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Northern Ireland Office 2008 Departmental Report CM 7405

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Northern Ireland Office 2008 Departmental Report CM 7405 Northern Ireland Office Departmental Report 2008 Northern Ireland Office 2008 Departmental Report Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland By Command of Her Majesty May 2008 Cm 7405 LONDON: The Stationery Office £25.00 © Crown Copyright 2008 The text in this document (excluding the Royal Arms and other departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium providing it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the document specified. Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. For any other use of this material please write to Office of Public Sector Information, Information Policy Team, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU or e-mail: [email protected] Foreword By the Right Honourable Shaun Woodword, MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland I am pleased to present to Parliament the Northern Ireland Office Departmental Report for 2007/08 and would like to take this opportunity to personally thank staff throughout the NIO and my Ministerial colleague, Paul Goggins MP, for all their hard work throughout this period. There have been many significant developments in Northern Ireland over the past year on a wide range of issues. The political context has been transformed with the successful return of the devolved administration taking over responsibility for transferred matters. The leadership shown by Ministers in the power-sharing Executive has helped the devolved administration to bed down quickly and get on with the busy and challenging job of government. This political sea change in Northern Ireland is seen and felt in the everyday lives of each individual and the wider community. A generation of young people can look forward to a safe, secure and peaceful future. A new Northern Ireland has emerged and is growing in stature. It is a clear vindication of what the Government has long believed - that Northern Ireland is governed best when it is governed locally. The ‘bread and butter’ issues of education, health, the economy and social development now properly rest with locally elected and accountable politicians. Progress has also been made towards the transfer of responsibility for policing and justice, with the NIO making the necessary preparations for devolution to be completed when the Assembly makes the request. The Department has also undertaken a radical programme to reform and modernise the criminal justice system. We have introduced legislation to overhaul sentencing powers – including tougher public protection measures and an end to automatic 50% remission. We have brought forward proposals to update the law in relation to sexual offences. During the past 12 months, significant progress has been achieved in our programme of normalisation. The removal of military watch towers and a return to conventional policing was completed in July of last year. The end of Operation Banner after 38 years has fundamentally redefined the Army’s role - from one supporting the police to that of a garrison force, living and training in Northern Ireland and available for deployment to other theatres of conflict around the world. We have continued to build up our capacity to tackle organised crime and to increase public confidence in policing and criminal justice. The merger of the Serious Organised Crime Agency with the Assets Recovery Agency will underpin and strengthen our fight against those who profit from criminality. As long as the NIO has responsibility for policing and criminal justice, the protection of the public will remain paramount. But criminal justice policy cannot be kept separate from social and economic policy indefinitely. Tackling crime and reducing re-offending are not just matters for the criminal justice agencies alone. They require a broader government response that deals effectively with the root causes of these difficult issues; linking them to education, housing and social regeneration. That is why the completion of devolution, with the transfer of policing and justice powers to the devolved administration, is such a vital step that will send a clear signal around the world that Northern Ireland has a stable future and is an attractive and sound place to invest. The signing of the Belfast Agreement 10 years ago was the catalyst for a decade of unprecedented change and reform in Northern Ireland. I am proud of the role the Government has played in this remarkable journey. The challenge for the NIO in the year ahead is to work with the Executive and the Northern Ireland political parties to complete the process of devolution that has started with such promise and success, through the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Shaun Woodword i ii Northern Ireland Office Ministerial Responsibilities Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The Rt Hon Shaun Woodword MP Overall responsibility for the work of the Northern Ireland Office. Minister of State Paul Goggins MP Criminal Justice Security and Policing Prisons Organised Crime Task Force Equality, Human Rights, Elections. Northern Ireland Spokesperson in the House of Lords Rt Hon Lord Rooker iii iv Structure of the Northern Ireland Office Secretary of State The Rt Hon Shaun Woodward MP Minister of State1 Paul Goggins MP Permanent Secretary Director Director General General Policing and Political Security Director British Joint Director Northern Director Director Secretary/ Director of Policing and Director Ireland Prison of Resources Criminal Communications Security Justice Political Service (Belfast) Chief Executive Forensic Science Northern Ireland Chief Executive Compensation Agency Public Crown Prosecution Solicitor Chief Service Executive Youth Justice Agency 1 Rt Hon Lord Rooker is the Government’s Northern Ireland Spokesperson in the House of Lords v vi Contents Setting the Scene Chapter 1 Structure and Functions 1 Chapter 2 Planning and Resources 9 Chapter 3 Service Delivery 15 Core Northern Ireland Office Chapter 4 Political Directorate 25 Chapter 5 Policing and Security Directorate 31 Chapter 6 Criminal Justice Directorate 45 Chapter 7 Central Services Directorate 61 Chapter 8 Northern Ireland Information Service 73 NIO Agencies Chapter 9 Northern Ireland Prison Service 77 Chapter 10 Compensation Agency 83 Chapter 11 Forensic Science Northern Ireland 87 Chapter 12 Youth Justice Agency 93 Legal Offices of the Northern Ireland Office Chapter 13 Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland 99 Chapter 14 Crown Solicitor’s Office 105 Appendices Appendix A Public Service Agreement SR2004 111 Appendix B Technical Note SR2004 115 Appendix C Summary Table SR2004 PSA 121 Appendix D CSR07 PSA Outcomes and Departmental Strategic Objectives 127 Appendix E Summary of the NIO Departmental Investment Strategy (April 2005 to March 2008) 131 Appendix F Planning and Management of Resources in Northern Ireland Office 137 Appendix G Core Funding Tables 143 Appendix H Improvement Strategies 155 Appendix I Further Information (including Internet Websites) 159 vii CHAPTER 1 Structure and Functions Chapter One: Structure and Functions NIO through the Departmental Business Plan, prioritises Introduction the allocation of resources to match development and 1.1 The Secretary of State retains overall delivery requirements and monitors and is accountable responsibility for the operation of the Northern Ireland for departmental performance. Office and represents the interests of Northern Ireland at 1.6 The Departmental Board meets monthly. In Cabinet level. He is assisted in this role by a Minister of addition, it holds periodic planning days in order to State.1 This report relates to the Northern Ireland Office facilitate more in-depth discussion of particular issues. only and its handling of matters “excepted” and Matters covered in recent Departmental Board meetings “reserved” to the United Kingdom Parliament as set out included: in the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The NIO website is http://www.nio.gov.uk. Strategic and business planning for the Department including performance against PSA targets 1.2 The Northern Ireland Office exists to support the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in taking forward Preparations for the devolution of justice and Government policy in Northern Ireland. In addition to policing supporting and fostering the political and democratic Financial planning and management process in Northern Ireland, the Department has an overall policy responsibility for upholding law, order and Human resource policy including performance security including the provision of criminal justice management and sickness absence services such as policing, prisons and probation. Training and development Risk management. Departmental Board 1.3 Under the direction and supervision of the Secretary of State, the Permanent Secretary and his Departmental Audit Management Board provide corporate leadership to the organisation as a whole and take ownership of the Committee Department’s performance. The Board includes both executive and independent non-executive board members and senior officials from the larger agencies Role of the Audit Committee which deliver the Department’s services. 1.7 The Departmental Audit Committee is appointed 1.4 The Board is made up as follows: to support the Accounting Officer (AO) in monitoring the corporate governance and control systems (including Jonathan Phillips
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