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1 Dec 2005 : Column 701W—continued
NHS (Elderly Staff)
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees aged over 70 years are working in the national health service in Northern Ireland. [33090]
Mr. Woodward: There were 12 (7.29 WTE) members of staff employed within the NI HPSS who were aged over 70 as at 30 September 2005.
Northern Ireland Assembly (Land Use Powers)
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what powers the Northern Ireland Assembly would have to (a) amend and (b) to delete (i)green belt designations, (ii) areas of outstanding natural beauty designations and (iii) sites of special scientific interest after area plans have been adopted. [30766]
Angela E. Smith: The Northern Ireland Executive would be responsible for the implementation of Northern Ireland legislation governing planning matters and conservation designations.
Green belts, but not areas of outstanding natural beauty or areas of special scientific interest, are established through the area plan process. In the case of green belt designations any amendment or deletion must be carried out through the statutory process to alter an area plan, as set out in the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.
The Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 (as amended), under which areas of outstanding natural beauty are designated, also allows the Department to amend or delete these areas. Similarly, there are provisions in the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, under which areas of special scientific interest are declared, which empower the Department to amend or delete such areas where their scientific interest has been lost.
Nursing
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing vacancies there are in each health board area; and how many nurses are employed in each of the hospitals in Northern Ireland. [33065]
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Mr. Woodward: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
Notes:
1.Qualified nursing staff include health visitors, district nurses and midwives.
2.Information on qualified nursing staff vacancies includes community-based staff as well as hospital-based staff.
3.A current vacancy is an unoccupied post, which as 31 March 2005 was vacant and which the organisation was actively trying to fill.
Source:
NI Health Trusts and Organisations
Notes:
1.Qualified nursing staff include health visitors, district nurses and midwives.
2.Information on qualified nursing staff vacancies includes community-based staff as well as hospital-based staff.
3.A long-term vacancy is an unoccupied post which at 31 March 2005 had been vacant for three months or more (was vacant prior to 31 December 2004) and which the organisation was actively trying to fill. long-term vacancies are a sub-set of current vacancies.
Source:
NI Health Trusts and Organisations
Notes:
1.Qualified nursing staff include health visitors, district nurses and midwives.
2.Figures for Antrim area hospital, Whiteabbey hospital, Mid-Ulster hospital, Braid Valley hospital and Moyle hospital are as at November 2005.
Source:
NI HSS Trusts
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Parole
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what methods are used in Northern Ireland for tracking prisoners on parole; and if he will make a statement. [31982]
Mr. Woodward: The term parole" in Northern Ireland is taken to refer to home and resettlement leave.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service is not directly involved with tracking prisoners on parole. However, the PSNI are provided with details of successful applicants for home leave including their addresses and any conditions attached to granting of leave, such as alcohol and/or curfew restrictions. In addition, prisoners may be required to undergo drugs and alcohol testing before leaving and on return to prison. They may also be required to report during release to the Probation Service, who are fully informed regarding home leave conditions. Prisoners may also be required to attend a checkpoint" meeting with staff during home leave and keep a diary.
Certain prisoners, including life sentence prisoners, may be accompanied on periods of home leave particularly during the early stages. Where they are permitted overnight stays, there will be hostel supervision.
Young offenders are required to meet their Probation Officer during home leave. A member of Opportunity Youth may also call unannounced at the home address to check that conditions of temporary release, such as no
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alcohol, are being adhered to. Young Offenders not subject to custody probation orders are required to report to a local police station during home leave.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are applied in Northern Ireland when considering whether a prisoner is eligible for parole; and if he will make a statement. [31983]
Mr. Woodward: The term parole" in Northern Ireland refers to home and resettlement leave.
On 1 March 2004 the Prison Service introduced a new home leave scheme which provides quotas of home and resettlement leave for determinate sentence and life sentence prisoners.
Determinate sentence prisoners sentenced on or after that date may now avail of leave only during the last 12 months of sentence. The number of days' leave granted depends on the length of sentence and continuous custody. All applications by determinate sentence prisoners are considered by the Home Leave Board of the prison establishment concerned and are subject to a satisfactory risk assessment. Each prisoner must provide the board with reasons why home leave is requested and indicate how he will use home leave constructively. Victim issues are also taken into consideration.
The same considerations apply to life sentence prisoners.
Police
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed by each district command unit to collate and produce Police Service of Northern Ireland statistical information. [31936]
Mr. Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland does not employ staff in any DCU with the specific remit of statistical collation.
Statistics relating to the main crime types (as outlined by the Home Office counting rules) are automatically generated by computerised crime recording. It is the responsibility of PSNI's central statistics unit to collate and present statistics relating to these matters of crime, security, drugs and certain roads policing offences.
PSNI Headquarters Departments also gather information from DCU's and Branches relating to matters of strategic importance, for example issues contained in the policing plan.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) female and (b) male Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were recruited in each year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) Protestants, (ii) Catholics and (iii)others. [31940]
Mr. Woodward:
I am advised that the breakdown of officers recruited by PSNI are as follows.
1 Dec 2005 : Column 705W
(10)From 4 November 2001 to 31 December 2001.
(11)Up to 28 November 2005.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance his Department has given the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the (a) purchase and (b) hire of police road vehicles. [31953]
Mr. Woodward: Under the terms of the Management Statement issued by the Department to the Chief Constable in respect of the grant made available for police purposes, the Chief Constable is responsible for ensuring that efficient financial systems and procedures are in place. The Department has not given PSNI any specific guidance on (a) the purchase, (b) the hire of police road vehicles, however PSNI have a service level agreement (SLA) with the NIO Procurement Unit under which advice and guidance can be provided on procurement issues as required.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police vehicles in each district command unit were (a) purchased and (b) hired in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [33069]
Mr. Woodward: The purchase and hire of vehicles is conducted by Transport Services Branch, not at DCU level. The total figures for vehicle purchase and hire are set out as follows:
| Vehicles purchased | Hire of vehicles | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 445 | 4 |
| 2002–03 | 346 | 27 |
| 2003–04 | 461 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | 625 | 9 |
| 2005–06(12) | 167 | 2 |
(12)End September 2005
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