| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Written Answers
Monday 15th December 2003.
North/South Implementation Bodies: Funding
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17 November (WA 235), concerning the budget for 2003 for the Ulster-Scots Agency, on the basis of what information, supplied by whom, the decision was taken not to change the original assessment of proportionality.[HL46]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): The budget for the North/South Language Body for 2003 was determined in accordance with normal budgeting procedures on the basis of business plans supplied by both agencies and taking account of the resources available to each jurisdiction.
North/South Implementation Bodies: Job Advertisements
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why all Ulster-Scots Agency job advertisements require clearance from the appropriate departments when those for other bodies, such as Waterways Ireland, do not require such clearance.[HL101]
Baroness Amos: Departments do not clear job advertisements. Departments have however offered advice to the North/South Language Body aimed at ensuring that job advertisements prepared by consultants on behalf of the body conform to approved job descriptions.
Northern Ireland: Historic Buildings
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What areas of Northern Ireland have been covered by the second survey of historic buildings; when the project will be completed; which buildings have been retained on the Historic Buildings List; which have been removed; and which were removed against the advice of the Historic Buildings Council[HL192]
Baroness Amos: The second survey of historic buildings is being conducted at electoral ward level. Of a total of 526 wards in Northern Ireland, survey work has been completed in 98 to date.
Decisions on listing and de-listing have been processed to completion in respect of 62 wards. Details of the completed wards have been placed in the Library. Work to process the other 36 wards is continuing.
The Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) estimates that the second survey will be completed by 2016.
Detailed information on which buildings have been retained on, removed from and added to the list is available from the EHS website at www.ehsni.gov.uk/built/buildings/second. asp. A copy of this information has been placed in the Library.
In summary, 481 buildings have been retained on the list; 105 have been added; and 177 have been removed. Of these, 149 were removed with the agreement of the Historic Buildings Council (HBC) and 28 against its advice.
The 28 buildings removed from the list against the advice of the HBC are:
| Buildings | ||
| 1. | HB06/03/014 | Presbyterian Church, Drumnagreagh Road, Carncastle, Larne |
| 2. | HB06/03/023 | Ballymullock House, 160 Ballyboley Road, Larne |
| 3. | HB05/04/022A | Methodist Church, Middle Road, Islandmagee |
| 4. | HB02/12/005B | 18 Main Street, Limavady |
| 5. | HB02/12/006A | 14 Main Street, Limavady |
| 6. | HB02/12/006B | 16 Main Street, Limavady |
| 7. | HB02/12/010A | 13 Main Street, Limavady |
| 8. | HB02/12/014 | Roebuck Inn, 25 Main Street, Limavady |
| 9. | HB02/12/027A | 53 Irish Green Street, Limavady |
| 10. | HB02/15/002 | Killeen House, 52 Killeen Road, Limavady |
| 11. | HB24/05/028 | Former Ballyfrenis Presbyterian Church, Kircubbin |
| 12. | HB24/04/013 | 1-9 Church Street, Greyabbey |
| 13. | HB24/04/038 | Ballywalter Presbyterian Church, Ballywalter |
| 14. | HB24/11/004 | Entrance Block, Ards Hospital |
| 15. | HB24/11/005 | Admin Block & Nurses Home, Ards Hospital |
| 16. | HB24/11/006 | McQueen's Nursing Home, Ards Hospital |
| 17. | HB01/11/005B | 1 Victoria Road, Waterside, Derry |
| 18. | HB01/11/005C | Bridge Gallery, 1 Victoria Road, Waterside, Derry |
| 19. | HB01/11/005D | 6 Victoria Road, Waterside, Derry |
| 20. | HB01/27/019 | Ballyarnett Presbyterian Church, Racecourse Road, Derry |
| 21. | HB16/07/002 | Hilltown Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Hilltown |
| 22. | HB16/07/004A | 2 Rathfriland Road, Hilltown, Newry |
| 23. | HB16/07/004B | 4-6 Rathfriland Road, Hilltown, Newry |
| 24. | HB16/07/030A | St Mary's Church, Castlewellan |
| 25. | HB16/08/016 | First Presbyterian Church, Newry Street, Rathfriland |
| 26. | HB20/14/016 | 5 Corbally Road, Aldergrove, Crumlin |
| 27. | HB16/10/010 | East Lodge, Tamnaharry House, Newry |
| 28. | HB02/05/009 | Community Hall, Main Street, Feeny |
Northern Ireland: Police Recruitment
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10 November (WA 153), whether they exercised their discretion properly following the publication of the Patten report on policing, as regards the recommendations for reverse religious discrimination and against reverse gender discrimination; and whether reverse discrimination was necessary to recruit the Roman Catholics to the Police Service of Northern Ireland since November 2001 but not necessary to recruit the women it has recruited in the same period.[HL193]
Baroness Amos: The report of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland stated that, while a number of groups are under-represented, the issue of Catholic representation was particularly important for confidence in policing. This does not mean that the Government are neglecting the issue of female representation.
