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19 July 2007 : Column 484W—continued


Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civilian staff were employed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the RUC in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [150989]

Paul Goggins: The police civilian strength figures for the last 10 years are shown in the following table:


19 July 2007 : Column 485W
A s at 31 December each year Civilian

1997

2,930

1998

3,035

1999

2,916

2000

3,125

2001

3,293

2002

3,322

2003

3,192

2004

3,104

2005

3,001

2006

2,732

July 2007

2,676


Police Service of Northern Ireland: Injuries

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were injured while on duty in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [150988]

Paul Goggins: The following information refers to the numbers of incidents of injury on duty (IOD) reported by police officers in the specified periods. As the table shows, these are split by the organisation between those that resulted in a period of sickness absence and those that did not.

Number of reported injuries on duty resulting in sickness absence Number of reported injuries on duty not resulting in sickness absence Total injuries on duty

1997-98

1,197

1,012

2,209

1998-99

1,354

1,050

2,404

1999-2000

1,625

1,175

2,800

2000-01

1,690

1,108

2,798

2001-02

1,719

1,574

3,293

2002-03

1,395

1,218

2,613

2003-04

1,082

855

1,937

2004-05

805

725

1,530

2005-06

798

1,073

1,871

2006-07

535

872

1,407


Prisons: Standards

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps will be taken to improve prison accommodation in Northern Ireland following the recent report from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. [149417]

Paul Goggins: The recent Human Rights Commission report “The Prison Within—The imprisonment of women at Hydebank Wood 2004-06” was released on 5 July 2007. The research for this report was carried out some eighteen months ago since which time there has been significant progress in taking forward facilities and services for female prisoners.

Female prisoners were relocated during 2006 while their original accommodation was refurbished and in-cell sanitation provided. They have since re-occupied the fully refurbished modern accommodation in Ash House which is now among the best in the prison estate. This unit includes a wing for long-term and enhanced prisoners and a dedicated exercise yard. Plans are underway to extend the health care centre to provide a dedicated facility for females and to build a
19 July 2007 : Column 486W
new female reception area including a dedicated video link and drug testing unit which should be available by the end of this year.

The current facility has an increased capacity of 69 cells complete with in-cell sanitation and includes specialist safer cells, listener cells, mother and baby units and an enhanced regime unit. There are no immediate plans to provide additional capacity within the current unit as this meets the Service's on-going needs, with 48 cells occupied as of 16 July 2007. In the longer term, NIPS is working towards the provision of more appropriate accommodation for female prisoners including a more discrete, self contained women's facility on the Hydebank Wood site, as recommended within the Human Rights Commission report. This provision, of course, is subject to the availability of funding.

Rape: Sentencing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007, Official Report, column 662W, on rape: sentencing, what his assessment is of the level of sentences handed down by courts in Northern Ireland; and if he will take steps to ensure longer sentences are handed down. [148489]

Paul Goggins: Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the independent judiciary. We have however announced plans for changes to the statutory sentencing framework to introduce new public protection sentences for dangerous sexual and violent offenders. Under the proposals, dangerous sexual and violent offenders could receive extended public protection sentences whereby they could be detained in custody for the full term of their prison sentence. Those committing the most serious sexual and violent offences could receive indeterminate public protection sentences and could remain in prison for an indefinite period. I will be publishing draft legislative proposals shortly.

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rate of re-offending is of people who have been held in young offender institutions in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [149415]

Paul Goggins: Information on rates of re-offending is not currently available. However, the latest published reconviction figures for those discharged from the Juvenile Justice Centre into the community show that of those discharged in 2001(1), 36 per cent. were reconvicted within one year and of those discharged in 2002(1), 42 per cent. were reconvicted within one year.


19 July 2007 : Column 487W

Work and Pensions

Attendance Allowance: Scotland

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has received recent representations from the Scottish Executive on the withdrawal of funding for the attendance allowance following the introduction of free personal care for the elderly. [150493]

Mrs. McGuire: A meeting between senior officials from this Department and the Scottish Executive was held on 22 June 2007 to discuss this issue at the Executive’s request. There will be further contact over the summer.

Child Support Agency: Telephone Services

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will undertake an assessment of the recent effectiveness of the Child Support Agency’s MPs’ Hotline; and if he will make a statement. [149339]

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 19 July 2007:

Departments: Legislation

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what legislative provisions introduced by his Department since 1997 have been repealed. [149707]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is as follows.


19 July 2007 : Column 488W
Acts introduced by DWP since 1997 Repealed

Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997

Section 6

Section 12

Section 14

Social Security Act 1998

Section 35

Sections 51 and 52

Section 58

Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999

Sections 4 and 5

Section 17

Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999

Section 7

Schedule 1 paras. 3, 4, 13, 19(2), 19(3), 19(4), 60, 66(3), 67 and 68

Disability Rights Commission Act 1999

Section 11

Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000

Sections 43, 44, 45 and 46

Section 54

Schedule 3 para. 8(2)

Social Security Contributions (Share Options) Act 2001

Section 4


Departments: Pay

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost of those bonuses was. [146428]

Mrs. McGuire: The answer is in the following table.

The table contains the total cost and number of bonus payments awarded to senior civil servants since 2001-02. There is no statutory requirement to keep accounting records longer than six years. I am therefore unable to supply information prior to 2001-02 (financial year).

Bonuses are a key element in our reward strategy for driving up high performance and are used to reward the delivery of in-year agreed personal business objectives or targets in an individual's performance agreement. Bonuses are used to reward excellent performance and are based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. In making this judgment managers take into account performance against agreed priority business objectives or targets; total delivery record over the year; relative stretch; and response to unforeseen events which may have affected the performance.


19 July 2007 : Column 489W
A mount paid in bonuses to SCS since 2001-02 and the numbers of SCS receiving bonuses
Total paid (£ million) Total number of non consolidated bonuses

2001-02

0.27

81

2002-03

0.59

110

2003-04

0.71

126

2004-05

0.97

207

2005-06

1.39

205

Notes: 1. The amounts shown in col. two (total paid) are rounded to the nearest £10,000.
2. The total cost and number of bonuses for 2004-05 and 2005-06 include special non consolidated bonuses paid to SCS. Retrieval of information relating to awards paid in earlier years would be disproportionate.

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