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8 July 2009 : Column 798W—continued
Police: Pensions
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will estimate the average first year retirement pension payment of a police officer retiring after 30 years service in each of the principal ranks of the police service in 2009; [282796]
(2) how many retired police officers are aged (a) less than 50, (b) between 50 and 55, (c) between 56 and 60, (d) between 61 and 65 and (e) over 65 years old; [282881]
(3) what the average value of pension payments to retired police officers aged (a) under 50, (b) from 51 to 55, (c) from 56 to 60, (d) from 61 to 65 and (e) more than 65 years old was in the latest period for which figures are available; [282874]
(4) what the cost of payments made to police pensioners (a) under 50, (b) between 51 and 55, (c) between 56 and 60, (d) between 61 and 65 and (e) aged 65 and more was in the latest year for which figures are available. [282876]
Alan Johnson: Information on the average first-year police pension is not held centrally and data on the accrued pension rights of retiring officers by rank are not currently included in the valuation data held on the police pension schemes by the Government Actuary’s Department. Therefore it is possible to give only a broad estimate of the average annual pension payment based on the salary scale for each main rank. The following information is based on the pay scales currently in place (since 1 September 2008, effective until 31 August 2009).
| £ | ||
| Rank assumed average final salary | Estimated average pension | |
For the rank of constable, it is assumed that a retiring officer is at the top of the pay range. For other ranks, the middle of the pay range is used. It is also assumed that the retiring officer will elect to commute the maximum amount of pension allowable in order to receive a lump sum payment on retirement, as the majority of retiring officers do elect to receive a lump sum. This would mean the officer’s first-year pension payment would be 50 per cent. of his or her final salary. Given that the factors for calculating the commutation of a lump sum payment are based on the age of each officer, it is not possible to estimate an average amount for a lump sum payment.
The salary level of an officer of rank deputy chief constable (deputy assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan police) and above depends on the police force in which the officer serves. In the light of this, and the relatively small number of senior officers, estimating an average pension payment for these ranks would not provide an accurate reflection of the situation on retirement of an officer and could be misleading.
From the valuation data on the police pension scheme held by the Government Actuary’s Department, as at 31 March 2008 the total number of retired police officer pensioners, split by age, is broadly as follows (figures are rounded to the nearest 100)
| Group | Number |
Information on the cost and value of police pensions broken down into different age groups is not held centrally.
Northern Ireland
Public Safety: Dissident Terrorists
9. Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the level of threat to public safety in Northern Ireland from the activities of dissident terrorists. [283762]
13. Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the level of threat to public safety in Northern Ireland from the activities of dissident terrorists. [283767]
Mr. Woodward: While no one should underestimate the capacity of these individuals to cause serious harm, it is even more the case today than a year ago that the people of Northern Ireland will not allow them to succeed.
Decommissioning: Loyalist Paramilitaries
10. Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent reports he has received on decommissioning of weapons by Loyalist paramilitaries; and if he will make a statement. [283763]
Mr. Woodward: The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning has recently confirmed to me that it has witnessed a major decommissioning event by the Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando, and that they have been advised that this includes all the arms under their control. I am pleased with this significant act of leadership by those who have been persuaded that democracy is the only way forward.
The IICD has also confirmed that it has witnessed a decommissioning event by the Ulster Defence Association, which represents a significant move. I encourage them to continue their engagement with the IICD and complete decommissioning as soon as possible.
Serving Police Officers
11. Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many serving police officers there were in Northern Ireland on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [283764]
Paul Goggins: On the 1 July 2009 there were 7,274 regular officers including 163 student officers. There are also 472 full-time reserve officers and 739 part-time reserve officers in Northern Ireland. The current composition is based on Patten’s recommendation of a force strength of 7,500 regular officers.
Romanian Nationals: Attacks
12. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reports he has received on the recent incidents of attacks on Romanian nationals in Northern Ireland. [283765]
Mr. Woodward: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) and the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge).
Departmental Information Officers
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost to his Department of employing press office staff other than press officers has been in each year since 1997. [283084]
Mr. Woodward: The following table shows the cost to the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland and excluding its agencies and NDPBs, of employing press office staff other than press officers in each year since 1999 to 2000.
| Financial year | Total (£) |
Financial records are not available for the years before 1999 to 2000.
Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the peace process on levels of public expenditure in Northern Ireland. [283919]
Paul Goggins: Devolution in Northern Ireland is delivering widespread benefits to all the people of Northern Ireland and is underpinned by strong public services. The Government’s public spending plans in Northern Ireland are set out in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2009 (Cm 7630).
Smuggling: Fuels
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate he has made of the level of fuel smuggling in Northern Ireland. [283766]
Paul Goggins: Latest HMRC figures indicate that the amount of fuel used, but not sourced in Northern Ireland, is reducing. However, we are not complacent and in the past year we have seized over 800,000 litres of illegal fuel.
Transport
A1: Speed Limits
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons a 40mph speed limit has been imposed on the A1(M) motorway in the vicinity of junction 4 where roadworks are taking place; and if he will make a statement. [284876]
Chris Mole: A 40 mph speed limit has been introduced on the A1(M) in the vicinity of junction 4 to allow for major refurbishment on the Hatfield Tunnel to be undertaken.
The works started in June and will continue until April 2011.
The 40 mph temporary speed limit is in place for driver and work force safety in accordance with the requirements of Traffic Signs Manual chapter 8 road works and temporary situations.
Aviation: Caribbean
Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) flights and (b) passengers travelled from the UK to destinations in the Caribbean in each of the last five years. [283827]
Paul Clark: The following table shows the number of flights and passengers who departed from UK airports to destinations in the Caribbean in each of the last five years.
| Flights and passengers from UK airports to destinations in the Caribbean, 2004-08 | ||
| Thousand | ||
| Flights | Passengers | |
| Source: Department for Transport analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data. | ||
Total passenger flows between UK airports and individual countries are published on the CAA website in table 12.1 at the following link:
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=80&;pagetype=88&pageid=3&sglid=3
Driving Under Influence: Death
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many and what percentage of road deaths involved at least one driver with a blood alcohol level in excess of the legal limit in each year since 1980. [284804]
Paul Clark: The estimated numbers and the percentages of all road deaths in accidents involving at least one driver over the legal alcohol limit in each year since 1980 to 2007 are given in the table. Provisional 2008 data will be available on 6 August 2009.
A drink drive accident is defined as being an incident on a public road in which someone is killed or injured and where one or more of the motor vehicle drivers or riders involved either refused to give a breath test specimen when requested to do so by the police (other than when incapable of doing so for medical reasons), or one of the following:
(i) failed a roadside breath test by registering over 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
(ii) died and was subsequently found to have more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
However, not all drink drive accidents are detected in this way, as there are some drivers involved for whom neither of the above test results are available, even though they were over the legal limit. The Department for Transport’s statistics therefore are adjusted to allow for this in order to produce a better estimate of the number of drink drive accidents and casualties. See in article 3 of “Road Casualties Great Britain—annual report 2007” published on the Department’s website at:
Copies of the report have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
| Estimated number of fatalities involving at least one driver ove r the legal alcohol limit: 1980 to 2007 | |||
| Fatalities involving at least one driver over legal alcohol limit | All fatalities in reported personal injury accidents | Percentage of fatalities involving at least one driver over legal alcohol limit of all fallibilities | |
| (1) Provisional data. The 2007 estimates are based on a reduced sample of coroners’ returns and may be biased. They remain provisional until more complete information for 2007 is available. | |||
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