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16 Jun 2004 : Column 964W—continued
Higher Education
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government income from Northern Ireland-domiciled undergraduates' contributions in tuition fees, student loan repayments and interest on student loans has been since 1995–96. [178242]
Mr. Gardiner:
Tuition fees are paid by students directly to their institutions, and therefore no income is generated for Government. On the basis of Resource Allocation Budgets, student loan repayments and interest on student loans from 2001–02, the earliest date
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from which information is available, are set out in the table, which also includes, for each year, the total amount of student loans outstanding:
| Repayments | Interest | Outstanding loans | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 9.264 | 6.231 | 321.647 |
| 2002–03 | 11.564 | 6.034 | 424,223 |
| 2003–04 | 13.000 | 9.533 | 517,839 |
Unlike commercial loans, interest on student loans is charged at the rate of inflation only. This ensures that, in real terms, the amount repaid is equal to the amount borrowed.
Identity Cards
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether Northern Ireland will be included in an identity card scheme; and if he will make a statement. [171763]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Identity Card scheme involving the registration of individuals and the issue of identity cards will operate on a UK-wide basis. If, as we hope, we can restore the devolved institutions at an early date, then it would be up to the devolved administration in Northern Ireland to decide what use they make of the identity cards.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether Northern Ireland was considered for the identity card pilot project. [171764]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The biometric enrolment pilot being run by the UK Passport Service is not an identity cards pilot but rather intended to test the processes around, and user experience of biometric enrolment. Identity cards are not being issued to volunteers who participate in the project. Initially, pilot data is being obtained from fixed sites in England and Scotland. In the next phase of the pilot, a mobile enrolment unit will travel throughout the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Inward Investment
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used by Invest Northern Ireland in determining locations for visits by potential inward investors to create employment in Northern Ireland. [178613]
Mr. Gardiner: Invest NI promotes and markets the Northern Ireland business proposition as one single entity. The rationale for this approach is that internationally mobile investment is fiercely competitive and potential investors demand detailed information against a wide range of criteria such as size of employment pool, skills availability, property and infrastructure.
Taking into account the time available Invest NI can suggest a visit programme which closely matches a company's requirements. The locations of existing investors, who participate in the inward visits, also influence the proposed visit programme. However, the
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company always has the final say in which elements of the proposed programme to accept or reject including where to visit within Northern Ireland.
Invest NI is fully aware of its obligations in respect of securing visits to and projects in New Targeting Social Need areas, and addresses this in its illustrative incentive packages.
Juvenile Offenders
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many minors in Northern Ireland have been questioned and cautioned in each of the last five years. [171005]
Mr. Pearson: The information is as follows.
| Financial year | Number of official cautions |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 1,325 |
| 2000–01 | 1,314 |
| 2001–02 | 1,095 |
| 2002–03 | 1,045 |
The PSNI introduced a new Youth Diversion Scheme from 1 September 2003 which provides a new framework to respond to all children and young persons under the age of 17. The scheme uses restorative interventions and the title and structure of the previous "official caution" is now called a "restorative caution".
No statistics are available for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 August 2003.
Since 1 September 2003 there have been 485 restorative cautions issued under the new scheme.
Lord Alderdice
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the likely cost to public funds is of the portrait that has been commissioned of the former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Lord Alderdice; and who recommended the commissioning of the portrait. [178855]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The proposal that a portrait be commissioned to mark the retirement of the former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Lord Alderdice, was proposed at a meeting held earlier this year attended by representatives of the main Northern Ireland political parties. I subsequently agreed to this proposal. Arrangements for commissioning the portrait have still to be made so the cost is not yet known.
Natural Gas
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation to grant a licence for the supply of natural gas in the north-west and south-north areas. [178617]
Mr. Gardiner:
Detailed negotiations between the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation (NIAER) and Bord Gáis Eireann about the distribution and supply of natural gas to towns outside the Greater Belfast area have been continuing since December 2003. NIAER expects to publish a licence for consultation
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within the next two months and, subject to responses, would hope to issue a formal licence in the early autumn of this year.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the participants in each case supported by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in which the cost to the Commission has exceeded £50,000. [176893]
Mr. Spellar: As the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent body, I contacted the Chief Executive on behalf of the hon. Gentleman and have been provided with the following information:
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has supported two cases in which the costs have exceeded £50,000. Details of the cases and participants follow:
1. Cullen (Appellant) v. Chief Constable of the Constabulary (Respondent) (Northern Ireland)
Heard: 10 July 2003
Reported at: [2003] UKHL 39
Counsel was Seamus Treacy QC and Fiona Doherty BL instructed by Madden and Finucane Solicitors
2. In the matter of an application for judicial review by 4E' and in the matter of the decisions of the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Secretary of State
Heard: 10 September 2003
Decision: Not yet known
Counsel was Seamus Treacy QC and Karen Quinliven BL instructed by Madden and Finucane Solicitors.
Parliamentary Constituency Maps
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make up-to-date maps of Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies available to the House of Commons Library Research Section. [170035]
Mr. Spellar: The Provisional Recommendations for new parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland were announced by the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland on 29 April. Copies of up-to-date maps for the proposed constituencies have been placed in the Library.
Police
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers work for the (a) Oversight Commissioner and (b) Police Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement. [173588]
Mr. Pearson:
There are no Police Service of Northern Ireland officers working in either the Oversight Commissioner's Office or the Police Ombudsman's Office.
16 Jun 2004 : Column 968W
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) salary and (b) expenses allowance is of (a) the Policing Oversight Commissioner and (b) each member of the Oversight Commissioner's team. [173589]
Mr. Pearson: I have been advised by the Office of the Oversight Commissioner of the following salary and expense details for the Oversight Commissioner and his team of five evaluators:
(a) The Commissioner's salary from May 2000-March 2003 was £203,290.
The evaluators' salaries from May 2000-March 2003 were £350,602.
(b) The Commissioner's expenses from May 2000-March 2003 were £101,043.
The evaluators' expenses from May 2000-March 2003 were £330,571.
The Oversight Commissioner and his team of evaluators are based in North America. They travel to Northern Ireland three times per year to conduct evaluations of the implementation of the Patten Recommendations. In addition, occasional short review meetings are held by the Oversight Commissioner and the evaluators in North America.
The expense allowances for the Oversight Commissioner and his team of evaluators are primarily made up of accommodation and flight costs. These are paid directly to suppliers by the Office of the Oversight Commissioner and are subject to seasonal and contractual variations. The figures have been obtained from the audited annual accounts of the Office of the Oversight Commissioner.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been allocated for the (a) start-up costs and (b) running costs in the first two years of the Office of the Northern Ireland Policing Oversight Commissioner. [173590]
Mr. Pearson: The Office of the Oversight Commissioner was established in May 2000. The start up costs were £224,770.
Running costs in the first two years to 31 March 2002 were £947,027, broken down as follows:
2000–01: £272,131 (excluding start-up cost)
2001–02: £674,896.
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