| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
24 Oct 2006 : Column 1780W—continued
Minimum Wage
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many employees in (a) her Department and (b) its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October. [93478]
Ms Harman: No members of staff in my Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October 2006 as all our staff are currently paid at a rate which is above the new minimum.
Parliamentary Boundaries
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the timetable is for the introduction of the Order to introduce the English Parliamentary boundary changes; and if she will make a statement. [95837]
Bridget Prentice: The Boundary Commission for England have announced their intention to submit the final report on their Fifth General Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in England to the Secretary of State by 31 October 2006.
We have no fixed timetable for when the subsequent draft Order to implement the new constituency boundaries will be laid before Parliament. Following receipt of the Commission’s report, we will wish to allow a reasonable period for consideration of the report, and in particular any representations that may be made to the Secretary of State in respect of specific recommendations it makes. The length of time that this will take will depend on the number and complexity of the representations that may be received. However, I would hope to be in a position to lay the draft Order early in 2007.
Prisoner Escapes
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many prisoners have escaped from a dock in magistrates' courts in the Greater London area over the last 12 months. [94969]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
Between October 2005 and September 2006, two prisoners escaped from docks in magistrates courts in the Greater London area.
Victim Intimidation
Mrs. James: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what support and assistance is given to victims of antisocial behaviour during court trials to prevent victim and witness intimidation; [93613]
(2) what means of giving evidence in a court of law are available to victims of antisocial behaviour in cases involving criminal offences; and if she will make a statement; [93614]
(3) what protocols exist to allow victims to give evidence in a court of law anonymously, with particular reference to antisocial behaviour criminal proceedings. [93616]
Ms Harman:
Witness Liaison Officers, security officers and other court staff work closely with the Witness Service to ensure that courts provide a safe environment for victims of antisocial behaviour. On arrival at court, steps are taken to assist witnesses, defendants, supporters and observers. Using this information, victims and their families are, as far as possible, kept in a separate place from defendants and their supporters in accordance with national standards. Where a victim or witness has been identified before trial as vulnerable or intimidated, a particular issue in
antisocial behaviour cases, court staff are trained to review entrance and exit routes to limit the opportunity for contact with the defendant. Throughout the process (before, during and after trial) the Witness Service is available to offer emotional and practical assistance.
At trial, courts can receive evidence from vulnerable or intimidated witnesses, including victims of antisocial behaviour, through the use of special measures. These measures include screening the witness from the accused; the giving of evidence by live link; the giving of evidence in private; and video recorded evidence. In exceptional cases a court can grant full anonymity to a witness. This is at the discretion of the judge or bench of magistrates.
Northern Ireland
Areas of Special Scientific Interest
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure that the 95 per cent. of the features underlying the designation of internationally important wildlife sites and areas of special scientific interest in Northern Ireland are in, or approaching, favourable conservation condition by 2013; and what progress has been made towards that target. [96308]
David Cairns: EHS is due to complete the first six year cycle of monitoring of areas of special scientific interest in 2008. It is intended that the scientific information obtained from this exercise will inform the programme of work associated with the maintenance and restoration of these sites. The results of the first three years of monitoring revealed that almost two thirds of the scientific features of our ASSIs are in favourable condition.
EHS presently seeks to secure the favourable management of designated sites through the management of sensitive sites scheme (MOSS). 5.6 per cent. of land within ASSIs is currently subject to a management agreement. The number of management agreements that would be required to bring the remaining third of ASSI features into favourable condition far exceeds the resources available to EHS. Discussions with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are therefore underway to consider the option of securing the favourable management of ASSIs through its agri- environment schemes.
Be a Tourist at Home Campaign
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Be a Tourist at Home campaign; what estimate he has made of how much additional money was spent at tourist sites in Northern Ireland over the period of the campaign; and how much additional revenue was generated as a result of the initiative. [96311]
Maria Eagle:
The main purpose of the voucher based Be a Tourist at Home campaign was to increase awareness of the Northern Ireland cultural tourism
product within the home market and to encourage Northern Ireland residents to become ambassadors for it.
Assessment was by industry and consumer questionnaires. An evaluation of the value of PR around the event was also carried out.
Feedback from participating venues indicated 74 per cent. found it beneficial and would participate again.
