| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 May 2004 : Column 1847W—continued
Industrial Wage Rate
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average industrial wage in Northern Ireland is. [175919]
Mr. Gardiner: In all industries in Northern Ireland, average gross weekly earnings of all full-time adult employees was £404.50 at April 2003. The average gross weekly earnings by industry is as follows:
| Industry | Average gross weekly pay (£) |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, hunting and forestry | 273.60 |
| Mining and quarrying | 350.60 |
| Manufacturing | 374.30 |
| Electricity, gas and water supply | 596.30 |
| Construction | 372.00 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 336.10 |
| Hotels and restaurants | 269.60 |
| Transport, storage and communication | 386.70 |
| Financial intermediation | 507.40 |
| Real estate, renting and business activities | 387.60 |
| Public administration and defence, compulsory social security | 451.60 |
| Education | 507.30 |
| Health and social work | 419.90 |
| Other community social and personal activities | 370.50 |
| All industries | 404.50 |
27 May 2004 : Column 1848W
Invest Northern Ireland
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average financial assistance offered by Invest Northern Ireland to (a) inward investors and (b) indigenous investors was per job created in each of the last five years. [159745]
Mr. Gardiner: Comprehensive and consistent information for job creation over time is not available for the full client company base of Invest Northern Ireland. Data on jobs promoted (expected to be created) is available for projects secured between 1998–99 and 2002–03 together with the financial assistance offered to promote those jobs.
Previous evidence provided by IDB to the Northern Ireland Audit Office showed that approximately 70 per cent. of jobs promoted were created and a similar proportion of grant offered was actually paid.
The information provided in the tables does not reflect all job promotions as a result of Invest NI activity, but is restricted to those generally larger indigenous businesses and inward investors for which historical information on job promotions is currently available. The focus of much of Invest NI's activity is on capability building as opposed to capacity building with the aim of strengthening business competitiveness in Northern Ireland, which in turn will lead to an increase of wealth in the economy.
| Financial year | Jobs promoted | Assistance offered for job promotions (£) | Cost per job promoted (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 4,162 | 29,261,639 | 7,031 |
| 1999–2000 | 6,584 | 65,086,586 | 9,886 |
| 2000–01 | 5,506 | 40,305,849 | 7,320 |
| 2001–02 | 2,526 | 28,582,770 | 11,315 |
| 2002–03 | 1,033 | 8,873,866 | 8,590 |
| Grand total | 19,811 | 172,110,711 | 8,688 |
| Financial year | Jobs promoted | Assistance offered for job promotions (£) | Cost per job promoted (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–9 | 1,272 | 15,766,331 | 12,395 |
| 1999–2000 | 561 | 4,061,287 | 7,239 |
| 2000–01 | 2,090 | 14,851,008 | 7,106 |
| 2001–02 | 370 | 1,471,357 | 3,977 |
| 2002–03 | 1,661 | 20,340,041 | 12,246 |
| Grand total | 5,954 | 56,490,024 | 9,488 |
National Stadium
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when a decision is expected to be made on the timing and location of a national stadium for Northern Ireland. [175526]
Angela Smith:
I made a announcement on 24 May 2004 outlining how the Stadium issue is to be taken forward. I have arranged for a copy to be sent to the hon. Gentleman and made available in the Library.
27 May 2004 : Column 1849W
Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the dates on which he has had meetings with the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland since his appointment as Secretary of State; [173266]
(2) if he will list the dates of meetings he has had with the Police Ombudsman since his appointment. [176962]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, I have met the Police Ombudsman informally on a number of occasions. I have had one formal meeting with her, on 28 May 2003, and intend holding a further one soon.
Police Service
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time police reservists are deployed on (a) operational duties and (b) in critical support functions in each district command unit. [170551]
Mr. Pearson: The following breakdown shows the current deployment of members of the Full Time Reserve using classifications defined by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, as follows:
| District Command Units | Headquarters and Regions | |
|---|---|---|
| Operational | 1,424 | 47 |
| Operational support | 62 | 28 |
| Organisational support | 3 | 5 |
| Total | 1,489 | 80 |
A breakdown of the officers within each District Command Unit is illustrated as follows.
The HMIC classifications used are defined as follows:
"Any member of staff, including covert staff, whose primary role (i.e. over 50 per cent. of their time) is directly to deliver the overarching aims of the Police Service. To 'directly deliver' the role must involve routine and immediate interface (either face to face or by telephone) with the public including covert operations. Staff in such roles can be considered as frontline service providers";
"Any member of staff whose primary role is to support the delivery of the overarching aims of the police service".
"A member of staff whose primary role is to service the internal needs of the organisation".
27 May 2004 : Column 1850W
Sexual Offences
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when consultation proposals on sexual offences in Northern Ireland will be issued, following the announcement of a review in October 2003. [175726]
Mr. Spellar: We have not yet completed our consideration of this issue.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure that children in Northern Ireland are afforded the same protection as those in England and Wales under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. [175693]
Mr. Spellar: The Sexual Offences Act 2003 was implemented on 1 May 2004. Of the 19 offences which extend directly to Northern Ireland in the Act, 9 of these relate specifically to offences against children. For example, the new offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming provides for a vital new level of protection for our children.
We have also taken the opportunity to extend to Northern Ireland the strengthened provisions which protect children, often particularly vulnerable children, who are in relationships of trust with adults.
The Act also creates new offences which specifically criminalise the abuse of children through prostitution and pornography.
The new offence of sexual activity in a public toilet also extends to Northern Ireland, and is an indication that this sort of behaviour, which is clearly inappropriate in a public toilet, will not be tolerated, particularly where children can be present.
These changes represent a significant improvement in the level of protection offered to children in Northern Ireland.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |