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25 Feb 2005 : Column 890W—continued
Police Service (Protestant Applicants)
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Protestant applicants who qualified to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been rejected since its establishment because of the 50:50 sectarian recruitment procedures. [214228]
Mr. Pearson: We have been extremely encouraged by the fact that 37,957 applications have been made from across the whole community, to join PSNI as a trainee constable. As a result, large numbers have made it to the pool of suitably qualified candidates, yet failed to be appointed due to the finite number of posts available.
I am advised that there have been 2,427 occasions where qualified non-Catholic applicants have been rejected from the trainee constable competitions run since the introduction of the temporary 50:50 recruitment provisions contained in the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000.
Of these, 408 applications have been rejected as a result of the 50:50 provisions. The remaining 2,019 applications would have been rejected, irrespective of 50:50, if appointment from the pool had been on merit only.
The Government fully acknowledge that 50:50 recruitment amounts to discrimination, but believes that the provisions are justified as a temporary means of rectifying an acute historical imbalance in the composition of the police service. This is clearly working, with the proportion of Catholics among regular officers rising from 8 per cent. in 2001 to 17.14 per cent. today. Our target is to increase this proportion to 30 per cent. by 2010–11.
Social Inclusion Working Group
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the members are of the sub-committee on housing of the Promoting Social Inclusion Working Group of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. [217771]
Mr. Spellar: The Promoting Social Inclusion Working Group on homelessness is being led by the Department for Social Development. The names of the Working Group's members are on the Department's internet site, at the following address: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/housing/social-inclusion.asp.
The list of members can be found on the second page of the link "Documents issued by the group to date".
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Overseas Voter Registration
Mr. Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the estimated cost is of the posting of leaflets produced by the Electoral Commission to promote overseas voter registration to embassies and consulates abroad. [218223]
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Mr. Viggers: I am informed by the Electoral Commission that 73 Consulates, Embassies and High Commissions have so far ordered a total of 33,000 copies of its leaflet giving electoral information for British citizens living overseas, which includes advice on eligibility to register as an overseas voter, and on how to do so. The total cost to date to the Commission of the associated postage is £510.
Voter Information
Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent information the Electoral Commission has made available to (a) overseas, (b) service and (c) postal voters; and if he will place copies in the Library. [217549]
Mr. Viggers: I am informed by the Electoral Commission that it has made information available to each of these groups through a range of outlets. Two new leaflets provide electoral information for British citizens living overseas and for members of Her Majesty's armed forces and both include specific information on how to register to vote. These have been widely distributed via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence respectively. The Commission has also carried out a range of other activities targeted at overseas and service voters, including advertising, media relations and information on its website, as well as distributing information via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. As regards postal votes, the Commission has produced an information leaflet that is available to the public through electoral administrators and from the Commission's voter helpline and website.
I have asked the Commission to place copies of each of the leaflets in the Library.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
"Homes for All" Initiative
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his proposal to provide starter homes at £60,000 each under the "Homes for All" initiative includes public subsidy for the construction of associated infrastructure. [217338]
Keith Hill:
"Homes for All", the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's five-year plan launched on 24 January 2005, announced that English Partnerships, on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, will be launching a competition that will invite organisations to bid for the right to construct one or more new developments on sites in their ownership. By using public sector land to provide the sites, the competition can focus on improving construction efficiency, quality and design.
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The competition will provide up to 1,000 homes. The winners of the competition will be expected to abide by local planning requirements and provide the usual supporting on-site infrastructure.
A minimum of 30 per cent. of the housing dwellings within the competition will be built to a target cost of £60,000 and the remainder will be larger and smaller dwellings that should be built at an equivalent cost-efficiency. The £60,000 target relates to the construction cost element.
Consultants
Mr. Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure by his Department on external consultants was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2003–04; and what the estimated cost of employing external consultants will be in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06, (iii) 2006–07 and (iv) 2007–08. [211558]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. It is not possible to provide information prior to that date, neither is it possible to provide estimates for future spend as this information is not held. For the financial years 2003–04 and the 2004–05 to date, the cost of employing external consultants is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| The Office of the Deputy | |
| 2003–04 | 47,000,000 |
| Prime Minister | |
| 2004–05 to date | 58,940,306.84 |
| Executive Agencies | |
| 2003–04 | 6,305,906 |
| 2004–05 to date | 3,079,585 |
These figures do not include the Government Offices, which perform functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
Departmental Costs
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997. [214895]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Enterprise Gateways/Hubs
Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) location and (b) cost of each (i) Enterprise Gateway and (ii) Enterprise hubs is, broken down by county. [213173]
Yvette Cooper:
The information requested is tabled as follows.
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Notes:
1. Revenue cost for each Enterprise Hub and Gateway is £85,000 per year.
2. Capital costs reflect total capital investment to date. This investment is determined by market need for physic incubator space and/or hotdesking and specialist facilities (e.g. laboratory space)
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