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12 Dec 2005 : Column 1744W—continued
Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what public consultation was conducted before the Government presented the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill; [34628]
(2) if he will discuss with mental healthcare professionals the impact of the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill. [35042]
Mr. Hanson: The Government's proposals to deal with terrorist suspects 'on the run' were published in May 2003 alongside the Joint Declaration. This issue had arisen in the context of talks with the parties.
Discussions about the technical operation of the scheme envisaged by the Bill have been conducted with interested authorities, including the PSNI.
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A number of victims groups, church leaders, political parties and relevant staff associations were informed of the legislation in the 24 hours preceding introduction. Ministers have subsequently met with a number of those organisations to discuss the legislation.
There have been no discussions with healthcare professionals. However, Ministers will consider any requests for such meetings or discussions.
Nursing Staff
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why nursing staff in Northern Ireland have been matched and banded differently from nursing staff in England and Wales. [36358]
Mr. Woodward: The Agenda for Change matching and banding processes are not yet fully completed in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In the absence of final outcomes, it is impossible to make any meaningful comparisons at this stage.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Government Departments in Northern Ireland which have worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers on their e-business strategies and e-government requirements (a) were and (b) are represented on the Project Board for the Northern Ireland Civil Service Electronic Human Resources contract. [34336]
Angela E. Smith: The Government Departments which have worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers on their e-business strategies/e-government requirements and (a) were and (b) are represented on the Project Board for the Northern Ireland Civil Service e-HR contract are; the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, the Department of the Environment, the Department for Regional Development, the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Department of Enterprise Trade and Industry and the Department of Education
Public Administration (Savings)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down the £200 million annual savings that were indicated would be achieved in Northern Ireland as a result of the implementation of the Review of Public Administration by main budget heading. [36610]
Angela E. Smith: Consultants have estimated savings from the RPA decisions at £140-£200 million per year. These estimates are based on benchmarks of best practice achieved by other organisations and can be broken down as follows.
| Organisation | Estimated savings |
|---|---|
| Local government | 54–73 |
| Education | 18–30 |
| Health | 41–71 |
Note:
It is also estimated that a further £27 million could be saved through joined up working arrangements.
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The estimates are very tentative and the actual figures will depend on how the proposals are implemented. The actual savings achieved will be available for reallocation to front line services in Northern Ireland.
Punishment Attacks
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many punishment attacks have been attributed by security forces in Northern Ireland to (a) the UDA, (b) the UVF, (c) the LVF, (d) the Provisional IRA, (e) the Continuity IRA and (f) the Real IRA for each of the last 15 months. [32139]
Mr. Woodward: I have been advised by the PSNI that 'punishment attacks', (known officially as 'Casualties') by attribution to specific organisations is not possible. However, you may find the following table on 'Casualties as a result of paramilitary style shootings and assaults' for each month since June 2004 to September 2005 of use. You may also find reports of the Independent Monitoring Commission a useful resource. Website: www.tsoshop.co.uk. You should note that the attribution is as perceived by the PSNI and that statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.
Quangos
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of (a) the Ulster Unionist Party, (b) the SDLP, (c) the Alliance Party, (d) the DUP and (e) the former Women's Coalition are members of a quango in Northern Ireland. [36560]
Angela E. Smith: Those appointed to the boards of public bodies in Northern Ireland are not required to declare if they are members of a political party. However, they are asked to declare any significant political activity they may have undertaken in the five years prior to the date of their application.
Information on the declared political activity of applicants and appointees to bodies sponsored by 'Northern Ireland's 11 Government Departments and the Northern Ireland Office can be found in the Public
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Appointments annual report for 2004–05 and the NIO departmental report for 2005. These reports are available from the Library of the House and can be found on the internet at www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/public-appointments and www.nio.gov.uk/departmental_report2005.pdf .
Road Upgrades
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to initiate an upgrade of the main road from Belfast International Airport to the M1 Moira Junction. [35851]
Mr. Woodward: The chief executive of Roads Service Dr. Malcolm McKibbin has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. Malcom McKibbin, dated 12 December 2005:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what plans he has to initiate an upgrade of the main road from Belfast International Airport to the Ml Moira Junction. I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
The main road from the Belfast International Airport to the Ml is via the A57 Templepatrick Road to Killead Roundabout and then the A26, joining the Ml at the Moira junction. The A26 is one of five Key Transport Corridors in the Province.
The Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan (RSTN TP) announced by the then Minister for Regional Development, John Spellar MP, on 22nd March 2005, presented a range of multi-modal transport initiatives to manage, maintain and develop Northern Ireland's Key Transport Network up to the year 2015.
During preparation of the RSTN TP, the transport links to Belfast International Airport were examined and it was concluded that the three roads radiating from the Killead Roundabout, including the A26, provided good links to the strategic road network, servicing Northern Ireland and beyond.
Nevertheless, three widened single carriageway schemes on the A26 have been included in the Plan to improve safety and provide overtaking opportunities.
Differential Acceleration Lanes have been contructed at the Nutts Corner roundabout at a cost of approximately £800k and a 0.8 kilometre climbing lane has been provided on the south bound section of this route at Carnkilly Road and Furze Road at a cost of £260K. A further climbing lane is planned on the A26 near Glenavy.
It is also proposed to provide part time signals at the junction of the eastbound off-slip from the M1 and the Moira roundabout at a cost of £40k to improve traffic management.
Although the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) did not recommend any specific major improvements to the A26/A57, it did recommend that route management strategies be undertaken on all key strategic routes. I can advise that it is planned to commence a route management strategy along the A26 during 2006/07, which will consider what other improvements may be necessary.
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