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6 Apr 2005 : Column 1533W—continued
Lighthouse Fund
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from other Government Departments regarding the cessation of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters. [224599]
Mr. Spellar: I am unaware of any representations on this matter.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Irish Government regarding the cessation of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters. [224600]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
We recognise that the current funding arrangements set out in the 1985 Agreement are increasingly inappropriate for today's political and commercial context. Following discussions at official level between the two Governments, the Irish Government's Department of Communication, Marine and Natural Resources have now stated that they have no objection in principle to participating in a review of the Agreement. We are now developing proposals for their consideration as a matter of priority.
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Milk Prices
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on milk prices in Northern Ireland. [223279]
Mr. Pearson: The average producer milk price in Northern Ireland was 18.26 pence per litre in 2004, which was an increase of 0.26 pence per litre (+ 1.5 per cent.) on the previous year. This compares with an average milk price for the UK as a whole of 18.56 pence per litre in 2004.
The milk price in Great Britain is slightly higher because around 50 per cent. of total milk production goes into the higher priced liquid market. In comparison, around 85 per cent. of milk produced in Northern Ireland is processed into commodities such as butter, cheese and milk powders.
Detailed information on milk prices and on the value of milk production is given in the 'Statistical Review of Northern Ireland Agriculture, 2004', which was published on 24 March 2005 and is available on the DARD website at www.dardni.gov.uk.
Patten Report
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officers (a) were employed by the Special Branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland immediately before the implementation of the Patten Report and (b) are serving in PSNI Special Branch. [223687]
Mr. Pearson:
The information is as follows.
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2001 | |
| E dept. (including HMSU) | 855 |
| Total | 855 |
| 18 March 2005 | |
| C3 intelligence | 433 |
| C4 crime support | 281 |
| Total | 714 |
Police
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers were on duty during the weekends of (a) 1 and 2 January and (b) 7 and 8 January in (i) Garvagh, (ii) Kilrea, (iii) Coleraine, (iv) Portrush and (v) Portstewart police stations. [224209]
Mr. Pearson: The number of officers deployed on duty per shift during the weekends of (a) 1 and 2 January and (b) 7 and 8 of January 2005 in Coleraine DCU was as follows:
| Coleraine DCU personnel | Tactical support group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early(30) | Night(31) | Early(30) | Night(31) | |
| 1 January 2005 | 23 | 37 | 24 | 0 |
| 2 January 2005 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 0 |
| 7 January 2005 | 30 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 January 2005 | 20 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
(30) Early shift 0700 to 1900 hours.
(31) Night shift 1900 to 0700 hours.
Notes:
1. Tactical Support Group are available to provide support anywhere in the District Command Unit.
2. Any shortfall in resource in one station will be supplemented by resources from another.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when Police Service of Northern Ireland candidates processed under Campaign 8 will be informed of the outcome; how many candidates there were, broken down by (a) religion and (b) gender; and if he will make a statement. [222877]
Mr. Pearson: Applicants to a PSNI trainee constable competition have to pass through two stages, an initial selection test and an assessment centre, before progressing into a merit pool of suitably qualified candidates from which they are then appointed at an equal ratio of those determined to be from a Catholic background and those from a non-Catholic background.
Candidates are informed of the result of the assessment centre and whether or not they have been successful in entering the merit pool as the process rolls forward.
With regards to Campaign 8, I am advised PSNI will make contact with all on the merit list in July 2005. Of the 5,695 candidates applying for Campaign 8, 1,342 and 644 were male and female respectively from a Catholic background, and, 2,372 and 1,337 were male and female respectively from a non-Catholic background.
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Pollution
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the public health implications of the untreated waste and sewage washed up at Orlock, County Down. [224257]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Lady Hermon, dated 6 April 2005:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about the public health implications of the untreated waste and sewage washed up at Orlock, County Down (224257). I have been asked to reply as Chief Executive of Water Service.
Water Service regrets the problems that have arisen due to the failure of the screening plant at Briggs Rock, Orlock. The Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety, which is responsible for policy on public health matters, has advised that, while it is understood that the North Down borough council has assessed the situation at Orlock from a public health perspective, the Public Health Department of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board has been asked to liaise with North Down borough council to determine if there is any risk to public health from this situation, and if so, to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to deal with it.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the Environment and Heritage Service to complete its investigation into the unregulated waste management activity found at Geddis farm on the outskirts of Helen's Bay in County Down; and when he expects the Environment and Heritage Service to publish the findings of its investigation. [224626]
Angela Smith: The Environment and Heritage Service anticipates that investigations will be completed by June 2005, when the finding will be made available, unless legal action is instigated by the Department.
Queen's Flight
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions the Department's Ministers used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years. [213443]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Travel by Ministers makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/Private Charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
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