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20 Mar 2006 : Column 49W—continued
School Lands and Properties
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated value is of school lands and properties used by the (a) maintained, (b) controlled, (c) integrated and (d) Irish language sectors of education in Northern Ireland. [57973]
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Angela E. Smith: The Valuation and Lands Agency of the Department of Finance and Personnel undertook a revised valuation of the school estate in 2003–04. The estimated valuations, which are shown as follows, are not readily available under the headings requested and cover nursery, primary, secondary, grammar and special school land and properties and school meals kitchen accommodations. These valuations are currently under review.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Maintained (includes Irish medium) | 860,000,000 |
| Controlled (includes controlled integrated) | 1,425,000,000 |
| Voluntary (includes grant maintained integrated) | 606,000,000 |
| Total | 2,891,000,000 |
Social Housing
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new social housing units have been built in Lagan Valley constituency in each year since 2001. [59096]
Mr. Hanson: The number of houses completed for each year is as follows:
| Number of houses | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 130 |
| 2001–02 | 236 |
| 2002–03 | 86 |
| 2003–04 | 70 |
| 2004–05 | 69 |
In addition, for 2005–06, 204 houses are currently under construction, with a further 89 planned to go on site before the end of March.
The figures include new build and houses purchased from the open market either in good condition or for rehabilitation, prior to letting. All are additions to the social housing stock.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average number of persons on the waiting list for social housing in Lagan Valley constituency has been in each year since 2001. [59098]
Mr. Hanson: The information is not available in the form requested. The Lagan Valley constituency includes areas covered by the Housing Executive's Lisburn District, Antrim Street, and the Dromore area of Banbridge.
The following table sets out the most recent figures on the number of Social Housing Applicants on the waiting list each year from September 2001 to September 2005 for the relevant areas. It also includes the numbers who were considered to be in housing stress.
Year to September: | Lisburn, Antrim Street total applicants | Dromore total applicants |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,227 | 56 |
| 2002 | 1,415 | 62 |
| 2003 | 1,338 | 49 |
| 2004 | 1,400 | 70 |
| 2005 | 1,609 | 82 |
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Women's Projects
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure's budget has been allocated to projects specifically aimed at women in each of the last three years. [58875]
Mr. Hanson: In each of the last three financial years, the percentage of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure's budget which was allocated to projects specifically aimed at women is shown on the following table.
| Financial year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 0.3 |
| 2004–05 | 0.3 |
| 2005–06 | 0.3 |
The percentages shown against 2003–04 and 2004–05 have been calculated on the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure's final budgets for those financial years. The percentage for 2005–06 has been calculated on the Department's provisional budget for that financial year and the estimated expenditure of the project providers.
CABINET OFFICE
Civil Service Pay
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment he has made of equality of pay between male and female civil servants. [59435]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office undertook an equal pay review for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) in 2002 and equal pay has been re-examined each year since then as part of the Government's evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body.
The link to this year's Government evidence is available at www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/performance/scs/index.asp
Under the delegated pay arrangements for staff below the SCS, every department and agency produced an equal pay action plan in 2003 as part of the Government's commitment to address the gender pay gap. Civil service organisations continue to monitor progress against their action plans and equality-proof their pay systems following implementation of annual pay awards.
Get Safe Online Campaign
Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what further measures he plans to take to promote the Get Safe Online campaign. [59223]
Mr. Jim Murphy:
The Get Safe Online campaign was launched the end of October 2005. The campaign is a joint public and private sector initiative to raise awareness of the internet security and to help people to go online line safely and with confidence.
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The Cabinet Office is a proud sponsor of the campaign alongside BT, Dell, eBay, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Message Labs, Microsoft, securetrading and Yell.com. The Home Office, DTI, NISCC (National Infrastructure Security Coordination Centre) and the National Hi Tech Crime Unit—soon to be part of SOCA (Serious and Organised Crime Agency) are also involved in the project.
Get Safe Online is very much a collaboration amongst all these organisations. Government as well as online companies in the retail, finance and technology sectors all have an interest in ensuring that people know what to do to protect themselves, their families and their businesses whether they are shopping, banking or interacting with government online. In particular, as our Transformational Government Strategy states: Government will also play its part to promote public confidence by leading a public/private campaign on internet safety", a commitment that Get Safe Online is successfully meeting.
The first phase of the campaign involved a PR campaign to raise awareness of the initiative and the website. A roadshow of internet security experts was taken round the major cities stopping at UK Online centres, shopping centres, colleges and libraries as well as Age Concern centres. There was also a competition through Metro newspapers around the country. The most prolific support for the campaign has been through the sponsors themselves. For example eBay, with over 13 million UK users a month, has given exposure to Get Safe Online on its website which would have cost in excess of £10 million to date.
This kind of campaign activity through the current sponsors will continue and we intend for the campaign to run for two to three years. A further phase of activity is planned over the next few months which entails online advertising as well as PR activity. Importantly, the initiative is gaining momentum and cooperation across community organisations and local government. Many local councils have put a link to Get Safe Online to help their cooperation from community organisations such as the NCPTA (National Council for Parent Teachers Associations) which is sending out a 'Parent's Guide' to all secondary schools which will include advice and information from Get Safe Online later this month. Work continues to recruit new sponsors and partners to the initiative which is essential to maintaining the progress of the campaign and we hope to be able to make some important announcements in the summer about future plans.
Local Authorities (Contingency Plans)
Mr. Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which local authorities have undertaken practical tests of their contingency plans; and what assessment he has made of the outcomes. [59979]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Government do not systematically gather detailed information about the number and nature of exercises carried out by local authorities.
Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004—which came fully into force on 14 November 2005—establishes a statutory framework for civil protection activity at the
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local level. The Act sets out clear roles and responsibilities for local responders and establishes a basis for effective performance management. Under this legislation Category 1 responders (e.g. local authorities, emergency services, health bodies) are required to maintain emergency plans and business continuity arrangements to ensure that they can respond effectively to the full range of emergencies. The legislation also requires Category 1 responders to put in place a programme of exercises to test the effectiveness of these plans.
Responders' performance against the requirements set out in the Act are being monitored by their existing performance assessment bodies (e.g. Audit Commission, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary).
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