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16 Jun 2003 : Column 78W—continued
Call Centres
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial incentives have been made available by Government agencies to businesses wishing to establish call centres in the Belfast area; and whether these incentives are available to entrepreneurs in other parts of Northern Ireland. [109990]
Mr. Pearson: Selective Financial Assistance toward the establishment and development of 16 customer contact centres within the Belfast area has been provided by Invest NI and its predecessor agencies. The level of assistance is negotiable on a case-by-case basis and while a full range of financial instruments have been used, assistance is primarily offered by way of revenue grants that are earned by performance. The full range of Invest NI assistance is available to companies wishing to establish in all parts of Northern Ireland.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many call centres have been established in Northern Ireland with Government financial assistance; at what location; and how many jobs have been created as a result. [109991]
Mr. Pearson: 28 companies in the contact centre sector are either currently in receipt of, or have an offer of, government assistance to establish operations in Northern Ireland. Current employment among these companies is 7,274 people, with a projected employment level of 9,831 by the end of 2004. The geographical breakdown of site locations is as follows: Belfast 16; Londonderry 3; Newry 3; Portadown 2; Bangor 2; Larne 1 and Armagh 1.
Castlereagh Break-in
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will make a statement on the findings of the Chilcot Report into the break-in at Police Special Branch Castlereagh station on 17 March 2002. [118442]
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the expected date is for the delivery to Government of the Chilcot Report into the break-in at Castlereagh on 17 March 2002. [117739]
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to receive the Chilcot Report into the break-in at the Castlereagh police complex. [118435]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Sir John Chilcot has not yet finally completed his report into the break-in at Castlereagh Police Station. I will inform the House when I have received the report.
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CCTV
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funding is available to extend the coverage of the CCTV network within (a) Belfast City Centre and (b) other parts of the South Belfast District Command Unit of PSNI. [111218]
Jane Kennedy: The Government consider that CCTV has made a valuable contribution to tackling crime. We are currently exploring whether and how additional provision can be made for additional CCTV systems, especially in town centres and I hope to shortly be in a position to give further consideration to this.
You will already be aware that three additional CCTVs were recently installed in south Belfast from funding secured from the business sector. Public funding was provided to support this scheme with the provision of radio's to local business premises.
On 30 April the police announced the provision of five emergency contact points to be integrated into the CCTV system. These new contact points will permit the public to communicate, both verbally and through the CCTV camera, with the CCTV control room. If they are successful they should reduce the fear of crime.
Crime/Drug Addiction
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been made of the link between crime and drug addiction in Northern Ireland. [111330]
Jane Kennedy: The Government are aware of anecdotal information, and limited evidence available from the Probation Board, that suggest that there are links between illicit drug misuse and crime in Northern Ireland. A number of small, localised, analyses have been completed, but a full regional assessment has yet to be carried out.
Under the Implementation Structures, created for delivery of the Illicit drugs and Alcohol Strategies, one of the activities specified in the Drug and Alcohol Regional Action Plan related to: undertaking research into the extent and nature of the drug problem, to identify crime committed under the influence of drugs and crime committed to get drugs. This activity has now been extended to cover alcohol, and a joint project is soon to be initiated.
Ex-prisoner Groups
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding bodies have responsibility for allocating funds to groups and organisations dealing with ex-prisoner issues; how much each such body has allocated to ex-prisoner groups in the current year; and which ex-prisoner groups have benefited. [106240]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I am sorry for the delay in replying, the information requested required considerable cross-departmental co-ordination.
The Northern Ireland Office does not allocate any funds directly to ex-prisoner groups. The Department does however provide core funding to two grant-aided non-statutory organisations, NIACRO and EXTERN,
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who provide accommodation services and links to employability. These services can be made available to ex-offenders in the community.
Within the Northern Ireland Administration groups and organisations dealing with ex-prisoners may apply for funding from any programme or scheme for which they satisfy the eligibility criteria. In the year 2002–03, a total of £3,767,906 was allocated from a variety of sources. Details are given in the tables.
| Funding body | Total figure |
|---|---|
| Community Relations Council | 510 |
| Community Foundation (NI) | 2,092,256 |
| Department for Employment and Learning | 564,842 |
| Department of Education | 4,800 |
| YESIP (YouthNet) | 15,661 |
| Omagh Local Strategy Partnership | 34,000 |
| Strabane Local Strategy Partnership | 63,750 |
| Cooperation Ireland | 92,149 |
| Area Development Management/Combat Poverty Agency | 755,541 |
| BRO North Team | 88,240 |
| BRO Inner West Team/Outer West Team (Joint Funded) | 56,157 |
| Coiste na N–Iarchimi |
| Tar Isteach |
| Lisburn Prisoners' Support Project |
| Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NIACRO) |
| Gae Lairn Ltd |
| Tar Anall |
| Arais Aris ar an Omaigh |
| Cairde |
| Iarchime Fear Manach |
| La Nua |
| Failte Chlain Eois |
| Cumann na Meirleach |
| Teach na Failte |
| EPIC (Ex-Prisoners Interpretative Centre) |
| An Eochair Ex-Prisoner Support |
| New Lodge Forum |
| Tar Abhaile |
| Cumann na Meirleach Ard Mhaca Theas |
| EPIC Northwest |
| Amach Agus Insteach |
| Cairde Strabane Ex-Prisoners Group |
| Upp Springfield Devel Trust |
| Goitse |
| Prisoners Enterprise Project |
| Iarchimi Fhearmanach |
| North Belfast Prisoners Aid |
| Tra Chearr |
Garda Siochana Uniform
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the Garda Siochana uniform was placed in the display cabinet in the foyer of Garnerville PSNI station; what articles were removed from the display cabinet in the foyer of Garnerville PSNI station to make way for the Garda Siochana uniform; what police uniforms are on display in the display cabinet in the foyer of Garnerville PSNI station; and when the first passing out parade of the PSNI took place. [90022]
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Jane Kennedy: It was not necessary to remove any articles to make way for the Garda Siochana uniform which was placed on display at the Police College at Garnerville on 5 April 2002. There are currently two Royal Irish Constabulary, one Royal Ulster Constabulary, one Police Service of Northern Ireland and one Garda Siochana uniform on display.
The first PSNI graduation ceremony was held on 5 April 2002.
Interface Conflict
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his definition is of (a) a security response and (b) a community safety initiative in the context of dealing with interface conflict in Northern Ireland. [89440]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The security response to interface violence is essentially the measures the police have deemed necessary in order to keep the warring factions apart and defuse street disturbances. In addition to the deployment of substantial manpower resources, both police and army, other security measures include the installation of CCTV cameras at interface locations and the erection of security fences.
Community Safety means preventing, reducing or containing the social, environmental and intimidatory factors which affect people's right to live without fear of crime and which impact on the quality of life. This definition applies across all areas of Northern Ireland, including the interface areas.
Invest Northern Ireland
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed by Invest Northern Ireland. [109987]
Mr. Pearson: As at 30 March 2003 Invest Northern Ireland had 709 staff plus a further nine engaged on local contracts in its overseas offices.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance Invest Northern Ireland has given in the past year to existing businesses in North Belfast to enable them to remain viable. [119039]
Angela Smith: In the financial year from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, Invest Northern Ireland has offered a total of £8,630,000 to businesses and their support organisations in the North Belfast parliamentary constituency.
In addition to direct financial support, Invest Northern Ireland funds a range of programmes operating within North Belfast which are aimed at encouraging both new business start-ups and existing business growth.
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