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16 July 2007 : Column 82W—continued


Casualties as result of paramilitary-style shootings
Perceived attribution( 1)
Loyalists Republicans Total

2006

July

3

0

3

August

1

1

2

September

2

1

3

October

0

5

5

November

0

1

1

December

0

0

0

2007

January

0

1

1

February

0

0

0

March

0

0

0

April

0

0

0

May

0

0

0

June

0

0

0

(1)Please note that the PSNI capture these incidents as Loyalists or Republicans, they are not broken down into specific groups. Attribution is as perceived by PSNI based on the information available and does not necessarily indicate the involvement of a paramilitary organisation. Note: Statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many acts of criminality took place in Northern Ireland by paramilitary groups in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by group deemed responsible; and if he will make a statement. [149523]

Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the format requested. However, since April 2004 the Independent Monitoring Commission has monitored
16 July 2007 : Column 83W
and reported on paramilitary-style crimes and involvement in organised crime. The Commission has presented 15 reports to date with detailed analysis of paramilitary activity.

In addition, the Police Service of Northern Ireland holds up-to-date and comprehensive statistical analysis on crime and security in Northern Ireland. The information can be accessed on PSNI’s website at www.psni.police.uk.

Work and Pensions

Child Support Agency: Marketing

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how much was spent on (a) managing the Child Support Agency’s (CSA) corporate identity in each year since 1997-98 and (b) branding of the CSA in each of the last two years; [133913]

(2) how much was spent by the Child Support Agency on (a) staff parties, (b) newspapers, magazines and periodicals, (c) stationery and (d) other promotional merchandise branded with the name of the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years; [133914]

(3) how much was spent by the Child Support Agency on branding in each year since 1997. [136014]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 16 July 2007:


16 July 2007 : Column 84W
Financial year Printing and stationery (£ million)

2002-03

2.2

2003-04

1.8

2004-05

1.8

2005-06

2.1

2006-07

2.2

Total

10.1


Children: Poverty

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of 25 June 2007, Official Report, columns 450W and 455W, to the hon. Member for Birkenhead, on children: poverty, if he will give the equivalent data for the north-east region in each case. [148208]

Mrs. McGuire: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06 (Revised)”.

Figures on the 30 per cent. of median income threshold and any lower thresholds, and on the number of children removed from relative poverty due to payment of child support in the north-east, are not statistically robust as the sample sizes are too small.

The available information has been placed in the Library.

Departments: Departmental Records

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many files (a) Capita and (b) other private contractors are holding for his Department and its agency; what the cost is of this service; and if he will make a statement. [147189]

Mrs. McGuire: The number of files Capita is holding for the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies at July 2007 is approximately 52.7 million. No files are held by other private contractors.

The record storage contract with the Department was competitively let to Capita in June 2004. Capita is the only approved file store service provider to the Department and its agencies. It is now the principal method of storing benefit claims, once discharged from the processing office, and other paper records and registered files. The contract with Capita is until June 2010 with an option to extend up to June 2014. The current annual cost of this service is about £15.5 million. Since 2004 the contract has realised value for money savings, both in service efficiencies and reduced estates costs, in the region of £16.5 million.


16 July 2007 : Column 85W

Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in his Department have been (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in the last 12 months. [149179]

Mrs. McGuire: The information on the number of people disciplined and dismissed for inappropriate use of the internet for the period January 2006 to December 2006 is shown in the following table. We are in the process of collating information for 2007.

January 2006 to December 2006
Number

Dismissed

8

Disciplined

53


No information is held on the number of disciplinary actions or dismissals for using work telephones to access premium rate numbers.

Departments: Early Retirement

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his staff took early
16 July 2007 : Column 86W
retirement in the last five years; at what cost; what grades of staff took early retirement; and what percentage of each grade took early retirement. [148808]

Mrs. McGuire: The number of staff from the Department for Work and Pensions who took early retirement and early severance, unconnected to early retirement, in each of the last five years together with the associated cost is in Table 1. The cost and the number of each individual category is not separately identifiable.

The grade of these staff and the percentage of each grade is in Table 2.

Table 1
Number of early retirements and severances Total cost (£ million)

2002-03

270

19.4

2003-04

316

16.1

2004-05

927

29.6

2005-06

3,027

140.0

2006-07

2,306

55.8

Total

6,846

260.9

Note:
Staff numbers are full time equivalent (rounded)

Table 2
SCS G6 G7 SEO HEO EO AO AA

2002-03

Number of early retirements and severances

5

1

6

3

18

45

151

41

Percentage of grade

2.3

0.2

0.6

0.1

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.3

2003-04

Number of early retirements and severances

4

1

6

6

12

69

185

33

Percentage of grade

1.8

0.2

0.

0.2

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.3

2004-05

Number of early retirements and severances

2

7

17

21

68

230

472

110

Percentage of grade

0.9

1.6

1.4

0.8

0.9

0.6

0.9

1.3

2005-06

Number of early retirements and severances

8

22

50

183

565

744

1,148

307

Percentage of grade

3.3

5

4.3

7.4

8.1

1.9

2.1

4.3

2006-07

Number of early retirements and severances

10

10

7

36

113

634

1,215

281

Percentage of grade

3.7

2.0

0.5

1.5

1.6

1.7

2.4

4.8

Note: Staff numbers are full time equivalent (rounded)

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