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10 Jan 2005 : Column 242W—continued
Departmental Properties
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise. [206489]
Mr. Pearson: The Northern Ireland Office currently holds 80 properties, of these 14 are vacant and on the market for sale. The total floor space can be calculated only at disproportionate cost.
This answer relates only to the Northern Ireland Office and does not include information in respect of the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.
Departmental Staff
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability. [205715]
Mr. Pearson: Of the 11,051 staff in the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office who have provided information on their disability status, the number who declared they had a disability, at 1 April 2004, was 552 (5 per cent.).
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women there are in senior positions in his Department. [205716]
Mr. Pearson: Of the 226 staff in senior positions in the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office at 1 April 2004, 53 were females.
Disabled Children
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent in the Province on (a) time out and (b) other services for families of disabled children in each of the last five years. [205954]
Angela Smith: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Documents
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206767]
Mr. Pearson: The Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Northern Ireland Office continue to implement well established policies and procedures for the storage, review and disposal of documents in accordance with their administrative needs, and also with the Public Records Act (NI) 1923 and the Public Records Act 1958 respectively. There has been no review of such policies and procedures within the past 12 months.
Electronic Devices
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many electronic devices are owned by the Department, broken down by type. [207688]
Mr. Pearson: A record is not kept of all the electronic devices used by the Northern Ireland Office. The information requested therefore could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
E-mails
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206766]
Mr. Pearson: The policy across Northern Ireland Departments is to print and file any e-mails that form part of the official record. Retention and deletion of e-mails in their printed format is managed in accordance with the Public Records Act (NI) 1923 and guidelines contained in the Northern Ireland Records Management Standard (NIRMS) 2001. Retention and deletion of e-mails in their electronic form is covered by departmental housekeeping policies and procedures. There has not been any major review of these in the past 12 months.
The Northern Ireland Office has an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) in place and saving of records to the system is in line with guidelines set out in its Information Management Policy. All e-mails in relation to making
10 Jan 2005 : Column 243W
policy and information needed for business reasons are saved in the EDRMS and retained for as long as stated in retention schedules.
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy regarding the retention of e-mails in electronic form (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005; and what instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005. [206950]
Mr. Pearson: The policy across Northern Ireland Departments is to print and file any e-mails that form part of the official record. Retention and deletion of e-mails in their printed format is managed in accordance with the Public Records Act (NI) 1923 and guidelines contained in the Northern Ireland Records Management Standard (NIRMS) 2001. Retention and deletion of e-mails in their electronic form is covered by departmental housekeeping policies and procedures that do not differentiate between the periods prior and post 1 January 2005. No specific instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.
The Northern Ireland Office has an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) in place and saving of records to the system is in line with guidelines set out in its Information Management Policy. All e-mails in relation to making policy and information needed for business reasons are saved in the EDRMS and retained for as long as stated in retention schedules.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role of (a) fuel cost reduction and (b) income maximization in energy efficiency. [203114]
Mr. Gardiner: Energy efficiency is a key element of the Government's national Climate Change Programme and also offers opportunities to reduce energy costs through more sustainable consumption. Reducing energy costs through greater energy efficiency is a priority in order to enhance industrial competitiveness and alleviate fuel poverty in Northern Ireland.
During 2003–04, £3.9 million raised through the Energy Efficiency Levy was invested in the domestic sector and captured around £17 million of potential customer lifetime savings. This is equivalent to £4.40 saved for every £1 invested.
In the same period energy efficiency audits completed within the industrial and commercial sector identified the potential for £28 million of investment in energy efficiency to secure around £190 million of lifetime savings. The Carbon Trust is continuing to work with businesses in Northern Ireland to leverage the required investment which will help significantly reduce their fuel costs. The trust has been given an additional £1.6 million this year to increase activity in this important area.
Other organisations including the Energy Saving Trust and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive continue to promote and encourage energy saving measures across the public and domestic sectors.
10 Jan 2005 : Column 244W
Freedom of Information
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department were employed to deal with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 issues in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004; and how many staff are budgeted to deal with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 issues in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006. [205038]
Mr. Pearson: It is not possible to identify precisely the number of officials who deal with Freedom of Information issues, since it is potentially part of every civil servant's role to respond to Freedom of Information requests. However, one of the primary support functions of Information Management staff is to deal with these issues, plus Data Protection and Records Management. The number of such staff currently employed is cited in the following table. Numbers have varied little since 2001.
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