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16 May 2006 : Column 872W—continued
Criminal Justice Act
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to implement in Northern Ireland those provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 relating to non-jury trials; and if he will make a statement. [70963]
Mr. Hanson: Sections 43 to 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provide for trials on indictment to take
place without a jury in cases of serious fraud and where there is a suspicion of jury tampering. The provisions extend to Northern Ireland on the face of the Act.
I refer the hon. Lady to the announcement made by the noble Lord, the Attorney-General on 14 March in another place, that the Government's intention is to proceed with these provisions by way of fresh legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
At this stage it remains our intention to implement the Criminal Justice Act provisions relating to non-jury trials in line with the introduction of these measures in England and Wales.
Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been charged under the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 in each year since its introduction; and what was the penalty imposed in each case. [68548]
David Cairns: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development only holds information from 1999 on the number of persons charged in respect of offences committed under the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. This is detailed in the following table. Two of the cases were withdrawn at the last moment following the agreement of the owners to destroy the dogs in question. Of the two cases prosecuted, in the first case the penalty was a £100 fine plus £365 costs and the dog ordered to be destroyed.In the second case the penalty was a £250 fine plus£43 costs and the dog ordered to be destroyed.
| Persons charged under the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 | |
| Number | |
Drink Driving
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian support staff were convicted of drink driving offences in each of the last five years. [69226]
Paul Goggins: Statistics for the number of police officers convicted of drink driving offences are provided in the table. The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not hold such records for civilian support staff.
| Year | Number of Police Officers |
| Note: These statistics relate to police officers who were off duty at the time of the offence. |
Drug Use (Offenders)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of crime in each constituency in Northern Ireland in the last two years involved offenders who were using (a) cannabis and (b) other drugs; and if he will make a statement. [69652]
Mr. Hain: The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not keep records in a format that would answer this question.
Cannabis continues to be a first drug of choice for drug users in Northern Ireland, and among the treatment services it is the most commonly reported drug. Over the last three years the partner organisations in the Organised Crime Task Force have seized £36 million of illicit drugs and in 2004-05 the value of cannabis seized was £5.2 million. In the period 2005-06 the police increased the number of seizures by between 10 per cent. to 20 per cent. and the number of persons charged with drug offences by 18 per cent. The Government are not complacent to changes taking place in the drug culture and has noted the rise in cocaine use, from a low base.
On 9 May the Government announced the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs for 2006 to 2011. It contains a series of key aims, one of which is to disrupt the availability of illicit drugs being brought into Northern Ireland. The Government will continue to encourage and financially support a range of projects to tackle offenders who use crime to support their drug use.
Education and Library Boards
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what honorariums have been paid to employees of each education and library board in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each year. [69742]
Maria Eagle: The following tables show the number and value of honorariums paid by each education and library board to teaching and non-teaching staff over the last five years
| NEELB | |||||
| Number paid (Teaching staff) | Number paid (Non-teaching staff) | Cost (Teaching staff) (£) | Cost (Non-teaching staff (£) | Total cost (£) | |
| SELB | |||||
| Number paid (Teaching staff) | Number paid (Non-teaching staff) | Cost (Teaching staff) (£) | Cost (Non-teaching staff) (£) | Total cost(£) | |
| SEELB | |||||
| Number paid (Teaching staff) | Number paid (Non-teaching staff) | Cost (Teaching staff) (£) | Cost (Non-teaching staff) (£) | Total cost (£) | |
| WELB | |||||
| Number paid (Teaching staff) | Number paid (Non-teaching staff) | Cost (Teaching staff) (£) | Cost (Non-teaching staff) (£) | Total cost (£) | |
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