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Northern Ireland: Post-primary School Admissions
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will ensure that the Northern Ireland Department of Education's proposals on the admission criteria for post-primary school places will not be made during December in view of the Christmas holiday.
Baroness Amos: In taking forward the consultation on admissions criteria for post-primary schools, the Department of Education in Northern Ireland will take full account of the Christmas holiday period.
Northern Ireland: Freedom of Information Act
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What arrangements they are making to ensure that all files in Northern Ireland are available for inspection from 1 January 2005; and what steps are they taking to ensure that the records are not altered before that date.
Baroness Amos: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 entitles any person making a request for information to a public authority to be informed whether the authority holds the information described in the request and, if it does, to have that information communicated to him, subject to certain conditions specified in the Act. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Northern Ireland departments (NICS) have been implementing a Department for
Constitutional Affairs' action plan to ensure that they are compliant with the Act.NIO and NICS staff have been made aware that anyone who alters, defaces, blocks, erases, destroys or conceals any record held by a public authority, with intent to prevent disclosure, will be guilty of an offence under the Act and liable to a fine. Staff have also been made aware of the code of practice on the management of records under Section 46 of the Act (2002), which sets out practices that public authorities should follow in relation to the creation, keeping, management and destruction of their records.
Ulster-Scots Agency
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 4 November (WA 39), whether they have discussed with the Government of Eire the possible effects of the Official Languages Act 2003 on the Ulster-Scots Agency, in Northern Ireland and in Eire.
Baroness Amos: As referred to in my Answer given on 5 June 2004 (WA 126), discussions have taken place between relevant officials on a number of occasions.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Lord Rogan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What recognition the Police Service of Northern Ireland gives for salary purposes to past service in the full-time reserve when people are recruited as regular constables.
Baroness Amos: If a member of the PSNI full-time reserve is successful in a competition to become a PSNI trainee constable, then their past service is recognised when determining their salary. The rules governing this are set out in the Police Trainee Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001. A copy of these are available in the Library of the House.
Tourism Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In the light of the annual report and accounts 2003 for Tourism Ireland, why that body undertook no work to support Ulster Scots cultural tourism into Northern Ireland during 2003; and why the report refers to the island of Ireland's Celtic past but not the Ulster Scots connection.
Baroness Amos: In 2003, Tourism Ireland Ltd (TIL) did in fact undertake a number of activities specifically aimed at the Ulster Scots audience in the United States. Advertisements were placed in US-based publications and TIL also distributed Ulster-Scots Agency publications to key players throughout the
United States. In addition, research undertaken by TIL in 2003 on the Ulster Scots market was used to inform the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's marketing activities in the current year.The reference to "Celtic traditions" is confined to one sentence in the chairman's personal statement.
Civil Partnership Bill
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What has been the cost to public funds of (a) the preparation of the Civil Partnership Bill; (b) the preparation of government amendments to the bill; and (c) briefing of Ministers in relation thereto.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The total cost to public funds of preparing for, and handling of, the Civil Partnership Bill is estimated to be approximately £1,088,000.
This includes the cross-government co-ordination led by the DTI's women and equality unit, and all associated legal costs since the Bill's introduction.
Custodial Sentences: Child Care Arrangements
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether criminal courts have discretion when imposing custodial sentences on offenders responsible for the care of children to delay the start of the sentence to allow time for the best possible interim care arrangements to be made for those children; and, if not, whether they will introduce legislation to create such discretion.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There is no power for courts to delay the start of a custodial sentence in order for offenders to make child care arrangements. However, intermittent custody, introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 allows offenders to serve their prison sentence intermittently either during weekdays or weekends, so that offenders can maintain jobs, caring responsibilities and relationships that contribute to rehabilitation.
It is legitimate for a court, when deciding on sentence, to take into account the impact of a sentence on other people—including dependent children—as part of the overall picture.
Police: Probationary Constables Firearms Training
Lord Rogan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many probationary constables in the United Kingdom, broken down by constabulary, have failed to become police constables in each of the last three years due to having failed firearms training tests.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No probationary constables, in England and Wales, currently receive training in how to use firearms. I understand from the Police Service of Northern Ireland that in the past three years in Northern Ireland, no trainee has failed to become a police constable due to having failed firearms training tests.
Lord Rogan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many probationary constables in each of the constabularies in the United Kingdom are currently awaiting re-examination for firearms competence.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No probationary constables, in England and Wales, currently receive training in how to use firearms. I understand from the Police Service of Northern Ireland that there are currently 24 trainees awaiting re-examination for firearms competence in Northern Ireland.
Asylum Seekers: Iraqi Nationals
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many Iraqis have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months; how many Iraqi asylum seekers have been forcibly removed from the United Kingdom during that period; how many remain in detention or removal centres; and what plans they have for their removal in the coming weeks.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The number of nationals of Iraq who have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom between October 2003 and September 2004 are shown in the table.
| Applications | |||
| Iraq | Total | Port | In Country |
| October 2003 | 235 | 10 | 220 |
| November 2003 | 220 | 15 | 205 |
| December 2003 | 130 | 5 | 125 |
| January 2004 | 90 | 5 | 85 |
| February 2004 | 155 | 15 | 145 |
| March 2004 | 95 | 5 | 90 |
| April 2004 | 115 | 15 | 95 |
| May 2004 | 135 | 10 | 125 |
| June 2004 | 160 | 15 | 145 |
| July 2004 | 205 | 10 | 200 |
| August 2004 | 150 | 5 | 145 |
| September 2004 | 120 | 5 | 115 |
| Total | 1,810 | 115 | 1,690 |
1 Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5.
The number of nationals of Iraq who have sought asylum at some stage and who were removed from the UK during this same period are shown in the table. The removal figures include both persons who
1 Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5.
2 Figures for October to December 2003 have been estimated due to data quality issues.
As at 25 September 2004, there were 35 Iraqi asylum seekers recorded as being in detention in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers. This figure has been rounded to the nearest five and comprises persons detained in removal centres and prison establishments.
Earlier this year we announced our intention to start enforcing returns to Iraq, and we intend to commence doing so as soon as the necessary practical arrangements are in place. As yet there is no fixed date for enforced returns to commence.
Information on asylum applications received and persons removed from the UK between October and December 2004 will be available in February 2005 from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Iraq Removal 2
October 2003 25
November 2003 20
December 2003 20
January 2004 60
February 2004 60
March 2004 90
April 2004 25
May 2004 55
June 2004 50
July 2004 65
August 2004 50
September 2004 75
Total 590
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