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19 Dec 2006 : Column 1844W—continued
Inquiries
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he estimates will be the final total expenditure on the Historic Enquiry Team. [108159]
Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to dealing with the past in Northern Ireland in order to help the whole community to move forward. Reviewing unresolved deaths as a result of the security situation is one measure by which to help achieve this. A significant amount of money has been allocated to the task and all the organisations involved in the work are committed to working together to ensure the overall benefits are maximised. In support of the Chief Constable's initiative and to reflect the importance placed on the project by Government in seeking to help the families of victims, £34 million over six years has been provided for this work. £24.2 million of this funding has been allocated to the Historical Enquiries Team with the remainder being allocated to other organisations involved based on the actual impact this work may have on them.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) total costs and (b) legal fees have been to date of the (i) Robert Hamill, (ii) Billy Wright, (iii) Rosemary Nelson and (iv) Bloody Sunday inquiries; and what steps he has taken to control costs. [107721]
Mr. Hain: The expenditure, which has been rounded, is set out in the following table.
| £000 | ||
| Total costs of inquiry expenditure thus far | Element of expenditure in respect of legal fees thus far | |
| (1 )Of this total cost £139.48 million falls to the NIO, the remaining £33.87 million falls to the MOD. | ||
My predecessor my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) said to the House on 1 April 2004, Official Report, column 1757:
“I know that concern has been expressed in this House and elsewhere about the length and cost of some public inquiries. In particular, there are concerns about the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry—£129 million to date, with a predicted final cost of £155 million. I understand that unhappiness, but setting up that inquiry was the right thing to do, and I commend the work of Lord Saville and his team. Having been established, the inquiry must run its course if it is to be fair to individuals and if the truth is to emerge. We will, of course, take all reasonable steps to control costs in the inquiries that I have announced today, including capping legal costs where appropriate. We will ensure that the inquiries have the maximum powers, as well as aiming for better, quicker inquiries. Even so, these inquiries will inevitably mean the commitment of significant resources. The Government recognise people's desire to see public funds spent on delivering better public services and effective policing. I recognise public concern about further expenditure on inquiries into the past.”
Since the establishment of the Robert Hamill,Billy Wright and Rosemary Nelson inquiries, the Government have worked with the inquiries to put in place a number of measures to ensure that, while they have the resources necessary to fulfil their task, costs are kept to a reasonable level. The specific steps that have been taken are as follows:
agreeing a management statement that includes a financial memorandum with the inquiries. The management statement sets out the broad framework under which any public funds are paid to the inquiries including the conditions under which public funds are paid and how the inquiry accounts for its expenditure. My officials hold regular formal meetings with the Robert Hamill, Billy Wright and Rosemary Nelson inquiries to discuss their financial forecasts under the terms of these documents;
letting the inquiries make use of the Northern Ireland Office procurement division and have access to other procurement expertise in order to ensure that value for money is secured;
setting maximum hourly fees levels for publicly funded counsel and solicitors;
introducing a general 40 hour weekly cap on fees;
ensuring representation by counsel is limited only to interested parties or key witnesses whose evidence is in dispute;
making sure the scope of the legal work that may be undertaken at the public expense is circumscribed by the respective inquiry costs protocol and that all bills in respect of publicly funded legal assistance are subject to monthly scrutiny by the inquiry solicitor who is required to authorise disbursements in excess of £100.
The chairmen of the Billy Wright inquiry and the Robert Hamill inquiry separately asked me to convert their statutory basis for their inquiries to the Inquiries Act 2005 under section 15 of that Act. One consequence of my decision to grant their request for conversion is that the framework for the award by the
chairman of costs in relation to legal representation set out in section 40 of that Act applies, I know that both chairmen take seriously their responsibilities in this regard, and the provision in section 17(3) of the Act that:
In making any decision as to the procedure or conduct of an inquiry, the chairman must act with fairness and with regard also to the need to avoid any unnecessary cost (whether to public funds or to witnesses or others).
In respect of the Billy Wright inquiry I have exercised my power on 25 October 2006, Official Report, column 89-91WS, to make a notice of determination under section 40(4) of the Act and notified the House by means of a written statement.
I plan to make a notice of determination in respect of the Robert Hamill inquiry in due course.
IT Projects
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many information technology projects within the responsibility of his Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if he will make a statement. [105481]
Paul Goggins: We are not aware of any information technology projects that have been cancelled since 1997.
Language Legislation
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the consultation paper on the Irish language agreed at St. Andrew's will be published. [108224]
Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on the proposed Irish language legislation will be launched on 13 December for 12 weeks consultation. Responses must be received by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure by Friday 2 March 2007.
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the Irish Language (Northern Ireland) Bill. [108228]
Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on proposed Irish language legislation was launched on 13 December 2006. The deadline for responses is Friday 2 March 2007.
