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11 May 2006 : Column 536W—continued
Foreign Prisoners
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consultation has taken place between his Department and the Home Office in relation to the deportation and removal of foreign national prisoners announced on 3 May. [69296]
Paul Goggins: Officials from the Northern Ireland Prison Service have been in regular contact with senior management in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate since the announcements in relation to the deportation and removal of foreign national prisoners in England and Wales on 26 April.
Two senior IND officials visited Belfast on 5 May for detailed discussions with the Northern Ireland Prison Service. Instructions have been issued to Northern Ireland Prison Service governors requiring them to ensure that the IND is appropriately notified by the Prison Service in relation to unconvicted remand and sentenced prisoners who declare themselves to be foreign nationals (excluding Irish nationals).
House Values
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate how many homes in Northern Ireland have been valued at over £1 million. [67060]
Mr. Hanson: The Valuation and Lands Agency is completing a revaluation of all domestic properties in Northern Ireland. Valuations for this purpose are subject to certain statutory assumptions. The valuation date for this revaluation is 1 January 2005 and the number of houses valued at over £l million, as at that date, is 145.
The Agency is now carrying out a quality assurance “value review” process that may result in change to some property value assessments. The total number of properties in this category may therefore change slightly, up or down.
Independent Monitoring Commission
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 485W, on the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC)’ whether when meeting the IMC he discussed its definition of criminality. [69240]
Paul Goggins: At meetings with the Commissioners of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), the Secretary of State has discussed a range of matters connected with its remit as defined in the agreement that established the IMC. It is not Government policy to disclose the nature or details of such discussions.
Infection Control
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was allocated by the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the implementation of the action plan for the prevention and control of health care-associated infections in Northern Ireland between 2006 and 2009 in each (a) health board area and (b) health trust; and if he will make a statement. [69522]
Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is allocating 400,000 to health and social services board on a capitation basis in 2006-07 for elements of its action plan “Changing the Culture”, such as mandatory staff training and a hand hygiene campaign. The eastern health and social services board will receive £160,000, the northern health and social services board £97,000, the southern health and social services board £74,000, and the western health and social services board £69,000. A further sum of £150,000 will be made available in each of the next three years to health trusts for regional surveillance co-ordination and enhanced infection control arrangements etc. Allocations will be determined later this year on the advice of the new regional infection prevention and control steering group. Boards and trusts are also being required to reprioritise resources to ensure the action plan's full implementation.
Ministerial Cars (Fuel Costs)
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by his Department in each of the last five years. [67127]
Paul Goggins: For the last financial year 2005-06, the total fuel cost for ministerial vehicles in Northern Ireland was £10,159.16. Figures for the previous years would require a manual trawl of records and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ministerial Residences
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the running costs were of each Government-owned residence used by Northern Ireland Ministers in each of the last five years. [69659]
Mr. Hain: Hillsborough Castle is a government owned residence, and when in Northern Ireland I reside there. The facilities at the Castle are also used to provide official hospitality and overnight accommodation for members of the Royal Family, visiting dignitaries and diplomats. Other activities at the Castle include departmental meetings, the annual garden party, and citizenship ceremonies. In addition to its use by the Northern Ireland Office and other Government Departments, charities and local community groups can request to use the facilities, generally for fund raising purposes, and the Castle and grounds are open at certain times of the year for guided tours.
The total cost of running Hillsborough Castle in each of the last five years was:
| £ | |
These costs include the maintenance of the listed building and grounds; the security of the castle and its grounds, and that of Ministers, officials and visitors while present at the castle. It also includes the cost of hosting the events listed above, as well as catering, hospitality and administration.
Party funding
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list leaders of political parties in Northern Ireland to whom he has written seeking their views on the funding of political parties; on what date those letters were sent; and what responses have been received. [68780]
Mr. Hanson: The Secretary of State wrote to the following leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland on 30 March to seek their views on the Lord Chancellor's proposals to regulate the reporting of loans to political parties:
Sir Reg Empey, MLA, Ulster Unionist Party
Mark Durkan, MP, MLA, SDLP
Gerry Adams, MP, MLA, Sinn Fein
David Ford, MLA, Alliance Party
Dr. Ian Paisley, MP, MLA, Democratic Unionist Party
Robert McCartney, MLA, UKUP
David Ervine, MLA, Progressive Unionist Party.
Sinn Fein are the only party, to date, who have replied.
Police
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of (a) training and (b) recruiting police constables in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available. [69462]
Paul Goggins: In respect of (a) the cost of training police constables in Northern Ireland:
I am advised there were 10 training courses in the financial year 2005-06, with a total cost of £3,311,081.15. Each course had 44 students with a course duration of 105 days. The cost per student in that year was £7,525.18.
In respect of (b) recruiting police constables in Northern Ireland:
I am advised that the recruiting costs for year 2005-06 are still being processed; therefore an accurate figure cannot be presented at this time.
The total recruitment cost for the financial year 2004-05 was £5,071,988. This figure represents regular police trainee recruitment.
Road Safety
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police vehicles in Northern Ireland were involved in road traffic accidents in each of the last three years. [69225]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the following table.
| Police road traffic collisions | |||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Note: Collisions include those caused by police and members of the public. |
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were killed as a result of road traffic accidents in Northern Ireland in (a) 1995 and (b) 2005. [68426]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested is contained in the following table:
| Numbers of deaths caused by road traffic accidents | ||
| Road user type | 1995 | 2005 |
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