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21 Jun 2004 : Column 1240W—continued
Housing Benefit
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes he plans to the way in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive pays housing benefit to tenants. [178614]
Mr. Spellar: There are no plans at present to change the way in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive pays housing benefit to tenants.
Ice Hockey
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent (a) meetings have been held and (b) representations have been made by the Sports Council to promote the development of amateur ice hockey in Northern Ireland. [178528]
Angela Smith: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland met with representatives with an interest in the sport of ice hockey as follows.
The NI Ice Hockey Federation in November 2003
Castlereagh Borough Council in November 2003
Belfast Community Ice Hockey Club in January 2004
A further meeting has been planned for 16 June 2004 with representatives from the Belfast Community Ice Hockey Club.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Sports Council recognises the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association; and what individuals the Sports Council understands to constitute the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association. [178529]
Angela Smith: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland does not recognise the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association, as this body is no longer operational. The Sports Council now officially recognises the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Federation, in place of the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association, as the governing body in Northern Ireland. It is understood that there is one member club—the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Club—which is affiliated to the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Federation.
Juvenile Justice Centre
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what external investigations took place into the two escapes by young offenders from the Juvenile Justice Centre; how many managers were on duty within each unit from which an escape was made; and if he will make a statement on security at the centre. [179501]
Mr. Spellar:
This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that no external investigations took place. However the Director of the Juvenile Justice Centre ordered two internal investigations and a number of recommendations for improving security were made. On each escape there were three managers on duty, one of whom was on-site. The Social Services Inspectorate subsequently reviewed the escape episodes and observed the additional security measures which had already been implemented.
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Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what access the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has had to the Juvenile Justice Centre since its opening; and if he will list (a) the representations received from the NIHRC and (b) the meetings the centre's director has had with commissioners. [179502]
Mr. Spellar: This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the Director of Custody and other senior staff at the centre met with two investigators of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) on 13 January 2004. They were then given a tour of various parts of the centre. The NIHRC has written on a number of occasions requesting access to the Juvenile Justice Centre for the purpose of conducting a review. Appropriate access, taking account of the planned inspection of the centre by the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice, has been offered.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is responsible for the running of the Juvenile Justice Centre; what the gender mix of management is at (a) weekends and (b) public holidays; and what qualifications they have in (i) social work and (ii) management. [179503]
Mr. Spellar: This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the gender balance of on-site and on call managers varies according to the rota each weekend and public holiday. The centre strives to achieve a balance where possible. The on call managers are qualified staff. While there is no requirement for the on-site managers to be qualified in either social work or management, it should be emphasised that they do possess the necessary competences and experience to carry out their roles effectively. The Director of Custody is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Juvenile Justice Centre.
Medical Notes
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the rights of families to seek access to the medical notes of relatives who die in hospital. [179088]
Mr. Gardiner: Where a patient has died, the patient's personal representative and any person who may have a claim arising out of the patient's death, may make an application to the holder of the health record, for access to the health record or to any part of the health record.
However, where such an application is made, access shall not be given if the record includes a note, made at the patient's request, that he or she did not wish access to be given on such an application.
In addition, access shall not be given to any part of a health record which, in the opinion of the holder of the record, would disclose:
(i) information likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of any individual, or,
(ii) information relating to, or provided by an individual other than the patient, who could be identified from that information.
Multiple Limb Disability
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province have congenital multiple limb disability. [179072]
Mr. Pearson: Information on the number of individuals with congenital multiple limb disability is not collected centrally. However, the following table shows the total number of children born in each year from 1997 to 2003 inclusive who were recorded as having any type of congenital malformation of their limbs.
| Number of children | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 428 |
| 1998 | 393 |
| 1999 | 447 |
| 2000 | 349 |
| 2001 | 550 |
| 2002 | 510 |
| 2003 | 553 |
Note:
As a child may be recorded in more than one category of malformation, there may be an element of double counting in the figures.
Source:
Child Health System.
Omagh Bombing
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made during the past 12 months in the police investigation into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement. [178924]
Mr. Pearson: Within the past 12 months one person has been charged with serious terrorist related offences, including one connected to the Omagh Bomb. There have been other significant developments that it would not be appropriate to disclose at this stage of the investigation.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers are working on the investigation into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement. [178925]
Mr. Pearson: The Omagh investigation, by its nature, requires substantial resourcing. It is currently one of the largest and most protracted investigations ever to have been conducted within the United Kingdom. The actual number of officers deployed at any given time varies according to the most efficient use of resources within the Crime Operations Department.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the investigation of the police into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998 has ascertained what happened to the threat book from Omagh police station for the period covering the weeks immediately prior to 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement. [178926]
Mr. Pearson:
The Senior Investigating Officer has carried out detailed investigations into intelligence relating to threats in the period immediately prior to the
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1243W
Omagh Bomb. The threat book referred to was a document that recorded those threats and would not in itself add to the investigation.
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