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School Playgrounds (Accidents)
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many accidents in school playgrounds have been recorded in each year from September 1997. [154644]
Jacqui Smith: The Health and Safety Executive collects this information for Great Britain, for each 12 month period from April to March, under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The figures for reported accidents in school playgrounds where they relate to the activities of the school are as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 4,171 |
| 1998-99 | 2,808 |
| 1999-2000 | 2,516 |
New Deal (Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in Shrewsbury and Atcham have benefited since 1 May 1997 from the (a) New Deal 25-plus, (b) New Deal 50-plus, (c) New Deal for Disabled People, (b) New Deal for Lone Parents and (e) New Deal for Partners; and if he will make a statement. [154661]
Ms Jowell: For the Employment Service districts of Shropshire and South Staffordshire, which include Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency, the number of people who have benefited from and entered work through New Deal since 1 May 1997 are:
- (a) New Deal 25+
- Between July 1998 and December 2000, 51 people found sustained employment.
- (b) New Deal 50-plus
- Between April 2000 and February 2001, 25 people went into work with the Employment Credit.
- (c) New Deal for Disabled People
- NDDP pilots are not currently operating in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency. NDDP extension is due to be introduced nationally from 2 July 2001. Job brokers will be announced in April.
- (d) New Deal for Lone Parents
- Between October 1998 and December 2000, 73 people obtained employment.
- (e) New Deal for Partners of the Unemployed
- Between April 1999 and February 2001, five people found work.
23 Mar 2001 : Column: 415W
NORTHERN IRELAND
Stevens Inquiry
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the witness interviewed in silhouette and described as Geoff in the BBC television documentary 'Brits' was interviewed by the Stevens Inquiry. [152087]
Dr. Reid: I am informed that Sir John Stevens' team interviewed this individual on 4 July 2000.
Police Service Recruitment
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) television stations which have featured RUC recruitment advertisements in 2001. [152869]
Mr. Ingram: The list of publications used for the Police Service of Northern Ireland recruitment advertisements is as follows:
- Northern Ireland
- Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, News Letter, Daily Mirror, Sunday Life, Sunday World, Ballymena Guardian, Northern Constitution, Portadown Times, Ballyclare/Carrick/Larne Gazette, Armagh Observer, Co. Down Spectator, Newtownards Chronicle, Down Democrat, Ulster Herald, Mourne Observer, Derry Journal, Down Recorder, Newry Reporter.
- Republic of Ireland
- Sunday Independent, The Star, Anglo Celtic, Donegal Democrat, The Argus, Dundalk Democrat, Northern Standard, Sligo Champion.
- Great Britain
- Glasgow Herald, Edinburgh Evening News, Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Evening Mail, Evening Standard (London), Liverpool Echo.
- Television
- UTV, Channel 4, TARA TV.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the implications for the conduct of policing resulting from the ratification of the European Convention on Minority Languages; what instructions have been issued to Consensia concerning language issues in police recruitment; and what questions are addressed to potential applicants concerning their proficiency in the Irish language. [152868]
Mr. Ingram: The NIO and devolved Administration have agreed which elements of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages are for them to take forward.
Ratification was expected in the week commencing 12 March 2001 and the Northern Ireland Office is in the process of assessing the impact of ratification on those areas for which it is responsible in readiness for implementation during mid 2001.
The police already have available information on the rights of those in custody in various languages, including the Irish language, and make available interpreters as necessary.
No instructions have been issued to Consensia by the Secretary of State.
23 Mar 2001 : Column: 416W
No questions are addressed to applicants on their proficiency in the Irish language.
Promotional Campaigns
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the television, newspaper and radio advertising and other promotional campaigns conducted by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its departmental public bodies, in each of the past five years, showing for each the expenditure incurred by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [153409]
Dr. Reid: The advertising campaigns for each of the past five years incurred the following costs:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 135,938.07 |
| 1997-98 | 477,726.16 |
| 1998-99 | 887,303.00 |
| 1999-2000 | 330,630.95 |
| 2000-01 | 85,827.00 |
Only a small fraction of the NIIS advertising budget went on radio or newspaper costs, due to an emphasis on television impact campaigns.
