§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which health and personal social services trusts in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years have settled cases against them under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 without going before a Fair Employment Tribunal; how many such settlements involved the Labour Relations Agency; what the total cost was to each health trust of such settlements in each year; and what the legal costs involved were. [120122]
§ Angela SmithThe most readily available figures relate to those financial years as set out in the following table.
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Trust 1999–2000 2000–01 2002–2002 Altnagelvin Hospitals Nil return Nil return Nil return Armagh and Dungannon Nil return Nil return Nil return Belfast City Hospital 1 1 2 LRA involvement No Yes No Total cost1 £2,000 £5,000 £3,250 Legal costs 2n/a 2n/a 1£3,231 Causeway HSS Trust One case only during this period settled with a confidentially clause, no LRA involvement and £200 legal costs. LRA involvement Total cost1 Legal costs Craigavon and Banbridge Community Nil 1 Nil LRA involvement Nil No Nil Total cost1 Nil £2,500 Nil Craigavon Area Hospital Not available 2 Nil LRA involvement Not available No Nil Total cost1 Not available £1,250 Nil Legal costs Not available £2,375 Nil Down Lisburn Nil return Nil return Nil return Foyle Nil return Nil return Nil return Green Park Nil return Nil return Nil return Homefirst Community Nil return Nil return Nil return Mater Infirmorum Hospital Nil 1 Nil LRA involvement Nil Yes Nil Total cost1 Nil £1,500 Nil Legal costs Nil Nil Nil
Trust 1999–2000 2000–01 2002–02 Newry and Mourne Nil return Nil return Nil return North and West Belfast Nil return Nil return Nil return Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Nil 1 1 LRA involvement Nil No No Total cost1 Nil £22,000 £1,000 Legal costs Nil £13,159 £3,051 Royal Group of Hospitals Two cases in 1999–2000, one of which involved the LRA. Total cost of settlements £19,000 and £2,320 barrister's fees for one of the cases3 LRA involvement Total cost1 Legal costs South and East Belfast — 2 1 LRA involvement — No No Total cost1 — £52,000 £6,268 Legal costs — 2n/a 2n/a Sperrin Lakeland Nil return Nil return Nil return Ulster Community and Hospitals Turst Nil return Nil return Nil return United Hospitals Nil return Nil return Nil return 1 Council legal costs only 2 Legal costs not recorded separately against these cases 3 It is not possible to give details of all legal costs as the management of such applications are dealt with under a block contract with legal advisers
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which of the cases taken against health and social services trusts under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 involved settlements; how many involved the use of the Health and Personal Social Services Superannuation Scheme; and what the total cost was to the scheme for each trust involved for each year in question. [120123]
§ Angela SmithThe Department is not aware of any of the cases taken against health and social services trusts under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 which involved settlements involving the use of the Health and Personal Social Services Superannuation Scheme.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under which regulations governing the Health and Personal Social Services Superannuation Scheme the practice of using premature retirement under the Scheme to settle Fair Employment Tribunal cases is permitted. [120124]
§ Angela SmithThe HPSS Superannuation Scheme Regulations provide that a member of the HPSS Superannuation Scheme, who is age 50 or over and has five years qualifying service, is entitled to superannuation benefits if their employment is terminated by their employer on grounds of redundancy (including organisation change) or in the interests of the efficiency of the service. Compensation benefits are normally payable in these circumstances under the HPSS Compensation for Premature Retirement Regulations.
The Department is not aware of any practice of using premature retirement under the Scheme to settle Fair Employment Tribunal cases.