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24 Feb 2005 : Column 825W—continued
Cleaning
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs of cleaning the Department were in each year since 1997. [213780]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office (excluding its agencies and NDPBs) has spent the following on cleaning in each year since 1997:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 79,023 |
| 1998–99 | 108,235 |
| 1999–2000 | 118,178 |
| 2000–01 | 118,369 |
| 2001–02 | 125,025 |
| 2002–03 | 263,062 |
| 2003–04 | 195,192 |
Criminal Justice
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether offences proscribed in Part II of the draft Criminal Justice (Evidence) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 will include offences committed in respect of children aged 17 years. [217607]
Mr. Spellar: The Criminal Justice Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 provides the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with a power to prescribe categories of offences which are 'of the same type' for use as an indicator that a defendant has a propensity to commit offences of a certain type. The draft proposed Criminal Justice (Evidence) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 (Categories of Offences) Order 2005 proposes two such categories of offences: Part I deals with offences of theft; Part II deals with sexual offences against persons aged under the age of 17.
While Part II of the draft Order focuses on children aged under 17, any relevant previous conviction—including those committed against persons aged 17 or over—may be admissible at trial even when no relevant category of offences has been introduced. Both Part I and Part II categories are intended as a guide to the judiciary. Nor does the absence of categories for other types of offences prevent previous convictions from being admitted if they demonstrate a propensity to commit a certain type of offence. Further categories may be introduced at a later date.
Decommissioning Commission
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of the Independent International Decommissioning Commission has been in each year since it was established. [216513]
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Mr. Pearson: The Commission's running costs are shared equally between the British and Irish Governments. The British Government's share of the costs for each financial year, since the establishment of the Commission is as follows:
| Cost (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 428,256 |
| 1998–99 | 534,835 |
| 1999–2000 | 603,600 |
| 2000–01 | 701,814 |
| 2001–02 | 677,973 |
| 2002–03 | 309,600 |
| 2003–04 | 276,729 |
| 2004–05 (Up to and including December 2004) | 263,778 |
| Total | 3,796,585 |
Electoral Register
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many electors in each constituency will have their names restored to the electoral register in Northern Ireland before the local government elections on 5 May 2005. [214506]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland estimates that approximately 83,000 former electors on the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland's database will be carried forward, distributed across the 18 constituencies. Precise numbers per constituency that are carried forward will not be known until 1 April 2005 register (the register that will be in use for the local government elections in May) is actually published.
In-house Magazines
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department in each year since 1997. [213633]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The amount spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Northern Ireland Office is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 Financial year | 15,012 |
| 2003–04 Financial year | 14,893 |
| 2002–03 Financial year | 15,577 |
| 2001–02 Financial year | 3,830 |
| 2000–01 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 0 |
| 1997–98 | 0 |
Invest NI/LVM
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much financial assistance has been offered by Invest NI to LVM to locate new premises in (a) West Belfast and (b) East Belfast; and if he will make a statement on the status of this project. [213548]
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Mr. Gardiner: Disclosure of this information is likely to prejudice the interests of the Northern Ireland economy. In accordance with section 29a of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, it would therefore not be in the public interest to release the information requested by the hon. Lady.
Organised Crime
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the assessment made by Professor Goldstock, in his report on organised crime in Northern Ireland, of the possible impact of new laws modelled on the United States Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act. [215781]
Mr. Pearson: The Government accepted the majority of Professor Goldstock's recommendations, but concluded that a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) type Act was not required at this stage. Law enforcement agencies in Northern Ireland continue to work closely to ensure that the best use is made of existing conspiracy legislation. In addition the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 provides a robust framework for dealing with criminal assets.
Parades Commission
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has taken to ensure that, where reports of monitors acting on behalf of the Parades Commission contain evidence of breaches of determinations, those reports are routinely handed to the police service of Northern Ireland for investigation and the results of that investigation are fed back to the Commission. [213303]
Mr. Pearson: Rule 3.3 of the Parades Commission's Procedural rules outlines the confidential treatment of all evidence and information received by the Commission, including monitors' reports.
