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31 Oct 2006 : Column 287W—continued
Inter-parliamentary Meetings
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times committees of the British-Irish Inter Parliamentary Body have met in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years; what issues were discussed; and if he will make a statement. [97730]
Mr. Hain: I am unable to provide this information as the British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) is an independent body.
The hon. Lady may wish to write to the chairman of the BIIPB, my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy).
Joint Medical School
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the recent proposals from the University of Ulster and the National University of Ireland in Galway on a joint medical school will be considered by the cross-border action group established to consider needs and opportunities in the North West. [97123]
Mr. Hanson: The joint group of officials from the two Governments participating in the North West Gateway Initiative are aware of the proposal being developed and are monitoring further developments within the two Universities.
Prisons
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 455W, on prisons, if he will make a statement on the decision of (a) the Director of Custodian Services at the Juvenile Justice Centre, Bangor not to recognise representatives of the Prison Officers Association (POA) and (b) the Industrial Court not to accept the application by the POA for arbitration during the review of work practices. [98083]
Mr. Hanson: The information is as follows.
(a) While the Youth Justice Agency will continue to liaise with POA when representing individual members of staff who are members of the POA, it is satisfied that it has adequate local negotiating arrangements in place in the Juvenile Justice Centre with the UNISON and NIPSA trade unions.
(b) The Industrial Court in their decision of 31 May 2006 ruled that the POA in its letters of request did not specify that the request was made under schedule 1A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (NI) Order 1995 and accordingly their request was not valid.
Roads (Scotland)
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions there have been with the Department of Transport and the Scottish Executive about upgrading the road from Stranraer to Carlisle; and if he will make a statement. [95724]
Mr. Hain: There have been no discussions.
Robert McCartney
David Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers worked on the Robert McCartney investigation in each month since his murder. [97085]
Paul Goggins: The deployment of police resources is a matter for the Chief Constable. PSNI have confirmed that a team of officers, under the leadership of a Senior Investigating Officer, continue to investigate the murder of Robert McCartney.
Website Content
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place (a) to regulate and (b) to manage social network websites with particular reference to sectarian content aimed at young people. [97714]
Mr. Hanson: Social network websites and other online activities such as blogging are in the main user-generated.
As with much of the internet, such online material is generally unregulated and self-managed: it may have little, if any, moderated content.
Government in Northern Ireland, however, does have a number of specific online initiatives (including the MyGroupNI website and NI Smart Communities facility) which are focused at a cross-community level and these have clear and specific guidelines in place on both content and layout.
Zebra Mussels
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2006, Official Report, column 1787W, on zebra mussels, what assessment he has made of the impact of zebra mussels on the Lough Neagh ecology; and what the projected impact is for each of the next three years. [98000]
David Cairns: The zebra mussel population in Lough Neagh has not yet reached the point where we would expect to see ecological impacts and it is too early to judge what the impact may be over the next three years.
The colonisation of Lough Erne was rapid, reaching maximum population levels within four years. It is not possible at this stage to predict exactly how quickly the colonisation in Lough Neagh will progress but it may be slower than in Lough Erne. Lough Neagh has a lower proportion of hard grounds such as rock and gravel, which are the areas initially favoured by zebra mussels, and more of the less suitable sand and mud which may remain zebra mussel free for longer.
As population levels of zebra mussels increase the nature of the lake bottom will change and their filter feeding activity will reduce the amount of algae in the lake, increasing water clarity. This will have as yet uncertain implications for fish, birds, water abstraction, navigation and other interests. The Inter-Departmental Zebra Mussel Control Group will continue to work closely with the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee in relation to monitoring the spread of mussels, advising on mitigation measures and keeping the public aware of the issues.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2006, Official Report, column 1787W, on zebra mussels, what steps he is taking to halt the spread of zebra mussels in Lough Neagh. [98002]
David Cairns: Since zebra mussels were first found on the hull of a boat in Kinnegoe Marina on 21 November 2005 further investigation has shown that very young zebra mussels are present at several points around the Lough. This means that there is an established adult breeding population. Previous experience suggests that it is not possible to eradicate zebra mussels or halt their future spread, once they have become established. In very specific situations such as on boat hulls, jetties or pipework it may be possible to prevent them settling and/or remove them using a variety of techniques.
The Inter-Departmental Zebra Mussel Control Group will continue to work closely with the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee in relation to monitoring the spread of mussels, advising on mitigation measures and keeping the public aware of the issues.
Duchy of Lancaster
Departmental IT
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which databases operated by her Department are located (a) wholly and (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located. [97758]
Mr. McFadden: None of the databases operated by my Department are located either wholly or partly outside the United Kingdom.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether her Department recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment; [96732]
(2) what proportion of vacancies in the Cabinet Office in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in (a) English and (b) mathematics GCSE. [96740]
Mr. McFadden: Professional qualifications are sought where they are a pre-requisite for the post in question. Most Cabinet Office recruitment however is based on competence (skills and experience) rather than formal qualifications. Potential recruits are requested to provide details of their formal qualifications when they apply for a Cabinet Office vacancy as part of their background information on educational attainment. Applicants are therefore welcome to detail their International GCSEs. No vacancies in the Department have been specifically advertised requiring GCSEs in English and mathematics in the last 12 months.
