---

 
24 Feb 2005 : Column WA217
 

Written Answers

Thursday, 24 February 2005.

Northern Ireland: Weapons Seizures

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 19 January (WA 101), what weapons have been recovered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland since 10 April 1998; when they were recovered; in what countries they are believed to have been manufactured; and in which year. [HL917]

The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): PSNI has advised that the information sought is not held centrally and would have to be gathered manually. Given the breadth of this request it would incur disproportionate cost to carry out this exercise and would divert limited resources from PSNI operational service.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations have been made to the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on behalf of the 20 Waterways Ireland staff who will not accept an internal investigation into allegations of staff bullying; what were the dates of the representations; and what was the department's response. [HL946]

Baroness Amos: Representations on this matter have been made to the sponsor departments. These representations explicitly requested that they be treated as confidential and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on them.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which jetties in the Enniskillen area Waterways Ireland has recently replaced with floating jetties; when this took place; for what reason; at what cost; when the previous jetties were put in place, and at what cost. [HL947]

Baroness Amos: The fixed timber jetties at Broadmeadow and at Regal Pass in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh are currently being replaced with 300 metres of new floating jetties. They are being replaced for health and safety reasons at a cost of approximately £300,000.

The timber jetties were constructed, prior to the establishment of Waterways Ireland, by the Rivers Agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the 1970s and 1980s and the costs are not available.
 
24 Feb 2005 : Column WA218
 

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 27 January (WA 727) concerning recruitment to Waterways Ireland, whether the posts of directors were subject to the law of the United Kingdom. [HL1118]

Baroness Amos: Employment in the posts of director in Waterways Ireland is likely to be subject to the law of the United Kingdom.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 31 January (WA 2) concerning recruitment to Waterways Ireland, what difficulties are being experienced in recruiting technical staff. [HL1119]

Baroness Amos: The prevailing competitive market conditions in the construction related industry has resulted in some difficulties being experienced by Waterways Ireland in recruiting technical staff.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the case of complaints of bullying from 21 members of staff at Waterways Ireland, who decided that an external enquiry should be held in one case when internal enquiries were held in all other cases; and what was the basis for this decision. [HL1194]

Baroness Amos: All such complaints should be dealt with in accordance with agreed procedures. The exception, to which the question refers, was a complaint made before agreed procedures were in place and the decision on the procedure to be used in this case was made by the sponsor departments with the agreement of the principal parties involved.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12 October 2004 (WA 49–50) concerning appointments to Waterways Ireland, what were the qualifications required for the post of director of marketing and communication. [HL1270]

Baroness Amos: I understand from the chief executive at Waterways Ireland that the criteria required for appointment at this level are that the person must have a minimum of 10 years' experience, including at least five years at a senior level, in administration or management. The current director of marketing and communications meets these criteria.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

What marketing and communications qualifications the director of marketing and communications of Waterways Ireland holds. [HL1272]

Baroness Amos: I understand from the chief executive at Waterways Ireland that the criteria required for appointment at this level are that the
 
24 Feb 2005 : Column WA219
 
person must have a minimum of 10 years' experience, including at least five years at a senior level, in administration or management. The current director of marketing and communications meets these criteria.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the appointment to the position of marketing and communications director for Waterways Ireland was a promotion for the person appointed. [HL1273]

Baroness Amos: The appointment in question represented a promotion for the person involved.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 February (WA 96) concerning Waterways Ireland appointments, who was appointed director of corporate services. [HL1322]

Baroness Amos: The appointment to the post of director of corporate services has not yet been finalised.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 27 January (WA 173) concerning Waterways Ireland, what position the director of marketing and communications held in the Irish department previously responsible for waterways. [HL1324]

Baroness Amos: It would not be appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to comment on personnel matters in the Irish Civil Service.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many applicants there were for the post of head of administration in marketing and communications in Waterways Ireland; on what basis was the appointment made; and where the successful applicant worked before appointment. [HL1351]

Baroness Amos: I have nothing further to add to my Answer of 12 October 2004 (WA 50).

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the years 2003 and 2004, how much was paid in overtime to staff of Waterways Ireland in Eire and Northern Ireland. [HL1352]

Baroness Amos: Waterways Ireland's overtime payments were as follows:

Period	RoI	UK
2003	€1,983,593	€56,226
2004	€1,673,157	€59,982

The figures are in euros as this is the operating currency of the body.







 
24 Feb 2005 : Column WA220
 

Northern Ireland Act 1998: Section 75

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress they have made in the review of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act concerning the extension of the public bodies designated within the Act's remit to include the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Office of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as envisaged in the report of 1 May 2003, Continued Implementation of the Agreement. [HL1032]

Baroness Amos: The two strands of the Joint Declaration commitment referred to in the Question—the review of the Section 75 equality duty and the process of designation—are entirely separate. Professor Eithne McLaughlin and Neil Faris were commissioned to carry out the independent element of a review of the operation of Section 75 and the Government published their report on 9 December 2004. A period of public consultation on the review will commence shortly.

Separately Translink, as an integral part of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCO) was designated by Order in Council in July 2004. The Government have concluded that convincing arguments in favour of the designation of the post of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland or the BBC have not yet been advanced, but it remains open to interested parties' views.

---