63 per cent. of survey respondents indicated that without a Be a Tourist at Home voucher they would not have visited the venue or any venue of a similar nature that weekend. 96 per cent. of users reported that the vouchers had influenced their decision to visit the venue of choice and 93 per cent. agreed the promotion had encouraged them to get out more often.
There are no estimates of how much money was spent at individual sites or cumulatively over the period of the campaign and no measurement of additional revenue was attempted.
Cannabis
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been charged for possession of cannabis in Northern Ireland in the last two years. [94120]
Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the PSNI that the following number of people have been charged for the possession of cannabis in 2004-05 and 2005-06:
| Number of persons charged for supplying cannabis( 1) | |
| (1) Offences include: Producing controlled drug Cultivating cannabis Possessing with intent to supply Being concerned in production Supplying controlled drug Being concerned in offer to supply | |
Child Health
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the (a) levels of obesity and (b) general health of schoolchildren in Northern Ireland in the last three years. [96131]
Paul Goggins: The height and weight of children are recorded as part of the Primary One health appraisal conducted by the school nurse. Levels of obesity can be calculated from this information, which is recorded in the child health system for Northern Ireland. The following table sets out the levels of obesity among children aged four and a half to five and a half for the last three years for which data are available.
| Children aged four and a half to five and a half years classified as obese | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Child Health System (NI) | |
Results from the 2005 Health and Social Well- Being Survey, which collected height and weight measurements of all respondents aged two and over,
will be available later this year and will provide a more comprehensive assessment of obesity levels in children.
Health visitors and school nurses assess the general health and development of children as part of the Child Health Surveillance programme. The surveillance programme includes a general health assessment in the first year of primary school and in the first year of post-primary school, as well as screening tests and targeted reviews.
The Young Persons Behaviour and Attitudes (YBAS) survey provides an overview of children’s health and well-being and of health determinants, such as diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption. The last YBAS survey, which involved almost 7,000 young people aged 11 to 16 living in Northern Ireland, was conducted in 2003 and is scheduled to be repeated in 2007. The 2003 YBAS survey reported that over 88 per cent. of children considered themselves to be quite healthy or very healthy with just under 12 per cent. considering themselves to be not very healthy. 16 per cent. of schoolchildren declared that they had either a long-standing illness or disability that had troubled them for a period of time or was likely to affect them in the future.
Departmental Mail
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Department’s mail is shipped using private companies; and what the cost was over the last 12 months. [95152]
Mr. Hain: We are unable to fully answer the hon. Member’s question as information on the volume of the Northern Ireland Office’s mail shipped using private companies is not held centrally and to gather the information would be at disproportionate cost.
The amount paid to private mail companies by the NIO, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, in the financial year 2005-06, was £22,145.
Departmental Procurement Costs
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Strategic Investment Board has advised the Central Procurement Directorate to add 20 per cent. to projected in-house procurement costs by (a)Government departments and (b) other agencies. [96076]
Mr. Hanson: The Strategic Investment Board has not advised the Central Procurement Directorate of the Department of Finance and Personnel to add 20 per cent. or any other amount, to projected in-house procurement costs by (a) Government Departments and (b) other agencies. No advice of such a nature has been issued by the Strategic Investment Board to any public body.
Depression
Mark Durkan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 595W, on depression, if his Department will (a) collect figures on the number of people diagnosed with depression and (b) monitor
the availability of cognitive behaviour therapy for those diagnosed with depression; and if he will make a statement. [96080]
Paul Goggins: The Quality and Outcomes Framework of the General Medical Services contract has been revised to include a register of patients with depression. These registers have been set up in general practices from April 2006. It is increasingly acknowledged that therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy are an important tool in the treatment of mental illness. As a new initiative, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has commissioned the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation to work with Health and Social Services Boards to develop cognitive therapy programmes.
Domestic Violence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of domestic violence were reported to the police in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) district command unit and (b) council area. [94965]
Mr. Hanson: Statistics on domestic violence incidents are available from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The following table details the numbers of incidents reported to PSNI in the last three years—2003-04 (16,926), 2004-05 (20,959), and 2005-06 (23,059)—and breaks these figures down further according to District Command Units. These figures are also representative of council areas. It is worth noting that these figures do not represent the prevalence of the problem, as domestic violence is seriously under reported.
| Domestic violence incidents reported to PSNI across District Command Units | |||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |