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27 Mar 2008 : Column 366W—continued
Foreign Workers
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of migrant workers in Northern Ireland; and how many employers have been (a) cautioned and (b) prosecuted for paying migrant workers less than the minimum wage since its introduction. [192354]
Paul Goggins: Following restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007, employment matters have been the responsibility of the devolved administration. I therefore do not hold statistics on the number of migrant workers in Northern Ireland.
However, enforcement throughout the UK of the national minimum wage is the responsibility of HM Revenue and Customs on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
The number of employers in Northern Ireland who have been found to have underpaid workers since 1 April 2001 is set out in the following table. It is not possible to identify how many of these relate to migrant workers, and this information could be provided only at disproportionate expense.
| Number of employers in Northern Ireland found to have been underpaying the national minimum wage | |
Ipsos Mori
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what payments his Department and its agencies have made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes. [194309]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office and its agencies did not make any payments to Ipos MORI in the last 24 months.
Motor Vehicles: Theft
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) vehicles were stolen and (b) persons were convicted of vehicle theft in North Belfast District Command Unit in each of the last five years. [194757]
Paul Goggins: Table 1 sets out the number of vehicles stolen in North Belfast District Command Unit in each of the last five years.
Table 2 sets out the number of persons with an address in North Belfast District Command Unit prosecuted and convicted of vehicle theft in each of the last five calendar years, 2006 being the latest available.
| Table 1 | |
| Number of vehicles stolen | |
| Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSN1 | |
| Table 2 | ||
| Prosecutions | Convictions | |
PSNI data on numbers of arrests is not directly comparable with statistics on conviction, as the offence recorded initially may differ from that which is used in court.
Olympics
Olympic Games 2012: Environment Protection
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent steps the Government have taken to minimise the undesirable effects on the environment of the 2012 Olympics. [196887]
Tessa Jowell
[holding answer 26 March 2008]: In the London 2012 Sustainability Plan, “Towards a One Planet Olympics”, published in November 2007, the Olympic Board sets out how it intends to achieve a sustainable games for each of the build, staging and legacy phases.
For example, the design of the Olympic Park will minimise water use, carbon emissions and the impacts of climate change.
This year, the ODA will publish a Biodiversity Action Plan which will consider key issues including minimising and mitigating the impact of 2012 development activity, creating new habitats and protecting sensitive species.
Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether 2012 Olympic competitions which involve handguns will be staged in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. [196361]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 25 March 2008]: Following consultation, the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in London was selected as the venue for all the shooting events at the games. The advantage of this venue is that it is close to the Olympic Park and Village, which will improve the athlete and spectator experience by limiting travel and making it easier to attend other games events on the same day in the Olympic Park.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what consideration she has given to the location of (a) training facilities and (b) competitions for handgun shooting as part of the 2012 Olympics; whether primary legislation is required to facilitate handgun (i) training and (ii) competition in preparation for and as part of the 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement. [196362]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 25 March 2008]: Following consultation, the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in London was selected as the competition venue for all the shooting events at the games.
The London Organising Committee's Pre-Games Training Guide to be published at the Beijing Games identifies a number of high-quality shooting facilities throughout the United Kingdom where air pistol target shooting can be undertaken.
There is no need for primary legislation. It has already been agreed in principle to use the existing powers in section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to allow a small number of potential Olympic pistol shooters to practise on Ministry of Defence ranges in Great Britain ahead of the London Olympics. The same powers will be used to enable pistol-shooting disciplines to form part of the games.
Olympic Games 2012: Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Henley of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 47W, on Olympic Games 2012: Training, when the National Construction Skills Academy project on the Olympic Park will be established; and when she expects the first apprentice to qualify from the project. [195900]
Tessa Jowell: The ODA was granted the status of National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) in November 2007 and the Plant Training Centre, which is part of the NSAfC, opened at the end of December 2007. The academy was formally launched with the ODA’s Employment and Skills Strategy on 19 February 2008.
To date 57 people have passed the theory and practical test at the Plant Training Centre. Each of these now needs to complete further training in employment to consolidate their full NVQ level 2 qualification. It is expected that this will be completed by September this year for the earlier graduates from the centre.
Details of the level 3 (electricians) apprenticeships are still being finalised with the relevant Skills Council. The first group of adult apprenticeships is expected to start in September 2008. These people, who are already at level 2, will take a further two years in college and in employment training to qualify, and will complete in autumn 2010. The first group of 16 to 24-year-old apprentices are also due to start in September 2008 on full four-year apprenticeships ending in autumn 2012.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1298W, on Olympic Games 2012: Expenditure, what the (a) cost and (b) purpose of each of the 19 projects is. [195915]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) requires approval for expenditure on projects valued at over £20 million and projects that are novel or contentious regardless of value. Gross cost estimates (including VAT) are provided below for nine of the 19 projects approved to date.
| £ million | |
Details of cost estimates for the ODA delivery partner, CLM, will be included in the next ODA annual report, scheduled for publication in summer 2008.
As the remaining approved projects are in contract negotiation or subject to statutory process, cost information remains commercially sensitive at the present time.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what percentage of training the Olympic Delivery Authority plans to offer to young people in London in construction will be to (a) NVQ level 2 and (b) NVQ level 3. [196372]
Tessa Jowell: Around 2,000 trainees are expected to be on the Olympic site over the period of construction and between 85 per cent. and 90 per cent. of these (1,700 to 1,800) are likely to be NVQ level 2. The exact number of trainees and apprenticeships will be agreed by the National Skills Academy for Construction Partnership Board as part of the ongoing process of establishing the training plan.
The ODA strategy is focused on getting people into work and then on to the first level of training. The initial forecasts of the skill requirements for the Olympic site indicate that the requirement will be mainly civil engineering and construction skills rather than the traditional building craft skills.
Accordingly, it is currently expected that the vast majority of the trainee places will be NVQ level 2 and a minority at level 3. In addition there will be a significant proportion of level 3 trainees/apprenticeships on the Olympic Village.
Transport
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of her Department’s initiatives and those of its predecessors have been advertised to the public in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost of each such campaign was. [192234]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Expenditure for the Department’s advertising campaigns from the 2002-03 fiscal year, when the Department for Transport was formed, is in the following table.
The majority of campaign advertising investment by the Department is in support of the “THINK!” road safety and the “Act on CO2” campaigns. Major advertising investment by Executive Agencies has been by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, to explain changes to the car tax rules.
Following departmental reorganisations, providing total expenditure figures for prior to 2002-03 fiscal year would involve disproportionate costs.
| Department | Campaign | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
|
Accelerated Issue of Harmonised Registration Certificate (£ million) | ||||||
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