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8 May 2003 : Column 901W—continued
Traffic Cones
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many accidents have occurred on Northern Ireland roads and motorways as a result of stray traffic cones in each of the last three years. [110579]
Jane Kennedy: The PSNI and the Department of the Environment do not keep statistics of accidents on roads and motorways caused solely by stray cones.
Travel Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of travel by train by staff in his Department in 2002. [106340]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office spent £21,550 in the period from 1 April 2002 to 28 February 2003, the latest date for which figures are available.
Within the Northern Ireland Administration, the information required is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Victim Support
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to help victims of crime in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [106594]
Mr. Browne: The Government remains committed to improving access to justice for victims of crime in Northern Ireland. A key part of this is the implementation of the Criminal Justice Review recommendations on victims which are currently being implemented.
Since 1998 the Government has allocated £20 million+ to fund initiatives to support victims of the Troubles. In 2002–03 the Government will be investing funding of around £1.6 million to Victim Support Northern Ireland, an independent voluntary organisation which helps people come to terms with the experience of being a victim of crime.
8 May 2003 : Column 902W
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will grant additional funding to victims groups who provide support to the victims of terrorist violence and who are encountering serious financial consequences as a result of a shortfall in core funding made available by the Community Relations Council. [106063]
Mr. Browne: Since 1998 this Government has allocated more than £20 million to fund victims' initiatives.
More than £6 million—around 30 per cent.—of this has gone to pay the core running costs of victims' groups. This is in recognition of the valuable work that victims' groups do and I continue to press the case for more money for victims' initiatives. In allocating any further such funding that may become available I will of course have regard to this work. Equally, I must take into account the fact that many victims do not align themselves with victims' groups.
Working Hours
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what policy on (a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible. [107648]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Within the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Administration guidance on these matters is set out in a common Code of Practice for Flexible Working Hours. There are normally two core hours each morning (e.g. 10:00–12:00) and each afternoon (e.g. 14:00–16:00) constituting the essential part of the day when all staff should be present unless their absence has been authorised. Outside this core time, staff can vary their hours of attendance providing no adverse effect on efficiency and service to the public results.
From 6 April 2003 parents of children under the age of six (or 18 in the case of a disabled child) have a statutory right to request to work flexibly and employers will have a duty to consider such requests seriously.
Given the number of alternative working patterns in existence, details of the various core time and flexible working hours patterns operating throughout the Northern Ireland Office and the departments of the Northern Ireland Administration are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.