Northern Ireland round-up: 8 January 2010

Written questions

• Commons Hansard: Bonuses paid to civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office
• Commons Hansard: Future spending on prisons
• Lords Hansard: Political Directorate of the Northern Ireland Office
• Lords Hansard: Number of criminal cases heard in the Crown Court and magistrates' courts

In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments.

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

Current inquiries being undertaken by the Committee include:

• Consultative Group on the Past
• Human Rights Bill for Northern Ireland
• Omagh: a decade after the bomb
• Television Broadcasting in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Northern Ireland Office.

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