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13 Dec 2005 : Column 1865W—continued
Departmental Staff
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department have been relocated into London and the South East in each of the last five years for which records are available. [31732]
Mr. Woodward: There has been no relocation of Northern Ireland Office staff into London and the South East in the last five years.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to relocate staff in his Department and related agencies into London and the South East. [31733]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has no plans to relocate any staff into London and the South East.
Integrated Schools
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of development proposals for new integrated schools in relation to their impact on established (a) controlled and (b) maintained schools within the same catchment areas. [35864]
Angela E. Smith: In reaching decisions on proposals for new integrated schools the Department of Education must consider a number of factors including the projected enrolments for the proposed schools and the potential impact on neighbouring schools. The development proposal process provides the opportunity for all schools in the surrounding area to comment on the proposal and the comments are considered by the Department before decisions on new schools are made.
Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations have been made by the Human Rights Commission to the Government on issues that would fall under its remit in connection with the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill. [36609]
Mr. Hanson: I discussed the proposals in the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill at a meeting with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The Commission offered to write to me following their consideration of the Bill.
Police Officers (Sickness)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers in Northern Ireland on average were off work as a result of sickness at any one time in each of the last five years. [36486]
Mr. Woodward: A chart showing the number of police officers off work as a result of sickness since April 2000 to December has been placed in the Library.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers are on long-term sick leave. [36539]
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Mr. Woodward: The PSNI defines long-term sick absence as 28 days.
The number of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers on long-term sick absence as at 7 December 2005 was 276.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers in Northern Ireland have completed a period of sick leave of more than 30 days in each of the last 10 years. [36540]
Mr. Woodward: Due to the way this information was recorded, figures prior to 2001–02 could only be retrieved disproportionate to cost. The number of police officers in Northern Ireland who were on sick leave for a period of more than 30 days since the financial year 2001–02 is as follows:
| Financial year | Number of absence over 30 days |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 2,096 |
| 2002–03 | 1,417 |
| 2003–04 | 1,006 |
| 2004–05 | 1,123 |
| 2005–06 (to date) | 863 |
Postal Voting
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to reform the postal voting system in Northern Ireland. [2192]
Mr. Hanson: The Electoral Administration Bill, currently before Parliament, includes measures that relate to applications for postal and proxy voting. In particular the Bill will make it a criminal offence to apply for a postal or proxy vote with the intention of stealing another person's vote or gaining a vote to which the applicant is not entitled. These measures will extend to Northern Ireland.
Schools (Weapon Confiscation)
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) knives, (b) guns and (c) other weapons were confiscated in schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [36312]
Angela E. Smith: The Department of Education does not collect the information requested. The Department collects statistics on the reasons why pupils are suspended from school but the current categorisation does not enable specific identification of those pupils who were suspended for carrying an offensive weapon.
Prosecutions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were prosecuted for shoplifting in each of the last five years. [36253]
Mr. Hanson:
Table 1 provides figures for the number prosecuted for shoplifting between 1999 and 2003. Data beyond 2003 will become available in early 2006.
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| Number of prosecutions | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 709 |
| 2000 | 858 |
| 2001 | 730 |
| 2002 | 669 |
| 2003 | 674 |
Note:
Figures are based on the principal rule, thus only the most serious offence for which an offender is charged is recorded.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases of shoplifting files were sent to the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service and were subsequently returned recommending no prosecution in each of the last five years. [36254]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.
The information sort is not available in the form requested. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) does not differentiate cases of shoplifting from other offences of theft. Further, until the commencement of the PPS in June of this year, virtually all minor offences dealt with in the magistrates court were prosecuted by the police. That continues to be the case in those areas of Northern Ireland which are not yet covered by the new service.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases of indecent exposure files were sent to the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service and were returned recommending no prosecution in each of the last 10 years. [36255]
The Solicitor-General:
I have been asked to reply. The information is not available in the form requested. Indecent exposure may only be tried in the magistrates court. Until the commencement of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in June of this year, virtually all minor offences dealt with in the magistrates court were prosecuted by the police and files for this offence would not normally have been sent to the DPP. That continues to be the case in those areas of Northern Ireland which are not yet covered by the new service.
13 Dec 2005 : Column 1868W
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been fined for non-wearing of seat belts in the last 10 years. [36524]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested is provided in the following table. The earliest figures available are from 1 October 1997.
| Number of fines | |
|---|---|
| 1997 (from 1 October) | 973 |
| 1998 | 6,381 |
| 1999 | 8,626 |
| 2000 | 8,255 |
| 2001 | 10,522 |
| 2002 | 9,804 |
| 2003 | 18,189 |
| 2004 | 21,092 |
| 2005 (to date) | 15,715 |
Republican Violence Arrests
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many arrests were made in relation to Republican violence in (a) Ardoyne and (b) Dunloy on 12 July. [36537]
Mr. Woodward: The information is as follows:
No arrests, but DCU Commander advises he anticipates reporting up to 26 people to the PPS for various public order offences.
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