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19 Jan 2007 : Column 1424W—continued
Opinion Research
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement. [115977]
Mr. Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 8 January 2007, Official Report, column 402W.
Northern Ireland
Victims Commissioner Appointment
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will institute an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Victims Commissioner Bertha McDougall. [100686]
Mr. Hain: The Attorney General announced on 4 December 2006 that he had asked Peter Scott QC to review the issues Mr. Justice Girvan raised in his judgment relating to the appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner. The Government is co-operating fully with that review. Meanwhile, I am strongly appealing the judge’s ruling that the appointment was unlawful.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to appeal against the judgment of Mr. Justice Girvan in the case of the
application for judicial review by Brenda Downes concerning the procedure for the appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner. [102490]
Mr. Hain: I welcome the High Court’s decision of 15 January not to quash Bertha McDougall’s appointment. Mrs. McDougall is doing important work on behalf of all victims and she is due to present her report to me soon. I am disappointed, however, by the Court’s finding that the appointment was unlawful and I will be strongly appealing that ruling.
Magilligan Prison
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to the public purse is expected to be of the work envisaged to be undertaken at Magilligan Prison as a result of the planning application which appeared in the local press in the week commencing 8th January. [116462]
Paul Goggins: The tendered costs of the provision of the 50-bed interim contingency accommodation at Magilligan are as follows:
| £ | |
Paint-balling
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what age restrictions apply to the sport of paint-balling in Northern Ireland. [113801]
Paul Goggins: Schedule 1, paragraph 8 of the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 outlines certain conditions in respect of recreational facilities used for shooting activities, including paint-balling. A person who has attained the age of 16 years may, without holding a firearm certificate, have in his possession at a paint-balling facility an air pistol capable of discharging a missile at a kinetic energy of no more than 8.13 joules or an air gun capable of discharging a missile at a kinetic energy of no more than 16.27 joules. The person operating the facility must have a firearm certificate for each air weapon used for paint-balling.
Plastic Batons
Mr. Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people reported
injuries from the police in Northern Ireland using plastic baton rounds in 2006. [116891]
Paul Goggins: No impact rounds were used by the police in Northern Ireland in 2006.
The Government and the Chief Constable have stated publicly that the AEP will not be used for the purposes of public order/crowd control but only in response to an individual or individuals threatening violence where the only alternative would be the use of live rounds, following the same rules as in England and Wales.
PSNI
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how applicants to the Police Service of Northern Ireland who have moved from other EU countries to live in Northern Ireland are regarded in determining the religious background of applicants for the purpose of the 50/50 policy. [116460]
Paul Goggins: All applicants to the PSNI are required to complete an equality monitoring form in accordance with the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (NI) 1998 and the Fair Employment Monitoring Regulations 1999, irrespective of their country of origin.
In selecting candidates into training as police officers the Chief Constable is required to make appointments on a 50:50 basis as set out in the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, where one half shall be persons who are treated as Roman Catholic and one half shall be persons who are not so treated. The information given by applicants on the equality monitoring form is used in making these appointments.
Warm Homes Scheme
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the take-up has been of the Warm Homes scheme in each Northern Ireland constituency for 2006; how many installations there have been; and what the total cost was of the work involved. [116463]
Mr. Hanson: The information is set out in the following table. It should be noted, however, that some homes may have received heating and insulation measures, therefore, adding the number of homes that received insulation and heating measures together will not give an accurate picture of the number of homes completed in 2006.
| Constituency | Insulation measures—number of homes | Total cost of work (£) | Heating measures—number of homes | Total cost of work (£) |
Prime Minister
Cabinet Committee Rules
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what rules apply to the attendance at Cabinet Committees by persons other than Ministers or officials. [114893]
The Prime Minister: Those who are not Ministers or officials may exceptionally be invited to attend Cabinet Committees, either on a standing or ad-hoc basis, where they have expertise which will aid discussion. However, they do not participate in decisions, which are for Ministers alone.
Ministerial Meetings
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister (1) which companies were discussed with President Nazarbayev in their meeting on 21 November 2006; [117016]
(2) on what dates he has had conversations with President Nazarbayev since 21 November 2006; and what matters were discussed on each occasion. [117017]
The Prime Minister: I last met President Nazarbayev on 21 November 2006. We discussed a wide range of issues. I also refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with President Nazarbayev and to the joint communiqué issued. Transcripts of these are available on the No. 10 website and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
BAE Systems
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister, when he was first informed of allegations that excessive payments had been made or agreed in order to secure the British Aerospace contract for a military air traffic system in Tanzania.[116965]
The Prime Minister: The investigation by the Serious Fraud Office of allegations which relate to BAE Systems plc is a matter of public record.
Scotland
Advertising
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on advertising with The Guardian newspaper, including online, in the last year for which figures are available. [114088]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office incurred no expenditure on advertising in 2005-06.
Council Tax
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether introducing (a) new council tax bands and (b) a council tax revaluation in Scotland, would be a reserved matter. [114333]
David Cairns: Local taxes—such as council tax and non-domestic rates—to fund local authority expenditure are matters for the Scottish Executive.
Departmental Equipment
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his Department’s (a) computers and (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period. [109218]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no computers and one laptop have been reported stolen; the laptop was stolen in February 2000 and had a value of £2,200 when originally purchased.
Government Auctions
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland where his Department publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in (a) Blackpool, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area. [117425]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not hold auctions.
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