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27 Mar 2009 : Column 778W—continued
Terrorism: Detainees
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of detention without charge for over 21 days on suspicion of terrorist activity there have been in England since October 2008. [265313]
Mr. Coaker: Since October 2008 there have been no cases of detention without charge for over 21 days on suspicion of terrorist activity in England.
Terrorism: Somalia
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of arrests on terrorist charges involved persons of Somali origin (a) in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) in the comparable period five years earlier. [265314]
Mr. Coaker: The information requested is not held. The Home Office science research group will be publishing a statistical bulletin on terrorism arrests and outcomes. This will provide detail on terrorism related charges and convictions, providing a breakdown of specific offences. The bulletin will show the numbers of people charged and convicted and the charge to conviction ratio. This information will not be broken down by country of origin. The bulletin is due to be published shortly.
Women and Equality
Equal Pay
Julie Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government is taking to reduce the time taken to hear equal pay cases at employment tribunals. [265718]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
A significant number of equal pay cases involve complex issues which have to be addressed prior to dealing with the merits of the claim and this can make them more protracted than other employment cases. On a number of issues, employment tribunals have been obliged to wait for the outcome of appeals to the Employment Appeal Tribunal and, in some cases, to the Court of Appeal or Court of Session (in Scotland), before being able to progress them further. It is important
that parties are able to exercise their legal rights by raising such issues which they consider relevant in the pursuit or defence of a case or group of cases. Many of these issues have affected very large numbers of cases.
Case management of equal pay cases is the responsibility of the judiciary. However, specialist employment judges are actively engaged in this process. This includes working with parties on an ongoing basis to ensure that case grouping is effective and expeditious.
Northern Ireland
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of hate crime were recorded in Northern Ireland in (a) 2005 and (b) 2008. [267387]
Paul Goggins: This is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn, Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 3 February 2009, Official Report, columns 988-90W, on the departmental internet, how many hits each of the websites maintained by his Department received in each of the last 12 months. [262780]
Mr. Woodward: The number of hits each of the websites maintained by my Department received in each of the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
| Month | Youth Justice Agency (youthjusticeagencyni.gov.uk) | Northern Ireland Prison Service (niprisionservice.gov.uk) | Organised Crime Task Force (octf.gov.uk) |
| (1) November figures not available due to a reporting problem. | |||
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1415W, on departmental marketing, for what reason the average expenditure increased in the year 2007-08. [257273]
Mr. Woodward: The additional expenditure in 2007-08 relates primarily to the Fireworks Safety Campaign and the public appointment of a new Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Office's procurement policy includes provisions to achieve best value for money in procurement of goods and other services.
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256330]
Paul Goggins: The following table details the number of staff within the Northern Ireland Office who have had periods of absence for (a) 30-days and over, (b) 50-days and over and (c) 100-days and over in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
| 30-days and over | 50-days and over | 100-days and over | |
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years. [256625]
Paul Goggins: The following table details the number of staff in the Northern Ireland Office recorded as having had a period of absence of over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
| As at December each year | Number |
Firearms: Licensing
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the security services in Northern Ireland have had (a) a personal protection firearm licence revoked and (b) an application for a personal protection firearm licence refused in each of the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of the level of security threat to members of the security services in the same period. [266573]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Lady and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many owners of personal protection weapons in Northern Ireland had their renewal applications (a) approved and (b) declined in 2008. [267388]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Police Service of Northern Ireland was Roman Catholic as at 1 January 2009. [267390]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Prisoners: Per Capita Costs
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the actual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland was in 2008-09; and what target cost per prisoner place was set for that year. [267391]
Paul Goggins: The outturn cost per prisoner place in 2008-09 will be contained in the annual audited and published agency accounts. The target for 2008-09 is £81,500; the Prison Service anticipates the target will be met.
Public Opinion
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department and its agencies have spent on (a) opinion polling, (b) focus groups and (c) other forms of market research in each year since 1997; if he will list the surveys commissioned; and what the purpose was of each. [261207]
Paul Goggins: Information on how much the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies have spent on (a) opinion polling, (b) focus groups and (c) other forms of market research is provided in the following tables. I have also listed the surveys commissioned and what the purpose was of each.
The information is not available for each year since 1997, it has been provided for each year since 2003.
| 2003-04 | |
| £ | |
| Surveys Commis sioned and the purpose of each: Commissioned questions for NI Omnibus survey - to obtain public perception of Public Prosecution Service which in turn assists in the development of policy. NI Crime survey—to ascertain people's experience and perceptions of crime in NI. International Crime Victimisation Survey—to assess how many people have been victims of crime. NI Omnibus Survey—Recovery of assets module—to ascertain people's awareness of Assets Recovery Agency and perceptions of its effectiveness. NI Omnibus Survey—Confidence in the Criminal Justice System Module—to assess people's confidence of the Criminal Justice System. Victim and Witness Views on the Criminal Justice System. Community Attitudes Survey—assessment of criminal justice issues as they relate to the two main communities in NI. Compensation Agency Applicants' Attitudes Survey. Confidence in the Criminal Justice System—obtain views of the public. | |
| 2004-05 | |
| £ | |
| Surveys Commis sioned and the purpose of each: Commissioned questions for NI Omnibus survey—to obtain public perception of Public Prosecution Service which in turn assists in the development of policy. NI Crime Survey—to ascertain people's experience and perceptions of crime in NI. International Crime Victimisation Survey—to assess how many people have been victims of crime. NI Omnibus Survey—Organised Crime Module - to ascertain people's experience and perceptions of Organised Crime. NI Omnibus Survey—Youth Justice Agency module—to ascertain people's awareness of the Youth Justice Agency and perceptions of its effectiveness. Compensation Agency Applicants' Attitudes Survey. Confidence in the Criminal Justice System—obtain view of the public. | |
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