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Community-based Sentences

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many criminal offences resulted in a sentence of community work in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months; and how many were completed. [76625]

Mr. Hanson: According to figures provided by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) in relation to the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, 652 community service orders were made, representing a contribution of approximately 95,000 hours of unpaid work to the community, while 212 combination orders were made, representing a contribution of approximately 25,000 hours of unpaid work to the community.

Over the same period, 514 community service orders and 154 Combination orders were completed. It should be noted that figures are collated based on the number of persons convicted rather than the number of offences.

Council Audits

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action his Department is taking to reduce the cost of auditing local councils in Northern Ireland. [78791]

David Cairns: Audit fees, which are determined by the Department in discussion with the local government Audit Office, seek to recover 100 per cent. of auditors' time. Time spent on the audit of district councils' accounts is kept to a minimum and the Department monitors the position of these statutory audits through regular meetings with the Chief Local Government Auditor.

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of audit fees was for each local council in Northern Ireland in each year since 1990. [78792]

26 Jun 2006 : Column 191W

David Cairns: The records for audit fees charged to individual district councils are not held centrally prior
26 Jun 2006 : Column 192W
to 1998-99. Fees for the financial years 1998-99 to 2004-05 are set out in the table.

£
District council	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05( 1)
Antrim	10,824	10,544	15,797	23,436	19,816	(2)20,051	15,280
Ards	14,099	15,417	15,656	20,315	19,742	20,924	24,130
Armagh	11,709	12,307	13,030	17,106	18,322	(2)33,535	16,100
Ballymena	16,789	19,820	21,211	21,994	20,886	23,243	25,000
Ballymoney	8,954	9,801	13,628	13,711	11,613	15,605	13,300
Banbridge	8,304	11,009	16,432	12,189	11,432	13,255	11,250
Belfast	89,921	81,080	83,672	96,575	109,547	131,859	126,000
Carrickfergus	14,567	16,919	13,551	15,005	16,113	16,419	15,300
Castlereagh	16,038	21,820	22,939	22,252	23,784	(2)27,158	22,100
Coleraine	13,036	13,593	19,220	17,785	18,416	18,971	17,700
Cookstown	8,351	10,006	9,157	12,832	12,620	13,379	11,250
Craigavon	15,363	17,347	20,179	18,958	26,372	(2)29,863	22,100
Derry	28,612	33,670	22,081	21,599	26,947	27,981	28,150
Down	15,364	17,612	17,283	20,053	17,927	(2)23,523	24,150
Dungannon and South Tyrone	11,996	13,220	12,973	15,036	15,272	18,231	15,300
Fermanagh	9,947	9,604	11,179	15,906	77,127	(2)24,605	15,300
Larne	11,538	17,669	12,918	18,298	14,405	16,677	13,300
Limavady	9,283	11,349	12,471	11,380	11,618	17,318	13,300
Lisburn	19,968	21,697	25,490	27,479	21,570	22,381	26,150
Magherafelt	8,743	7,398	7,853	12,454	14,646	13,546	13,300
Moyle	13,119	11,874	12,455	19,013	14,926	14,483	12,050
Newry and Mourne	17,788	19,950	23,470	27,333	27,161	(2)40,855	28,150
Newtownabbey	14,110	39,175	43,069	27,819	22,025	22,694	24,150
North Down	16,333	20,579	21,838	18,592	24,699	32,650	26,500
Omagh	11,800	12,303	16,954	13,071	14,420	19,138	18,900
Strabane	11,707	14,681	37,198	17,060	12,415	18,380	15,300
(1 )Estimate. (2) Audits not yet complete.

Departmental Chief Accounting Officer

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the chief accounting officer of his Department. [76711]

Paul Goggins: Accounting officer is a role that the permanent secretary combines with his personal responsibility for the overall organisation, management and staffing of the Department and for department-wide procedures in financial and other matters.

The accounting officer is assisted in the discharge of these duties by suitably qualified and experienced senior managers. The head of financial services division of the Northern Ireland Office is a professionally qualified accountant.

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