Written Answers to Questions
Monday 19 November 2007
Wales
Departmental Manpower
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people aged (a) 30 to 39, (b) 40 to 49, (c) 50 to 59 and (d) 60 to 69 years have (i) applied for jobs, (ii) received interviews and (iii) gained (A) temporary and (B) permanent jobs in his Department in 2007. [165113]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office does not ask candidates for jobs to provide their dates of birth or age, so it is not possible to identify the ages of applicants or interviewees.
The Wales Office has not recruited any temporary staff in 2007.
The Wales Office has some staff in each of the age ranges stated.
Departmental Ministerial Advisers
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the pay band is of each special adviser in his Department. [165346]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office has two special advisers, each of whom is in Special Adviser Pay Band 1 (£38,862-£51,122 per annum).
Departmental Opinion Polls
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what opinion polls the Department has conducted of (a) the public and (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case. [164942]
Departmental Publicity
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time equivalent staff are responsible for brand management and marketing in his Department. [165207]
Galileo: Cardiff
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent steps have been taken to promote Cardiff’s bid to be the permanent home of the proposed Galileo Supervisory Authority. [165411]
Mr. Hain: The Government are continuing to take part in negotiations with European Commission partners regarding future funding of the Galileo project. A decision is expected before the end of the year.
House of Commons Commission
Proof of Identity
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission when the new Houses of Parliament pass (a) designs and (b) text on the reverse were authorised; and how much the introduction of the new passes has cost. [164555]
Nick Harvey: The new Houses of Parliament passes are a necessary component of the higher-security access system. The pass access system including the design of the passes was authorised by the project board and endorsed by both the Administration Committee on 26 June 2007 and the Joint Committee on Security (JCOS) on 3 July 2007. The cost of producing the passes—including a stock expected to last for at least the first year—was £70,000.
Northern Ireland
Burglary: Custodial Treatment
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of those convicted for burglary committed in Northern Ireland were given a custodial sentence in each of the last 10 years. [164391]
Paul Goggins: The following table documents the number convicted for burglary and the number and percentage of those who were given a custodial sentence.
Data cover the calendar years 1996 to 2005 (the latest available years) and are collated on the principal offence rule; therefore only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
| Number convicted and number and percentage given a custodial sentence for burglary 1996 to 2005 | |||
| Number convicted | Number given a custodial sentence | Percentage given a custodial sentence | |
Community Policing
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on plans to develop further community policing in Northern Ireland. [164400]
Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State and I are in regular discussion with the Chief Constable on all aspect of policing.
The Policing Plan for 2007-08 includes a target for the police to demonstrate the extent to which the Neighbourhood Policing Model has been implemented by reporting formally to the Northern Ireland Policing Board twice yearly and by facilitating two NIPB member ‘seeing is believing’ visits to districts per year. Implementation of neighbourhood policing is to be taken forward via the CORE governance arrangements and as an integral part of the overall change management programme in DCUs.
Departments: Official Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down the figures referred to in the answer of 22 October 2007, Official Report, columns 2-3W, on Departments: official hospitality, to show how much was spent on each function at which hospitality expenses were incurred. [162343]
Paul Goggins: I am unable to provide the level of detail requested as this could be done only at disproportionate cost.
I can however provide a breakdown by location and this is shown in the following table.
| £ | ||
| Expenditure | Income | |
| (1) This figure includes £55,000 for two garden parties in 2007, one at Hillsborough Castle and one in Coleraine. | ||
Expenditure incurred on hospitality by the NIO includes general living costs for Ministers and officials in lieu of hotel costs when in Northern Ireland; accommodation and hospitality for members of the royal family, visiting dignitaries and Heads of State; and hospitality for the representatives of political parties, business, voluntary, religious and community sectors in Northern Ireland attending events with Ministers. Customers using Hillsborough Castle and Stormont House are charged for the services they receive.
Discrimination: Northern Ireland
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) investigations, (b) arrests, (c) charges and (d) successful prosecutions for stirring up hatred or arousing fear on the grounds of (i) religious belief, (ii) ethnicity, (iii) race, (iv) nationality and citizenship, (v) sexual orientation and (vi) disability were made in Northern Ireland in each year since the relevant legislation was enacted in 1987. [163970]
Paul Goggins: The table sets out information recorded in relation to these offences and clearance figures for the period 1998 to October 2007. Assessing information prior to 1998 would incur disproportionate costs.
Hate crimes take many forms such as verbal abuse, physical assault, intimidation and damage to property. This question specifies categories for “stirring up hatred or arousing fear” therefore statistics supplied do not include incidents which have been committed against any person or property.
| Recorded( 1) | Cleared( 1) | Motivation appears to be | |
| (1) Includes the following offences under the Public Order (NI) Order 1987: Incitement to hatred Distributing written material to incite hatred Possession of matter intended to stir up hatred/arouse fear Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI | |||
Economic Situation
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the performance of the Northern Ireland economy in the last 12 months. [164387]
Paul Goggins: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Administration.
However the Government’s assessment of the UK economy was set out in the pre-Budget report published on 9 October, which shows that the UK economy continues to perform well. The Northern Ireland economy has also enjoyed sustained economic growth and has the lowest unemployment rate of any region of the UK.
Irish language
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government intend to take to fulfil their commitment in Annex B of the St. Andrew’s Agreement to introduce an Irish Language Act reflecting on the experience of Wales and the Republic of Ireland. [164022]
Paul Goggins:
Prior to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly the Government released two consultation papers on Irish language legislation, the first on 13 December 2006 and the second, containing draft clauses for such legislation, on
13 March 2007. In doing so the Government honoured their commitment in Annex B of the St. Andrew’s Agreement as far as possible. However upon the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007, responsibility for this matter passed, in the first instance, to the devolved Administration.
The Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure has indicated his intention to work with the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure to find a resolution to this matter and we await the outcome of that process.
Police: Manpower
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely effect of budgetary plans on future police office numbers in Northern Ireland. [164399]
Paul Goggins: The Government have received from the NI Policing Board their assessment of the resource requirement for police officers in Northern Ireland. The Government remain committed to the proper resourcing of the PSNI in order to ensure that it is equipped to deliver effective policing both now and following the transfer of responsibility for policing and justice. The CSR07 settlement provides robust and sustainable funding for policing to 2010-11. My officials are working closely with PSNI and the Board on this matter.
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