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27 Apr 2004 : Column 918W—continued
Civil Partnership Bill
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) when the decision was made to include Northern Ireland in the Civil Partnership Bill; [168476]
(2) what assessment he has made of the results of the consultation on civil partnerships in Northern Ireland; [168477]
(3) when he will publish his response to the consultation in Northern Ireland on civil partnerships; and if he will make a statement. [168478]
Mr. Pearson: The consultation paper 'Civil Partnership: A Legal Status for Committed Same-Sex Couples in Northern Ireland' was published on 19 December 2003 with responses invited up to 5 March 2004. The views expressed in response to the consultation reflect the diversity of opinion in our society. All responses have been examined carefully and the points made, both points of principle and detailed comments, have been properly taken into account. Having considered the responses and reflected upon the issues raised, it was concluded that the reasons why we put forward these proposals in the first place still held good. That decision was confirmed publicly in the Press Release issued on 31 March 2004 and the Civil Partnership Bill published on that date included Northern Ireland provisions.
Officials have compiled a report analysing the responses and outlining the Government's approach to the issues raised by respondents. This report will be published within the next few weeks.
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Civil Service
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was of the recent industrial action by staff of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. [168200]
Mr. Pearson: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1996, broken down by (a) grade and (b) department. [156975]
Mr. Pearson: I have placed tables in the Library which detail the number of Northern Ireland civil servants, by grade and department, there were in each year since 1996 in the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration, the Northern Ireland Office, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (formerly the Police Authority for Northern Ireland/RUC Civilian), Northern Ireland Assembly and Invest Northern Ireland.
Community Children's Services
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to (a) develop community children's services in Northern Ireland and (b) encourage the recruitment of more community children's nurses. [168273]
Angela Smith:
All HSS Trusts now provide a community children's nursing service. There are now approximately 44 community children's nurses in post across Northern Ireland with a small number working in the voluntary sector. Boards and trusts have supported the development of the service by commissioning the training of nurses in this field over a number of years. Children's nurses working in the hospital setting have been attracted to community practice and to undertake further training required in community children's nursing. Workforce planning
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remains the responsibility of the HSS boards and trusts who identify their needs and request the training of additional staff through the established education commissioning process. It is anticipated that a further 10 nurses will commence training provided by the University of Ulster in September 2004.
Councillors (Allowances)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the terms are of the offer made by the Department of the Environment in relation to allowances which are to be payable to councillors in Northern Ireland for carrying out their duties. [168298]
Angela Smith: The terms offered to representatives of the National Association of Councillors, to modernise the system for the remuneration of councillors, involves two-stages.
Stage 1 is a package, which would include the abolition of attendance allowance; a basic allowance of £7,500, to reflect the loss in income from attendance allowance; and a substantial increase in the level of special responsibility allowance to between £15,000 and £70,000, available to councils to distribute.
Stage 2 would introduce primary legislation to enable regulations to be made. These regulations could be introduced depending on the outcome of the Review of Public Administration.
Employment Agencies
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the employment agencies which his Department has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available. [163818]
Mr. Pearson: The employment agencies used by the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office to supply temporary staff are detailed as follows:
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| Department | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland Office | Excel Recruitment, Josephine Sammons Ltd., Diamond Recruitment | Diamond Recruitment, Badenoch & Clark, Josephine Sammons Ltd., The Agency, Excel Recruitment | Lisburn Security Services, Tim Lewis Recruitment, Badenoch & Clark, Hays Accountancy Personnel, Excel Recruitment, The Agency, Josephine Sammons Ltd., Diamond Recruitment |
| Department of Education | None | None | None |
| Department of Culture Arts and Leisure | Grafton Recruitment, Reed Employment Agency | Grafton Recruitment | Grafton Recruitment |
| Select Recruitment | |||
| Department of Finance and Personnel | Select Recruitment, Reed Employment Agency, Kennedy Recruitment, Grafton Recruitment, Diamond Recruitment | Reed Employment Agency, Kennedy Recruitment, Grafton Recruitment, Diamond Recruitment, Blue Print, Blythe Grace | Select Recruitment, Reed Employment Agency, Kennedy Recruitment, Blue Print, Blythe Grace |
| Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister | Select Recruitment, Reed Employment Agency, Kennedy Recruitment, Grafton Recruitment, Diamond Recruitment | Select Recruitment, Reed Employment Agency, Kennedy Recruitment, Grafton Recruitment, Diamond Recruitment | Select Recruitment, Reed Employment Agency, Kennedy Recruitment |
| Department of Social Development | Premiere People, Grafton Recruitment | Premiere People, Grafton Recruitment | Premiere People, Grafton Recruitment |
| Department of Agriculture and Rural Development | None | None | None |
| Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety | Premier Employment Ltd., Select Recruitment | Premier Employment Ltd., Flexiskills Recruitment, Lisburn Security Services, Select Recruitment | Premier Employment Ltd., Flexiskills Recruitment, Lisburn Security Services, Select Recruitment |
| Department of the Environment | None | Reed Employment Agency | Reed Employment Agency |
| Department of Regional Development | Grafton Recruitment, Hayes Montrose, Blueprint Engineering, Diamond Recruitment, Prof & Tech Placements, Select Recruitment, Helm Corporation Ltd., Reed Accountancy | Grafton Recruitment, Hayes Montrose, Tim Lewis Recruitment, Prof & Tech Placements, Blueprint Engineering, Select Recruitment, Diamond Recruitment, Helm Corporation Ltd., Hays Accountancy | Grafton Recruitment, Hayes Montrose, Blueprint Engineering, Select Recruitment, Diamond Recruitment, Helm Corporation Ltd., Hays Accountancy, Kennedy Recruitment |
| Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment | Kennedy Recruitment | Kennedy Recruitment | None |
| Department of Employment and Learning | None | None | Select Recruitment |
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