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3 Nov 2005 : Column 1369W—continued

Human Resources Contract

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the members of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Project (a) Board and (b) Team for the electronic Human Resources Contract indicating (i) the Department or agency each represents and (ii) their areas of expertise and experience. [22145]


 
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Angela E. Smith: The Project Board consists of senior civil service members experienced in and representing the personnel function within the NICS departments and the NIO. The director of personnel for the NICS chairs the Board and its members include personnel directors from each department and the NIO, along with a senior representative from the Central Procurement Directorate, the Strategic Investment Board and the NI Statistical and Research Agency. The eHR team is comprised of experienced personnel, payroll, ICT, project, programme and change management experts. This team is supported by a number of quality review teams. These teams consist of personnel and payroll practitioners from across the NICS and NIO. The appointed legal and financial advisers to the project join the Board for discussions as required.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) professional advice and (b) independent peer review has been commissioned in respect of the Northern Ireland Civil Service's decisions and processes in relation to the electronic Human Resources Contract. [22146]

Angela E. Smith: Legal advice is provided by Denton Wilde Sapte who are engaged by the Strategic Investment Board. Financial advice has been provided by Deloitte MCS Limited and Grant Thornton UK LLP. Advice is also provided by the Strategic Investment Board and the Central Procurement Directorate of the Department of Finance and Personnel.

The eHR project has been subject to an independent Peer Review process which commenced in November 2002. Five reviews have been conducted under the peer review process in accordance with Office of Government Commerce guidance on the completion of Gateway reviews. The Office of Government Commerce is an office of HM Treasury. Each review has been led by a designated Office of Government Commerce member of staff and supported by a panel of members independent of the eHR project.

IRA Decommissioning

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) on what date he was first informed of the identity of the two clergy witnesses to IRA decommissioning; [20744]

(2) on what date he was first informed that the IRA had invited reverend Good and Father Reid to be the clergy witnesses to IRA decommissioning. [20745]

Mr. Woodward: On 26 September, the IICD gave a press conference and submitted a report to the British and Irish Governments. The Reverend Good and Father Reid attended that conference in their capacity as independent witnesses. The identities of the independent witnesses were known from that point onwards. The IICD's report to the two Governments of 26 September referred to the role of Reverend Good and Father Reid in witnessing the decommissioning. The independent witnesses provided invaluable extra assurance in the process.
 
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Landlords

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) information and (b) training is made available by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to landlords. [24067]

Mr. Hanson: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has recognised the need to provide information and training to landlords on a range of issues. Action to date has taken a number of forms. It has:

In addition, information has been provided to landlords on a range of houses in multiple occupation issues and guidance material made available on housing benefit and the private rented sector.

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a requirement for landlords to agree written tenancy agreements with their tenants in the private rented sector. [24068]

Mr. Hanson: The draft Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, recently published for consultation by the Department for Social Development, includes provisions to place a requirement on private landlords to provide tenants with a written tenancy agreement.

Local Government

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in each local council in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [24145]

Angela E. Smith: The number of district council employees for each of the last five years is not available. The most up-to-date figures, recorded at 1 January 2002, are set out in the table. An exercise to update this information is currently under way.
District council Full-time employeesPart-time employees(15)
Antrim20870
Ards29982
Armagh21348
Ballymena12918
Ballymoney8931
Banbridge15632
Belfast1810549
Carrickfergus15244
Castlereagh21664
Coleraine25148
Cookstown12668
Craigavon38060
Derry449109
Down23654
Dungannon and South Tyrone8036
Fermanagh21231
Larne14613
Limavady11032
Lisburn4556
Magherafelt12176
Moyle10113
Newry and Mourne36732
Newtownabbey281181
North Down301152
Omagh249172
Strabane14111
Total7,2782,032


(15) Part time denotes anyone working fewer than 30 hours per week, including job sharers



 
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London Olympics

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the potential benefits for Northern Ireland from London hosting the 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement. [22655]

Mr. Hanson: I have commissioned a strategic plan, which will be in place by January 2006. This will outline the options for maximising the opportunities that will increase participation and performance in sport, and to leave a legacy in sport, tourism and the economy. This will be reflected in the development of the new 10 year Strategy for Sport which will be offered for public consultation in February/March 2006.

Our priorities will be:

Marriages

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many marriage ceremonies have taken place in (a) Antrim borough council and (b) Ards borough council in each of the last five years. [21241]

Angela E. Smith: The following tables give the number of marriages registered in Antrim and Ards local government districts and, of these, the number of civil ceremonies which took place in the Antrim and Ards council offices between 2000 and 2004.
 
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Table: Number of marriages registered in Antrim local government district and of these the number of civil ceremonies that took place in the Antrim council office, 2000 to 2004(16)

Civil marriages celebrated in Antrim council officeMarriages registered in Antrim local government district
200059203
200160221
200267203
200346201
2004(16)48203


(16) Data for 2004 are provisional.



Table: Number of marriages registered in Ards local government district and of these the number of civil ceremonies that took place in the Ards council office, 2000 to 2004(17)

Civil marriages celebrated in Ards council officeMarriages registered in Ards local government district
200086273
200180290
200282293
200375291
2004(17)65244


(17) Data for 2004 are provisional.


Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many marriage licences were issued by (a) Antrim borough council and (b) Ards borough council in each of the last five years. [21243]

Angela E. Smith: Prior to 1 January 2004, all civil marriages were carried out either by Registrar's Certificate or Registrar's Licence but separate statistics are not available for each form of authority. The following tables give the total number of civil marriages in Antrim and Ards local government districts between 2000 and 2003.

New marriage legislation introduced from 1 January 2004 provided for universal civil preliminaries with a schedule issued by the registrar constituting the authority for all marriages, religious or civil, to take place. In 2004, 185 marriages were carried out by schedule in Antrim local government district and 231 marriages were carried out by schedule in Ards local government district. Of these 57 marriages in Antrim local government district and 78 marriages in Ards local government district were civil marriages.

A further three civil marriages in Antrim local government district and four civil marriages in Ards local government district took place in 2004, under the previous legislation.
Table 1: The total number of civil marriages inAntrim council office, 2000–03

Civil marriages celebrated in Antrim council office
200059
200160
200267
200346

 
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Table 2: The total number of civil marriages in Ardscouncil office, 2000–03

Civil marriages celebrated in Ards council office
200086
200180
200282
200375


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