| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Nov 2009 : Column 912W—continued
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints relating to the handling by the Police Service of Northern Ireland of cases of homophobic crime were reported in each of the last 12 months. [300101]
Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State and I speak regularly both to the Chief Constable and the chair of the Policing Board on policing issues. While the future of the full-time reserve has been one of a wide range of issues which has been raised, it remains the position that operational decisions affecting the PSNI, including the future of the full-time reserve, are a matter entirely for the Chief Constable.
Inquiries: Finance
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision he has made in his Department's budget for the (a) Saville, (b) Robert Hamill, (c) Rosemary Nelson and (d) Billy Wright Inquiry in 2010-11. [297190]
Paul Goggins: Provision made in the Northern Ireland Office budget for the (a) Saville, (b) Hamill, (c) Nelson and (d) Wright Inquiry in 2010-11 is shown in the following table.
| Inquiry | 2010-11 budget (£000) |
No provision has yet been made for the Saville Inquiry. It is anticipated that approximately £300,000 will be required in the financial year 2010-11, assuming operations cease by end April 2010. This is dependent on the inquiry delivering its report to the Secretary of State by the end of March 2010 as indicated by the Tribunal.
Maghaberry Prison
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Loyalist and (b) Republican prisoners have been detained in the separated system at HM Prison Maghaberry in each year since the introduction of that system. [300102]
Paul Goggins: The separated prisoner accommodation in Bush House and Roe House at Maghaberry prison opened in March 2004. The following table provides the average number of prisoners in Republican (Roe) and Loyalist (Bush) separated accommodation for each year up to 31 December 2008.
| Annual average population of separated prisoners 2004-08 | |||
| Republican Roe House | Loyalist Bush House | Total | |
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been of maintaining the separated system at HM Prison Maghaberry in each year since the introduction of that system; and whether he plans to seek to reduce costs. [300103]
Paul Goggins: The exact costs of maintaining the separate regime are not calculated separately. In addition to the costs incurred in the regime in the accommodation blocks, there are costs associated with activities such as gym and visits, as well as security costs which cannot be disaggregated.
However progress has been made in reducing the associated costs since the regime began in March 2004 and they are kept under review.
Northern Ireland Independent Monitoring Commission
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the findings of the latest Independent Monitoring Commission report; and what discussions he has had with the Chief Constable about it. [300105]
Paul Goggins: The 22nd Independent Monitoring Commission Report confirms that the threat from dissident republicans is more serious than at any time since they first reported. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Chief Constable regarding this and other matters.
Offensive Weapons
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have (a) died and (b) been injured as a result of crimes involving the use of knives in each year since 2005. [298999]
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.
Police Cautions
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on use of cautions and other non-court disposals. [300098]
Paul Goggins:
I have had discussions with the Chief Constable, in addition to detailed discussions between Northern Ireland Office officials and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, about the introduction of non-court disposals which could help deliver a more effective criminal justice system and maximise time spent by officers on front-line policing. The Chief Constable
joined me on 6 October when I announced my intention, in preparation for the devolution of policing and justice, to begin drafting legislative provisions to introduce new non-court disposals including conditional cautions.
Under arrangements in Northern Ireland introduced following the Criminal Justice Review, police cautions are authorised by the Public Prosecution Service.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police cautions have been issued for each offence in each policing district in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months; and how many such cautions have been for (a) either way offences and (b) indictable-only matters. [300099]
Paul Goggins: This is an operational matter for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I have asked the Chief Constable to reply directly to the hon. Lady, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time reserve members were transferred into the regular police in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [300108]
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.
Police: Reserve Forces
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with (a) the Chief Constable and (b) the Chairman of the Policing Board on the future of the full-time reserve. [300106]
Paul Goggins: In the course of his duties the Secretary of State speaks regularly to the Chief Constable and the Chairman of the Policing Board on a wide range of policing and security issues.
Operational decisions affecting the Police Service of Northern Ireland, including the future of the Full-Time Reserve, are made by the Chief Constable in light of his assessment of the security situation and policing requirements. The Policing Board is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time reserve members there were in the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [300107]
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.
Prisoners Release
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals released on licence from prison in Northern Ireland before 2000 were questioned in connection with a possible breach of the terms of that licence between 2000 and 2007. [300121]
Paul Goggins: Information is not readily available about the numbers who have been questioned by the police in connection with a possible breach of the conditions of their licence. Of persons released on licence before 2000, a total of 23 have had their licences revoked between 2000 and 2007. Of these, 13 persons were released under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 and 10 under the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953.
Prisoners Transfers
Lady Hermon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners sentenced in
Northern Ireland have been transferred to prisons in (a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) the Republic of Ireland in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [300100]
Paul Goggins: A total of eight prisoners transferred, temporarily or permanently, as set out in the following table. The majority of the transfers were to facilitate family contact which is an important element in reintegration on release.
| Month | Prisoner numbers: | Transferred to: | Comments: |
Prisoners: Per Capita Costs
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average daily cost is of housing an adult prisoner in Northern Ireland; and whether he plans to seek to reduce that cost. [300096]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not calculate the cost per prisoner but rather the average cost per prisoner place, which is published in its Annual Report and Accounts.
In 2008-09, the average cost per prisoner place was £81,340 with the daily cost per prisoner place £223.
The Prison Service seeks to improve efficiency year on year and the target cost per prisoner place, set by Ministers, for 2009-10 is £78,750.
Proof of Identity: Fingerprints
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions suspects have been arrested in Northern Ireland on the basis of mistaken identity and released after fingerprinting in the last 12 months. [300094]
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.
Prostitution
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of illegal brothels in operation in each local authority area in Northern Ireland. [297727]
Paul Goggins: It is difficult to assess the levels of illegal brothels in precise terms given that those operating them tend to relocate frequently to avoid drawing the attention of police.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland Analysis Centre is currently undertaking research into trends in the local vice trade. To date, no results are available in relation to this analysis.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of trends in the level of the illegal vice trade in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years. [297725]
Paul Goggins: It is difficult to assess the levels of illegal vice trade in precise terms given that those operating brothels tend to relocate frequently to avoid drawing the attention of police. Operation Pentameter 2 was launched in October 2007 and ended in March 2008 and has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the scale of human trafficking and the illegal sex trade in Northern Ireland.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |