Written Answers to Questions
Monday 26 October 2009
Church Commissioners
Ministers of Religion
Mr. Drew: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time non-stipendiary Ministers are currently registered by the Church of England. [294961]
Sir Stuart Bell: At the end of 2007-the last year for which figures are available-there were 3,198 licensed non-stipendiary ministers but it is not possible to say how many were full- and part-time as requested. Non-stipendiary ministers are usually employed outside the Church and some minister regularly while others minister only occasionally.
In addition, there were 1,568 clergy in chaplaincy and other ministries (e.g. forces chaplains, hospital chaplains, school chaplains and clergy on the staff of theological colleges). Information on whether they are full-time or part-time is not held centrally.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [293337]
Mr. Woodward: My Department's spend on first class rail travel is set out in the following table.
| Expenditure (£) | |
The majority of this expenditure is for travel between Belfast and Dublin. These figures include all first class rail travel booked through my Department's central travel booking service. It does not include the cost of travel paid for by individual members of staff and then reclaimed from the Department. This additional information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Prison Accommodation
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what dormitory accommodation (a) is available in Northern Ireland's prisons and (b) has been used between 1 September 2006 and 1 September 2009; [294335]
(2) what types of accommodation sex offenders occupy in prisons in Northern Ireland; [294343]
(3) what categories of prisoner are housed in dormitory accommodation in prisons in Northern Ireland; [294347]
(4) whether sex offenders are planned to be housed in the Foyleview Resettlement Unit of HMP Magilligan. [294349]
Paul Goggins: There is a 64-bed dormitory accommodation unit (Sperrin) at Magilligan Prison and an eight-bed dormitory accommodation unit at Hydebank Wood. Both have been used between 1 September 2006 and 1 September 2009.
Sex offenders may occupy cellular accommodation, single rooms or dormitories.
At 19 October the Sperrin unit held 37 Category B/C prisoners in custody for sexual offences and one other Category B prisoner, all of whom were sentenced. At Hydebank Wood there were three inmates housed in dormitory accommodation with non-sexual offences-two of these were sentenced and one was on remand.
Since 24 September a total of five sex offenders, who have met the strict criteria necessary for their placement, have been housed in Foyleview Resettlement Unit at Magilligan.
Prisons
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are taken by the Northern Ireland Prison Service to establish the truth of claims made by inmates that they are related to children. [294344]
Paul Goggins: Where a prisoner comes under the Public Protection Arrangements and sexual offence prevention orders, non-molestation orders or any other order of the court or notification in accordance with HSS Circular 3/96 "Sharing to Safeguard" is in place, the Prison Service ensures that any requirements with regards to contact with children are fully enforced. In relation to other inmates who claim a relationship to children and where there is no basis for the service to doubt such a relationship, additional checks are not usually undertaken.
Prisons: Correspondence
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many illicit items were discovered in prison mail in each prison establishment in Northern Ireland in each month between April and September 2009; [294332]
(2) what procedures there are for the (a) examination and (b) censorship of mail addressed to inmates in (i) HMP Maghaberry, (ii) HMP Magilligan, (iii) HMP Hydebank Wood and (iv) Young Offenders Centre at Hydebank Wood. [294348]
Paul Goggins: I am advised that there were no prohibited items in list A or list B as set out in Article 77 of the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008 discovered between April and September 2009. Central records are not held of all items which may be considered inappropriate by each establishment.
In all establishments all mail addressed to inmates is opened by prison staff and checked for illicit enclosures. Routinely up to 10 per cent. of mail is censored. Special arrangements, where stipulated, apply to inmates who come under the public protection arrangements and are the subject of sexual offence prevention orders, non-molestation orders, or any other directions of the court; in such cases all in-coming and out-going mail will be subject to offence-related monitoring.
Prisons: Photographs
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether photographs sent to inmates in prisons in Northern Ireland prisons are examined by prison staff before delivery; [294334]
(2) what steps are taken when inappropriate photographs of children are discovered on the premises of prisons in Northern Ireland; [294341]
(3) whether the photographs kept on walls by prisoners in prisons in Northern Ireland are regularly inspected; [294345]
(4) what steps are being taken to prevent inappropriate photographs of children from (a) entering and (b) being circulated within prisons in Northern Ireland. [294346]
Paul Goggins: All incoming mail to inmates in Northern Ireland prisons is opened by prison staff and examined for any enclosures. All photographs will be examined by prison staff before delivery. If a photograph is deemed inappropriate it will not be forwarded to the prisoner until the relevant investigations are made.
Each establishment has a designated child protection co-ordinator who will be informed if an inappropriate photograph of a child is discovered. The co-ordinator will advise staff and, on the basis of the initial material, will make a decision as to whether or not to refer the matter to social services in the trust area where the child has a home address. Social services may, in turn, arrange for notification of the police. The co-ordinator will also, as appropriate, inform the parents of the actions being taken.
All prisoners' cells are regularly inspected and searched by prison staff. Photographs on walls will be inspected as part of that process and may be removed as part of that inspection procedure. If an inappropriate photograph is found it would be confiscated and investigations undertaken.
Road Traffic Offences: Prosecutions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to enable motoring offences committed in Northern Ireland by drivers of vehicles originating from the Republic of Ireland to be prosecuted; whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland has access to registered keeper details for vehicles registered in the Republic of Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [295579]
Paul Goggins: Roads policing policy in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Department of Environment. Access to vehicle registers is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked the Chief Constable to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Sexual Offences
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners in Northern Ireland who (i) have been convicted of and (ii) are awaiting trial on charges of sexual offences are housed in each location in each prison in Northern Ireland; [294333]
(2) how many sex offenders were in prison in Northern Ireland on 1 September 2009. [294342]
Paul Goggins: As of 19 October 2009 there were (a) 194 males and (b) one female totalling 195 sex offenders in Northern Ireland prisons. The following table shows the breakdown of the prisoner custodial category and their location within each prison.
| Establishment | House | Sentenced (i) | Remand (ii) | Total |
On 1 September there were 191 sex offenders in Northern Ireland prisons.
House of Commons Commission
Parliament: ICT
Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps the House of Commons Commission (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to make the Parliamentary House of Commons intranet compatible with computers running Windows Vista 64-bit edition; and if he will make a statement. [295040]
Nick Harvey: No alterations need to be made to the Parliament intranet specifically for Windows desktop Vista 64 bit edition. The intranet is delivered through internet browsing technology which is independent of the system on which the browser runs.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |