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28 Jun 2006 : Column 442W—continued
Uganda
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the invasion of the Ugandan High Court by armed commandos on 16 November 2005; and if she will make a statement. [79946]
Mr. McCartney:
Following the presence of armed commandos in the grounds of the High Court on 16 November 2005, we urged the Ugandan
Government to do all they could to restore public confidence in the security services. As EU presidency at the time, the UK issued a statement on 18 November 2005 calling for this and also calling for the Ugandan Government to ‘ensure that the security force’s responses are strictly proportionate to the threats they face in any given situation’. The full text of the statement can be found at the following website:
http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1107293561746&a=KArticle&aid=1131976425734&date=2005-11-18.
On 31 January 2006, the Constitutional Court declared that the deployment of armed commandos had been a deliberate attempt to intimidate and influence the judiciary.
Constitutional Affairs
Departmental Finance Directors
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of her Department. [80092]
Vera Baird: The information is as follows:
(a) The Director General of Finance at the Department for Constitutional Affairs is Ms. Barbara Moorhouse.
(b) Ms. Moorhouse holds an MA in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford university and is a chartered management accountant. She is an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and of the Financial Reporting and Review Panel. From 1996-2002 she was a member of CIMA Council.
(c) Ms. Moorhouse was appointed in March 2005. She has previously held a number of senior financial, strategic and commercial roles in multinational companies.
Post Office Network Services
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what services (a) her Department and (b) its associated public bodies (i) make available and (ii) have made available in the last five years through the post office network; through how many outlets the service is or was made available; and how many relevant transactions were undertaken in each case in the most recent year for which figures are available. [79203]
Bridget Prentice: Neither DCA nor any of its associated public bodies use, or have used, the services of post office network in the course of their business over the last five years.
Northern Ireland
Ulster Volunteer Force
6. Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has received on the Ulster Volunteer Force's intention to enter a ceasefire. [79740]
Paul Goggins: In their latest report the IMC stated that the UVF remains an active, violent and ruthless organisation. The UVF's recent statement that it will make no announcement about future intentions until after 24 November is completely unacceptable.
Housing
8. Mr. Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on housing policy in Northern Ireland. [79742]
Mr. Hanson: The Government's objective is to ensure that everyone has access to a decent home in the tenure of their choice at an affordable cost. The policy is progressed within the Government's Regional Development Strategy and other important initiatives such as Neighbourhood Renewal and the Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Northern Ireland Assembly
9. Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent progress towards devolved Government in the Province. [79744]
Mr. Hain: The Preparation for Government Committee at the Assembly is continuing to work to identify the issues that need to be addressed in preparation for devolved Government. The Government remains committed to doing all it can to support the process.
10. Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards the permanent re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly. [79745]
Mr. Hanson: The Preparation for Government Committee at the Assembly is continuing to work to identify the issues that need to be addressed in preparation for devolved Government. The Government remains committed to doing all it can to support the process.
EU Funding
11. Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in increasing EU regional funding for Northern Ireland. [79746]
Mr. Hanson: Recent improved economic performance means that for 2007-13 Northern Ireland will benefit from an allocation of the EU structural funds available to the UK under the EU's competitiveness and employment objective. Northern Ireland will also benefit from special PEACE funding and Territorial Co-operation funding.
The allocations of competitiveness and employment funding to UK regions are still under discussion following a recent UK-wide consultation process that ended on 22 May 2006. We will ensure that Northern Ireland gets a fair share of the resources available to the UK.
Post-primary Education
12. Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of post-primary education in Northern Ireland. [79747]
Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave some moments ago to the hon. Member for Blaydon.
Secondary School System
13. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of selection in Northern Ireland’s secondary school system. [79748]
Mr. Hain: The Draft Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, to be debated later today, contains a provision banning academic selection in Northern Ireland after the 2008 Transfer Tests. This will be effective from 25 November if the Northern Ireland Assembly is not restored before that date. If it is restored by 24 November a vote will be required in the Assembly to ban academic selection.
Community Festivals
14. Mr. Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government support is available for new and emerging community festivals in Northern Ireland. [79749]
Mr. Hain: A new Community Festival Fund came into operation on 1 April 2006. The Northern Ireland Events Company administers the fund on the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure’s behalf. Approximately £450,000 is available to new or existing festivals that meet the core criteria.
Its main purpose is to improve the capacity of existing, new and emerging community festivals and to make them more sustainable.
Child Sex Abuse
David Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006, Official Report, column 1598W, on
child sex abuse, how offender clusters have been monitored in Northern Ireland over the past 10 years; and how offender clusters will be scanned for in the future. [77207]
Paul Goggins: Further to my answer to the hon. Gentleman of 23 May 2006, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, in line with the National Intelligence Model (NIM), use the Integrated Crime Information System (ICIS) to monitor offender clusters. NIM became available in 2001, prior to this the PSNI identified clusters through local intelligence
Civil Partnerships
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many same-sex couples in Northern Ireland have applied to legalise their relationship, broken down by council area. [78551]
Mr. Hanson: Civil partnership was introduced in Northern Ireland from 5 December 2005 and after that date couples could give notice of civil partnership registration. Up to 15 June 2006 notice has been given for 110 civil partnerships in Northern Ireland of which 70 are in the Belfast registration district, nine in Derry and six in each of Newry and Mourne and North Down districts. None of the remaining registration districts has received five or more notices.
Civil Servants
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Foyle (Mark Durkan) of 15 May 2006, Official Report, columns 701-2W, on the Northern Ireland Civil Service, which wards were included within Antrim Coast and Glens when calculating the number of Northern Ireland civil service vacancies. [74345]
Mr. Hanson: The correct title for the parliamentary constituency in question is East Antrim constituency, not Antrim Coast and Glens as provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission. The corresponding wards in East Antrim constituency, to which these figures previously supplied refer, are Killycrot and Central Ward.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil service posts, expressed as whole time equivalent staff-in-post plus vacancies, there were (a) in each Department and agency in Northern Ireland and (b) in total at 1 April; and if he will make a statement. [76558]
Mr. Hanson: The number of civil service posts, expressed as whole time equivalent staff-in-post plus vacancies, in each of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments and the NIO, and their agencies at 1 April 2006 are as follows;
Criminal Offences
Mr. Clegg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the criminal offences
created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act. [76903]
Mr. Hanson: No criminal offences have been created by Acts since April 2005. The offences created by Order in Council since April 2005 will be placed in the Library.
Departmental Expenditure
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the levels of under-capacity and over-capacity are in the accommodation of (a) each of the Northern Ireland departmental headquarters and (b) each of their out-offices; and what the annual recurring costs are associated with each of (i) the Northern Ireland departmental headquarters buildings and (ii) each of their out-offices. [78559]
Mr. Hanson: It is not possible to determine over or under-capacity in accommodation currently as there is no set space standard. However it is estimated that less than 1.5 per cent. of floor space is vacant. In the longer term, the Workplace 2010 initiative aims to provide a more flexible and modern working environment and will introduce space standards against which over and under capacity can be measured.
Tables setting out the recurring costs for buildings—or parts thereof—that are headquarter buildings and also for out-offices on a departmental basis will be placed in the Library. The figures shown are for 2005-06 and include items such as rent, rates, maintenance, fuel and furniture charges.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars are (a) owned and (b) leased by each department under his authority in Northern Ireland; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each requires; what the fuel efficiency is of each model; and for what purpose each car is used. [78748]
Mr. Hanson: Details of the cars, leased and owned by each department under my authority are listed in the following table.
Cars have been defined as passenger-carrying vehicles for the purpose of this response.
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