Civil Servants (Salary Increases)
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the Senior Civil Service, was in his Department for 2000-01. [152792]
Dr. Reid: The headline pay settlement for 2000-01 was 2.5 per cent. on the paybill and together with the additional funds from staff turnover, staff in post received performance related increases averaging 4.5 per cent. The increases were not staged.
HMS Caroline
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will visit HMS Caroline; and if he will make a statement as to its tourist, recreational and heritage potential. [153914]
Dr. Reid: I have no plans at present to visit HMS Caroline. This ship is currently in full time operation as a Royal Naval Reserve vessel and therefore the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.
Police (Northern Ireland) Act
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the changes sought to the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 of which he has been notified by (a) the Ulster Unionist Party, (b) the SDLP, (c) Sinn Fein and (d) others. [154514]
Mr. Ingram: As the statement by the British and Irish Governments of 8 March said
- "The two Governments are aware of concerns that have been expressed about whether the British Government's legislation (the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000) and plans for implementation fully reflect the letter and spirit of the Patten Report and deliver the new police service we all want. Significant progress has been made and discussions will continue".
23 Mar 2001 : Column: 417W
- The Government do not think it appropriate to list the specific areas raised by individual political parties.
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the meetings and conferences organised by his Department and agencies of his Department which have been (a) cancelled and (b) postponed owing to foot and mouth disease; and if he will make a statement. [155371]
Dr. Reid: This information is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the meetings and conferences organised by her Department and agencies of her Department which have been (a) cancelled and (b) postponed owing to foot and mouth disease; and if she will make a statement. [155364]
Clare Short: No meetings or conferences have been cancelled or postponed in my Department as a result of the foot and mouth disease.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Public Record Office
Mr. Rapson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the key performance targets are for the Public Record Office Executive Agency for 2001-02. [155739]
Mr. Lock: The list sets out the key performance targets that the Lord Chancellor has set for the Public Record Office for 2001-02.
- Public Record Office: Key Performance Indicators 2001-02 1
- Efficiency
- KPI 1 Unit costs of key activities
- KPI 1A Selecting and preserving the public records per metre: to ensure that the unit cost does not rise above £102.81
- KPI 1B Giving Access: To ensure that the unit cost per information transaction onsite does not exceed £8.69
- KPI 1C Giving Access: To ensure that the unit cost per information transaction online does not exceed £0.16
- KPI 2 Backlog of records in departments reported as being over 30-years-old and awaiting review: To reduce the backlog, assessed in January 2001 as 913 metres, by 179 metres
- Quality of Service
- KPI 3 The achievement of Charter Standards
- (a) to achieve 98.5 per cent. against the Office's Charter Standards targets for:
- (i) making newly opened records and their catalogues available to users
- (ii) answering letters
- (iii) delivering records to users for consultation in the reading rooms
23 Mar 2001 : Column: 418W
- (iv) supplying copies of records
- (v) answering the telephone
- (vi) keeping appointments
- (b) to carry out four satisfaction surveys and to achieve assessments of 'good' or 'excellent' from 90 per cent. of those expressing a view
- Income Generation
- KPI 4 To increase revenue generated by commercial activity to £800,000
- Modernising Government
- KPI 5 Electronic Records Management
- To encourage other Government Departments to achieve electronic records management by 2004 by
- (i) disseminating three toolkits by 30 March 2002, in line with the route map and milestones towards electronic records management by 2004
- (ii) publishing a workbook containing completion criteria for the interim milestones which will enable Departments to assess their progress towards the 2004 target
- (iii) monitoring and recording departmental progress against milestones by means of a regular reporting mechanism
- KPI 6 Electronic Service Delivery
- To develop digital access to popular records so that 50,000 digital record images are delivered to users.
- 1 More information on these and other key targets is published in the Corporate and Business Plans.
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