Written Answers to Questions
Monday 25 January 2010
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street: Shops
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister whether the prices of items in the Downing Street Gift Shop were increased when the value added tax rate returned to 17.5 per cent. [312373]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 January 2009, Official Report, column 580W.
Government Departments: Security
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1166W, on Government Departments: security (1) who would be consulted when taking a decision on whether to refer a case to the Security Commission; [312455]
(2) and to the answer to the hon. Member for Southend West of 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 712W, on Damian Green, for what reason the Security Commission was not requested to investigate in the case of the Home Office leaks that subsequently lead to the Cabinet Office asking the police to investigate. [312456]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answers given on 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1166W and 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 712W.
Northern Ireland
Civil Service: Pay
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure that employees of (a) his Department, (b) the Police Service of Northern Ireland and (c) the Northern Ireland Courts Service receive settlement terms and back-pay the same as those awarded to civil servants in equivalent paybands working for departments of the Northern Ireland Executive under the Northern Ireland Civil Service Equal Pay Settlement. [311772]
Paul Goggins: The equal pay settlement for staff in the Northern Ireland civil service departments does not apply to staff in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).
The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance has indicated that they would like to discuss this matter with NIO management and a meeting has been arranged. Discussions are ongoing with PSNI on whether there are equal pay issues to be addressed.
Prior to the devolution of policing and justice functions, it is for the Northern Ireland Courts Service to consider any equal pay matters relevant to that organisation.
The NIO has its own pay and grading arrangements and does not accept that there are equal pay issues to be addressed in the Department. This will of course be a matter for discussion with the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance.
Crimes of Violence: Children
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted of an assault in which the victim was a child in each of the last three years. [312313]
Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the format requested. Northern Ireland conviction data do not include victim information in relation to the commission of an offence. Therefore it is possible only to give the number of convictions for those assault offences which by their definition refer to a child or children. These are: 'common assault on a child or young person' and 'aggravated assault on a male child'.
The data given in the following table cover the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest years for which figures are available) and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
| Number of convictions for assault of a child 2004-06( 1) | |
| Convictions | |
| (1) Data do not include sexual offences against a child or children. | |
Departmental Food
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available. [310812]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not made any estimate of the food waste arising from the Department. My Department strives to ensure that purchases match demand and that, where possible, only peelings and cuttings are disposed of.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) works of art and (c) new vehicles in each of the last two years. [312544]
Mr. Woodward: The following table shows how much the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including its arms length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has spend on (a) new furnishings, (b) works of art and (c) new vehicles in each of the last two years.
| (£) | ||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Expenditure on new furnishings is based on costs coded to the furniture expense codes on the NIO finance system. All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Surveys
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the results from his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey to his Department was. [311477]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) will be publishing its June 2009 staff survey results on the NIO website on 1 February 2010. Following publication, we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
The Northern Ireland Office staff survey was designed and delivered by the NIO Business Improvement Team. The Department did not incur any costs in the design and delivery of the survey.
Domestic Violence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of domestic violence were reported to the police in each (a) police district and (b) council area in Northern Ireland in 2008-09. [312318]
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.
Driving Offences
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted of (a) a motoring offence that resulted in a fatality and (b) careless driving in each of the last two years. [312404]
Paul Goggins: Table 1 gives the number of convictions for motoring offences causing death, while Table 2 gives convictions for careless driving (and related offences).
Data cover the calendar years 2005 and 2006 (the latest years for which figures are available) and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
| Table 1: Number of convictions for motoring offences causing death 2005 and 2006 | |
| Number | |
| Table 2: Number of convictions for careless driving/driving without due care and attention 2005 and 2006( 1,2) | |
| Number | |
| (1) Includes convictions for the offences 'driving without reasonable consideration for others', 'cause grievous bodily injury by driving carelessly when unfit' and causing grievous bodily injury by driving carelessly with excess alcohol'. (2) Excludes careless driving offences causing death and dangerous driving offences. | |
Racial Violence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were subject to a racially-motivated attack in each (a) police district and (b) council district in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [312316]
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.
Sexual Offences
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of a serious sexual assault in each year since 2007. [312403]
Paul Goggins: The following table outlines the number of prosecutions and convictions for serious sexual assaults by type of offence for the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest years for which figures are available).
Data are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
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