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10 Sep 2008 : Column 2009W—continued

Departmental Overtime

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of overtime payments paid to staff in his Department was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade. [221287]

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the amount of overtime incurred by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs, in 2007-08, which is the latest audit approved 12 month period:

£

Senior Management Middle Management Executive Grades Administrative/Support Grades

2007

April

995

1,828

5,250

5,224

May

857

8,476

15,642

26,669

June

1,166

8,141

11,688

27,380

July

1,395

8,378

20,068

25,684

August

2,651

9,794

16,138

32,707

September

1,545

8,130

11,892

19,915

October

1,003

9,239

16,625

30,843

November

1,685

7,263

18,049

23,248

December

803

6,797

14,382

23,388

2008

January

769

8,652

15,995

33,507

February

2,530

8,080

18,837

22,767

March

2,353

18,444

40,899

52,154

Total

17,752

103,222

205,465

323,486


Departmental Paper

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of paper used (a) for photocopying and (b) in printed publications by his Department was from recycled sources in each of the last two years. [220730]

Mr. Woodward: This information is not recorded and therefore could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Northern Ireland Office policy is to use paper for photocopying, printing and publications which is derived from at least 70 per cent. post-consumer waste. Currently we purchase office paper for printing and photocopying that is derived from 100 per cent. post-consumer waste, in line with the mandatory ‘Buy Sustainable—Quick Wins’ minimum environmental product standards developed by DEFRA.

Departmental Pay

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in his Department in each of the last three financial years. [221188]


10 Sep 2008 : Column 2010W

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the total reimbursable expenses paid to press officers in the Northern Ireland Office in the last three financial years:

Amount paid (£)

2005-06

8,606

2006-07

9,515

2007-08

6,105


Departmental Postal Services

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department has taken to monitor the cost of its mail services in the last 12 months. [221487]

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office uses both internal and external (predominantly Royal Mail) services to distribute mail. The internal mail distribution service is structured to deliver protectively marked material in an appropriate manner and, while costs are largely fixed, they represent good value for money.

Departmental Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department’s policy is on requesting discounts from its suppliers in return for swift payment of invoices. [220428]

Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office’s policy is that all suppliers should be paid within 30 days of receipt of a valid, undisputed invoice, as specified in the Department’s model terms and conditions of contract or as agreed by both parties at the outset of each contract. The Department is also bound by the ‘Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act’.

The Northern Ireland Office does not request discounts for early payment as part of the procurement process, however, if individual suppliers offer discounts for early payment, the Department will ensure that the discounted invoices are paid within the required timeframe if this offers value for money.

Departmental Public Participation

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) reviews and (b) public consultations have been initiated by his Department since 27 June 2007. [221367]

Mr. Woodward: The following reviews and public consultations have been initiated by my Department since 27 June 2007:

Reviews

Public consultations


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10 Sep 2008 : Column 2012W

Departmental Responsibilities

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which projects his Department has commissioned from (a) think tanks and (b) charities in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the aim of each project was; which think tank or charity was commissioned; and how much was paid. [221618]

Mr. Woodward: In each of the last two years the Northern Ireland Office did not commission any projects from think tanks. The following table indicates the projects which were commissioned from charities.

Project Charity commissioned Amount paid (£)

2006-07

Handyvan scheme—to provide safety locks for older people in Belfast.

Help the Aged

39,996.00

To provide education, counselling and support to adjudicated offenders.

NI Community Addiction Service (NICAS)

35,000.00

2007-08

Facilitation of consultation on the ‘Government's Proposal for the Safety of Older People’.

Age Concern and Help the Aged

3,578.37


Offensive Weapons

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were charged with offences relating to knife crime in each of the last three years. [219862]

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following answer.

The number of people in Northern Ireland cleared by means of Charge or Summons in Northern Ireland with offences relating to knife(1) crime in each of the last three years is as follows:

Cleared by means of charge/summons( 2)

2005-06

321

2006-/07(3)

330

2007-/08(4)

397

(1) The figures relate to crimes where a knife was involved in the incident; the system does not record the detail of how the knife was used.
(2) It is not possible to disaggregate the figures between charged and summons
(3) It is not possible to compare figures year on year, as PSNI adopted a higher evidential standard in respect of non-sanction clearances (those where no further action is taken by the police, mainly due to the victim not wanting formal action taken by the police or due to no prosecution being directed) in April 2006, with farther changes made to the definition of "clearance "from 1 April 2007.
(4) A new crime record system, NICHE, was introduced on 1 April 2007. Under the old system, ISIS, the Modus Operandi would have been recorded as ‘knife', with NICHE the MO would show ’instrument - knife/bladed'. Furthermore, within the new recording system, the instrument used is linked to an occurrence which may contain one or more crimes. This may lead to some inflation of offence levels from the NICHE system.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many offences were committed in each police command unit in Northern Ireland in which a knife was employed by the perpetrator in each of the last three years. [219863]

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following answer:

The following table details the number of offences committed in each police command unit in Northern Ireland in which a knife was employed by the perpetrator in each of the last three years:


10 Sep 2008 : Column 2013W

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Antrim

31

16

35

Ards

39

24

41

Armagh

17

13

20

Banbridge

8

8

14

East Belfast

38

49

50

North Belfast

173

127

122

South Belfast

112

122

61

West Belfast

112

75

69

Ballymena

43

41

47

Ballymoney

5

8

2

Carrickfergus

13

8

34

Coleraine

56

38

46

Cookstown

2

4

9

Craigavon

61

48

90

Castlereagh

27

20

11

Dungannon and South Tyrone

10

3

18

Down

27

30

18

Fermanagh

22

15

23

Foyle

68

63

70

Lame

14

16

17

Limavady

22

12

45

Lisburn

29

23

53

Magherafelt

1

4

9

Moyle

5

3

2

Newtownabbey

67

55

88

North Down

43

50

20

Newry and Mourne

58

63

21

Omagh

19

21

11

Strabane

8

9

15

Total

1130

968

1061


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