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23 Jun 2009 : Column 745W—continued
Northern Ireland
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many anti-social behaviour orders Newtownabbey Borough Council applied for in each year since 2004. [280638]
Paul Goggins: The hon. Gentleman may wish to write to the chief executive of the council for this information.
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many anti-social behaviour orders are in force in Northern Ireland. [280639]
Paul Goggins: The relevant authorities have notified 95 antisocial behaviour orders to the Northern Ireland Office since they were made available on 25 August 2004. Of these 95, 49 are currently still in force.
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued in Northern Ireland in each year since 2004. [280640]
Paul Goggins: The relevant authorities have reported 95 antisocial behaviour orders to the Northern Ireland Office since they were made available on 25 August 2004.
A breakdown of the 95 antisocial behaviour orders issued since 2004 is shown in the following table:
| Number issued | |
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many anti-social behaviour orders Larne Borough Council applied for in each year since 2004. [280641]
Paul Goggins: The hon. Gentleman may wish to write to the chief executive of the council for this information.
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Reserve Forces
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is on the retention of a reserve police force in Northern Ireland. [281736]
Paul Goggins: The Government accepted the recommendations of the Patten Commission that there should be an enlarged part-time reserve, with additional officers coming from areas where there was under-representation, and remain committed to that aim. Recruitment to the PTR is primarily a matter for the Chief Constable in consultation with the Policing Board.
At the same time, the Government accepted Patten's recommendation, echoing the Royal Ulster Constabulary's own Fundamental Review, that the full-time reserve should be phased out, if the security situation allowed. A programme of severance was negotiated and agreed so that all officers will have left the service by 31 March 2011.
The Chief Constable's assessments of policing needs and of the security situation inform his decision about the number of full-time reserve officers that is required at any time. The Chief Constable last week recommended that, following his recent review, the current programme of phasing out of the FTR should continue.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of reserve police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [281737]
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.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and (b) the Police Federation of Northern Ireland on the number of reserve police officers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [281738]
Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State meets the Chief Constable on a regular basis to discuss policing and security issues.
The Secretary of State has met representatives of the Police Federation twice in the last six months to hear directly their views on areas of interest to their members, including their concerns about the continuing programme of phasing out of the full-time reserve. The Federation is also in regular contact with officials, including at the quarterly meetings of the Police Advisory Board for Northern Ireland, at which the future of the FTR has been discussed.
Decisions on the future of the full-time reserve will continue to be made by the Chief Constable in light of his assessment of the security situation and policing needs.
Electoral Commission Committee
Election Candidates
Mr. Drew: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has assessed the merits of requiring parliamentary candidates to make full financial disclosures at the point at which they became a candidate; and if he will make a statement. [281784]
Mr. Streeter: The Electoral Commission currently has no powers to require such disclosures. A new requirement of this nature would need legislation and is therefore a matter for Parliament. The Electoral Commission has previously commented that, while a new requirement could increase transparency in respect of unsuccessful candidates, it would also impose new administrative burdens on all candidates, and on those responsible for administering the new requirement.
Wales
Departmental Internet
Mr. Dai Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Environment) Order 2009 since its
publication for pre-legislative scrutiny; and if he will make it his policy to publish those representations on his departmental website. [281900]
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has appointed a special adviser since taking office. [281456]
Mr. Hain: I have now appointed two special advisers.
Church Commissioners
Clergy: Ordination
Mr. Dunne: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what procedure the Church of England follows to seek approval by the Prime Minister of candidates for senior clergy appointments to be recommended to Her Majesty the Queen. [281191]
Sir Stuart Bell: For diocesan bishoprics, the Archbishop of the Province sends to the Prime Minister the name of a candidate chosen by the Crown Nominations Commission (which consists of the archbishops, six members elected by the General Synod, six members elected by the Vacancy in See Committee of the vacant diocese, and the Prime Minister's Secretary for Appointments and the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments as non-voting members).
For suffragan bishoprics, the Archbishop of the Province forwards the diocesan bishop's nomination to the Prime Minister. At present two candidates must be nominated, though by convention the first is always chosen. A measure which will be presented to the General Synod for Final Approval this July (and if approved will be presented for parliamentary approval and Royal Assent in the usual way) will change the law so that in future only one candidate will be nominated. The process leading to the bishop's nomination includes interviews by an advisory group.
