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Civil Service

Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of Catholics there were in the senior civil service in the last period for which figures are available. [160332]

Mr. Pearson: At 1 January 2004, the figure was 30 per cent.

Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Equality Commission on the exclusion of Irish nationals from senior Civil Service posts. [160365]

Mr. Pearson: There have been no formal discussions between Ministers and the Equality Commission on this matter. Officials maintain contact with the Commission on a range of issues and on 27 August 2003, officials from the Department of Finance and Personnel met Commission staff for a general discussion on progress on the Senior Civil Service Review and Associated Action Plan. The discussion covered a range of issues, including the application of nationality rules to reserved posts.

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Class Sizes

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average class size in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland was in each year since 1997. [160475]

Jane Kennedy: The average class size is available only for primary schools. The figures are as follows:

	Average class size
1997–98	23.7
1998–99	24.0
1999–2000	23.8
2000–01	23.7
2001–02	23.4
2002–03	23.3
2003–04	23.1

Compulsory Retirement (NHS)

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) which NHS health trusts have a policy of compulsory retirement at 65 years; and if he will make a statement; [157392]

(2) what his policy is on enforced retirement of health service employees on account of age. [160609]

Angela Smith: None of the Health and Social Services Trusts in Northern Ireland operates a policy of compulsory retirement at 65 years. However, most HPSS employment contracts stipulate 65 years as the normal retirement age.

This does not preclude staff from working beyond the normal retirement age in the interests of service provision and at the discretion of the Trust. Individuals

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wishing to continue to work after age 65 years must be both mentally and physically able to carry out the full duties of the post.

Consultant Obstetricians

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of publishing (a) caesarean rates and (b) general outcomes for individual consultant obstetricians in Northern Ireland. [160616]

Angela Smith: Information on caesarean section rates in Northern Ireland is maintained on the Child Health Systems of the four Health and Social Services Boards. This information is routinely available on request, but there are no plans at present for wider publication.

There are no plans to make information on caesarean section rates for individual consultant obstetricians in Northern Ireland routinely available. Casemix issues and other factors can render the publication of such information unreliable as an indicator of performance and can invite inappropriate comparisons of individual rates of caesarean section.

Counterfeit Crime

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what quantities of counterfeit goods were seized by the police in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [159548]

Jane Kennedy: The quantities of counterfeit goods which have been seized by the Police in Northern Ireland since April 1998 are contained in the following table. Seizures for 2003–04 are recorded until 29 February 2004. Details are not available for the quantities of counterfeit goods seized in 1997–98 and 2000–01.

	number of items seized
Description of items	1998–99	1999–2000	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Music CDs/cassettes/MP3	3,902	11,126	29,564	63,250	80,500
Video tapes/DVDs/VCDs	3,092	4,424	28,795	28,680	40,000
Clothing	5,518	5,116	22,489	27,370	35,000
Electronic Games		51,090	28,000	36,850	15,000
Watches Perfume/Sunglasses	136	280	5,560	1,200	500
Computer and associated equipment Video recorders/copiers	16	50	178	150	350
Computer software	—	—	—	9,380	5,000
Power tools	—	—	—	2,500	1,000
Drink	—	—	—	—	30,000

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources are available to (a) the police in Northern Ireland and (b) other agencies to tackle the problem of counterfeit crime in Northern Ireland. [159551]

Jane Kennedy: It is not possible to distill out the amount of resources specifically expended on tackling Intellectual Property Crime (IPC) throughout Northern Ireland. Confronting IPC is a priority for the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) take lead responsibility. The budget available to PSNI for 2003–04 is £707.7 million.

Drug Addicts

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drug addicts received drug rehabilitation treatment in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000. [156942]

Angela Smith: The information is not available in the format requested.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated to drug rehabilitation in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement on the provision of drug rehabilitation in Northern Ireland. [156947]

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Angela Smith: The information requested on funding for drug rehabilitation is not available.

While the majority of drug rehabilitation can and does take place in the community as part of an overall community care and rehabilitation programme, there is also the more intensive programme of residential rehabilitation. Provision also exists within each Board area to refer individuals to rehabilitation centres outside Northern Ireland if appropriate. Research to assess the level of need and demand for such a service here remains a priority.

Fire Stations

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the decision by the Chief Fire Officer for Northern Ireland, to issue a directive on (a) the flying of the Union flag outside fire stations and (b) the removal of portraits of Her Majesty the Queen from inside stations. [160500]

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows.

(a) The Chief Fire Officer issued a circular on 18 December 2003 which outlined the dates on which the Union Flag would be flown at Fire Brigade Headquarters. The circular indicated that the Union Flag is to be flown on the same dates as at Government buildings, and at Brigade Headquarters only.

(b) The circular also stated that the Authority had revised its arrangements for the display of the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, and had decided that no portraits should be on display in any Brigade premises other than its Headquarters.

Responsibility for these matters belongs to the Authority and to the Chief Fire Officer. The circular is in line with best practice and guidance for the public sector and with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Infant Deaths

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suspicious deaths of infants there were in the Newtownabbey police area in each year since 2000, broken down by the stage the investigation has reached. [159568]

Jane Kennedy: The Child Abuse and Rape Enquiry Unit (CARE) in Newtownabbey review all reports of sudden infant deaths. In 2001 one death was referred to the Coroner and in 2002 two deaths were referred; the Coroner directed no further action in all three cases. In 2003 one death was investigated and the matter has been referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions for direction.

Invest Northern Ireland

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how much IDB/InvestNI land has been sold in each of the last 15 years, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area; and what amount of this land remains (i) zoned and (ii) used for industrial purposes; [159589]

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(2) how many IDB/InvestNI-owned sites have been sold in each of the last 15 years, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area; and how many of these sites remain (i) zoned and (ii) used for industrial purposes. [159592]

Mr. Pearson: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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