Section 48 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires the Policing Board to make an action plan for monitoring the number of women in the service and for increasing their numbers if they are under-represented. Particular efforts have been made to increase female representation in the PSNI through targeted recruitment advertising and the organisation of familiarisation days for women.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10 November (WA 154), how many police trainees were recruited in each of the competitions since November 2001; when they were recruited; and whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland met its annual recruitment targets.[HL224]
Baroness Amos: The number of trainees recruited and the dates on which they commenced training (their effective date of appointment) is set out in the table below. The maximum number of recruits that can pass through the PSNI college each year is 540. However, the model set out in the Patten report (paragraph 15.10) envisaged an average of 370 recruits entering training each year, and the PSNI has surpassed this figure for each year of recruitment. With 1,029 entrants appointed in a fraction over two years the annual intake is around 500, well above the Patten envisaged intake and just short of the maximum throughput of the college.
| Intake Date | Number of Recruits |
| 4 November 2001 | 47 |
| 9 December 2001 | 59 |
| 20 January 2002 | 48 |
| 24 February 2002 | 59 |
| 31 March 2002 | 47 |
| 5 May 2002 | 36 |
| 9 June 2002 | 51 |
| 14 July 2002 | 41 |
| 18 August 2002 | 57 |
| 22 September 2002 | 34 |
| 27 October 2002 | 55 |
| 1 December 2002 | 47 |
| 12 January 2003 | 32 |
| 16 February 2003 | 31 |
| 23 March 2003 | 30 |
| 27 April 2003 | 54 |
| 1 June 2003 | 49 |
| 6 July 2003 | 47 |
| 10 August 2003 | 63 |
| 14 September 2003 | 43 |
| 19 October 2003 | 58 |
| 23 November 2003 | 41 |
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Amos: The main legislative basis for audit arrangements in Northern Ireland are set out in the provisions of the Audit (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 and the Audit and Accountability (Northern Ireland) Order 2003.
While the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland and his staff exercise broadly similar functions to those proposed for the Auditor General for Wales in the Public Audit (Wales) Bill, one major distinction between the two is the proposal that the Auditor General for Wales will appoint auditors to audit the accounts of local government bodies in Wales. In Northern Ireland the audit of the 26 district councils, and two other bodies, is undertaken by the Northern Ireland Audit Office staff who have been designated as local government auditors by the Department of the Environment.
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): The Government are currently consulting on whether Peers sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment should be disqualified from the House of Lords, bringing provisions relating to disqualification more into line with the House of Commons. Before deciding on the precise details of the provisions, the Government will analyse the results of that consultation. We intend to introduce legislation this Session.
What are the audit arrangements in Northern Ireland corresponding to those proposed for Wales in the Public Audit (Wales) Bill.[HL216]
Whether they intend that Peers who have committed crimes leading to a sentence of 12 months or more imprisonment should be removed from membership of the House only if the jurisdiction of the court is in the United Kingdom.[HL218]
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page