| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
24 Jan 2006 : Column 2093W—continued
Hamill Review
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in the implementation of the Hamill Review. [44517]
Mr. Woodward: As I announced on 6 June 2005, the Hamill report will be taken forward in the context of developing a Strategic Development Plan for the Northern Ireland Prison Service. The subsequent Blueprint programme encompasses the Hamill report in seeking to modernise and develop the Service. The programme is being project managed in six separate but interlinked strands.
Much work is nearing completion on the first four strands including assessments of population projections and prisoner needs, the development of the estate, alternative approaches to contestability and options for court escorting. Where appropriate, proposals will be published for comment or consultation during the spring.
Strand 5, covering staff reward and recognition, incorporates a range of issues which will be addressed during the course of this year.
Strand 6 covers a variety of separate improvement and efficiency projects, the full implementation of which will span a longer timescale. I have however already announced last autumn, the transfer to DHSSPS by 1 April 2007 of responsibility for prisoner healthcare.
24 Jan 2006 : Column 2094W
IRA Disarmament
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland if he will make a statement on theeffectiveness of IRA disarmament in Northern Ireland. [43725]
Mr. Woodward: The Chairman of the Independent International Commission for Decommissioning (IICD), General John de Chastelain, announced on 25 September 2005, that it had witnessed full and final decommissioning by the PIRA of arms and weaponry.
The seventh Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) report published on 19 October 2005, recognised that statement as
Subsequent IMC reports will provide a clear indication of whether or not the PIRA have met the commitments they have made to end all activity.
Murders/Punishment Beatings
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people under the age of 16 have (a) been murdered and (b) received a punishment beating in Northern Ireland for each of the last eight years. [43721]
Mr. Woodward: PSNI has provided the following statistical information in response to this question:
| Persons under the age of 16 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Murders | Casualties as a result of paramilitary style assaults | |
| 1998 | (50)10 | 2 |
| 1999 | 1 | 8 |
| 2000 | 1 | 3 |
| 2001 | 2 | 16 |
| 2002 | 1 | 8 |
| 2003 | 2 | 7 |
| 2004 | 0 | 10 |
| 2005 | 2 | 3 |
| Total | 19 | 57 |
(50) Includes victims of the Omagh bomb
Organised Crime
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his assessment is of the extent of Provisional IRA involvement in organised crime in Northern Ireland. [44805]
Mr. Woodward: There have been significant changes in PIRA activity, including in the area of criminality, since the July statement. However, there are complex assessments to be made to distinguish between criminality by individual PIRA members for their own gain and criminality carried out by PIRA members which is authorised by the organisation.
It is the job of the Independent Monitoring Commission to comment on these issues and to consider whether PIRA have met the commitments they have made to end all activity, including involvement in organised crime. I look forward to receiving the Commission's forthcoming report, and successive reports, to assess progress in this area.
24 Jan 2006 : Column 2095W
The Government remains fully committed to tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland, from whatever source.
People Smuggling
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate the police has made of the number of (a) people smuggled illegally into Northern Ireland and (b) females brought into Northern Ireland to work as prostitutes in each of the last five years. [36214]
Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
(a) It is not possible to state with accuracy the number of people smuggled illegally into Northern Ireland over each of the last five years. The nature of facilitation is such that many of those who have been facilitated may state if encountered that they entered by themselves on a false passport or stowed away without assistance, or similar response. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary it is often not possible to disprove the subject's claimed method of entry.
(b) The Police Service of Northern Ireland has conducted a number of inquiries into suggestions of people-trafficking to Northern Ireland for the purposes of prostitution. There is presently no evidence to suggest that this is taking place in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland is acutely aware of the problems experienced in other jurisdictions and they continue to monitor the situation closely.
Police Officer Training
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) for what reasons drill is included in the foundation training curriculum for police officers in Northern Ireland; [40934]
(2) whether it is essential for a trainee police officer (a) to pass a competence test and (b) to achieve competency in drill as a prerequisite for successfully completing foundation training; [40935]
(3) what the (a) frequency and (b) duration was of drill performed by each intake of trainee police officers in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2005; [40936]
(4) how many trainee police officers in each intake in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005 reported injuries as a result of performing drill; how many were forced to interrupt their initial training as a result; and for how long each was absent on sick leave. [40937]
Mr. Woodward: These inquiries refer to operational decisions which are the responsibility of the chief constable. The hon. Gentleman should pursue them directly with the chief constable.
Rail Travel
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of the standard fare for the train journey between Coleraine and (a) Belfast and (b) Londonderry in each of the last five years. [44802]
24 Jan 2006 : Column 2096W
Mr. Woodward: The standard fare for the train journey between Coleraine and Belfast in each of the last five years is as follows:
| As at January | £ |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 7.20 |
| 2005 | 6.80 |
| 2004 | 6.50 |
| 2003 | 6.20 |
| 2002 | 5.90 |
| 2001 | 5.60 |
The standard fare for the train journey between Coleraine and Londonderry in each of the last five years is as follows:
| As at January | £ |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 5.50 |
| 2005 | 5.20 |
| 2004 | 4.90 |
| 2003 | 4.70 |
| 2002 | 4.50 |
| 2001 | 4.30 |
Speed Cameras
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many motorists have been caught speeding by mobile speed cameras in each of Northern Ireland's parliamentary constituencies over the past 24 months. [41111]
Mr. Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not record statistics by parliamentary constituency, but by District Command Unit. The table below shows the number of Fixed Penalty Notices and Conditional Offers issued by PSNI following the use of mobile safety cameras during the period 2004–05.
Note:
Larne and Strabane do not currently have any identified camera locations for mobile safety cameras.
24 Jan 2006 : Column 2097W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |