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3 Jul 2003 : Column 469W—continued
Northern Ireland Police Board
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost is of retaining the consultants PriceWaterhouseCoopers by the Northern Ireland Police Board; and how many independent assessors have been appointed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in their work for the Police Board in establishing District Police Partnerships. [123362]
Jane Kennedy: The sum to date paid to PriceWaterhouseCoopers for the recruitment exercise for District Policing Partnerships is £555,769.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers appointed 18 independent observers to assist in the appointment of the independent members of District Policing Partnerships.
Private Care Organisations
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to simplify the process of negotiating contracts and funding for private care organisations involved in rehabilitation and management of debilitating illness. [116373]
Angela Smith: It is the responsibility of the health and social services boards and trusts at operational level to negotiate and agree contracts for the provision of residential and domiciliary care by the independent sector. To assist in this process, the four Board Chief Executives have established a regional group to make recommendations on the appropriate fee levels for care in residential and nursing homes. Recommendations on residential and nursing home fees are based on the level of need across each of the programmes of care. In each of the last three years, the recommendations of the regional group have been endorsed by the Department and accepted as the agreed regional rates by the four boards. Rates for domiciliary care provision are currently negotiated at board and trust level with independent sector providers.
Private Office Costs
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the running costs have been of Ministers' private offices in his Department in each year since 1997. [123109]
Mr. Paul Murphy: This question was put to all Northern Ireland Departments; however, we are replying only in relation to the Northern Ireland Office.
The Northern Ireland Office incurred the following running costs, in relation to Ministers' private offices:
| Running costs | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | (28)128,164 |
| 2002–03 | 1,610,821 |
| 2001–02 | 1,127,731 |
| 2000–01 | 1,155,931 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,270,185 |
| 1998–99 | 1,294,715 |
| 1997–98 | 974,242 |
(28) To end May 2003.
3 Jul 2003 : Column 470W
Real IRA
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment has been undertaken of (a) the capacity of the Real IRA to manufacture bombs and (b) whether the Real IRA is receiving co-operation from the Provisional IRA. [122642]
Jane Kennedy: The bombs intercepted recently in Londonderry and the explosives find near Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland clearly demonstrates that dissidents have the capacity to manufacture bombs. While dissidents remain a threat to the peace process, the security forces on both sides of the border continue to disrupt, intercept or thwart their operations through good intelligence-led policing and covert operations. The Government's security advice is that PIRA remains on ceasefire and supports the peace process.
Saville Inquiry
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the costs of the Saville Inquiry as of 30 June, broken down by legal fees paid to individual barristers acting for (a) the Ministry of Defence and (b) families of the victims. [123456]
Mr. Spellar: Up to end June 2003 the cash spend by the Northern Ireland Office on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry was a total of £89.2 million. Out of this amount £7.962 million has been spent on the payment of fees to counsel representing the families or the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. These figures are set out in the table and include VAT, where that is paid, and in most cases, expenses as well as fees.
The fees of Ministry of Defence counsel are a matter for my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
(29) In addition, the following senior counsel have represented/are representing some of the families but have yet to submit fee claims: Kevin Finnegan and Reg Weir.
(30) Left the case (as a junior) in September 2000 and rejoined the case (as a senior) July 2001.
(31) Left the case June 1999.
(32) Having started as a junior in March 1998, became a senior counsel in September 2000.
(33) In addition, the following junior counsel have represented/are representing some of the families but have yet to submit fee claims: Tom McCreanor and Declan Morgan.
(34) Left the case September 2000.
(35) Left the case June 2002.
(36) Left the case June 2001.
3 Jul 2003 : Column 471W
Senior Citizens
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many senior citizens over the age of 65 in Northern Ireland have taken up the opportunity to hold concessionary travel passes, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [121083]
Mr. Spellar: The following table shows the take up of senior citizens Smartpasses by Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency as at October 2002. The total number of senior Smartpasses in circulation as of 23 June 2003 was 158,156. However, to disaggregate this figure by parliamentary constituency could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
| Constituency | Estimated number of Smartpasses |
|---|---|
| Belfast East | 10,947 |
| Belfast North | 10,325 |
| Belfast South | 9,389 |
| Belfast West | 7,060 |
| East Antrim | 8,247 |
| East Londonderry | 6,741 |
| Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 6,014 |
| Foyle | 6,508 |
| Lagan Valley | 9,164 |
| Mid Ulster | 4,670 |
| Newry and Armagh | 6,912 |
| North Antrim | 7,811 |
| North Down | 10,263 |
| South Antrim | 8,011 |
| South Down | 7,684 |
| Strangford | 8,816 |
| Upper Bann | 8,738 |
| West Tyrone | 5,249 |
| Total | 142,549 |
Targeted Benefits
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research has been commissioned
3 Jul 2003 : Column 472W
to ascertain the reasons for the variations in take-up of targeted benefits; and if he will make a statement on the findings. [122551]
Mr. Spellar: The Department for Social Development has commissioned no research to ascertain individuals' reasons for claiming or not claiming targeted benefits. It has, however, commissioned research to estimate the level of benefit take-up and to establish the extent to which there is variation in that level and to determine factors which appear to be contributing to such variations. The research commissioned was to estimate the take-up of income support and jobseeker's allowance (income based) in Northern Ireland, and the results of the research were published in May 2002.
The findings of the research published in 2002 indicated that:
- the take-up of income support was estimated at 76 per cent. by caseload and 84 per cent. by spending; and
the take-up of jobseeker's allowance (income based) was estimated at 75 per cent. by caseload and 79 per cent. by spending.
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