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8 Dec 2005 : Column 1476W—continued
Murder and Manslaughter
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of (i) murder and (ii)manslaughter in Northern Ireland in each year since 1995. [33086]
Mr. Hanson: Figures for the number of offences of murder and manslaughter cleared by a charge/summons are provided in Table 1 and cover the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05.
The prosecution and conviction statistics included within Table 2 cover the calendar years 1995 to 2003. Data beyond 2003 will become available in early 2006.
It should be noted that statistics in Table 1 are based on offences cleared and subsequently charged, while data in Table 2 relate to the number of persons prosecuted and convicted. As such, comparisons between the two tables are not appropriate.
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(5)Please note that the figures relate to the number of crimes that have been cleared by way of charge/summons. This does not equate to the number of persons who have been made amenable.
Source:
Central Statistics Unit, PSNI
Note:
Figures exclude attempts.
Source:
Statistics and Research Branch, Northern Ireland Office
Police
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by name each group consulted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland before the installation of CCTV cameras in (a) East Belfast, (b) North Belfast and (c) South Belfast; and how many times each group was consulted in each case. [31934]
Mr. Hain: The Chief Constable has advised me that no precise records are held that can show exactly how many times consultation occurred. In addition, the confidentiality of many community consultations and contacts must be respected.
The CCTV cameras in East Belfast were installed in three phases.
(i) A single camera was installed at Albert Bridge/Lagan Walkway in 1998 after consultation with Laganside Corporation, Belfast city council and BT who were the partners in that CCTV scheme. Its role was primarily to prevent antisocial behaviour in the new Laganside development area.
(ii) The second phase was in 2001 and consisted of two cameras at Madrid Street and Newtownards Road respectively. There was no consultation with community groups prior to the initiation of planning work.
Sinn Fein and Loyalist community representatives were informed about the positioning of the Madrid Street and Newtownards Road cameras in 2001 prior to the installation of the equipment.
(iii) The third phase consisted of five cameras that were erected in 2002 after the prolonged violence that summer. No consultation was carried out prior to the installation as there was a clear operational need to provide a technological alternative to the use of large numbers of police and military personnel in the Cluan Place/Short Strand area. Representatives from Sinn Fein, DUP, UUP and a loyalist community group were informed of the intention to erect cameras prior to their installation.
The CCTV system in operation in South Belfast was developed more than 10 years ago. As with most developments in the city centre, police would have spoken with city council, planning authorities, the Chamber of Commerce and other relevant groups in the area.
Between 1 June 2001 and 31 May 2002 174 riots occurred in North Belfast in which 723 police officers were injured. The initial roll out of CCTV in North Belfast was undertaken by PSNI as an urgent response to the on-going interface violence in the DCU, with no time for community consultation.
The initial cameras were situated at the main flashpoints including Limestone Road, Ardoyne Shopfronts, North Queen Street/Duncairn Gardens, Whitewell Road and Ardoyne Road.
The second phase roll out allowed for wider community-based consultation, including community representatives, political representatives and other interested parties. The exact timing of such contacts is not held.
Primary Schools (Intake)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Department of Education funded primary schools in Northern Ireland had a September intake of fewer than (a) 12 and (b) nine pupils in P1 classes. [35321]
Angela E. Smith: The requested information is as follows:
Sports Academy
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the decision to establish a sports academy at the university of Ulster has been subject to an equality impact assessment; and if he will make a statement. [34607]
Angela E. Smith:
In line with legislative requirements, the university carries out equality impact assessments where there is evidence to indicate that there may be differential impacts on one or more of the categories set out in the section 75 legislation; in this case, I understand that the university determined that it was not required.
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Surplus School Places
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what strategic planning his Department has undertaken to address surplus school places in Northern Ireland. [35320]
Angela E. Smith: Surplus places are removed from the schools estate through closures and amalgamations, and through the capital programme which provides schools to meet long-term demand when buildings are replaced. The education and library boards and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools are aware of the need to take action to tackle surplus places and I have offered some financial support towards the costs of bringing forward rationalisation proposals.
Following a review of the procurement and delivery arrangements for the schools' estate earlier this year, the Department of Education has been examining how to improve the planning of school provision in future, including the need for rationalisation, and intends to provide guidance to school authorities on longer term planning of the estate.
Sustainable Development
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources have been invested by the Department of the Environment in taking forward the sustainable development strategy; and if he will make a statement. [35344]
Angela E. Smith: It is recognised that in recent years a substantial amount of the Department of the Environment's environmental policy resource was directed towards reducing the backlog in the transposition of EU directives. This had a detrimental effect on the production of the Northern Ireland sustainable development strategy. With work on the directives largely up to date the Department allocated resources to take forward the sustainable development strategy in April 2004. From September 2005 this team was increased to six staff equating in monetary terms to c. £210,000 annually.
Tourism
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to emphasise (a) the Ulster Scots connection and (b) the Scots Irish influence in the promotion of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination, with particular reference to visitors from the United States. [31278]
Angela E. Smith: Activity to harness the tourism opportunity presented by the Ulster Scots culture requires close working between a number of agencies.
In 2003–04 Tourism Ireland Ltd. (TIL) undertook a number of activities specifically aimed at the Ulster Scots audience in the United States. Advertisements were placed in US-based publications and TIL also distributed Ulster Scots Agency publications to key players throughout the United States. In addition, research undertaken by TIL in 2003 on the Ulster Scots market was used to inform the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's marketing activities in the current year.
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TIL has the job to attract visitors to Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has the responsibility to ensure that they have a worthwhile, authentic and memorable experience when they get here.
In order to deliver on the potential of the Ulster Scots connection, NITB has identified the need for a brochure which will tell the Northern Ireland story and encourage additional visits. The NITB has worked with the Ulster Scots Agency in the preparation of a new publication targeted specifically at United States visitors. The publication will be available in January 2006.
In 2007 Northern Ireland will be featured in the Smithsonian Institution's annual Folklife festival which takes place in Washington DC and attracts over one million visitors. The Smithsonian Institution intends to present a balanced, multi-faceted programme reflecting Northern Ireland's contemporary life. Ulster Scots traditions are included in the research for the festival programme.
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