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Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the mechanism for examining the quality, efficiency and accuracy of the work of Consensia, which is responsible for recruitment for the Northern Ireland Police Service, and whether an undertaking can be given that all application forms and documents from applicants have been fully filled in at all stages. [HL2469]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The quality, efficiency and accuracy of the work of Consensia is kept under review by the Consensia Partnership itself, through the establishment of detailed protocols and procedures with equality checks at all stages. The protocols are subject to review by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Regular meetings are held between the Consensia Partnership and the PSNI to review performance. As required under the legislation, Consensia also employs expert lay assessors to participate in the testing and assessment of candidates, while independent community observers attend various stages of the recruitment process and report to the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Applications are checked on receipt and rejected if not signed and dated. Candidates are given seven working days to provide missing information such as photograph, and 21 days to provide nationality/right to seek employment information.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether as part of their policy of open government, they will require the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to publish on its website all letters from the chief commissioner which have been lodged in the Library of the House in answer to Written Questions. [HL2607]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Northern Ireland Act 1998 does not require the commission to publish on a website any letters from the chief commissioner in answer to Parliamentary Questions referred to it for answer. However, the Government require that replies to Parliamentary Questions should be sent directly to the initiator within 14 days and that arrangements are made to ensure that copies are placed in the Library.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent body, and what the Commission chooses to publish on its website is therefore a matter for the commission. However, I have written to the chief commissioner to request that the commission considers this matter.
House of Lords Office Space
Lord Trefgarne asked the Chairman of Committees:
- What proportion of the office space within the House of Lords portion of the Palace of Westminster is occupied by the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary and the staff of the Judicial Office. [HL2845]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Tordoff): Within the House of Lords portion of the Palace of Westminster an area of 5,916 square metres is designated as office space. The area occupied by the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary and the staff of the Judicial Office amounts to 557 square metres, some 9.4 per cent of the total.
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