HC Deb 07 May 1991 vol 190 cc429-30W
Mr. John D. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of the executive directors in each of the four area health and social services boards; whether their appointments comply with the provisions of the fair employment guidelines; if these appointments reflect the religious breakdown of the work forces in their respective areas; and if he will make a statement about the proportion of Protestants employed by the area health and social services boards.

Mr. Hanley

The names of the officer members of each health and social services hoard, appointed to date, are as follows:

  • Eastern board:
    • Mr. P. G. Kinder
    • Mr. I. R. Reid
  • Northern board:
    • Mr. D. D. Smyth
    • Mr. R. S. Ross
    • Miss M. S. Irwin
    • Mr. J. S. MacDonnell
    • Miss E. M. McNair
    • Dr. J. D. Watson
  • Southern board:
    • Mr. J. E. Lamb
    • Mr. B. P. Cunningham
    • Mr. R. Blair
    • Mr. M. Doris
    • Dr. P. Kilbane
    • Mr. F. A. Rice
    • Mr. T. J. Frawley
    • Mr. S. Cuddy
    • Mr. D. Burke
    • Dr. W. W. McConnell

1990 1991
Number of searches June July August September October November December January February March
Total number of searches carried out 27 28 25 37 56 39 37 21 16 37
Total number of inmates searched 19 22 17 26 31 21 21 15 16 27
Number of prisoners searched once 13 17 9 18 23 15 13 10 16 18
Number of prisoners searched twice 5 4 8 6 7 4 6 4 nil 8
Number of prisoners searched more than twice 1 1 nil 2 1 2 2 1 nil 1
Reasons for search
First admission on remand/ awaiting trial 11 7 4 7 13 7 2 4 4 10
First admission on sentence/final discharge 5 12 13 13 15 14 8 7 5 15
Attending remand court nil nil nil nil 1 nil nil nil nil nil
Attending trial nil nil nil nil nil nil 1 1 nil nil
Inter-prison visit 3 2 nil 5 1 2 7 4 3 5
Pre-release home leave 7 7 6 9 4 3 8 2 3 2
Compassionate home leave nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil
Visits to outside hospital nil nil nil nil nil nil 2 nil nil nil
Returning from bail application nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil
Attendance at court for bail nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil 1 nil
Fines paid 1 nil nil nil nil nil nil 2 nil nil
Working out scheme nil nil nil 2 19 13 9 nil nil nil
Bail granted nil nil 2 1 3 nil nil 1 nil 5
No prohibited article was found during these searches and no prisoner refused to be searched.

Members of health and social services boards are holders of an office; in that capacity they do not act as officers or employees of the boards, and their appointments as members of the boards do not fall within the scope of the Fair Employment Acts 1976 and 1989. As for their capacity as officers—that is, as employees—of the boards, I am satisfied that the procedures for appointment are such that any appointments since 1976 have been made with due and proper regard for the law relating to fair employment.

With regard to the request for a statement on the proportion of Protestants employed by the boards, I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the recent publication by the Fair Employment Commission, "A Profile of the Workforce in Northern Ireland: A Survey of the 1990 Monitoring Returns", copies of which are in the Library. This shows that the employees of the four health and social services boards were composed of 50.9 per cent. Protestants, 39.3 per cent. Roman Catholic and 9.8 per cent. non-determined. Excluding those for whom a community was not determined, the proportion of Protestants was 56.5 per cent.