§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in implementing a sickness management policy for the RUC and the RUC Reserve; what quality controls are in place; and what have been the results on levels of absence owing to sickness in the RUC. [144386]
§ Mr. IngramA sickness management policy was approved by the Chief Constable's Policy Group in December 2000 subject to minor amendments which have now been implemented. The policy is being introduced during January 2001 with management of it devolved to supervisors supported by advice from the Personnel Department. It is not yet possible to determine the effect on absence due to sickness but this will be closely monitored.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers in Northern Ireland there are in each rank; and how many posts there are in each rank. [141940]
§ Mr. IngramThe following table shows the established and actual strengths of the Royal Ulster Constabulary as at 3 January 2001:
Rank Established Actual Secondments1 Chief Constable 1 1 — Deputy Chief Constable 2 1 — Assistant Chief Constable 9 7 — Superintendent ranks 161 163 6 Chief Inspector 168 169 2 Inspector 490 493 5 Sergeant 1,414 1,382 19 Constable 6,243 6,053 49 Total 8,488 8,269 81 Full-time Reserve 3,202 2,554 — Part-time Reserve 1,765 1,097 — 1 Not included in actual figures