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26 Nov 2008 : Column 1639W—continued
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; and what budget each has been set for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [236929]
Mr. Woodward: Information on the remit for each non-departmental public body sponsored by my Department can be found in the Departmental Report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Details of what budgets they have been set for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11 are detailed in the following table.
These budgets are Resource DEL; they are not fixed and can be adjusted by the Directorate and Department if required.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what bonuses were paid by his Department in 2007-08; to which members of staff; and for what purposes. [239659]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) operates three bonus schemes.
Directors (senior civil service pay band 2) have delegated authority to award special bonuses in their business areas throughout the reporting year.
Annual performance related bonuses for staff below the senior civil service are part of the NIO's overall pay arrangements. The bonus levels are reviewed by the Departmental Board each year. Individual bonus recommendations are made by line managers and moderated by panels across the Department under the supervision of more senior managers.
Bonuses for SCS staff are calculated on the basis of the Government's response to the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body. Individual bonus recommendations are made by line managers and these are moderated by a number of remuneration committees with the involvement of a non-executive director.
The distribution of awards in 2007-08 is shown in the following tables.
| Special bonus awards | ||
| Grade | Number of staff receiving bonus 2007-08 | Amount 2007-08 (£) |
| End year bonuses to non SCS staff | ||
| Grade | Number of staff receiving bonus 2007-08 | Amount 2007-08 (£) |
| End year bonuses to SCS staff | ||
| Grade | Number of staff receiving bonus | Amount (£) |
Departmental Postal Services
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department uses the Royal Mail as the primary company for sending its post, parcels and packages. [238118]
Mr. Woodward: For the distribution of post, parcels and packages my Department predominantly uses an in-house courier service. Any mail that is not delivered by this means generally goes by Royal Mail.
Departmental Press Releases
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [238982]
Mr. Woodward: Records of the number of press releases issued by my Department (core only) are held from 2001-02 onwards. Details by year are shown in the following table.
| Financial year | Number of press releases issued by NIO |
Departmental Procurement
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there has been any nugatory cost to his Department and its agencies relating to tendered procurement where the tender process has been cancelled prior to the award of the contract in the last three years. [239653]
Mr. Woodward: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Television
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the television licence fee in his official Ministerial residence is paid from public funds. [236657]
Mr. Woodward: Hillsborough Castle is a working Government building with Government offices and is also used as a residence for members of the Royal family, visiting dignitaries to Northern Ireland and also the Secretary of State and Ministers when staying in Northern Ireland. The TV licence is paid by the Northern Ireland Office.
Devolution
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received on the implications of (a) the agreement between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein on devolution of policing and justice and (b) the other main political parties in Northern Ireland not being party to this agreement. [239837]
Mr. Woodward: The historic agreement announced by the First and deputy First Ministers on 18 November sets out the process that will lead to the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The transfer of powers remains subject to agreement within the Assembly and will require cross-community support, as set out in section 4 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. All Northern Ireland parties will therefore be involved in the Assembly's decisions about which powers should be transferred and when.
Domestic Violence: Convictions
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps have been taken to improve conviction rates in domestic violence cases in Northern Ireland. [233490]
Paul Goggins: The ‘Tackling Violence at Home’ strategy, which we launched in October 2005, sends a clear message from Government that domestic violence is a crime and is not acceptable in any circumstances. In addition to providing better support for victims of domestic violence, one of the overall aims of the strategy is to hold perpetrators and abusers accountable and provide effective interventions for their behaviour. For example, a current media campaign highlights that a perpetrator can be prosecuted even when a victim remains silent.
The Policing Plan sets the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) the target of reducing the incidence of repeat victimisation of domestic abuse. Achievement of this target will rest on protective interventions including an increase in convictions. Recent initiatives include the establishment of Public Protection Units in April 2008 and the publication, in July 2008, of an updated policy for police officers responding to incidents of domestic abuse. We are also working towards implementation of Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) across Northern Ireland.
In order to support the PSNI in this important work, we have given them greater powers of arrest. Changes in legislation mean that police do not need a warrant to arrest someone committing the offence of common assault. PSNI have also been working closely with the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland to improve evidence gathering, and in June 2008 training was delivered aimed at improving investigation and case management.
Domestic Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days he spent in Northern Ireland on official business in each of the last 12 months; and on how many occasions he stayed overnight. [220774]
Mr. Woodward: The number of days and overnight stays I have spent in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
| Day | Overnight | |
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