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Social Deprivation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the review of the boundaries of the Noble indices on social deprivation will be published. [221381]

Mr. Pearson: Following a consultation exercise last year, a blueprint document detailing the indicators and methods to be used in producing the new measures of deprivation has been published on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency website. The final report from the Noble team, incorporating the actual measures of deprivation, is currently planned for publication in late May 2005.

Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to contribute effectively to the British-Irish Council; [219921]

(2) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to contribute effectively to the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference; [219922]

(3) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build and sustain confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of the police service; [219923]

(4) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build and sustain confidence in the police oversight and accountability arrangements in Northern Ireland; [219924]

(5) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase confidence in the police throughout all parts of the community by 3 per cent. by April 2008 will be met; [219925]

(6) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build and sustain confidence in the criminal justice system; [219926]
 
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(7) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a criminal justice system that is effective, efficient and responsive; [219927]

(8) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase confidence in the criminal justice system throughout all parts of the community by 3 per cent. by April 2008 will be met; [219928]

(9) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to uphold and maintain the rule of law; [219929]

(10) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a legislative and strategic framework that takes account of the need to secure justice and the rights of the individual; [219930]

(11) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a legislative and strategic framework that provides for a sufficient counter-terrorist capability; [219931]

(12) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a legislative and strategic framework that seeks to minimise the potential for, and causes and effects of, public order disturbances and community strife; [219932]

(13) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to lessen the impact of crime; [219933]

(14) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to develop policies to prevent or reduce the threat of crime; [219934]

(15) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to develop policies to provide support for the victims of crime; [219935]

(16) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce domestic burglary by 2 per cent. by April will be met; [219936]

(17) what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to reduce domestic burglary by 15 per cent. by April 2007 will be met; [219937]

(18) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the theft of vehicles by 6 per cent. by April will be met; [219938]

(19) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the theft of vehicles by 10 per cent. by April 2007 will be met; [219939]

(20) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce theft from vehicles by 6 per cent. by April will be met; [219940]

(21) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce theft from vehicles by 10 per cent. by April 2007 will be met; [219941]

(22) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the rate of reconviction by 5 per cent. compared to the predicted rate by 2008 will be met; [219942]
 
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(23) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to ensure that the supervisory and custodial sentences imposed on offenders by the courts are delivered appropriately to protect the people of Northern Ireland; [219943]

(24) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to ensure that the supervisory and custodial sentences imposed on offenders by the courts are delivered appropriately to reduce the risk of re-offending; [220028]

(25) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that the annual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland falls to £82,500 by 2007–08 will be met; [220029]

(26) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that the annual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland falls to £86,290 by 2005–06 will be met; [220030]

(27) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that the annual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland falls to £85,250 by 2006–07 will be met; [220031]

(28) recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase Catholic representation in the police service to 30 per cent. by December 2010 will be met; [220154]

(29) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase Catholic representation in the police service to 18.5 per cent. by March 2006 will be met; [220155]

(30) whether the public service agreement target to increase Catholic representation in the police service to 13.5 per cent. by March 2004 will be met; [220156]

(31) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to secure a lasting peace in Northern Ireland; [220157]

(32) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to encourage political development in Northern Ireland. [220158]

Mr. Paul Murphy: In common with the other Whitehall Departments, the Northern Ireland Office reports progress against the targets and objectives in the public service agreement (PSA) in its Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report. In the 2004 Spending Review PSA, the NIO agreed seven main objectives and, within these, four key target areas which commit it to a specified level of performance or achievement. Since the SR2004 PSA commences in April 2005 no material is available to monitor progress against these targets. However the Department has provided extensive public information on progress against the PSA targets agreed as part of the SR2002 settlement. Because the targets are clearly measurable they are reported on in detail in the Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report. Progress against objectives is reported on in more general terms.

The NIO's 2005 Departmental Report is in draft and will be published soon on a date to be set by HM Treasury. It will provide detail on the targets and give information on performance to the end of the SR2002 PSA period. It and the Autumn Performance Report are
 
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available from the Stationery Office or on the NIOs website (http://www.nio.gov.uk). In addition, HM Treasury's performance website (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance/index/cfm) currently reports specifically on performance against the targets in the SR2002 PSA and will be updated regularly to report on SR2004 PSA targets.

Autumn Performance Report are available from the Stationery Office or on the NIOs website (http://www.nio.gov.uk). In addition, HM Treasury's performance website (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance/index/cfm) currently reports specifically on performance against the targets in the SR2002 PSA and will be updated regularly to report on SR2004 PSA targets.

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