Our aim is to ensure that legislation can be taken forward quickly thereafter in line with the St. Andrew’s Agreement.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what opportunities for prelegislative (a) consultation and (b) scrutiny will be provided in relation to the proposed legislation on language referred to in the St Andrews agreement; and if he will make a statement. [109245]
Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on proposed Irish language legislation was launched on 13 December 2006 for a 12 week consultation period.
The consultation paper presents a number of approaches to language legislation for the public to consider and invites all interested parties to respond with views by 2 March 2007.
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will begin the consultation process on new language legislation for Northern Ireland; and what the timetable will be for the consultation. [108571]
Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on the proposed Irish language legislation will be launched on 13 December for 12 weeks consultation. Responses must be received by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure by Friday 2 March 2007.
Organ Donation
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the level is of human organ donation in Northern Ireland; and what change there was in this level in (a) numbers and (b) percentage in each year since 2001. [110276]
Paul Goggins: The number of organ donors in Northern Ireland for the calendar years 2001 to 2005 and January 2006 to 13 December 2006, together with the percentage change year to year, is detailed in the table.
| Number of organ donors | Percentage change from previous year | |
| (1 )2006 figures represent the period from 1 January 2006 to13 December 2006 Source: Transplant Co-Ordinator, Belfast City Hospital | ||
Pensioners
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners there are in Northern Ireland. [110092]
Mr. Hanson: At mid-year 2005, the official estimate of the Northern Ireland resident population of pensionable age was 279,600 people; 99,000 males aged 65 and above and 180,600 females aged 60 and above.
Planning
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning decisions are outstanding in the (a) Magherafelt district council, (b) Antrim borough council and (c) Newtownabbey borough council area. [110045]
David Cairns: The number of planning applications outstanding in each of the requested areas is set out in the following table:
| District/borough council | Outstanding applications( 1) |
| (1 )At 14 December 2006. | |
Prison Accommodation
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect of the abolition of 50 per cent. remission for sentenced prisoners in Northern Ireland on the accommodation of convicted prisoners over the next 15 years. [108511]
Paul Goggins: On 7 December 2006, there were 1,452 prisoners held in custody in Northern Ireland. The Prison Service already has plans in place to address immediate accommodation requirements, including the provision of up to a further 240 places over the next18 months.
Following the recent review of the sentencing framework, a number of measures are proposed including removal of the automatic 50 per cent. remission of sentences. The legislation to give effect to the full range of proposed measures is expected to be passed into law in late 2007. The expected increase resulting from public protection sentences will be offset to a degree by other proposals announced on5 December 2006, including a greater use of community sentences for low-risk offenders who do not constitute a danger to the public. The Government are still to finalise the full prison estate strategy.
Public Finance Contracts
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total liability to his Department would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all (a) public/private partnerships and (b) public finance initiative contracts. [109302]
Mr. Hain: The Northern Ireland Office only has one commitment under PPP/PFI contract—the Causeway Programme.
Causeway is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Fujitsu Services and the Northern Ireland Office to provide managed services related to the electronic sharing of information across the criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland. The Programme is implementing a number of services in a number of phases.
If there was an immediate termination of this PPP project, the NIO would be liable to financial penalties from Fujitsu of approximately £5,000,000. There would also be unquantified costs associated with the six Criminal Justice Organisations reversing the changes made to their computer systems as a result of their links with the Causeway Programme.
Reconviction Rates
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to achieve his Department’s target of a reduction in reconviction rates; and if he will make a statement. [108161]
Mr. Hanson: The Government are committed to reducing offending behaviour in Northern Ireland and have set the target of a 5 per cent. reduction in re-convictions (a proxy for re-offending) by 2008. A multi-agency Reconviction Monitoring Group and a Resettlement Multi-Agency Forum (established to oversee the roll-out of the supporting resettlement strategy) meet regularly to drive forward work in this area.
Initiatives being progressed by statutory and voluntary agencies to reduce re-offending include a drink-driving scheme targeted at disqualified drivers that has been demonstrated to reduce re-offending by 75 per cent., and novel and innovative mentoring and offender support schemes in the community. These projects and others like them complement work being done by the Probation Board and the Northern Ireland Prison Service as part of the regional re-settlement strategy. The inter-agency collaborative work on monitoring and managing risks associated with sex offenders on release from prison (MASRAM) is also important in reducing re-offending and protecting the public.
In addition Northern Ireland is represented on the national Inter Ministerial Group on Reducing Re-Offending and is setting up a local Inter Ministerial Group to further promote mutual and co-ordinated efforts to address offending behaviour within Northern Ireland.
Renewable Energy
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources. [106153]
Mr. Hain: The latest figures contained in the Public Sector Energy Campaign report for 2004-05 show that 15 per cent. of the energy consumed by the NIO is from renewable sources.
The NIO Estate includes a number of privately leased buildings where we have no control over energy supply. Where possible we are working to increase the level of energy from renewable sources, including the installation of biomass heating systems and solar panels at Hillsborough Castle.
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