For deaneries, the Archbishop of the Province forwards to the Prime Minister the name of a candidate chosen by a selection panel of five voting members, chaired by a lay person appointed by the archbishop and including the diocesan bishop, a lay member elected by and from the bishop's council, a member of the college of canons elected by and from the college, and a priest with experience of cathedral ministry. The Prime Minister's Appointments Secretary and the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments are non-voting members of the panel.
For residentiary canonries, the diocesan bishop sends to the Prime Minister the name of the candidate chosen by him after a selection process which follows guidelines adopted by the House of Bishops.
The Prime Minister advises Her Majesty either to nominate those concerned for formal election by the college of canons of the vacant diocese (in the case of diocesan bishoprics) or to appoint them to the suffragan see, deanery or residentiary canonry concerned.
Further details of the processes involved may be found on the Church of England website at:
Stem Cells: Research
Ann Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the Church Commissioners' policy is on investment in companies which fund embryonic stem cell research. [281888]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners adopted a revised policy on investment in companies involved in human embryonic stem cell research in 2008 following new advice from the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group. As long as no international ban on human reproductive cloning exists, the Church Commissioners will not invest in companies, a major part of whose business—defined as over 25 per cent. of turnover—is engaged in the cloning of human embryos. This exclusion also covers companies which use cloning techniques to create cybrids and chimeras combining animal eggs with human DNA.
In addition, the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, acting on behalf of the Church's investing bodies, engages with companies involved in, or deriving significant use from, research using human embryonic stem cells. In such engagement the Ethical Investment Advisory Group represents the Church's position, namely that such research should be undertaken only when absolutely necessary once all other possible avenues have been explored and the mystery and sanctity of the human embryo are respected.
Ann Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if the Church Commissioners will withdraw their investments from companies which fund embryonic stem cell research. [281889]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners do not invest in companies, a major part of whose business—defined as over 25 per cent. of turnover—is engaged in the cloning of human embryos or of cybrids and chimeras which combine animal eggs with human DNA. No changes to this policy are under consideration.
Women and Equality
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many breaches of information security there have been at the Government Equalities Office since its creation. [281059]
Michael Jabez Foster: Since its creation on 12 October 2007, there have been no breaches of information security within the Government Equalities Office.
Departmental Information Officers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many press officers the Government Equalities Office has employed in each year since its inception; and what the cost of her Office's press office was in each such year. [280727]
Michael Jabez Foster: Since its creation on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has employed the following press office staff at the costs shown in the following table.
| Number of press office posts | Number of press office staff employed | Total staff costs (£) | |
| (1) Some of the staff employed were on short-term contracts (2) As at 30 May 2009 | |||
Domestic Violence
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what contribution the Government Equalities Office has made to the cross-Government consultation, ‘Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls; and what steps her Office is taking to ensure adequate funding for specialist voluntary sector organisations dealing with violence against women. [281411]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office is closely involved with the cross-Government consultation ‘Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls', as is my Department's advisory non-departmental public body, the Women's National Commission.
Government expect the majority of funding to specialist voluntary sector organisations dealing with violence against women to come from local bodies, such as local councils and health bodies. In general, funding decisions for local services are determined by local commissioners who are well-placed to identify local needs. Addressing domestic and sexual violence will be a key priority in helping local partnerships to deliver fully on the Public Service Agreement requirements.
The ‘Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls' consultation closed on 29 May 2009. A key theme for consultation was the promotion of better consistency and quality of provision of services for victims of violence against women and girls. This work will be taken forward during development of a cross-Government strategy.
Government Equalities Office: International Women’s Day
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on promoting International Women’s Day 2009. [279364]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office did not spend any money on promoting International Women’s Day 2009.
The Ministers for Women led a debate in the House of Commons on 5 March 2009 on ‘Support for women through the economic downturn and for the future’ to mark International Women’s Day.
Males: Domestic Violence
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many centres for male victims of domestic violence have been opened in each month in each of the last five years. [279361]
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