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North/South Ministerial Council
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, when they signed the Belfast Agreement of 10 April 1998 (Cm 4705) and the implementation bodies agreement of 8 March 1999 (Cm 4706) with the Republic of Ireland, they intended that the North/South Ministerial Council should be referred to bilingually, in English and Irish.[HL4915]
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The Belfast Agreement and the agreement on the North/South Ministerial Council are silent on this question. The style adopted by the Council is a matter of agreement by its participants.
Irish Nationality
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 20 June (WA 104) concerning Irish nationals, whether they agree with the view of the Irish Government that the citizens of Northern Ireland are Irish.[HL4946]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: As I said in my previous Answer to the noble Lord (9 May 2002), Irish nationality is essentially a matter for the Government of Ireland. But Her Majesty's Government, as well as the Irish Government, subscribe fully to the passage of the Belfast Agreement recognising the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British or both; and as the agreement confirms, their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by the Government.
Northern Ireland Government: Sinn Fein Membership
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they consider that it is appropriate for members of Sinn Fein to hold posts in the Government of Northern Ireland when the IRA has been collecting information and targeting people in Northern Ireland.[HL4984]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to the House on 24 July 2002.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: Migrant Workers Convention
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has asked them to ratify the Council of Europe's Convention on Migrant Workers; and what response, if any, they have given to the commission.[HL5046]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Brice Dickson, wrote to the Secretary of State on 13 and 19 June 2002 concerning the ratification of international treaties, including the Council of Europe's Convention on Migrant Workers.
As was announced in Parliament in April 2002, the Government are reviewing their position on international human rights instruments. The Lord Chancellor's Department is taking the lead on this review. The review body has already met twice in 2002.
It is too early to comment on whether these instruments will be accepted in the form which has been suggested by the Human Rights Commission. However, full consideration will be given to each instrument and the views expressed on each.
Northern Ireland Prisons: Drugs
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- On how many occasions drugs have been found in HM prisons in Northern Ireland during each year since 1995.[HL5126]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Information on drugs finds in prisons in Northern Ireland have been recorded in different ways since 1997. Since September 2000, the information has been collated centrally and this continues to be the case.
Available information is as follows:
| Drug Type | Weight/Quantity of Substance |
| Cannabis | 1,176 grammes of resin |
| Ecstasy | 121 tabs |
| Other tablets (inc medication not prescribed) | 981 tablets |
| Other | 1 square LSD, 2 bottles anabolic steroids. |
For the period 1997–98 drugs finds were recorded in respect of quantity of substance found instead of occasions.
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Since the announcement by Her Majesty's Government of the gifting to the Northern Ireland Assembly of the Maze Prison site, the Prison Service has been putting in place arrangements to allow for the release of the site.
The timing of the release will be determined by operational factors, including the availability of adequate contingency accommodation within the prison estate and the need to relocate a number of operational units from Maze to other locations. It is not therefore possible at this stage to put a precise timescale on the site's release.
Lord Eames asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Currently, the projected strength of the Police Service of Northern Ireland at 31 March 2003 is 9,500 full-time officers, although this figure may vary according to the numbers who leave and are recruited into the PSNI. The Policing Board and the PSNI are currently developing a human resource strategy which will address issues which impact on projected strengths; such as severance uptake and the future of the Full-Time Reserve.
Recruitment competitions for the PSNI are currently attracting a sufficiently high level of response
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The resources available to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council are kept under review and the funds voted annually to the Privy Council Office take full account of its needs. The noble Lord may be interested to know that we have addressed the question of audibility in the council chamber, a matter which he has previously raised, and it has been agreed that a new sound system should be installed. If the noble Lord has any other particular issues in mind he is welcome to write to me about them.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The following table indicates the number of rapes/attempted rapes recorded in Northern Ireland 1993–2000/1.
(1) As recorded under revised Home Office counting rules.
The table below provides information on the number of prosecutions and convictions for rape and assault with intent to rape from 1993 to 1999 (the latest figures available).
Lord Bruce of Donington asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Between January and November 2001 (a period for which figures are readily available) some 600 documents containing proposals for legislation by the Council of Ministers were deposited in Parliament. A precise figure for separate legislative proposals considered by the Scrutiny Committees is not available since a number of the documents considered contained more than one legislative proposal or covered amendments to proposals deposited earlier. A level of agreement (as defined by the Scrutiny Reserve Resolutions) was reached in the Council of Ministers on 53 legislative instruments before the scrutiny committees could complete scrutiny. Eleven of these occurred while Parliament was sitting. Forty-two occurred while Parliament was either in Recess or dissolved for the 2001 General Election.
April 1998–March 1999 (inclusive) 195
April 1999–March 2000 (inclusive) 182
April 2000–August 2000 (inclusive) 64
September 2000–November 2000 (inclusive) 45
December 2000–February 2001 (inclusive) 51
March 2001–May 2001 (inclusive) 82
June 2001–August 2001 (inclusive) 84
Total finds for 12 month period 262
September 2001–November 2001 97
December 2001–February 2002 66
March 2002–May 2002 73
Total finds for last 9 months 236
These figures report the number of drugs finds, not the amount of drugs found.
What plans they have for the disposal of the former Maze Prison in Northern Ireland.[HL5137]
What are the projected numerical strengths for 2002–03 of the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and whether they are satisfied with the current recruitment figure.[HL5140]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 8 July (WA 65), whether they will conduct an appraisal of the resources available to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.[HL5173]
How many cases of rape have been recorded in Northern Ireland in each of the last seven years; and how many prosecutions have been successful in these cases.[HL5244]
Year Rape/Attempted Rape Offences % Cleared
1993 193 77.2
1994 208 69.7
1995 259 81.1
1996 292 80.5
1997 294 80.3
1998/99(1) 324 74.4
1999/00(1) 311 75.9
2000/01(1) 232 67.7
Year Prosecutions
Convictions
Rape Assault with intent to rape Total Rape Assault with intent to rape Total
1993 40 7 47 10 3 13
1994 43 2 45 14 1 15
1995 78 0 78 24 0 24
1996 64 5 69 15 0 15
1997 60 1 61 21 0 21
1998 47 1 48 18 0 18
1999 33 3 36 7 1 8
In respect of year 2001–02 (or in respect of any convenient period in the year 2002), how many items of European Union directives, decisions, regulation or other European Union forms of legislation became legally applicable or enforceable in the United Kingdom without prior scrutiny by Parliament's European Scrutiny Committees.[HL5273]
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