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12 July 2006 : Column WA117
Written Answers
Wednesday 12 July 2006
Asylum Seekers: Support Service
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking in view of recent criticisms of the National Asylum Support Service by the Citizens Advice Bureaux concerning Section 4 support for asylum applicants who are unable to leave the United Kingdom for reasons beyond their control.[HL6639]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The Government are already implementing a range of initiatives to improve the administration of Section 4 support. As a result, the time taken for initial decisions has been reduced to less than five days, dedicated helpline numbers and an e-mail inquiry point have been established, and housing inspections are taking place on properties occupied by those on Section 4 support. We will continue to liaise with external stakeholders, including the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB), on administrative issues that are identified.
While the Government have made clear that they do not intend to provide Section 4 support in cash, we have already been reviewing a number of the areas where the CAB has criticised the current arrangements. This includes ensuring that the handling of cases by the new asylum model supports the transition to Section 4 support in appropriate cases, and also maternity and healthcare provision. We will continue to engage with stakeholders on matters relating to Section 4.
Autism
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Rooker on 14 June 2005 (WA 119) and 20 June 2006 (WA 67), whether there has been a shortfall in achieving the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's 2004-05 priorities for action which required boards and trusts to establish multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and early intervention teams.[HL6620]
Lord Rooker: Boards and trusts were required to establish multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and early intervention teams to improve the life outcome for an additional 200 children and young people with autism across Northern Ireland. This target was achieved by the boards and trusts by September 2005.
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Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 20 June (WA 68), whether the multi-disciplinary early intervention team from the Foyle Health and Social Services Trust, which works in collaboration with the Sperrin Lakeland Trust, has the full-time services of a consultant paediatrician; and how many full-time speech therapists are currently working with autistic children in these two trusts.[HL6621]
Lord Rooker: There are approximately 42.8 whole-time equivalent (WTE) speech and language therapists working within Foyle and Sperrin Lakeland health and social services trusts. However, one of these therapists provides exclusively an early intervention service for children with autism. The other therapists work with a range of children with speech problems, including those with autism in special care schools, learning support units and community clinics. There is no full-time consultant paediatrician for children with autism, although one further WTE paediatrician is employed in collaboration with Autism NI.
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 20 June (WA 67), whether the multi-disciplinary early intervention team from the Newry and Mourne Trust that provides early intervention services in the Armagh and Dungannon Trust has the full-time services of a consultant paediatrician; and how many full-time speech therapists are currently working with autistic children in these two trusts.[HL6622]
Lord Rooker: At present a locum is acting into the position of consultant community paediatrician while a recruitment exercise is taking place to fill the post substantively.
There are approximately six whole-time equivalent speech and language therapists working within Newry and Mourne Trust and Armagh and Dungannon Trust. These posts do not work exclusively with children with autistic spectrum disorder, but do provide support for children with autism in special care schools, learning support units and community clinics.
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 20 June (WA 67), who is the team leader for each of the seven multidisciplinary early intervention teams operating within Northern Ireland; whether team leaders are dedicated to managing their teams full time; what is the specific discipline of each team leader; and whether there is an overall Northern Ireland co-ordinator for autistic spectrum disorder.[HL6625]
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Lord Rooker: Healthcare professionals from a range of backgrounds provide early diagnosis, assessment and intervention services for children with autism, within the boards and trusts.
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The lead individuals responsible for autism services at board/trust level are as follows.
Team leaders are generally not dedicated to managing their team full time. However, Ms Lorraine Scott is specifically dedicated to managing autism services in the Southern Health and Social Services Board area.
Northern Ireland does not have a full-time co-ordinator for autistic spectrum disorders.
Civil Service: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many whole-time equivalent posts there are in the Northern Ireland Civil Service; how many there were in each of the past three years, and how many of the current employees are (a) seconded; (b) temporary; (c) casual; and (d) employed by the Northern Ireland Assembly.[HL6549]
Lord Rooker: The numbers of whole-time equivalent posts in the 11 Northern Ireland departments and the NIO, including their agencies, for each of the past three years are as follows:
The number of employees, as at 1 April 2006, (a) seconded; (b) temporary; (c) casual; and (d) employed by the Northern Ireland Assembly are as follows.
| 11 Departments | Northern Ireland Office | Total | |
For the purpose of this Question, “seconded” means staff seconded to other NICS departments and the Northern Ireland Office, including agencies, as well as to external organisations, but excluding those seconded to the Northern Ireland Assembly. “Temporary” refers to NICS staff employed on fixed-term contracts for a specified duration, and “casual staff” is defined as “a short-term contract lasting no more than 51 weeks”. NICS employees employed by the Northern Ireland Assembly include only those on secondment from the departments/NIO to the Assembly.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which major public sector employers in Northern Ireland have imposed a recruitment and promotion freeze pending implementation of the changes proposed in the review of public administration; and why the Northern Ireland Civil Service is exempt from that freeze.[HL6550]
Lord Rooker: All health and social services boards, trusts and agencies have currently imposed vacancy controls on recruitment of senior executive, general administration, HR, finance, IT, estates, planning and public relations staff. In addition, Enterprise Ulster is in the process of managing a redundancy situation, which includes a freeze on recruitment.
Other major employers are considering the need for vacancy control arrangements to the extent that they are affected by RPA decisions.
The 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Civil Service have been operating vacancy control since the publication of Fit for Purpose in order to implement required reductions in staff numbers without the need for redundancies. These arrangements will also take into account RPA implementation.
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Crime: Diminished Responsibility
Lord Jones of Cheltenham asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in order to protect the public from repeat offences, they will increase the flexibility given to judges sentencing those with a mental illness found guilty of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility, attempted murder and other violent offences.[HL6419]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The courts already have wide-ranging powers to divert mentally disordered offenders to hospital for treatment for their mental disorder. These powers apply to offenders convicted of any imprisonable offence and similar powers are also available for persons found unfit to plead or not guilty by virtue of insanity.
These powers have proved effective in protecting the public from repeat offences.
Crime: Knives
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many weapons were handed in to the police during the five-week national knife amnesty in May and June; whether these have been categorised by type; if so, how many of each type were handed in; and how many were handed in in each of the 51 police areas of England, Wales and Scotland.[HL6737]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Figures for the number of items handed into the police during the knife amnesty in England and Wales are currently being gathered from forces and collated. The figures will be released later this month. Figures for the number of items handed in under the knife amnesty in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive.
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