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24 Mar 2009 : Column 258W—continued
AccessNI failed to meet its service standards for enhanced applications during the period April to December 2008. Since December 2008 AccessNI has continued to achieve its 90 per cent. service standards.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many journeys (a) he and his predecessors and (b) his officials made by aeroplane in the course of their duties in each of the last five years. [246671]
Mr. Woodward: As the right hon. Member will be aware, as with my predecessors, to fulfil my duties as Secretary of State in Northern Ireland and fulfil Cabinet obligations, it is necessary for me to travel to and from Northern Ireland regularly and frequently, often at short notice. Similarly, my officials, who work from both Belfast and London, are required to make journeys by aeroplane in the course of their duties.
The figures shown in the following table are for the last three years only. Information for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
| Secretary of State | Officials | |
Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively.
Departmental Data Protection
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions (a) IT security policies have been breached by employees and (b) a member of staff has been sanctioned for a breach of such policies in the last 12 months. [259825]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office IT security policies are aligned with the Government's Security Policy Framework. The Department uses risk management, accreditation, testing, activity monitoring and independent appraisal to ensure that IT security policies are adhered to.
In the last 12 months, IT security policies have been breached on two occasions. Appropriate internal action was taken as a result.
Departmental Press
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each year since 1997. [261206]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office's expenditure on newspapers since 1999-2000, excluding agencies and Executive NDPBs, is provided in the following table.
| Financial Year | Expenditure (£) |
No record of newspaper expenditure is available prior to 1999-2000.
Expenditure on magazines and periodicals is grouped with other general publication expenditure. It would not be possible to extract this spend from these figures except at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) his Department's senior officials undertook in 2008. [262174]
Mr. Woodward: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the financial year 2007-08 was published on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 102WS and for the first time, included details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Information on the cost of overseas visits by senior officials is not held centrally and therefore could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All official travel is undertaken in accordance with departmental rules and the Civil Service Management Code.
Domestic Violence: Sentencing
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sentencing policy applies to people convicted of domestic violence offences in Northern Ireland; and how that policy is monitored. [263363]
Paul Goggins: While there is no specific sentencing policy in relation to domestic violence offences, the Government aim to ensure that legislation provides an appropriate range of offences, and makes available the right level and type of sentencing options, so that the Public Prosecution Service and the courts can respond effectively to violent crimes including those arising out of a domestic violence incident. In the case of domestic violence, these include penalties for breaches of civil orders.
The legislation is kept under review: for example, the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008 was the result of a fundamental review of sentencing law and made available new public protection sentences for dangerous violent and sexual offenders.
Once legislation is in place, sentencing in an individual case is of course a matter for the judge, taking into account the specific circumstances of the particular case. The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal delivers guideline judgments on sentencing in Northern Ireland which encourage consistency in sentencing throughout the courts of Northern Ireland and support sentencers in their decision-making.
The courts have found that domestic violence cases should be regarded as particularly serious because of the vulnerability of victims to the infliction of violence. The Court of Appeal has also commented that guidance from the Sentencing Guidelines Council in England and Wales may be applied in this jurisdiction where it is appropriate to local conditions. The Council issued guidance entitled “Overarching Principles: Domestic
Violence” on 18 December 2006 and this sets out the principles to be applied in passing sentence for these types of offence.
Northern Ireland Compensation Agency
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been paid in compensation by the Northern Ireland Compensation Agency in each of the last five years. [264745]
Paul Goggins: The following table shows the amounts paid out in each of the last five years.
| £ 000 | |
| Note: 2008-09 figures are up to end of February 2009. | |
Opinion Leader Research
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has paid Opinion Leader Research in each year since November 2007. [265999]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (excluding agencies and executive NDPBs) has made no payments to Opinion Leader Research since November 2007.
Prisons: Finance
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much is planned to be spent on capital works for the prison estate in Northern Ireland over the next five years. [264742]
Paul Goggins: During the remainder of the CSR07 period, to March 2011, the Northern Ireland Prison Service plan to spend some £40 million capital funding on the prison estate. This includes delivery of additional cellular accommodation.
While capital funding beyond this period will not be agreed until the next spending review round, the service is proceeding with planned capital investments in line with ministerial commitments including a contribution to the joint College at Desertcreat, the redevelopment of Magilligan prison and the potential development flowing from the recommendations of the women offenders strategy published last month.
Prisons: Operating Costs
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the running costs of each prison in Northern Ireland were in each of the last five years. [264744]
Paul Goggins: The running costs of each prison in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.
| £ million | |||
| Maghaberry | Magilligan | Hydebank | |
International Development
Conflict Prevention Pool
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on new priority areas for Conflict Prevention Pools and associated funding. [266166]
Mr. Michael Foster: Priorities for the Conflict Prevention Pool have been under review in order to respond to changing demands. Plans for 2009-10 have been discussed with my right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will issue a statement to the House on this matter later this week.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department has settled within 10 days of receipt in the last four months. [266245]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) payment performance for the last four months is:
| Month | Percentage of correctly rendered invoices paid within 10 working days |
Overseas Aid: Health Education
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the governments of other donor countries on new global initiatives for funding sexual, reproductive and maternal health and education projects in developing countries. [266090]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Ministers and officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) have recently had extensive discussions with a range of other donor countries including Norway, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands on how, collectively, global efforts to improve maternal and child health can be accelerated. Sexual and reproductive health and rights has been an important element of
these discussions. DFID Ministers and officials have also had discussions with the heads and officials from various international agencies (including the World Health Organisation, The UN Population Fund and the World Bank) on all of these issues.
The UK has committed to spending £6 billion on strengthening health systems and services over the seven years to 2015. Strong health education programmes, including sexual and reproductive health and maternal health, are key elements of a well functioning health system.
Palestinians: Overseas Aid
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken since February 2009 to ensure that Government and non-governmental aid from the UK reaches intended recipients in Gaza. [264387]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The UK Government have, before and after February 2009, maintained robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure aid reaches its intended recipients in Gaza.
There are well developed international mechanisms for the delivery of aid in Gaza, principally the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The Department for International Development (DFID) ensures that all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) it funds have experience of operating in Gaza, hold the necessary expertise and resources and also have robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
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