§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish the guidelines, procedures and rules governing the town centre CCTV challenge competition; what criteria will be used to make financial allocations; and if the scheme is subject to policy appraisal fair treatment guidelines. [91531]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyThe Police Authority for Northern Ireland issued a detailed guidance document on the bidding process when the first Northern Ireland Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition was launched on 24 June 1999. This document sets out the procedures for submitting a bid and details the criteria against which all bids will be assessed. The guidance document has been532W widely circulated to interested parties across Northern Ireland and further copies may be obtained by contacting the Authority. As demonstrated by the announcement in March last year of the new Targeting Social Need initiative, the Government remain committed to securing equality of opportunity and equity of treatment for all the people of Northern Ireland. The rules of this competition have been developed in line with this policy and the awarding of funds will also be so governed.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures she has taken to ensure that victims of sectarian crimes of violence and their relatives are consulted and encouraged to become involved in local partnerships receiving funding through town centre CCTV challenge competitions. [91530]
§ Mr. IngramDetails of the Northern Ireland Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition have been widely disseminated throughout Northern Ireland by way of both television coverage and local press articles. All members of the community have been equally encouraged to participate in the establishing of local partnerships which will clearly benefit from being as inclusive as possible. Membership of the partnerships is open to anyone with an interest to contributing to the crime reduction effort in their local area.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what rules govern the use of recordings made as a result of town centre CCTV cameras; and what safeguards are available to protect against(a) the unauthorised use of a recording and (b) the abuse of an authorised use. [91533]
§ Mr. IngramAny CCTV scheme funded as a result of a bid in the Northern Ireland Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition must be governed by a Code of Practice. The development of such a Code is a critical element of the bidding procedure and is required to take account of generally recognised standards and safeguards relating to the use of CCTV.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will require the Police Authority to make public police objections to partnerships seeking funding through the town centre CCTV challenge competition; at what level of command the decision to make an objection must be taken; and what body will assess in the first instance that an objection meets the requirement of reasonableness. [91532]
Mr. IngrainIndividual partnerships will receive a full report on any police objections to proposed town centre CCTV schemes. The decision to make an objection to a proposal should be taken at Superintendent level or higher. Partnerships unhappy with the police view of their proposal may wish to raise this matter with the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.