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21 Apr 2004 : Column 574W—continued

Potato Ring Rot

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 February, Official Report, column 871W on potato ring rot, what vehicles purchased from modulation money for these purposes are now used. [166833]

Mr. Pearson: Following the recent finding of potato ring rot in Wales, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development increased its existing stringent preventive measures to ensure that there was no plant health risk to the Northern Ireland potato industry. The majority of the costs associated with these additional measures related to DARD staff time, though small capital expenditure was incurred in 2003 on diagnostic work related to potato ring rot. No vehicles were purchased for the purposes of potato ring rot control.

Power-sharing

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what power sharing arrangements have been adopted for the appointment of mayor, deputy mayor and committee chairs in each district council area. [166780]

Angela Smith: There are a number of formal and informal power sharing arrangements operated by district councils for the appointment of mayor, deputy mayor and committee chairs. These include proportionality systems such as the D'Hondt system, the rotation of posts or a combination of these. The following table is based on information provided to the Department of the Environment by district councils and shows for each district council whether power sharing arrangements are in place.
 
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District council 1	Mayor	Deputy mayor	Committee chair
Antrim BC	Formal (Rotation)	Informal (Rotation)	Informal (Rotation)
Ards BC	Information unavailable	Information unavailable	Information unavailable
Armagh C and DC	Information unavailable	Information unavailable	Information unavailable
Ballymena BC	Informal (Power Sharing by Unionist parties)	Informal (Power Sharing by Unionist parties)	Informal (Power Sharing by all parties)
Ballymoney BC	None	None	None
Banbridge DC	Formal (Proportionality)	Formal (Proportionality)	Formal (Proportionality)
Belfast CC	No formal arrangement	No formal arrangement	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)
Carrickfergus BC	Information unavailable	Information unavailable	Information unavailable
Castlereagh BC	None	None	None
Coleraine BC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)
Cookstown DC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Rotation)	Formal (Rotation)
Craigavon BC	None	None	None
Derry CC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)
Down DC	Information unavailable	Information unavailable	Information unavailable
Dungannon and ST BC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)
Fermanagh DC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)
Larne BC	Informal (Power Sharing)	Informal (Power Sharing)	Informal (Power Sharing)
Limavady BC	Formal (Power Sharing)	Formal (Power Sharing)	Formal (Power Sharing)
Lisburn BC	None	None	None
Magherafelt DC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	None	None
Moyle DC	Formal (Rotation)	Formal (Rotation)	(29)n/a
Newry and Mourne DC	Formal (Mix of Proportionality and D'Hondt)	Formal (Mix of Proportionality and D'Hondt)	Formal (Mix of Proportionality and D'Hondt)
Newtownabbey BC	Informal (Based on party strengths)	Informal (Based on party strengths)	Informal (Based on party strengths)
North Down BC	None	None	None
Omagh DC	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)
Strabane DC	Informal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Informal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)	Informal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

⁽²⁸⁾ A number of councils have not been able to respond in the time available.
⁽²⁹⁾ Moyle District Council does not operate a committee system.

Punishment Beatings

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals now serving a sentence in Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Centre (a) were victims of punishment beatings and (b) were classed as exiles prior to being detained in the centre. [163604]

Mr. Pearson: The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not collect data in the manner requested above. This is due to the fact that many inmates refuse to disclose the level of threat to which they have been subject; nor do we have any information on 'exiles'.

The only information available to us is from a survey of the inmate population of Hydebank Wood, conducted in March 2004 by representatives from Queens University Belfast. In the course of this survey they did receive responses from the inmates regarding their experiences of violence and threats.

Out of a sample size of 187 inmates the following was obtained:

Inmates were asked:

"Have you ever been threatened or assaulted by paramilitaries"

59.4 per cent. said that they had been threatened.

51 per cent. said that they had been assaulted.

 
21 Apr 2004 : Column 576W
 

The inmates were asked a supplementary question:

"and in the last year, were you threatened or assaulted by paramilitaries".

12.8 per cent. said that they had been threatened in the last year.

7 per cent. said that they had been assaulted in the last year.

23.5 per cent. said that they had been threatened and assaulted in the last year.

The inmates were finally asked:

"By which grouping, Loyalist or Republican"

21 per cent. (39 people) said they had been threatened or assaulted by Loyalists in the last year

21 per cent. (39 people) said that they had been threatened or assaulted by Republicans in the last year.

1 per cent. (two people) said that they had been threatened or assaulted by both groups in the last year.

Pupil Behavioural Surveys

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the   (a) cost, (b) number and (c) results of pupil behavioural surveys carried out in each education board area in the last year. [166715]

Mr. Gardiner: The information requested is not available in that form. However, each Education and Library Board does submit an annual statistical return
 
21 Apr 2004 : Column 577W
 
to the Department of Education giving details of the total number of pupils who have been suspended or expelled. The statistics for the 2002/03 school year are as follows:

Number of Pupils Suspended	5,320
Number of Pupils Expelled	70

In addition the Belfast Education and Library Board has recently published the findings of its "Behaviour in a Learning City—Best Value Review of the Provision of Behaviour Support".

Racism

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to combat racism in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [165772]

Mr. Spellar: The Government have frequently put on   record its abhorrence of all forms of intolerance and   racism. It is committed to eradicating such manifestations of hatred, whether based on racism or based on sectarianism and is developing a co-ordinated response to the problem in Northern Ireland.

Enforcement action by Police Service of Northern Ireland will continue to be the key to tackling such attacks, and PSNI enforcement action will be accompanied by a range of actions by the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments. As well as new legislative proposals, these will include measures on education, housing, health and social policy issues. The final version of the Race Equality Strategy (which takes account of extensive consultation with all sections of NI society) will be published by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister this summer and specific actions will be included in a detailed implementation plan developed in line with the strategy.

The Government's Community Safety Strategy, being implemented through the Community Safety Unit of the Northern Ireland Office, identified offences motivated by prejudice and hatred as a central theme in making Northern Ireland a safer place for all its citizens. Specifically, the Strategy seeks to reduce the levels of crime motivated by sectarianism, and to promote and enhance the safety of minority ethnic residents. Currently, the Unit is facilitating a working group of voluntary and statutory organisations which aims to establish a clear framework and operational system for the recording and monitoring of a number of hate crimes. These will include sectarian, racist and homophobic incidents. It is hoped to bring forward the consultation on such an agreed framework by the end of June, with implementation intended by October 2004. Within its Community Safety grant programme, the Challenge Competition, the Unit has also provided funding towards four projects which have a central theme of countering prejudice and hatred to a total value of £273255.
 
21 Apr 2004 : Column 578W
 

I have also published for consultation, draft legislation for Northern Ireland aimed at tackling racially motivated offences. The draft Order proposes provisions that will require sentencers, where offences are aggravated by such hostility, to treat racial and religious aggravation as an aggravating factor when sentencing. The legislation will also cover offences motivated by hatred of sexual orientation. The proposals will also increase maximum sentences available for certain specified, mainly violent, offences including where racial, religious or sexual aggravation is proven.

The issues raised by racism are issues for all sections of society in Northern Ireland and in expressing abhorrence of racism, all of us must avoid the temptation to demonise entire areas and communities. It would be an act of prejudice itself to stereotype people because of where they live or because of their community background. I reiterate the acknowledgement in the Belfast Agreement of the unique opportunity that exists here to bring about a society which will recognise the full and equal legitimacy and worth of identities, senses of allegiance and ethos of all sections of the community in Northern Ireland.

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