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7 Jun 2006 : Column 699W

Social Security Agency Office (Bangor)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans (a) to replace and (b) to refurbish the Social Security Agency office on Hamilton Road in Bangor; what the timescale for any such rebuilding or refurbishment is; and if he will make a statement. [52378]

Mr. Hanson: The Bangor Social Security Office is included in the rollout of jobs and benefits offices as part of the welfare reform agenda. The Social Security Agency and Department of Employment and Learning are currently considering a number of proposals for provision of the new office. These include both the refurbishment of the existing office or a number of new build schemes. A decision is unlikely before May 2006.


7 Jun 2006 : Column 700W

A target date for completion will be agreed once contracts have been awarded.

Staff Development

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was of (a) staff away days and (b) staff team building exercises in each Department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, in each of the last three years. [69232]

Mr. Hanson: The total cost of (a) staff away days and (b) staff team building exercises in each Department in Northern Ireland, in each of the last three financial years are as follows:

Total cost of staff away days
Department 2003-04 (£) 2004-05 (£) 2005-06 (£)

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

19,475

39,704

18,708

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

11,435

7,398

12,109

Department of Education

45,632

17,323

9,631

Department of Employment and Learning(1)

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

5,436

10,830

5,546

Department of Finance and Personnel

13,412

26,139

36,170

Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety

18,065

13,082

26,148

Department of the Environment

2,074

5,242

7,001

Department of Regional Development

2,369

1,735

818

Department of Social Development

13,164

10,029

40,638

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

6,887

9,078

10,323


Total cost of staff team building exercises
Department 2003-04 (£) 2004-05 (£) 2005-06 (£)

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

589

8,191

400

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

0

693

460

Department of Education

5,131

0

0

Department of Employment and Learning(1)

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

3,244

3,155

4,401

Department of Finance and Personnel

611

24,255

16,601

Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety

17,000

4,766

11,037

Department of the Environment

7,342

7,555

16,185

Department of Regional Development

9,265

11,356

4,056

Department of Social Development

12,015

3,371

3,909

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

6,184

7,257

0


Total cost of away days and team building exercises
Department 2003-04 (£) 2004-05 (£) 2005-06 (£)

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

20,064

47,895

19,108

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

11,435

8,092

12,569

Department of Education

50,764

17,323

9,631

Department of Employment and Learning

43,743

44,480

39,443

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

8,680

13,985

9,947

Department of Finance and Personnel

14,023

50,394

52,771

Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety

35,065

17,849

37,186

Department of the Environment

9,416

12,797

23,186

Department of Regional Development

11,634

13,091

4,874

Department of Social Development

25,180

13,401

44,547

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

13,072

16,335

10,323

Overall totals(2)

243,079

255,644

263,588

(1) The Department of Employment and Learning does not hold the information broken down into separate away day and team building categories.
(2 )Due to rounding figures may not add to totals.

7 Jun 2006 : Column 701W

Staff away days and team building exercises are key elements of the NICS and departmental business planning and staff development processes, which inter alia enable engagement with staff about strategic departmental priorities and targets, and the cascading of appropriate priorities to staff to help them in turn in developing their business area and personal work plans.

Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office have been taking steps to ensure that best value for money is obtained in this area. Departments will be making as much use as possible of civil service and wider public sector facilities in preference to private sector venues.

The Northern Ireland Office did not capture information at this level through financial coding for financial years 2003-04 and 2004-05 so to provide this would incur a disproportionate cost. A total of £57,243.92 was spent on development days in the Northern Ireland Office in financial year 2005-06. This
7 Jun 2006 : Column 702W
equates to approximately £150 per head for the total number of staff involved. Development days are used for training and team building.

Stormont

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the final total cost for the upgrade of Castle Buildings in the Stormont Estate was, broken down by main budget heading. [74699]

Mr. Hanson: Castle Buildings, which is one of the main office accommodation blocks in the Stormont Estate, has been subject to a rolling upgrading programme of work over the past 15 years. Such work included the refurbishment of most of the building in the early nineties leading up to the political talks in Northern Ireland.

Since 2003, projects undertaken and associated costs have been:

Capital (£000) Revenue (£000)

June 2003

Provision of additional car parking spaces

190,000

September 2003

Refurbishment of the link towers and toilet facilities in all blocks and replacement of windows

600,000

March 2004

Refurbishment of Castle Buildings canteen

114,000

September 2005

Provision of new reception area at block B

200,000


Taxis

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions against illegal operators have been brought by the Department of the Environment taxi enforcement branch in each of the last five years in each police district command unit area in Northern Ireland. [57075]

David Cairns: This information is not available prior to April 2003, nor is it possible to identify the number of prosecutions within each police district command unit area.

Enforcement officers attached to the Department's Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency have detected and reported the following infringements of taxi regulations with a view to prosecution:

Period PSV licensing offences PSV driver licensing offences Insurance offences Other offences

1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004

309

210

228

137

1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005

188

140

177

74

1 April 2005 to 28 February 2006

148

68

99

176


Teenage Births

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many under-16-year-olds gave birth in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [42278]

Paul Goggins: The following table gives the number of number of maternities(1) registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 2000 and 2004 where the mother was a resident of Northern Ireland and under-16-years-old at the time of birth.

Registration year Number of maternities registered (mother aged under-16 at time of birth)

2000

58

2001

42

2002

37

2003

33

2004

39


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