| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 May 2006 : Column 1241W—continued
Northern Ireland
Absenteeism
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the absenteeism rates were for each of the workforces of each of Northern Ireland’s district councils in each of the last three years. [70914]
David Cairns: The information on absenteeism rates within district councils is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Local Government Auditor, under the provisions in Article 26 of the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 is in the process of collecting such information for 2005-06. This information will be published and I will let you have a copy in due course.
Agricultural Weather Aid Scheme
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been (a) claimed and (b) paid out under the agricultural weather aid scheme. [71928]
David Cairns: The information is as follows:
(a) Amount claimed—£4.6 million.
(b) Amount paid out—£4,065,528.53
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications have been (a) received and (b) accepted in relation to the agricultural weather aid scheme. [71929]
David Cairns: The information is as follows:
(a) Number of applications received—26,354
(b) Number accepted—26,059
Classroom Assistants
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what money has been allocated for the evaluation of classroom assistants in Northern Ireland. [71367]
Maria Eagle: My Department has made available £25.7 million in respect of the costs of the job evaluation exercise, including arrears, for the period to the end of the 2005-06 financial year. This money is ring fenced for those costs once a settlement has been reached between the employers and those representing classroom assistants, and cannot be used for any other purpose. Further funding will be made available in respect of ongoing costs after 2005-06.
Dentistry
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dentists are accepting new NHS patients in each constituency in Northern Ireland. [71313]
Paul Goggins: A dentist may practice in more than one dental surgery within a constituency or in more than one constituency. The following table shows the number of actual dental practitioners who were recently registering patients for NHS treatment within each constituency.
| Number of dentists( 1) providing health service dentistry by constituency who accepted new health service patients in March and April 2006 | |
| Constituency | Number |
| (1) Excludes vocational dental practitioners and assistants. Notes: 1. Should a dentist work in more than one practice within a constituency then they have only been counted once within that constituency but if they work across constituencies then they have also been counted once in each relevant constituency. 2. Figures will not include any dentists who may still be accepting patients but who were not approached for a registration during the two-month analysis period. |
Departmental Credit Cards
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what credit cards are provided for senior civil servants by (a) each department in Northern Ireland and (b) his Department. [70492]
Mr. Hanson: No credit cards are issued to senior civil servants in Northern Ireland departments or the Northern Ireland Office.
Departmental Staff (Vetting)
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions vetting checks on foreign nationals working in each department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, have revealed a criminal record in each of the last five years. [70451]
Paul Goggins: Prior to 1 August 2005 national security vetting information kept by the security vetting unit in the Northern Ireland Office in respect of the Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office was not recorded in a manner that would allow this question to be answered. However, a check of information dating from 1 August 2005 has not revealed any foreign national working in a Northern Ireland Department or the Northern Ireland Office and subject to national security vetting to have a criminal record.
District Police Partnerships
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average attendance was at public meetings held under the auspices of District Police Partnerships in Northern Ireland during 2005. [70438]
Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board that the records of the numbers of members of the public attending District Policing Partnership meetings in public are held directly by each District Policing Partnership.
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the 10 (a) most improved and (b) least improved district policing partnership areas in relation to incidents of reported burglaries in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [70911]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is available on the PSNI website at: www.psni.police.uk
Footballers (Intimidation)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the police in Londonderry have reached any conclusions regarding their investigations into allegations that two footballers were intimidated during April into leaving the city. [68118]
Paul Goggins: PSNI is investigating the allegations of intimidation. However, the two men concerned have returned to Belgium and despite the attempts of local police, it has proved difficult to contact them.
Gershon Review
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review. [21294]
Mr. Hain: Progress was recently reported in the 2005-06 departmental report which was published on the 11 May 2006.
Maze Prison
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are in place in respect of (a) the use of, (b) access to and (c) press coverage of the former HMP Maze buildings and property. [71119]
Mr. Hanson: I have recently reviewed the procedure on access to the Maze/Long Kesh site and have placed a copy of the policy in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what permissions were sought by Sinn Fein in respect of its use of HMP Maze land for a commemoration of the death of Bobby Sands; [71120]
(2) what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with Sinn Fein on the use of land at HMP Maze for a commemoration of the death of Bobby Sands. [71121]
Mr. Hanson: Following representation made on behalf of the families of ex-prisoners my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for NI agreed to allow each of the families of the hunger strikers who died a private visit to pay their respects on the anniversary of the death of their family member. Appropriate arrangements were made with officials. In relation to the anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands, family members did not attend. A number of former prisoners accompanied by two Sinn Fein MPs asked at official level for, and were granted, a brief private visit to the former prison hospital. I have issued revised guidance on future such visits.
Ministerial Protection
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of close protection from the armed forces for Northern Ireland Ministers in each of the last eight years. [69660]
Paul Goggins: The armed forces do not provide close protection for Ministers. Close protection for Ministers is provided by PSNI.
MOT
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles which were tested at Northern Ireland MOT test centres failed their initial test in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [71127]
David Cairns: The following table details all vehicles that failed their initial test in the last two years. Figures are not available prior to 2004-05.
| Centre | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
Newtonabbey
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons 42 Circular Road, Jordanstown, Newtonabbey was not included as an area of townscape character. [71330]
David Cairns: An objection to the non-inclusion of 42 Circular Road, Jordanstown within an area of townscape character has been submitted to the draft Belfast metropolitan area plan. As the objection will properly be addressed at the forthcoming public inquiry, it would not be appropriate to comment on the issue at this time.
Operating and Financial Review
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the operating and financial review in Northern Ireland. [34983]
Mr. Hanson: The Accounting Standards Board’s Reporting Statement “Operational and Financial Review” (OFR) is designed as a formulation and development of best practice; it is intended to have persuasive rather than mandatory force. The statement has been written with quoted companies in mind and recommends that company directors prepare an OFR, but is also applicable to any other entities that purport to prepare an OFR. This applies to Northern Ireland as in Great Britain.
For Northern Ireland Government, accounts for 2005-06 onwards prepared by departments and other entities falling within the scope of the Government Financial Reporting Manual will prepare a Management Commentary, the content of which is based upon the recommendations of the Reporting Statement Operational and Financial Review.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |