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16 Jun 2004 : Column 968W—continued
Police Fund Budget
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Police Fund budget has been spent in support of (a) RUC officers injured and (b) RUC families bereaved through terrorism in each year since its establishment. [178579]
Mr. Pearson: I can advise that the percentage breakdown of the Police Fund budget in support of injured officers and bereaved families is as follows:
| Category | 2002–03 | 2003–04 |
|---|---|---|
| Injured officers | 36 | 40 |
| Bereaved families including widows | 17 | 17 |
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A further 28 per cent. of the 2002–03 budget and 18 per cent. of the 2003–04 budget was expended on organisation project costs such as reimbursement of costs to the Benevolent Fund and client service costs such as psychological counselling services. This expenditure, in the main, cannot be broken down into individual client costs although clearly the programmes benefited both injured officers and bereaved families.
Rural Communities (Transport)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action the Government are taking to assist older people in rural communities who do not have access to a car. [178611]
Mr. Spellar: The Department for Regional Development's commitments to improving transport services in rural areas are set out in the Regional Transportation Strategy for Northern Ireland 2002–12.
The Strategy seeks to improve travel opportunities for people living in deep rural areas, villages and small settlements. The initiatives in the RTS, when fully implemented, will reduce inequalities in society by improving accessibility for, amongst others, people with disabilities, people without access to a car, older people and people living in rural areas. The pace of implementation of the Strategy will depend on the level of public funding, which will be determined through the annual Budgetary processes.
The Department is seeking to improve transport opportunities for older people living in rural communities through a range of initiatives. The Rural Transport Fund provides revenue support to maintain a network of some 44 Ulsterbus rural routes, throughout Northern Ireland, which would otherwise be uneconomical to run. Older people are able to get free concessionary travel on these rural services.
The Department also financially supports 18 Rural Community Transport Partnerships throughout Northern Ireland. These seek to meet the mobility needs of those older people and people with disabilities who live in rural areas and who are unable to make use of conventional transport networks.
In 2003–04 the Department for Regional Development initiated a public tendering exercise (Bus Challenge) to attract new stage carriage routes across Northern Ireland. Contracts were awarded for a number of rural routes. These routes provide older people living in rural areas with more opportunities to access local facilities and link with the wider public transport network.
Later this year the Department intends to initiate several Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) pilots in deep rural areas. It is hoped that these types of services will offer greater independence and new travel opportunities for older people living in those areas. DRT services may, for example, divert off certain sections of their route if requested and provide bookable door-to-door services for older people and people with disabilities.
The RTS committed the Department to prepare an Accessible Transport Strategy for Northern Ireland. The ATS will focus on the transport needs of older
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people and people with disabilities. A draft Accessible Transport Strategy is currently being prepared and will be published in the autumn together with an Equality Impact assessment for public consultation. The Department aims to publish a final strategy by March 2005.
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money has been allocated by the Department for Regional Development in each of the last three years towards the provision of public transport in rural communities in Northern Ireland. [178612]
Mr. Spellar: Under the Rural Transport Fund the following monies were allocated to deliver uneconomic public transport services in rural areas but which were regarded as socially desirable:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 1.6 |
| 2002–03 | 1.7 |
| 2003–04 | 1.8 |
This Fund allowed the Department to provide revenue support to uneconomic rural routes. In addition the Fund also provides further support to 18 Rural Community Transport Partnerships who offer a range of transport services which complement the conventional transport networks.
The Department for Regional Development recently initiated a public tendering exercise (Bus Challenge) to attract new stage carriage routes across Northern Ireland. As a result a number of contracts were awarded and which included a number of rural routes. Financial support from the Department for these rural routes during 2003–04 amounted to around £29,000.
Fuel Duty Rebate was also provided to Ulsterbus and a number of private operators:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 5,933,750.00 |
| 2002–03 | 5,798,369.00 |
| 2003–04 | 5,892,531.00 |
Tourism
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many tourists visited Northern Ireland in each (a) year and (b) month in the past 20 years. [178843]
Mr. Gardiner: A breakdown of the total number of non-Northern Ireland tourists over the past twenty years has been placed in the Library. Monthly breakdowns are not available for visitors entering Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland, or prior to 1990 for visitors entering Northern Ireland directly.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Lady Hermon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what lessons he learned about the operation of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission during his recent visit; [178577]
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(2) what conclusions he has drawn from his trip to South Africa in relation to the suitability of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [178578]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
I had a range of very constructive meetings with a variety of individuals and organisations during my recent visit to South Africa. I am sure that
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they will prove useful as I consider ways in which we can deal with the past in Northern Ireland. There are many interesting lessons to be learned from the South African experience, and I will be reflecting on these. But any solution must be tailored to the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland and must command widespread support.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Active Communities Unit
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Active Community Unit's expenditure on research was in 2003–04, broken down by topic. [171065]
Fiona Mactaggart: The following expenditure on research was commissioned by the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate on behalf of the Active Community Unit (ACU) in 2003–04:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| ACU: programme evaluations | |
| Compact/Codes of Practice: Implementation | 29,526 |
| Mentoring Fund and Mentor Points projects | 90,442 |
| Capital Modernisation Fund | 3,000 |
| Volunteer-involving organisations: TimeBank, Do-It, Community Channel (Media Trust) | 72,000 |
| ACU: VCS funding and performance | |
| Central Government funding, 2001–02 to 2003–04 | 46,278 |
| Local government funding, 2001–02 to 2003–04 | 34,633 |
| State of the Sector Panel: Development Project | 12,593 |
| State of the Sector Panel: Fieldwork Project | 631,982 |
| "What works" re community involvement in area-based initiatives | 25,400 |
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the consequences of a youth breaking an antisocial behaviour order are. [178568]
Ms Blears: Breach of an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) is a criminal offence. The usual range of sentencing options for juveniles up to the maximum is available, with the exception of a conditional discharge which is not available for breach of an ASBO. The maximum penalty for breach of ASBO for 12 to 17-year-olds is a 24-month Detention and Training Order. 10 to 11-year-olds can be given community orders for ASBO breaches (these are not custodial).
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