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25 Jun 2008 : Column 382W—continued
Developing Countries: Solar Power
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the potential of concentrating solar power technology to assist the fulfilment of the millennium development goals in the middle east and North Africa. [213843]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the use of concentrating solar power technology where appropriate as part of low carbon development ways to achieve millennium development goals (MDGs). DFID has not made a direct assessment of the potential of concentrating solar power technology to assist the fulfilment of the MDGs in the middle east and north Africa.
DFID provides core funds to key multilateral institutions including the European Commission, World Bank, International Finance Corporation and the European Investment Bank. These multilaterals are best placed to assist the region given their extensive experience and expertise in renewable energy, and the large financial resources they can provide directly and lever from others. For example, the World Bank has conducted an assessment of the World Bank/global environment facility strategy for the market development of concentrating solar thermal power, and is currently supporting solar thermal projects in Morocco and Egypt. The European Commission's Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) is currently conducting a feasibility study for a concentrated solar power plant in Tunisia.
Northern Ireland
Funding
7. Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Democratic Unionist Party about funding for Northern Ireland. [212549]
Mr. Woodward: I have regular meetings with all the Northern Ireland political parties covering a range of issues relating to Northern Ireland, including funding.
Security
8. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [212550]
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland. [212766]
Mr. Woodward: While the latest IMC report indicated that PIRA remain fully committed to pursuing the political path, the threat from dissident republicans is, as the Chief Constable indicated, at its highest level for five years. Loyalists continue to make progress, but the issue of decommissioning remains unresolved. As I indicated recently, legal routes to decommissioning and the protection that comes with them cannot remain indefinitely.
Historical Enquiries Team
9. Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by the Historical Enquiries Team in reviewing unsolved murder cases in Northern Ireland. [212552]
Paul Goggins: The Historical Enquiries Team (HET) have opened 1,150 of the 3,268 eligible cases and of these 363 have been completed. The majority of families engaging with HET have found the process helpful and they have welcomed the opportunity to have often long standing questions addressed.
Defence Estates Sales
10. Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are for the proceeds of defence estates sales to accrue to the Northern Ireland Executive. [212553]
Mr. Woodward: The Government are committed to working with the Executive to ensure that disused military sites are effectively disposed of and developed.
Sesame Tree
11. Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will meet Sesame Tree to discuss its work. [212554]
Paul Goggins: I have no current plans to meet with Sesame Tree, the Northern Ireland version of Sesame Street. Culture and community relations are transferred matters and are now the responsibility of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
Domestic Abuse: Women Pensioners
12. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the levels of domestic abuse and violence against women pensioners in Northern Ireland. [212555]
Paul Goggins: In 2007-08, 165 women aged over 60 years reported domestic violence in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Office continues to work in partnership with local Ministers to tackle domestic violence at every level.
McGurk’s Bar Bombing
14. Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the Historical Enquiries Team into the McGurk’s Bar bombing. [212557]
Mr. Woodward: The House will want to recognise the personal pain for the hon. Gentleman and his family; I know he lost his great uncle in the bombing. Although I cannot speak for those Ministers who made statements at the time, I personally am sorry for the hurt that was made worse by the erroneous reporting of responsibility for the explosion.
IRA Army Council
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the process of dismantling the IRA Army Council. [212547]
Mr. Woodward: I am sure that everybody looks forward to the day when all vestiges of Northern Ireland’s paramilitary history, including the Army Council, have been relegated to where they belong—the past.
Crimes of Violence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted of assault in which the victim was (a) a female partner, (b) a male partner, (c) a child and (d) one of their own children in each of the last three years. [211335]
Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the format requested. Northern Ireland conviction data do not include victim information in relation to the commission of an offence, therefore it is not possible to determine the number of convictions for assault of a female or male partner or the total number of convictions for assault of a child irrespective of relationship to the offender.
A wider range of information on the incidence and impact of domestic violence is available from the Northern Ireland Crime Survey at:
http://www.nio.gov.uk/experienee_of_domestic_violence_ findings_from_the_2005_northern_ireland_crime_ survey.pdf
http://www.psni.police.uk/2._domestic_incidents_and crimes-5.pdf.
