HC Deb 04 December 2001 vol 376 cc219-20W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions his officials had discussions with (a) Ardoyne Road and (b) Glenbryn Road residents about the Holy Cross protest; and what the outcome of these meetings was. [17233]

Jane Kennedy

The Secretary of State and I along with my officials have had a number of meetings with both sides involved in this dispute. I have also held meetings with members of the Devolved Administration, local community representatives, interest groups, and the hon. Member for Belfast, North (Mr. Dodds) to discuss how the present situation may be resolved. We welcome the recent decision by the residents to end their protest and now hope the children will be able to continue with their education without fear or threat of intimidation.

Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Police Service for Northern Ireland's policing strategy for the Holy Cross protests; and how many times this has been reviewed. [17232]

Jane Kennedy

During the policing of the Holy Cross protest it has been police strategy toRespect and uphold the human rights of all those involved including the children, parents, teachers, protestors, residents and the general community; Prevent public disorder and to ensure the safety of all those involved; Minimise the disruption to local communities and those attending Holy Cross Primary School; and Enforce the law and bring offenders to court. Protection of the children and their rights has been a paramount factor throughout the protests. In this context, police have sought to work and negotiate with local people from both sides and their representatives in order to ensure the safe passage of the children to their school. The strategy for the operation has been kept under review on a daily basis. In addition there have been six formal meetings to review the strategy.

Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been to(a) the Army and (b) the Police Service for Northern Ireland of policing the Holy Cross protest. [17230]

Jane Kennedy

Police estimate the additional cost to the police grant of the ongoing operation at Holy Cross to be £18,000 per day arising from increased overtime costs. This equates to a financial cost from September to date of£1.1 million in addition to the human resource effect the operation has on other areas of policing. There have been no additional costs to the Army in supporting the PSNI to police the Holy Cross protest. Any costs incurred are contained within the Army's normal operational budget.

The quoted figures distinguish between the normal costs of policing and the incremental costs (overtime and other expenses) incurred for this specific operation.

Although there may be additional secondary costs to the Army e.g. fuel costs, these are not easily quantifiable. There are no additional manpower costs as the Army does not work overtime.