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11 Nov 2009 : Column 374W—continued
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Dodds:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many offences of (a) murder, (b) manslaughter, (c) grievous bodily harm and (d) rape
committed in Northern Ireland in each year since 2005 (i) were classified as cleared, (ii) resulted in a conviction and (iii) are still being investigated; [298890]
(2) how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted of (a) murder, (b) manslaughter, (c) grievous bodily harm and (d) rape in each year since 2005. [298891]
Paul Goggins: Table 1 gives the number of murder, manslaughter, grievous bodily harm/wounding (including those with intent) and rape offences that were recorded and cleared for the years 2005 to 2008. Table 2 documents the number convicted of the offences requested for the years 2005 and 2006 (the latest year for which figures are available). Convictions for these offences also include attempts.
It is not possible to reconcile PSNI data on the number of offences recorded and cleared directly with conviction data, as the former are offence-based whereas conviction data are offender-based. In addition, PSNI data denote the offence as it has been initially recorded and this may differ from the offence for which a suspect (or suspects) is subsequently proceeded against.
With regard to the number still being investigated, the data requested are not stored in an easily retrievable format. As such an accurate response would require a resource intensive manual trawl which could be conducted only at disproportionate cost.
| Table 1: Number of offences recorded and cleared-murder, manslaughter, grievous bodily harm/wounding and rape 2005-08 | |||||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | ||
| (1) Includes attempts. (2) Clearance figures are subject to revision as non-cleared offences may be under ongoing investigation and may still be cleared. (3) Figures for grievous bodily harm/wounding include the offences 'grievous bodily harm with intent' and 'wounding with intent'. Source: PSNI | |||||
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to his Department in each year since 2005; and how much his Department spent on the management of such requests in each such year. [299125]
Paul Goggins: The information requested in relation to the numbers of staff employed in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) dealing with the management of freedom of information requests and the cost is listed in the following table.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|
Number of staff dealing with FOI for more than 50 per cent. of their substantive role | |||||
This response relates to the core NIO only.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 1W, on departmental rail travel, how many (a) journeys were paid for and (b) people travelled in each year; whether any nugatory expenditure was incurred in each year; and if he will make a statement. [298177]
Mr. Woodward: The number of journeys paid for and number of people who travelled are shown in the following table.
| Single journey equivalents | Number of staff who travelled | |
My Department receives refunds for unused rail ravel so there was no nugatory expense incurred.
Offensive Weapons
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of knife amnesties in Northern Ireland: [298996]
(2) how many knives were handed in during the three most recent knife amnesties in Northern Ireland; [298997]
(3) what work his Department has undertaken together with the Department for Education in Northern Ireland on education of young people in relation to knife crime. [298998]
Paul Goggins: Two knife amnesties were held in 2006 resulting in over 1,500 potentially lethal weapons being disposed of. Based on feedback from the agencies involved, and given the number of weapons disposed of, my assessment is that the amnesties have been very effective. In the period since I have focused on the development of an educational and preventative strategy including a knife awareness campaign, delivered through schools, on the dangers of carrying knives. In April along with the Department of Education, PSNI and Crimestoppers we delivered a series of drama workshops called 'Choices'. 54 schools, involving around 4,000 pupils took part and were able to use a knife crime information pack as part of the citizenship curriculum. A second programme is running in the week commencing 9 November aimed at year 12 pupils (15 to 16 years of age).
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Retirement
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers of each grade have been medically retired in each of the last five years. [299418]
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. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers who have been medically retired have appealed against their percentage disablement in each of the last five years. [299419]
Paul Goggins: The number of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers who have been medically retired and have appealed their percentage disablement in the last five years are as follows:
| Number | |
These figures were provided by the Northern Ireland Policing Board as the Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers who have been medically retired and who have appealed against their percentage disablement have had their appeal heard in each of the last five years. [299420]
Paul Goggins: I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
Women and Equality
Dignity at Work
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will place a copy of her Office's Dignity at Work strategy in the Library. [298452]
Michael Jabez Foster: I have placed a copy of the Government Equalities Office's Dignity and Respect at Work Policy in the Libraries of the House.
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will place a copy of the Dignity at Work policy of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in the Library. [298453]
Maria Eagle: The Commission has not yet finalised its Dignity at Work policy therefore I am unable to place a copy in the Library at this time.
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment has been made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. [298448]
Maria Eagle: The financial position and performance of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is regularly monitored by the Government Equalities Office (GEO). There are monthly financial reports to the GEO Board and Ministers hold regular review meetings with the EHRC's accounting officer and chair of the Commission.
The GEO has pushed for savings and improved efficiency from the Commission. The Commission's budget has been reduced by 10 per cent. in light of these reviews and the Commission is looking further at efficiency in its value for money plan.
Equality Bill
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what role (a) the Audit Commission and (b) other public sector inspectorates will play in monitoring public authorities adherence to the duty to tackle socio-economic disadvantage proposed in the Equality Bill. [298449]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Audit Commission and other public service inspectorates will have an important role to play in monitoring performance under the new duty, for the public authorities they inspect. We are working with them to develop suitable mechanisms for this, using information that in most cases they already collect through existing processes.
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether the duty to tackle social-economic disadvantage proposed in the Equality Bill will apply to fire and rescue authorities and their targeting of fire resources. [298451]
Michael Jabez Foster: The duty will apply to local authorities, and therefore to fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) where these form part of a local authority. We are discussing with the Fire and Rescue Service and other appropriate stakeholders whether the duty should be extended to all FRAs.
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