It is possible to give the number of convictions for those offences which, in their definition, refer to a child or children. These are 'common assault on child or young person' and 'aggravated assault on male child'.
The data provided in the following table cover the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest available years) and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
| Number of convictions for assault of a child 2004-06( 1) | |
| Convictions | |
| (1) Data do not include sexual offences against a child or children. | |
Northern Ireland Executive
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland First Minister on Government funding of the Northern Ireland Executive. [212551]
Mr. Woodward: I have regular discussions with the First Minister and deputy First Minister covering a range of issues relating to Northern Ireland, including finance.
Treasury
Child Benefit: Personal Records
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in the police investigation into the whereabouts of the 25 million missing child benefit records. [196891]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made today.
Construction Industry Scheme: Complaints
Mr. Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about online payments under the construction industry scheme were received by HM Revenue and Customs between April 2007 and March 2008. [213376]
Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect specific information on complaints about online payments made under the construction industry scheme.
Data Protection
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2008, Official Report, column 474W, on data protection, on how many occasions official advice has been sought of data guardians since their introduction. [211888]
Jane Kennedy: Details on the number of requests made to data guardians for advice are not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2008, Official Report, column 474W, on data protection, how many hours of security training each data guardian has received. [211889]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 February 2008, Official Report, column 1938W.
HMRC has continued to monitor the data guardians' training needs since their introduction, and will reflect these in any future training events.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2008, Official Report, column 474W, on data protection, on how many occasions data guardians have reported insufficient (a) security procedures and (b) attention paid to security procedures in place. [212125]
Jane Kennedy: Information is not available in the format requested.
Departmental Buildings
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how frequently his Department restates the asset values of its building estate. [213412]
Angela Eagle: The accounting policy regarding revaluation of building estate is disclosed in note 1.4 of the Treasury’s annual report and accounts 2006-07 (HC 518). Copies of this document can be found at:
hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/departmental_reports/annual_report07.cfm.
Departmental Vetting
Jenny Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what procedures his Department follows for checking the criminal records of employees; and if he will make a statement; [213133]
(2) what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many (a) successful applicants and (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement. [213153]
Angela Eagle: All successful applicants for posts in HM Treasury are required to undergo appropriate security vetting procedures, including criminal record checks. The other detailed information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North Shropshire of 14 May, on corporation tax. [213123]
Jane Kennedy: I replied to the hon. Member on 24 June 2008.
Revenue and Customs: Closures
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs offices have been closed in (a) urban areas and (b) rural areas since 1997. [213618]
Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs does not maintain office records categorised by urban and rural areas as they are not standard property management classifications.
Revenue and Customs: Data Protection
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he was first told of the loss of a data cartridge in the Cardiff office of HM Revenue and Customs containing the details of 6,500 people. [176941]
Jane Kennedy: The loss of the data cartridge was formally reported to senior managers in HMRC on 29 October 2007 and Ministers were first informed of the loss at the beginning of November 2007 by the former Chairman of HMRC.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent additional training has been provided to staff in HM Revenue and Customs to assist them in implementing revised data security policies and procedures. [201680]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1937-38W, which explained that each HMRC business unit has appointed a data guardian to monitor its data handling and transfer arrangements. Support has already been provided to these data guardians in the form of awareness events, written material and access to HMRC security specialists. HMRC will continue to assess the data guardians’ ongoing training requirements.
HMRC is also currently part way through a programme of mandatory half-day data security training and awareness workshops. Current plans envisage every single member of the Department having attended a workshop before the end of June.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what additional funding has been provided to HM Revenue and Customs for the implementation of the revised data security procedures introduced in the wake of the child benefit data loss; [201681]
(2) what additional (a) funding and (b) staffing will be required to implement revised data security policies and procedures in HM Revenue and Customs following the child benefit data loss; and what (i) secure storage facilities and (ii) other measures will be required for that implementation. [201858]
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of implementation of data security policies and procedures introduced by HM Revenue and Customs following the loss of child benefit data. [202905]
Jane Kennedy: All costs incurred to date have been contained within HMRC’s existing funding allocations. These costs have arisen from the range of measures HMRC has introduced since November 2007 to enhance its data security procedures, and are highlighted in Kieran Poynter’s final report published today. A copy of the report is available in the Library of the House.
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