select as SPAs only areas of natural and semi-natural habitat. Nevertheless, some sites with habitat suitable for the Hen Harrier have been designated as Areas of Special Scientific Interest and/or Special Areas of Conservation, one such example being Slieve Beagh, although none of these sites lists the Hen Harrier as a selection feature.
8 May 2003 : Column 884W
However, EHS now plans to review the position based on analysis of new data on geographical distribution and breeding site use. This will be used to determine whether any site merits designation for its breeding Hen Harrier population. In arriving at this decision, EHS will take into consideration a number of criteria, including the proportion of the all-island breeding population held at the site, the density of breeding birds and the history of occupation. The process will also take into account if the southern portion of sites that straddle the border that have been identified as significant for this species by the Republic of Ireland authorities.
It is planned to complete the review during the current financial year and, depending on the findings, to undertake public consultation thereafter.
In the meantime, Hen Harriers and their nests continue to be afforded fall protection under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Furthermore, they are listed as a Northern Ireland priority species of conservation concern, and EHS intends to publish a Species Action Plan in the near future to address their conservation needs.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has taken to implement the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on Areas of Special Scientific Interest. [111533]
Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment is still considering the Report on Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs), which was published by the Comptroller and Auditor General on 27 March 2003. However, the Department had already identified a number of the issues which that report addressed; and steps had been taken to deal with them.
Among these actions were, firstly, the introduction last year of the Management of Sensitive Sites scheme to provide financial incentives to landowners to encourage the proper management of ASSIs; secondly, the enactment in February this year of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 to strengthen the Department's powers to protect and manage ASSIs; thirdly, the allocation of additional resources to the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department in the 2002 Northern Ireland Budget, for the designation, management and protection of ASSIs.
These actions deal with key aspects of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report. The remaining conclusions and recommendations of the report are under consideration.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has to eradicate the Ruddy Duck in Northern Ireland. [111534]
Angela Smith: The establishment of the American Ruddy Duck as a breeding species in Europe has been widely acknowledged as a threat to the native European White-headed Duck. The UK Government accepts in principle that the Ruddy Duck should be eradicated as a wild species in the UK and the rest of Europe, in
8 May 2003 : Column 885W
accordance with Article 8 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In practice, the Government is investigating alternative methods of controlling the population.
Great Britain, with around 5,800 birds, holds by far the largest population in Europe. Northern Ireland's population is thought to be about 125. The Ruddy Duck is currently protected under Northern Ireland legislation.
As Ruddy Duck are known to be elusive, I have asked the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) to confirm the scale of the problem in Northern Ireland by undertaking a survey of small water bodies in the area where they are known to occur. I have also asked EHS to investigate and advise me on the possible need for a change in the legislative status of the species. As well as undertaking these studies, EHS will monitor research taking place into the most efficient and humane method of eradication, and advise me on how these findings might be applied in Northern Ireland.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Environment and Heritage Service has to establish a formal enforcement policy for the protection of areas of special scientific interest as promised in the EHS Corporate Plan for 1996–97. [111535]
Angela Smith: In November 2001, the Department of the Environment published for consultation proposals for legislative changes to strengthen the management and protection of ASSIs. These took account of comments received during earlier public consultation in March 2001. The proposals were given statutory effect in the Environment (NI) Order 2002.
The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department already has in place a policy for addressing issues of compliance with the legislation on areas of special scientific interest by landowners and occupiers. The policy was ratified in November 2002 and implemented with immediate effect. I am arranging for a copy of the document, entitled "Compliance Policy and General Guidance" to be placed on the EHS website (www.ehsni.gov.uk), and it should be available by the end of May 2003.
Additional policy guidance on the protection of ASSIs is contained in:
- Guidelines for the Selection of Biological ASSIs;
The Habitats Regulations: A Guide for Competent Authorities; and
Planning Policy Statement 2: Planning and Nature Conservation:
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to protect and manage the Ballynahone Bog Area of Special Scientific Interest. [111536]
Angela Smith: On 13 September 2000, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department of the Environment declared a large
8 May 2003 : Column 886W
portion of Ballynahone Bog Area of Special Scientific Interest as a National Nature Reserve (NNR). Management as a NNR strengthens the protection of the nature conservation features of the site. It is managed jointly by the Ulster Wildlife Trust and Friends of Ballynahone Bog.
EHS owns some 70 per cent. of the land within the ASSI. It has also offered to acquire the interest of most of the other landowners within that area with the specific aim of extending the NNR.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |