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30 Oct 2006 : Column 196W—continued
Post Office Card Account
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many payments of each social security benefit are paid by the Social Security Agency into (a) Post Office Card Accounts and (b) bank accounts. [97101]
Mr. Hanson: The latest figures (September 2006) for the information requested is shown in the following table:
| Direct payments September 2006 | ||
| Benefit description | Bank/building society account | Post office card account |
Public Bodies
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on the recruitment process for the (a) Chief Executive, (b) Chair and (c) non-executive board members of (i) Northern Ireland Water Ltd and (ii) Ofreg; and how much has been allocated to the remuneration and incentive package for each post in each organisation. [97225]
David Cairns: The information is as follows:
(i) The recruitment process for the water service chief executive and non-executive board members(1 )cost:
(a) Chief Executive: £79,887.
(b) and (c) chair and non-executive directors: £66,900.
The remuneration for these positions is as follows;
(a) The water service chief executive's salary with effect from 1 November 2006 is £157,590. A bonus of up to 20 per cent. of salary is payable based on performance.
(b) Chairman: £40,000 per annum.
(c) Non-executive directors: £18,000.
(ii) The recruitment process for the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation (known as Ofreg) cost:
( a) Chief executive: £63,378.64.
(b) Chairman: £71,615.48.
(c) Non-executive directors: £29,033.57.
The remuneration for each post is:
(a) Chief executive: £137,944 per annum. (The authority has discretion to award a merit bonus against performance criteria. However as the Chief Executive has recently taken up post this has not yet been considered.)
(b) Chairman: £32,032 per annum.
(c) Non-executive directors: £9,152 per annum.
(1) Members of the water service board will become members of the board of Northern Ireland Water Limited (NIWL) with effect from 1 April 2007.
Public Housing
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the potential effect of new build public housing on the waiting times for public housing in (a) Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland of members of each community background. [97402]
Mr. Hanson: All social housing including new build is allocated on the basis of greatest housing need and in accordance with the Common Selection Scheme which was equality proofed and subject to detailed consultation.
It would not be legal for the Housing Executive under the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, to allocate housing on any other basis than need.
The Social Housing Development Programme attempts to meet housing need but is constrained in some areas by the lack of suitable development land.
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set targets and a timetable for the elimination of the differential in public housing waiting times between the two communities in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Belfast. [97631]
Mr. Hanson: It would be impracticable to set targets or a time scale for the elimination of the differentials in public housing between the two communities. All allocations by the housing executive and registered housing associations are made on the basis of need as determined by the points awarded under the Common Selection Scheme which was equality proofed and subject to detailed consultation. In some areas demand is greater than supply, while in others, the opposite is true and allocations cannot therefore be made within prescribed time scales.
Research being undertaken by the Affordability Review Group will however include the issue of stabilising low and high demand areas to see what, if anything, can be done.
Racially Motivated Crime
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been convicted of racially-motivated crimes in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) district command unit and (b) council district. [95012]
Mr. Hanson: At present background information in relation to the commission of an offence is not included in the court sentencing data, and it is not therefore possible to produce information on convictions for crimes with a racially motivated background. I anticipate however that such information will become available with the development of the Causeway information system.
Roads Service
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total expenditure by the Roads Service on roads maintenance in Northern Ireland was in each of the last five years, broken down by district council area. [97632]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 30 October 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the total expenditure by the Roads Service on roads’ maintenance in Northern Ireland was in each of the last five years, broken down by district council area.
I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
The table attached at Annex 1 shows the total expenditure incurred by Roads Service on maintenance activities during the period 2001-02 to 2005-06 broken down by district council area.
I hope this information is helpful.
| Annex 1: Roads Service maintenance expenditure from 2001-02 to 2005-06 | |||||
| £000 | |||||
| District council | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
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