Muslim Council of Britain
Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much (a) financial support and (b) support in kind her Department and its agencies has given to the Muslim Council of Britain each year since 1997. [96267]
Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office has not provided any financial support to the Muslim Council of Britain since 1997.
Information on any support in kind which the Cabinet Office may have given to the Muslim Council of Britain since 1997 is not separately recorded on the Department's accounting system and is therefore not available.
Official Residences
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which (a) Government Departments and (b) departmental divisions occupy (i) the Ripley Building and (ii) Admiralty House; and which (A) Ministers and (B) civil servants are responsible for each. [94864]
Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1625W and the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 16 October 2006, Official Report, column 995-96W.
Pensions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what savings estimate she has made of the effect on costs of the reforms to public sector pensions agreed with trades unions in 2005 for each year between 2006-07 and 2050-51; and if she will make a statement. [96039]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Social Exclusion Unit
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 99W, on the Social Exclusion Unit, on what date the Social Exclusion Unit ceased to exist; why the decision was made to end the work of the Unit; and which agency now has responsibility for taking forward the work programme of the Unit. [96678]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
On 17 July 2006 responsibility for social exclusion transferred from the Social Exclusion Unit, based in the Department for Communities and Local Government, to the Social Exclusion Task Force, based in the Cabinet Office. This followed the appointment of a Cabinet-level Minister for Social Exclusion in the Cabinet Office.
The Social Exclusion Task Force now leads cross-Government work on social exclusion and provides
support to the Minister. It published “Reaching Out, the Government's Action Plan on Social Exclusion”, in September 2006. The main work programme of the Social Exclusion Unit (“Improving Services, Improving Lives”) was completed in July 2006.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 99W, on the Social Exclusion Unit, what funding and resources were assigned to the former Social Exclusion Unit for 2006-07; and where this funding will be directed now that the Unit is no longer in operation. [96680]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
The Social Exclusion Unit's budget for 2006-07 was £2,300,000. Following the closure of the Social Exclusion Unit this funding was distributed in line with the relocation of staff. 19 posts transferred permanently to the Social Exclusion Taskforce, and £916,000 was accordingly allocated to the Cabinet Office. The remainder of the budget was distributed within the Department for Communities and Local Government in line with the deployment of remaining staff including for the new social exclusion (places) work.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 99W, on the Social Exclusion Unit, what evaluation has been carried out of the work carried out by the former Social Exclusion Unit over its lifetime. [96820]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
The Social Exclusion Unit was set up in 1997 on a time-limited basis and was reviewed in 1999. This review was conducted by a small group of key stakeholders from inside and outside Government and chaired by the Head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat within the Cabinet Office. The review concluded that the Unit had been a success and should continue until at least 2002.
In 2004 the SEU carried out a major stocktake of the Government's approach to tackling social exclusion—published in the report, “Breaking the Cycle”. This brought together evidence from a range of national data sources, evaluation literature and the perspectives of service providers and users, and highlighted progress made by the Government's approach and remaining challenges.
Wales
Commission for Racial Equality
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has with the Commission for Racial Equality in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [97959]
Mr. Hain: The Commission for Racial Equality keeps me regularly updated on its activities in Wales.
The National Assembly for Wales also has close links with the Commission, and funds its Croeso campaign, which aims to promote harmony between faiths and races.
Departmental IT
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which non web-related information technology projects cost his Department more than £1 million since 2001; how many qualified tender proposals there were for each project; and which company was awarded each contract. [97539]
Mr. Hain: No non web-related projects have cost my Department more than £1 million since 2001. The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) provides all information technology services to the Wales Office and are responsible for sourcing and awarding any contracts.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on (a) information technology projects generally and (b) web-facing projects in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) expenditure on consultants and (ii) other costs. [97540]
Mr. Hain: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The National Assembly of Wales provided information technology support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has provided these services since then. Accordingly the Assembly was responsible for sourcing and awarding any contracts up to March 2004 and the DCA has done so since then.
(b) i. There has been no expenditure by the Wales Office on consultants regarding IT projects.
ii. The cost since 2001 for our web-facing projects has been £1,600 for each year, in other costs.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which web-related information technology projects cost his Department more than £50,000 since 2001; which companies submitted qualified tender proposals for each project; and which company was awarded each contract. [97547]
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many information technology projects his Department has undertaken in each year since 2001. [97566]
Mr. Hain: In 2004 my Department moved information technology services from the National Assembly for Wales, who provided information technology support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, to the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) who has provided these services since then.
Accordingly the Assembly were responsible for sourcing and awarding any contracts up to March 2004 and the DCA has done so since then.
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