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Arts: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why there is less spent by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland per head of the population than Arts Councils in other parts of the United Kingdom; and what they propose to do to redress the balance. [HL3090]
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Lord Rooker: Historically funding for the arts in Northern Ireland has been lower per head of population than in other parts of the UK. This reflects past regional priorities for public expenditure.
The level of funding for the arts in future years will be considered as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Lord Glentoran asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any public expenditure will be committed to artistic events that comprise the Northern Ireland section of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in July; and, if so, how much. [HL3141]
Lord Rooker: The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a professionally curated, outdoor exhibit of ethnography demonstrating living cultural traditions as practised in contemporary society. The Northern Ireland programme on the National Mall is jointly funded between the NI Administration and the Smithsonian Institution. It is anticipated that the total costs of mounting the NI exhibit on the Mall will be in the region of £1,252,998 of which NI's share of the costs will be approximately £789,000. This will be partly underwritten by private sector sponsorship.
Lord Glentoran asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which publicly funded organisations from Northern Ireland will be represented at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in July. [HL3142]
Lord Rooker: At the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival there will be some participants who are currently employed in publicly funded organisations. The invitation pertains to the person as an expert on cultural traditions rather than the organisation:
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland;
Environment and Heritage Service;
Newry Institute/School of Hospitality and Tourism;
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland; and
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
Lord Glentoran asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to promote publicly funded arts organisations from Northern Ireland at international events other than the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. [HL3143]
Lord Rooker: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure works in partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the British Council to showcase artists and arts organisations from Northern Ireland at international events.
In addition to the Smithsonian Institution Folklife Festival, which will run from 27 June to 8 July 2007, events supported over the last year and those planned for 2007 are shown in the following table:
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|
Forum Theatre—NI theatre practitioners working in Georgia and Armenia | |
| Note: Some events are funded solely by the British Council | |
Belfast Agreement
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the meaning of parity of esteem and equality as used in the 1998 Belfast agreement. [HL2791]
Lord Rooker: Her Majesty's Government define the phrase “parity of esteem” with reference to its meaning in the Belfast agreement to signify equal respect for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities in Northern Ireland. The term “equality” appears in a number of parts of the Belfast agreement and therefore must be interpreted within those contexts accordingly.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current average cost, including historical expenditure, but excluding awards of compensation, of handling each claim under (a) the British Coal respiratory disease litigation, and (b) the British Coal vibration white finger litigation. [HL2950]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Truscott): It is difficult to calculate average costs for handling claims, as the costs we pay to contractors are not activity-based. However, indicative average costs as at 31 March 2007 are approximately £3,500 for respiratory disease and £2,600 for vibration white finger.
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total amount in respect of legal costs, including those incurred at trial, paid to their solicitors, Nabarro Nathanson, in respect of (a) the British Coal respiratory disease litigation, and
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Lord Truscott: As at end of February 2007, the costs paid to Nabarro are £34 million. This cannot be broken down by claim type and covers chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, vibration white finger and others.
On current estimates, it is expected that a further £9 million costs will be incurred by end March 2010.
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the number of eligible claimants entitled to make service claims in the British Coal white finger vibration litigation, but whose solicitors failed to lodge the required applications. [HL3110]
Lord Truscott: The department does not have this information. It is up to the claimant and their solicitors to ensure that a claim is submitted if they wish to make a services claim under the vibration white finger scheme.
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of their claims handlers' practice of making full and final settlement offers in respect of retired miners suffering chronic bronchitis in the British Coal respiratory disease litigation and thereby not giving their widows the right to lodge subsequent claims under the claims handling agreement for emphysema diagnosed on post mortem. [HL3111]
Lord Truscott: The majority of claims in the respiratory disease scheme have passed through the medical assessment process (MAP). The MAP involves completion of a report by a respiratory physician specialising, and having had training, in this particular field. The MAP is an exceptionally thorough, and necessarily complex, assessment. In the case of live men, it is used to assess a man's health as it stands at that period in time. The claims handling agreement provides for the MAP report to be disputed. The department makes full and final offers in settlement of these claims and it is not possible for these claims to be reopened.
To reopen any of these claims would simply not be in the public interest. It would also defeat the core purposes for which the scheme was initiated; namely, to provide a fair, efficient and timely means by which to ensure damages are paid.
Civil Service: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a requirement for applicants for a position or post to have a detailed knowledge of Irish or Ulster Scots complies with equality requirements; and [HL2844]
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Why the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure required applicant interviews to a position for civil servants, advertised in a memorandum entitled interchange opportunity IC14/07 dated 8 March 2007 from the Social Security Agency, to be carried out in Irish. [HL2918]
Lord Rooker: Interchange opportunity IC14/07 dated 8 March 2007 relates to a position within a private limited company. A number of public and private sector organisations participated in the interchange arrangements, so the opportunity in question was not open only to civil servants. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure did not require applicant interviews to be carried out in Irish. This was a decision taken by the directors of the company. In this situation, any requirement for applicants for a position or post to have a detailed knowledge of Irish or Ulster Scots would be a matter for the organisation involved and would be related to the skills required for the post.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which positions in the Northern Ireland Civil Service require appointment interviews to be held in Irish; and how many interviews have taken place or are proposed to take place on that basis. [HL2845]
Lord Rooker: No appointment interviews have been held in Irish for posts in the NICS and none is planned.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many private companies over the past two years have used the internal recruitment process of the Northern Ireland Civil Service to recruit their staff; and which companies were involved. [HL2977]
Lord Rooker: No private company has used the NICS recruitment service to recruit its staff.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How often was the process of internal trawl used by the Northern Ireland Civil Service to recruit employees for (a) the Civil Service, and (b) outside bodies over the past two years. [HL2978]
Lord Rooker: The internal trawl process relates to internal moves and has not been used to recruit employees for (a) the Civil Service, and (b) outside bodies over the past two years.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has an equal opportunity policy for recruitment; and whether
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Lord Rooker: All of the 11 Northern Ireland departments are covered by the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) equal opportunities policy statement. This statement is contained in the recruitment policy and procedures manual, which sets out the strategic issues relating to recruitment as well as the actual processes used. The NICS recruitment processes have been designed to ensure compliance with the recruitment principles outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Code. The recruitment policy and procedures manual is available on the NICS recruitment website at www.nicsrecruitment.gov.uk. There have been no staff recruited into DCAL as a result of interviews carried out in Irish.
Compensation: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have to support further and compensate victims of the troubles in Northern Ireland.[HL3031]
Lord Rooker: The Government have provided, and continue to provide, statutory compensation schemes for victims of personal injury and criminal damage in Northern Ireland.
The recent report of Mrs Bertha McDougall made a number of recommendations on areas such as the establishment of a Victims and Survivors Forum, improved services for carers of victims and survivors, improved access to mental health and psychotherapy
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These recommendations will help to inform the next phase of policy in relation to victims and survivors which will be a matter for discussion and decision making by the incoming Executive following the restoration of the devolved institutions on 8May.
Crime: Operation Payback
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
With respect to each iteration of Operation Payback to date— (a) how much money was recovered contemporaneously, and how much of that was enforcement fees; (b) how much money was recovered subsequently, but attributable to Operation Payback, and how much of that was enforcement fees; (c) what were the costs of the operation, excluding any enforcement costs funded through enforcement fees; and (d) how many people were arrested, and of that number, how many (i) were jailed, and (ii) went straight to prison, and what happened to the others. [HL3021]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The table below provides information on money recovered, costs and imprisonments in relation to the three iterations of Operation Payback to date. Statistics relating to enforcement fees and arrests were not collected as part of the evaluation exercises.
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