Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Prime Minister
Departmental Staff
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff work on the Downing Street switchboard, broken down by Civil Service grade. [229052]
The Prime Minister: As at 1 April 2008 12 staff worked on the Downing Street switchboard.
Stress
Mr. Hands: To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements his Office has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace. [222183]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary Cabinet Office, (Mr. Watson) today.
Wouter Basson
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister if he will direct the relevant authorities to investigate the claim made by Wouter Basson during his trial in South Africa in July 2000 that an illicit weapons cache, including chemical weapons, seized by HM Customs and Excise (HMCE) was subsequently stolen from an HMCE warehouse following information he provided; and if he will make a statement. [227353]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
HMRC officials have reviewed their historical records and have found no evidence to support the claim that a weapons cache, including chemical weapons, was stolen from a HMCE/HMRC warehouse.
Northern Ireland
Borders
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether funding is provided by his Department to counties in the Republic of Ireland which border Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [230997]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) can confirm that it provides no funding to any counties in the Republic of Ireland.
Departmental Public Participation
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many citizens' juries his Department has held since 1 July 2007; what the cost was of each; what issues were discussed at each event; and how many (a) Ministers and (b) members of the public attended each event. [227471]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office has not held any citizens' juries since 1 July 2007.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years. [229077]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies, executive non-departmental public bodies and public inquiries, have made the following payments to recruitment agencies in the last five financial years:
| £ | |||||
| Recruitment Agency | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
The figures in this table include both the costs for appointing staff to the Department and the salaries paid to temporary staff members.
Young Offenders
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of (a) people in young offender centres in and (b) the population of Northern Ireland are (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) of each religion, (iv) from an ethnic minority, (v) from each socio-economic group and (vi) resident of each district council area; and if he will make a statement. [228235]
Paul Goggins:
At 21 October, there were 53 female prisoners and 207 male young offenders and juveniles held at Hydebank Wood young offenders centre and prison. The other information relating to young offenders/
prisoners is detailed in the following tables. As Prison Service records do not identify residency by district council area, the information has been provided on a county basis.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has an obligation to ensure that all of its policies and procedures are fair to all who come into contact with it and is fully committed to its statutory obligations under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, and all other relevant equality and anti-discrimination legislation and duties.
Responsibility for the provision of figures for the general population of Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administration.
| Religion | ||||
| Male | Female | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Male | Female | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Socio-Economic group | ||||
| Male | Female | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Residency | ||||
| Male | Female | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
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