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23 Jan 2003 : Column 484W—continued
Prisoner Demographics
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many males and females were in prison serving sentences of over four years in (a) June 1991 and (b) June 2002. [89545]
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Hilary Benn [holding answer 20 January 2003]: On 30 June 1991, there were 14,616 males and 498 females serving sentences of four years and over in prisons in England and Wales.
On 30 June 2002, there were 26,283 males and 1,335 females serving similar sentences.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were given life sentences in (a) June 2002, (b) in 1998 and (c) in 1992. [89546]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 20 January 2003]: In June 2002, 35 prisoners were received into Prison Service Establishments, with life sentences. In the whole of 1998, 413 prisoners were received with a life sentence, and in the whole of 1992, 236 prisoners were received with life sentences.
Youth Crime
Mrs. Brooke : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juveniles held in young offenders institutions in England and Wales have (a) been previously excluded from school and (b) have a level of educational attainment below level 1 basic skills. [90486]
Hilary Benn: We do not collect information centrally on how many juvenile offenders in custody have been excluded from school. Early in 2001 the Howard League for Penal Reform found from a sample of 84 15 year olds in custody that 83 per cent. had been excluded. More recently—as part of its audit of education and training provision within the youth justice system (published in November 2001)—the Youth Justice Board interviewed 160 offenders aged between 15 and 18 and found that 45 per cent. had been permanently excluded.
Basic skills screening of juvenile offenders received into custody between April and November 2002 indicates that 42 per cent. are below level 1 in reading, 51 per cent. in spelling, 59 per cent. in writing and 43 per cent. in numeracy.
Investment so far in staff and buildings in the juvenile estate—particularly the appointment of a Special Needs Co-ordinator to each establishment and one Learning Support Assistant for every 10 juveniles—is already having a positive impact on achievement, as is the piloting of innovative teaching strategies. In the first half of 2002–03, juveniles in custody gained around 2,000 basic skills qualifications, almost three quarters of which were at entry level or level 1. And we expect achievement to improve further as a result of our enhancements.
The Youth Justice Board is investing £40 million over this year and next in education and training across the 13 juvenile facilities, including £10 million in new buildings. These resources will enable implementation of the new National Specification for Learning and Skills, introduction of the PLUS literacy programme, and enhanced staffing. They will also address the recommendation in the Social Exclusion Unit's report Bridging the Gap that 16 to19 year olds should receive 30 hours per week of education, training and personal development.
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HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION
European Documents
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many demand forms for European printed papers were issued in 2002; and how many documents or papers were included in them, broken down by types or category of the papers listed. [92925]
Sir Archy Kirkwood: Forty-eight demand forms for European printed papers were issued in 2002.
The numbers of documents or papers included, broken down by types or category of papers listed are given in the table.
| Type or category | Total number |
|---|---|
| Official Journals | 1,195 |
| Tenders | 52 |
| Working Documents | 737 |
| Bulletins | 275 |
| Draft Legislation | 1,159 |
| Explanatory Memoranda | 901 |
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Members' Biographical Details
David Winnick: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee what progress is being made by the Library to bring out biographical details of hon. and right hon. Members in book form to replace Stanton and Lees publications; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of (a) funding and (b) personnel for this purpose. [92994]
Michael Fabricant: The hon. Member will recall that I wrote to him on 24 January 2002, following consideration of this matter by the Information Committee. As subsequent progress is an operational question for the Library, I have asked the Librarian to write to the hon. Member.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Departmental Budget
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her Department's budget remained unallocated at the end of the last financial year. [92659]
Clare Short: DFID's budget was fully allocated last year. Our initial budget for 2001–02 included a modest Contingency Reserve. This reserve was allocated to specific programmes during the course of the year.
Global Fund
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what donations to the Global Fund (a) have been received and (b) are expected, broken down by donor country. [92657]
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Clare Short: Total pledges to the fund to date (including disbursements already made) total US $2.157 billion. Donations received so far by the Global Fund (up to the end of 2002) amount to US $855.9 million and donations pledged specifically for 2003 amount to $605.5 million.
The UK has pledged £138 million to the fund and has already paid in £50 million. A further £25 million will be contributed in calendar year 2003, depending on performance.
A full breakdown of donor pledges is available at the Global Fund website and can be found at www.globalfundatm.org.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Civil Servants
Mr. Flook: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many civil servants have (a) been tested and (b) will be tested using psychometric testing in the last five years. [92602]
Ms Rosie Winterton: All staff recruited on the Fast Stream Development Programme undergo some element of psychometric testing as part of the selection process. Records show a total of 39 new appointments under this programme since 1999. The table shows the breakdown on a year by year basis.
Psychometric testing has also been used to help fill a number of senior and other civil service posts, both in external recruitment and internal selection campaigns. This statistical information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
My Department has also used, and continues to use, psychometric exercises in support of its leadership development programme. These exercises are not used to support selection, but are a development tool to assist managers at all levels in developing their leadership skills.
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 4 |
| 2000 | 10 |
| 2001 | 16 |
| 2002 | 8 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| Total | 39 |
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what his estimate is of the total expenditure by his Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad, in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if he will make a statement. [92430]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) on 22 January 2003.
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PRIME MINISTER
Carlyle Group
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions and correspondence (a) he and (b) his Office has had with representatives of the Carlyle Group since 1 May 1997. [91529]
The Prime Minister: Ministers and Government officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings, under exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Iraq
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has for the development of a common European Union approach on the Iraq issue, in respect of (a) removing the threat of weapons of mass destruction, (b) regime change and (c) use of military force. [92927]
The Prime Minister: The European Union is united on this issue, as demonstrated most recently by the Declaration on Iraq agreed by the Copenhagen European Council on 13 December. This underlined the full and unequivocal support of the European Council for United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 and stated that the goal of the European Union remains the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in accordance with the relevant UN Resolutions. It also pledged the European Union's continuing full support to the efforts of the UN to ensure full and immediate compliance by Iraq with resolution 1441, and its full support for the inspection operations of UNMOVIC and the IAEA.
I, my Ministers and officials continue to discuss Iraq frequently with all our EU partners.
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