In light of Rule 3.3 there is no routine handing of reports to the PSNI in the circumstances outlined. However, the Commission is mindful of the need to work with the police to promote disciplined and responsible parading where parading is notified to take place. The Commission will take a judgment on when it is appropriate to refer a specific incident to the police.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance is available from the Police Service of Northern Ireland to assist the Parades Commission in establishing a Compliance and Post-mortem Unit. [214237]
Mr. Pearson: PSNI have advised in their evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee that they could assist with the supply of information to the Commission on how to manage the process of establishing a Compliance and Post-mortem Unit and would be willing to work with them in the setting up of protocols/administrative arrangements should the Commission seek such assistance.
Police
Mr. Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police personnel were
24 Feb 2005 : Column 828W
on duty in each police station in the Coleraine District Council area over each weekend during the first two weeks of January. [213973]
Mr. Pearson: The number of officers on duty per shift in the first two weekends of January 2005, in stations within the Coleraine District Command Unit, was as follows:
| Coleraine DCU Personnel | Tactical Support Group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early | Night | Early | Night | |
| 1 January 2005 | 23 | 37 | 24 | 0 |
| 2 January 2005 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 0 |
| 8 January 2005 | 20 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 January 2005 | 20 | 19 | 25 | 0 |
The figures relate to both the early shift 0700–1900 hours and night shift 1900–0700 hours. The numbers reflect officers on duty for duty shifts only. They do not include Sector Police, CID, and support officers such as Crime Prevention, Operational Planning, National Intelligence and Community Safety. Officers attached to the Tactical Support Group are available to provide support anywhere within the District Command Unit.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average response time from a call to the emergency number to attendance by a Police Service of Northern Ireland officer at an incident in Newtownards was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [214918]
Mr. Pearson: The Police Service of Northern Ireland does not currently record the response time to emergency calls.
The response time to emergency calls (999) will be part of the forthcoming policing plan, and will thus be recorded in the financial year to come.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are in place for full-time reserve officers to transfer from the Police Service Northern Ireland to other police services in Great Britain. [216670]
Mr. Paul Murphy: While legislation exists to permit the direct transfer of regular officers in the PSNI to police forces in GB, and vice versa, the unique status of the Full-time Reserve means that there is no such provision, nor has there ever been, for FTR officers seeking to transfer on a similar basis.
Such officers may of course apply to join GB forces through the recruitment procedures which apply to that force. With that in mind, officials in the NIO have been working with colleagues in the PSNI, Policing Board and Police Federation to co-ordinate the staging of a careers fair to assist FTR officers who wish to pursue police careers elsewhere.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police service of Northern Ireland officers work within the Ards district of Northern Ireland, broken down by principal duty conducted by each officer. [214919]
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Mr. Pearson: The details for police officers attached to Ards District Command Unit on 8 February 2005 are as follows:
(20) Including Custody officers, National Intelligence Model officers, Operational Planning, Community Safety officers, Domestic Violence Officers, Youth Diversion Officers, Crime Prevention Officers etc.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police stations were in operation in Ards in each of the last six years. [214921]
Mr. Pearson: The following stations currently open in Ards District Command Unit are:
Greyabbey Station was last used for limited opening 18 months ago, and would be occasionally used by the local community policing team.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers stationed in Ards were on out-of-station duties on an average shift in the last period for which figures are available. [214922]
Mr. Pearson: On 20 January 2005, the following resources were deployed on out of station duties:
| 12 hour early shift | 8 hour early shift | 8 hour late shift | 12 hour night shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Team | 10 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Community Policing | 0 | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| CID | — | 4 | 3 | — |
Averages are not recorded. To calculate such an average for a defined period would involve a manual trawl of records, and would incur disproportionate cost.
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