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27 Jun 2006 : Column 363W—continued
At present, prisoners found in possession of mobile telephones are subject to internal disciplinary procedures. It is the Government’s intention to extend to Northern Ireland provisions in the Offender Management, Sentences and Procedures Bill that will make it a criminal offence to take a mobile telephone into or out of a prison establishment.
Sexual Offences
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals convicted of rape in the Province received a caution in each of the last 10 years. [80029]
Mr. Hanson: Table 1 shows the number of rape offences (including attempts) cleared by means of charge/summons and by way of a caution for the years 1996-97 to 2005-06.
Table 2 shows the number of persons prosecuted and convicted for rape (including attempts) from years 1994 to 2003, the latter being the most up-to-date available at present.
The different collation methods upon which Table 1 and Table 2 are based should be borne in mind, the former being crime/victim-based while the latter is offender-based. It is not possible therefore to relate the two tables.
| Table 1: Number of offences of rape (including attempts) cleared by way of charge/summons and caution, 1996-97 to 2005-06 | ||
| Offences cleared by: | ||
| Charge/summons | Caution( 1) | |
| (1) For the years 1996-97 to 1999-2000, caution includes official adult caution and juvenile advice and warning. Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI. | ||
| Table 2: Number prosecuted and convicted for rape (including attempts) 1994 to 2003 | ||
| Prosecuted | Convicted | |
| Source: Statistics and Research Branch, NIO. | ||
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to improve the conviction rates for sexual assault and rape in the Province. [80032]
Mr. Hanson: I shall shortly be consulting on a reform of sexual offences legislation and shall include a proposal to amend the law to give a statutory definition of ‘capacity’ in rape cases. This bears on the law on consent and can be an important aspect of a court's consideration of an allegation of rape. In addition the Public Prosecution Service has trained all its prosecutors in the use of ‘special measure’ provisions which are designed to assist victims and vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give best evidence. Further training is planned in relation to sexual offence cases. The sexual violence strategy currently being developed for consultation will also make an important contribution to the effectiveness of the immediate support available from the health authorities and the police to victims of rape and sexual assault.
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions for sex offences there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; what the average length of prison sentence received was in each year; and what the (a) longest and (b) shortest sentences given were in each year. [79975]
Mr. Hanson: The following table provides the number convicted of sexual offences, the number sentenced to immediate custody, the average sentence length passed and the minimum and maximum sentence length given in each year.
Data beyond 2003 are not yet available. Data are collated on the principal offence rule, thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing in Northern Ireland an assault, rape, counselling, health centre similar to ones in other parts of the UK. [80207]
Paul Goggins: A sexual violence strategy is currently being developed for Northern Ireland. In developing the strategy the option of establishing a sexual assault referral centre (SARC) for Northern Ireland is being explored.
Sexual Violence Strategy
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the consultation on a regional sexual violence strategy is expected to be published. [80030]
Paul Goggins: The development of a regional strategy to address sexual violence in Northern Ireland is being taken forward jointly by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Northern Ireland Office, in conjunction with other Departments and agencies whose responsibilities also have a bearing on matters relating to sexual violence. It is proposed to publish a consultation document by the end of summer 2006. Implementation plans will be agreed with each Department and agency following the consultation process and prior to the strategy being finalised. The implementation plans will be published with the strategy.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the final regional sexual violence strategy to be completed. [80031]
Paul Goggins: The development of a regional strategy to address sexual violence in Northern Ireland is being taken forward jointly by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Northern Ireland Office, in conjunction with other Departments and agencies whose responsibilities also have a bearing on matters relating to sexual violence. It is proposed to publish the final strategy in April 2007.
Special Advisers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on overnight accommodation for special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last five years. [77214]
Mr. Hain:
The information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available for all of the five years.
Prior to financial year 2005-06, payments in respect of special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) were not separated out from civil servants. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In 2005-06, the NIO restructured the ministerial expenditure codes in order to separately identify Ministers', ministerial support staff and special advisor costs.
The amount spent on overnight accommodation for special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office in the financial year 2005-06 was £1,641.23.
Travellers
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Travellers camps there are in Northern Ireland; what the location is of each; and how many caravans can be accommodated at each camp. [80105]
Mr. Hanson: Responsibility for the provision of Traveller sites rests with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive which currently operates five serviced sites as follows:
| Site location | Number of pitches |
In addition a number of transit sites are being provided to cater for the needs of transient Traveller families. These will be situated in Strabane, Belfast, Londonderry, Craigavon and Newry and will provide, in total, approximately 40 pitches.
Waste Management/Recycling
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what controls are in place in Northern Ireland to monitor waste intended for recycling to ensure that it is not re-routed to a landfill site. [79912]
David Cairns: There are two specific sets of controls and a general duty of care which applies to waste producers, carriers and those who treat or dispose of waste. The controls in question are Transfrontier Shipment of Waste and licences/permits, which, once authorised, are also audited by the Department.
Waste producers are subject to a general duty of care to ensure that their material reaches an appropriate authorised facility. They also monitor the contract conditions.
The recycling of controlled waste arising in Northern Ireland is undertaken at facilities that are licensed by the Department. The permits for these approved facilities provide for the recording of the processing of material. District councils make quarterly returns on their recycled material.
The Transfrontier Shipment of Wastes Regulations govern the movement of material from Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland by a system of prior authorisation using consignment notes. This system will approve the material, which is directed towards a suitable, authorised facility.
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures his Department is taking to increase the percentage of domestic waste being recycled by councils in Northern Ireland. [79538]
David Cairns: The Department has continued to build on the successful “Wake up to Waste” programme, launched in 2000, by supporting district councils on the design, promotion and delivery of local awareness campaigns. The Northern Ireland Landfill Allowances Scheme, introduced on 1 April 2005, sets annual allowances for the amount of waste that can be landfilled by councils and acts as a driver for increased recycling of waste.
The recently published Waste Management Strategy sets new and challenging targets for councils for the recycling and recovery of household waste. The Department is committed to the development of viable end markets for recycled materials, and is working to ensure the timely procurement and establishment of the required facilities, and the introduction of legislation making provision for incentive schemes to encourage the reduction, re-use and recycling of waste.
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