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26 Jan 2006 : Column 2316W—continued

Civil Service Relocation

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in relation to the Lyons Relocation Target for the Northern Ireland Office. [44514]

Mr. Woodward: The Lyons report asked that eight NIO staff be relocated from London and the South East of England by March 2008. The Northern Ireland Office is on target to deliver 9.5 staff by this date and have at present (January 2006) delivered 6.5 staff.

Communication Aids Project

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to extend the Communication Aids Project launched by the Department for Education and Skills in England in 2002 to Northern Ireland. [44201]

Angela E. Smith: There are no plans to introduce the Communication Aids Project, which has run in England and Wales from 2002 and will end this year, to Northern Ireland. The remit of this project is covered by the C2k (Classroom 2000) project in Northern Ireland.

Crime

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by his Department in its objective of reducing crime and the threat of crime. [44886]

 
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Mr. Hanson: The Northern Ireland Office has a specific public service agreement to reduce the incidence of domestic burglary in Northern Ireland by 15 per cent. by March 2007 and to reduce vehicle crime by 10 per cent. in the same timescale. The reduction is measured against the recorded crime figures for the year 2001–02.

At 31 March 2005, the level of domestic burglary against the 2001–02 recorded crime figures had reduced by 19.5 per cent. and the level of vehicle crime by 37 per cent. Further reductions have been noted in the crime figures for the first nine months of the 2005–06 year against both categories of crime. We are therefore well on course to meet these targets but will continue to closely monitor progress and take appropriate action where necessary.

While there is no specific target to reduce the fear of crime, we consider reducing fear of crime to be a key part of our target to improve confidence in the CJSNI. It is crucial that the people of Northern Ireland feel safe in their homes and in going about their daily lives. The criminal justice organisations, working together through the Criminal Justice Board, are committed to improving public awareness and understanding of the justice system, and therefore help reduce fear of crime. A number of these initiatives include: a one-stop CJSNI website, a criminal justice module in the citizenship curriculum for key stage 4, and a series of criminal justice roadshows planned for spring and summer of this year.

All criminal justice agencies are working towards reducing crime and the fear of crime. The police are, for example, on course to meet their target in the Policing Plan around the number of police that are available for frontline duties by 2007–08. The Northern Ireland Community Safety strategy outlines further measures to be taken forward to tackle fear of crime among older people, vulnerable adults and children. A number of successful projects have or are being implemented, including the extension of the Bee Safe project for primary school children, supporting Get Home Safe" projects across Northern Ireland and providing information to older people about bogus callers in addition to improving home security through the Lock Out Crime scheme.

Departmental Equipment

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) laptops and (b) mobile phones his Department bought in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each category of equipment was in each year. [41273]

Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its Agencies and NDPBs, is unable to provide all of the information requested by the hon. Member.

In regards to question (a) the Department has purchased the following number of laptops since 1997:

	Number
1997–98	28
1998–99	34
1999–2000	55
2000–01	30
2001–02	22
2002–03	34
2003–04	37
2004–05	34

 
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Each laptop costs, on average, £1,500.

In regards to question (b) , we are unable to provide total numbers and costs of mobile phones as the majority of them have been purchased as part of a contract package which does not involve a cost at the time of purchase. The numbers of mobile phones we have purchased outside of contract packages are as follows:

	Number
1997–98	6
1998–99	8
1999–2000	1
2000–01	3
2001–02	3
2002–03	6
2003–04	1
2004–05	5
2005–06	2

Departmental Expenditure

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on refreshments in each year since 1997. [41256]

Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its Agencies and NDPBs, is unable to provide an answer in the form requested by the hon. Member due to the NIO's financial system being unable to separate out this type of expenditure. To answer the hon. Member's question would involve a manual trawl of files which could only be carried out at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Finance

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what efficiency gains have been made by the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [44518]

Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has been collating detailed information regarding efficiency gains since 2004–05. Information prior to this date would not be sufficiently comprehensive to allow for a wholly accurate picture to be articulated.

In 2004–05 efficiency gains of £8.6 million were identified across the range of bodies which come within the NIO departmental expenditure limit, including the core Department, PSNI, and NI Prison Service. In 2005–06, it is expected that these same organisations will generated efficiency gains of almost £39 million.

Education and Library Boards

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason the senior education officer posts in the (a) Western and (b) Southern education and library boards are not being advertised publicly. [45185]

 
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Angela E. Smith: The Senior Education Officer posts have been created as a result of a collaborative working proposal brought forward by the Southern and Western Education and Library Boards and are being trawled on a restricted basis between both Boards. The Boards and the Staff Commission for the Education and Library Boards have advised that under existing procedures, appointment to any reconfigured post/s within a new structure where voluntary redundancies have been approved can be made on the basis of a restricted trawl within the defined unit of redundancy. In the case of these posts, the unit of redundancy is the Western and Southern Education and Library Boards and the posts, which have a fundamentally new remit within a Collaborative Working context, are being trawled on a restricted basis within both Boards. This is to ensure that the necessary savings are achieved at each Board.

Under RPA Boards are conscious of the need to plan for reduction in staffing levels while taking all reasonable steps to avoid compulsory redundancies. To achieve this, Boards, with the agreement of the Staff Commission, are using restricted trawls to avoid adding to their staffing complements and to achieve efficiency savings.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether education and library boards require departmental approval before recruiting for a senior post by internal trawl rather than public advertisement. [45186]

Angela E. Smith: The Staff Commission for education and library boards is the statutory body that is responsible for the oversight of matters connected with the recruitment, promotion, training and terms and conditions of employment of education and library board staff. It has agreed with the five boards procedures for the recruitment of staff that reflect legislative requirements and good practice. The Department's approval role in such matters relates only to the arrangements for appointing at chief executive and chief librarian level and the terms and conditions of remuneration for second tier posts.

Under RPA boards are conscious of the need to plan for reduction in staffing levels while taking all reasonable steps to avoid compulsory redundancies. To achieve this, boards, with the agreement of the Staff Commission, are using restricted trawls to avoid adding to their staffing complements and to achieve efficiency savings.

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