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21 Jun 2006 : Column 1966W—continued
Fair Employment and Treatment Order
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether an equality impact assessment will be carried out on the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003; and what assessment has been carried out of the effect that these proposals will have on public housing allocation for individuals from each community in Northern Ireland; [76300]
(2) if he will make a statement on the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 to assist the introduction of mixed housing schemes; [76301]
(3) what assessment he has made of the compliance of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 with the EU Race Directive; [76787]
(4) if he will take steps to ensure that the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 to facilitate mixed housing schemes do not adversely affect steps taken (a) to promote equality of opportunity and (b) to ensure the elimination of community differentials in the allocation of public housing in Northern Ireland. [76789]
Mr. Hanson: The signatories to the Good Friday Agreement rightly recognised that an essential aspect of the reconciliation process is the promotion of a culture of tolerance at every level of society, including initiatives to facilitate and encourage integrated education and mixed housing.
The Government have given a commitment to develop over the next 12 months, through the social housing development programme, two pilot schemes as part of a programme of actions under A Shared Future. The schemes will be promoted as “Housing through Choice” and will be taken forward only where it is practicable, desirable and safe to do so.
In the meantime, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, having regard to the commitments in the Good Friday Agreement, has signalled that it will engage with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and others to consider how best to facilitate mixed housing schemes in the future. That process will include an assessment of the existing legislation, including the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, to see if it is necessary, and or appropriate, to amend legislation to facilitate the introduction of mixed housing schemes. Any subsequent proposals to amend the legislation will comply with our national and international obligations and will be subject to full equality, human rights and social need considerations.
Flags
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department’s policy is on flying the EU flag from his Department’s buildings. [77666]
Mr. Hain: The flying of flags from Government buildings in Northern Ireland is governed by the Flags (Northern Ireland) Order 2000 and the Flags (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2000. These provide for the European flag to be flown from Government buildings in Northern Ireland on Europe Day (9 May) on buildings with two or more flag poles provided they are flown alongside the Union flag with the Union flag in the superior position.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure the Union Flag is flown on all working days from his Department’s buildings. [77667]
Mr. Hain: The flying of flags from Government buildings in Northern Ireland is governed by the Flags (Northern Ireland) Order 2000 and the Flags (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2000. These stipulate that the Union flag shall be flown on 15 specified days from seven designated Government buildings (which are, broadly speaking, the departmental headquarters of Northern Ireland Departments). Other Government buildings (which are defined as buildings which contain a workforce of over 50 per cent. Northern Ireland civil servants) may also fly the Union flag on the specified days. The regulations do not permit the Union flag to be flown from Government buildings on a daily basis.
Hospital Beds
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the bed capacity of the (a) Ulster hospital and (b) Royal Victoria hospital was (i) at the latest date in 2006 for which figures are available and (ii) at the same date in 2005. [78757]
Paul Goggins: Bed capacity at the (i) end of May 2006 and (ii) end of May 2005 for (a) Ulster hospital and (b) Royal Victoria hospital are provided in the following table:
| Bed capacity at: | ||
| Hospital | (i) End of May 2006 | (ii) End of May 2005 |
| Notes: 1. Ulster Hospital figures are at 31 May 2005 to 31 May 2006 2. Royal Victoria Hospital figures are at 27 May 2005 to 26 May 2006 Source: Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust; Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust | ||
The figures presented in the table include both in-patient beds (beds in wards that are open overnight) and beds for use during the day only.
Hospital Treatment
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints have been made about the quality of care and treatment in each hospital in Northern Ireland in the last five years. [78761]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally. Complaints statistics are collated at HSS Trust level only. It will take a number of days before this information can be obtained and collated at hospital level.
I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as the information becomes available and place a copy in the Library.
Knives
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions there have been for illegal possession of a knife in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [76626]
Mr. Hanson:
Offences for which statistics are available refer to the possession of an ‘offensive
weapon’ or ‘article with blade or point’, within which knives are included. While offensive weapons may not solely be knives further detail relating to type of weapon is not recorded in conviction datasets.
The table provides the number of convictions relating to the possession of offensive weapons, for calendar years 1999-2003, the latter being the most up-to-date available.
| Number of convictions for possession of offensive weapon offences 1999-2003 | |||||
| Offensive weapon offences | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003( 1) |
| (1) Figures include revisions on previously published statistics. Note: Figures are based on principal offence rule. | |||||
Litter/Dumping
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reported incidents of illegal dumping there were along the border with the Republic of Ireland in the last six months. [77366]
David Cairns: The Environmental Crime section of the Environment and Heritage Service investigates all reports of illegal waste activity. Since 1 January 2006, 238 such reports have been received from the seven council areas adjoining the border with the Republic of Ireland, i.e. Armagh, Derry, Dungannon and South Tyrone, Fermanagh, Newry and Mourne, Omagh and Strabane). One offender has already been prosecuted, and there are 106 cases awaiting court hearings.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action has been taken against the owners of land upon which illegal dumping has taken place in Northern Ireland. [77367]
David Cairns: The Environment and Heritage Service investigates all reports of illegal waste activity. All significant sites are investigated with a view to prosecution, and over 120 individuals have been successfully prosecuted to date. Most of those convicted were the owners of land on which illegal dumps were situated.
Local Government Reorganisation
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the effect on jobs in the local government sector of the planned reorganisation of local authorities in Northern Ireland. [78541]
David Cairns: It is not possible at this stage to give a reliable estimate of the number of jobs that will be affected in local government as a result of the planned reorganisation of local authorities in Northern Ireland. Final decisions on the structures of new organisations will rest with the councils themselves.
The Human Resources Sub Group of the Local Government Taskforce is currently considering the personnel issues arising from the implementation of the RPA within local government.
Manufacturing
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many manufacturing jobs there were in Northern Ireland in (a) each of the last four years and (b) the last period for which figures are available. [78734]
Maria Eagle: Estimates of the number of employee jobs in manufacturing at Northern Ireland level are available from the Quarterly Employment Survey and the latest figures relate to March 2006. The number of employee jobs in the manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland at March 2006 and in each of the previous four years is shown in the following table.
| Employee jobs in manufacturing in Northern Ireland, 2002-06 | |
| March of each year | Number |
| Note: Figures are not seasonally adjusted and are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Quarterly Employment Survey, DETI. | |
Migrant Workers (Attacks)
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks on migrant workers have been reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many prosecutions there have been following such attacks, broken down by district command unit. [75423]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available as the Police Service of Northern Ireland do not record attacks on migrant workers specifically. Incidents of this nature are included in the overall statistics for hate crime, which have been recorded since 2004. These statistics are available on the Police Service of Northern Ireland website at:
www.psni.police.uk
MOT Tests
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting time for an MOT in Northern Ireland was on the most recent available date. [78722]
David Cairns: The average waiting time for an MOT appointment for the week ending 10 June 2006 was 34 days.
Mr. Peter Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars were waiting for an
MOT in Northern Ireland on the most recent available date. [78723]
David Cairns: There were 66,356 cars awaiting an MOT in the week ending 10 June 2006.
Motoring Offences
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) males and (b) females were convicted of motoring offences in each district command unit in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which information is available. [77355]
Mr. Hanson: The table provides the number of males and females convicted of motoring offences in each police district command unit (DCU), for the calendar years 2001-03. It should be noted that the statistics are collated based on the DCU in which an offender’s address falls, rather than on the location of the offence. Data beyond 2003 are not yet available.
| Convictions for motoring offences by district command unit 2001-03 | ||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | ||||
| District command unit | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| Note: Figures are based on a principal offence rule. | ||||||
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