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9 Sep 2009 : Column 1921W—continued
Departmental Training
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last five years. [287478]
Mr. Woodward: Expenditure by the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, its agencies and NDPBs on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
| (£) | |
The increase in expenditure in 2008-09 relates to the provision of health and safety e-learning to all members of staff.
Mass Media
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on press monitoring in each of the last five years. [287474]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has an in-house media monitoring service to meet the needs of Ministers and senior officials within the Department. It also provides its media monitoring services to Ministers and officials in the devolved Administration and a number of external public sector stakeholders.
Costs for this service in each of the last five years are detailed in the following tables and broken down into both equipment and staff costs. Equipment costs are all the costs associated with press monitoring for example televisions, DVD recorders, DVD discs, tapes, radios and transcribers.
The Department recoups a percentage of its running costs by passing on a small charge to its clients.
| Equipment costs | |
| £ | |
Currently there are four members of staff employed in the Media Monitoring Unit and a further five typists to transcribe media monitoring requests. Staffing numbers have fluctuated over this period. I have provided the average salary costs for each team in each of the last five years:
| £ | ||
| Media Monitoring Unit | Typing Pool | |
Police Community Support Officers
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what steps he plans to take to enable the Police Service of Northern Ireland to recruit police community support officers; [290680]
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effectiveness of the deployment of police community support officers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [290681]
Paul Goggins: The PSNI is committed to working with the community to deliver an effective, efficient and impartial policing service. The Chief Constable, Northern Ireland Policing Board and I are all agreed that police community support officers have an important role to play alongside police and other support staff in making communities safer and providing public reassurance on areas of local concern.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has received a resource allocation in excess of £1.1 billion for each of the three years of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07). The timing of the introduction of PCSOs is a matter for the Chief Constable to consider, in consultation with the Policing Board.
Young Offenders
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many juveniles detained in custody in the (a) Juvenile Justice Centre and (b) Young Offenders Centre in each of the last 10 years had been resident in care homes prior to their detention. [288382]
Paul Goggins: The information requested in (a) is set out in the table. Figures for 2009 are not yet available.
The information requested in (b) is not held. Hydebank Wood juvenile committals over the last 10 years total in excess of 900. The centre does not routinely capture details of pre-detention care home accommodation. To source the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.
Treasury
Banks: Directors
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Sir David Walker's report on bank corporate governance, what his policy is on the appointment of a proportion of non-executive directors of financial institutions by organisations other than those on whose board they serve. [290838]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Appointments to boards of companies are a matter for the companies and their shareholders in line with the statutory framework. The Combined Code on Corporate Governance sets out information on the role of the board and directors and stipulates that board appointments should be made on merit and against objective criteria.
The function of non-executive directors in banks and other financial institutions is being considered by Sir David Walker as part of his review of corporate governance. Sir David published his consultation paper on 16 July and is inviting comments by 1 October with a view to reporting to the Government in November. The Government welcomed Sir David's consultation paper and looks forward to receiving his final conclusions.
Banks: Finance
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent from the public purse in each cost category on support for UK banks in each month since August 2007. [290621]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury does not publish breakdown of financial support provided to banks other than on a financial year basis. Details of the financial support provided to UK banks for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 are set out in the Treasury's Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 539) and 2008-09 (HC 611), respectively.
Capital Gains Tax: Second Homes
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change tax arrangements for second homes from 2010; whether he plans to undertake a consultation on such arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [290775]
Mr. Timms: Tax policy changes are considered through the Budget process in the usual way. The Government consider a range of factors when formulating tax policy and keep all aspects of the tax system under review.
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 756, on Equitable Life, what further consideration has been given to introducing interim emergency payments on compassionate grounds to Equitable Life policyholders; and what recent discussions his Department has had with Sir John Chadwick on this matter. [290744]
Mr. Byrne: Sir John is making good progress with his work. The Government regularly discuss this with him and provides updates to the House and the public accordingly.
Both Sir John and Government recognise the need to reach a conclusion on this matter with expedition, while balancing speed against the need to come to the right conclusions that deliver justice to policyholders based upon the findings of the Ombudsman's report that the Government have accepted.
At this stage, no decisions can be taken upon the nature of ex gratia payments. In the meantime, the Government await the presentation of Sir John's advice, to which it will of course give due consideration and respond accordingly as to the nature of the ex gratia payments scheme.
I can confirm that we have drawn to Sir John Chadwick's attention your interest in making interim payments and, as I have already said, the need to reach a conclusion on the matter of Equitable Life as soon as possible is recognised.
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