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10 May 2006 : Column 361W

These figures only include staff who have a formal working at home arrangement agreed with their Department. These arrangements may be agreed for example as a reasonable adjustment under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, under the flexible working provisions of the Employment (NI) Order 2002, or to aid a return from sickness absence.

All Departments have previously indicated that local managers may allow staff to work at home on an ad hoc basis. These arrangements are informal and no monitoring of this pattern of working is currently carried out. Information on this type of home working could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The NICS is currently developing a Working at Home policy that will formalise arrangements for working away from the office and will allow all staff to apply to work at home provided the job, the individual and their home are suitable and the business can sustain the proposed arrangement.

Military Personnel

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many military personnel from Northern Ireland have died in each of the last five years. [67078]

Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.

Residential data are not held centrally and cannot be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Money Laundering

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce legislation to make money laundering a terrorist-related offence. [67202]

Mr. Woodward: Money laundering of terrorist property (Section 18 of the Terrorism Act 2000) is already a scheduled offence.

Scheduling all money laundering activities would only affect those offences that were committed after the offence became scheduled. As the Diplock court system is due to be repealed in July 2007, this would be a short term measure affecting only a tiny number of cases.

I am therefore focusing on a longer term solution. Consideration is currently being given to how trials in which there may be paramilitary or community based pressures on a jury can be addressed in the longer term. Measures will be brought forward in due course.

Omagh Bomb (Compensation Claims)

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many compensation claims have been lodged following the Omagh bomb. [19547]

Mr. Hain: The Compensation Agency received 852 claims for criminal injury compensation and 220 claims for criminal damage compensation following the Omagh Bomb.


10 May 2006 : Column 362W

Police Officers (Injuries)

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers have been injured in the course of their duties in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [68101]

Mr. Woodward: The information requested is contained in the following table.

Cause
Year Gunshot wound Explosion Other Total

2003

2

16

114

132

2004

0

0

136

136

2005(1)

0

111

292

403

(1 )2005 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment. Note: The increase in the figures for 2005 is largely due to the Whiterock riots.

Police Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often he has met the (a) Police ombudsman, (b) Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable, (c) Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice, (d) Justice Oversight Commissioner and (e) Policing Oversight Commissioner in each month since he became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [68555]

Mr. Hain: I have very regular meetings with the Chief Constable, including a regular session along with the General Officer Commanding and others concerned with security policy at approximately monthly intervals. I have met the Police Ombudsman on a number of occasions and we have agreed to hold formal meetings approximately every six months. I met the Policing Oversight Commissioner in June 2005. I have not yet had a formal meeting with the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice or the Justice Oversight Commissioner.

Rates

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the effect on public funds in Northern Ireland for 2006-07 of the (a) increase in Regional Rate of 19 per cent., (b) introduction of 25 per cent. of the full business rates for manufacturing companies and (c) removal of non-rated basis for vacant premises. [69181]

Mr. Hanson: The increase in the Regional Rate of19 per cent. will raise an estimated additional£42.1 million in 2006-07 from domestic properties in Northern Ireland.

The introduction of 25 per cent. of the full business rate for industrial companies is estimated to raise total revenue of £18.2 million in 2006-07, an increase of£7.5 million on last year when the rate liability for industry was 15 per cent. of the full bill.

Non-domestic vacant rating is estimated to raise a total of £5.5 million in 2006-07, an increase of£0.3 million on last year.


10 May 2006 : Column 363W

These estimates may change as a consequence of updates to collection and valuation information.

Senior Citizens (Crime Statistics)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many senior citizens have been (a) burgled and (b) assaulted in their home in each (i) police district and (ii) council area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [65505]

Mr. Woodward: The information requested is only available by District Command Unit and is contained in the following tables.

Domestic burglary offences recorded where the victim is aged 65 plus
2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Northern Ireland

1278

1727

1962

1573

1109

Antrim

19

20

34

20

13

Ards

48

51

76

76

34

East Belfast

99

161

173

110

82

North Belfast

84

89

96

79

135

South Belfast

82

104

101

103

82

West Belfast

24

24

25

17

25

Carrickfergus

10

20

19

11

13

Castlereagh

30

110

101

69

33

Larne

19

25

27

11

10

Lisburn

76

111

108

119

72

Newtownabbey

55

88

76

57

65

North Down

72

94

168

129

56

Armagh

60

70

89

51

47

Banbridge

34

60

54

43

34

Ballymena

87

49

60

61

38

Ballymoney

8

13

26

10

7

Coleraine

33

57

47

34

21

Cookstown

20

31

21

20

10

Craigavon

84

110

133

99

59

Dungannon and South Tyrone

51

50

59

47

44

Down

47

90

93

59

25

Fermanagh

40

43

37

46

34

Foyle

21

48

73

75

43

Limavady

10

12

21

19

6

Magherafelt

14

17

15

7

3

Moyle

8

11

10

9

5

Newry and Mourne

89

107

147

94

93

Omagh

30

36

44

67

17

Strabane

24

26

29

31

3

Percentage of crimes where age of victim is unknown

25.5

11.3

8.4

5.7

2.4



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