HC Deb 25 February 2003 vol 400 cc543-5W
Lembit öpik

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland may recruit differential numbers of Protestants and Catholics if a differential number of applicants succeed through to the final stage of the process; and if he will make a statement. [97892]

Jane Kennedy

Section 46(1) of the Police Northern Ireland Act 2000 requires the Chief Constable to appoint equal numbers of Catholics and non-Catholics from the pool of qualified candidates. This is the case regardless of whether there are differential numbers of Catholics and non-Catholics in the pool.

However, on any occasion where he is satisfied that the number of trainees required by the Chief Constable could not otherwise be appointed, the Secretary of State is empowered, under sections 46(2) and 46(3) of the Act, to set aside the 50:50 arrangement, by order in Parliament. Before making any such order, the Secretary of State is obliged to consult the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Lembit öpik

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the number of applications for employment in the Police Service of Northern Ireland changed in the year after the introduction of the 50/50 rule; what the figures were for the year immediately prior to the introduction of the 50/50 rule; and if he will make a statement. [97893]

Jane Kennedy

Two recruitment competitions for the Royal Ulster Constabulary were run in 1998. Applicant figures were as follows:

Launch date Total applicants
March 1998 2,825
November 1998 3,359

There was no further recruitment to the police until 2001. Applicant figures for the two recruitment competitions for the Police Service for Northern Ireland run in that year, in accordance with the 50:50 recruitment arrangements, were as follows.

Launch date Total applicants
February 2001 7,517
September 2001 4,915

In their first year of operation. the 50:50 recruitment arrangements enabled the appointment of over 500 police trainees, well in excess of the 370 recommended by the Patten Report.