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27 Feb 2006 : Column 390W—continued
Search Warrants
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many search warrants have been granted in (a) East Belfast and (b) Castlereagh district command unit in the last 12 months. [53065]
Mr. Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not hold this information on a central record. A large number of police departments would have applied for search warrants in any given geographical area, including for example DCU crime teams and CID officers, senior investigating officers investigating crimes outside the area whose investigation leads to a location within it, and C1 and C2 departments investigating organised and serious crime. To obtain the details sought would therefore involve a manual trawl of records.
Sex Offenders
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 25 January 2006, Official Report, columns 907–8W, on sex offenders, in which schools the three sex offenders have been working; and what their current employment status is in each case. [52479]
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Angela E. Smith: I was advised by the employing authorities (that is, the Education and Library Boards, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, and voluntary grammar, Irish medium, grant-maintained integrated and independent schools which employ their staff directly) in January 2006 that three persons, none of them teaching staff, with a conviction for a sexual offence were working in schools. In all cases the offences were committed over 15 years ago, in one case the offence was against a minor and involved a girl who was just under age; in the other two cases the offence was against an adult female. In each case the employing authority knew of the conviction through the pre-employment check and took professional advice. The advice was, in each case, that the person was not a risk to children, and so employment was offered. The employing authorities remain satisfied that these persons do not pose a risk to children and they are still in employment.
It is not appropriate to identify the schools at which these persons are employed as there is a strong possibility that the individuals will be identified.
Smoking
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many passengers have been fined for smoking on trains in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [53151]
Mr. Woodward: Translink has advised that the number of passengers prosecuted, convicted and fined for smoking on Northern Ireland Railways trains for the last 10 years are as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2005 | (107)3 |
| 2004 | 7 |
| 2003 | 8 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2000 | 2 |
| 1999 | 8 |
| 1998 | 9 |
| 1997 | 2 |
| 1996 | 3 |
(107) The figure for 2005 is at today's date. Further incidents from 2005 have still to come to court.
27 Feb 2006 : Column 392W
Solicitors
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many solicitors are under investigation for money laundering. [53356]
Mr. Woodward: There are currently five ongoing investigations into solicitors and money laundering.
Sonar Underwater Search Equipment
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to ensure the Police Service of Northern Ireland has available to it the most up-to-date sonar underwater search equipment; and if he will make a statement. [53171]
Mr. Woodward: The PSNI Underwater Search Unit currently has access to sonar equipment located on the Ken Vickers" Fisheries vessel. This equipment and vessel have been used in all recent searches at sea and located the recent sunken trawler at Ardglass.
In relation to the recent search at Belfast docks for the missing man, Martin Kelly, the Ken Vickers" was unavailable for deployment. A side scan sonar was brought in from Humberside police.
The purchase of side scan sonar for the PSNI is currently being considered as part of the review of the Underwater Search Unit.
Special Schools
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many special schools there are in Northern Ireland; for how many pupils each school was built; how many pupils were on the roll of each special school in each of the last 10 years; and how far the pupil who lives the furthest from each special school has to travel to school. [53052]
Angela E. Smith: There are currently 45 special schools in Northern Ireland.
Unfortunately, due to the age of a number of the special schools in Northern Ireland and that prior to the 1986 Education and Libraries Order (NI) the majority of special schools were built and controlled by the former Department of Health and Social Services, information is not readily available on the number of pupils each school was built for.
27 Feb 2006 : Column 393W
(108) Means not available. The school was not open at that time.
(109) This school was not part of the education sector prior to September 1999.
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The furthest distance that a pupil travels to each school is not readily available. However, the greatest distance that any pupil living in each of the board areas has to travel in order to attend an appropriate special school is as follows:
SEELB—60 miles (30 in each direction), Kilcoo to Lisburn, Downpatrick to Jordanstown, Newcastle to Fleming Fulton, Belfast.
WELB—300 miles (150 in each direction), Londonderry to Dublin (St. Mary's School of the Deaf), child boards in Dublin so travels only on a Sunday night and Friday evening.
It should be stressed that these journeys are exceptional—the child in question may have a specific difficulty that can only be dealt with at a specific school. Most other pupils attending special schools may attend any suitable school and these are usually much nearer to their homes. However, with only 45 special schools in NI, the likelihood is that statemented pupils have to travel further on average than pupils attending mainstream schools.
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