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22 May 2006 : Column 1491W—continued
Post Office Card Account
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) other benefits recipients in the Rhondda draw their benefits through a post office card account. [71414]
Mr. Plaskitt: Information showing the number of DWP benefit and pension payment accounts paid by Direct Payment into a post office card account for each parliamentary constituency has been placed in the Library
Post Office Closures
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the effect on benefit recipients of changes to the obligation on Post Office Ltd. to prevent avoidable post office closures. [72932]
Mr. Plaskitt: The policy of preventing avoidable closures of post offices in rural areas has now been extended until autumn 2006.
I have regular discussions with Trade and Industry Ministers about access to cash and the post office network.
The Government will make announcements on the future of the post office network in due course.
Poverty
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many black and minority ethnic children are living in poverty in the UK. [71232]
Mrs. McGuire: Information on the UK is not held. The available information for Great Britain is in the table.
| Number of children in Great Britain living in households below 60 per cent. median income | ||
| Million | ||
| Ethnic group | Before housing costs | After housing costs |
| Source: Family Resources Survey 2004-05 |
Public Service Agreements
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public service agreement targets (a) exclusive to his Department and (b) held jointly between his and other Departments (i) have been met, (ii) are on course, (iii) are subject to slippage and (iv) have not yet been assessed. [72236]
Mrs. McGuire: The information requested can be found in Figure 1 (Summary of performance towards all PSA targets) on pages 27 to 30 of the Departmental report published on 11 May 2006 which is available in the Library.
Remploy
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of Government funding was provided to Remploy in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what level of funding will be provided to Remploy in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [69879]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 16 May 2006]: Remploy is funded through both commercial activity and a grant in aid from the Department for Work and Pensions, which is to help meet the additional costs associated with supporting large numbers of disabled people. The level of Government funding therefore is linked to the commercial performance of Remploy.
Remploy's actual grant in aid in 2003-04 was £115 million, in 2004-05 it was £116 million and in 2005-06 it was £119 million. In each of these years the final grant in aid exceeded the original allocation reflecting the worsening trading conditions that Remploy have and are likely to continue to experience. For this year (2006-07) and next year (2007-08) the allocated grant in aid for Remploy is £111 million per year pending the outcome of the independent strategic review.
Single Parents
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single parents in Tamworth constituency were in receipt of income support in each year between 2001 and 2005; and if he will make a statement. [71230]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is in the following table:
| Lone parents in receipt of income support in the Tamworth parliamentary constituency: each November 2001 to 2005 | |
| Number of lone parents | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Single parents are defined as single claimants with dependants aged under 60 and not receiving Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance. Source: Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) |
Social Fund
Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the funding available to the social fund funeral scheme. [70261]
Mr. Plaskitt: The regulated social fund of which the funeral payment scheme is a part is not cash limited or subject to budgetary constraints.
Funeral payments from the social fund cover the cost of certain necessary charges in full; these include fees levied by burial authorities and crematoria. An additional sum of up to £700 is allowed for other funeral expenses, which give the person arranging the funeral the freedom to select items or services they consider appropriate. Although there are no plans to make changes to the funeral payment scheme at this time the level of help is kept under review.
Home Department
Alcohol Misuse
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding Bournemouth police was allocated from the Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign. [71714]
Mr. Byrne: Bournemouth Division of Dorset police was allocated £10,000 by the Police Standards Unit for the third national Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC 3), which ran from 14 November 2005 until the end of that year. For the fourth Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC 4), which is running from 8 May until 8 June 2006, the Division has been allocated a further £10,000.
Anore Mohammed
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects Anore Mohammed of Banbury, date of birth 5 May 1982, will be notified of his application for leave to remain. [69474]
Mr. McNulty: I wrote to the hon. Member on 8 May 2006.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have breached their antisocial behaviour orders in Suffolk since 1 January 2004. [72533]
Mr. Byrne: Antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) breach data are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. During this period nine persons are recorded as having breached their ASBO on one or more occasions in Suffolk.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued for (a) antisocial behaviour in or around shopping areas and (b) behaviour involving the abuse of shop workers in each year since their inception, broken down by local authority area. [71044]
Mr. Byrne: Data collated centrally for statistical purposes does not identify the circumstances that led to the issuing of an antisocial behaviour order.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 10 to 17-year-olds have been issued with antisocial behaviour orders, broken down by ethnic group. [71236]
Mr. Byrne: The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued at all courts, to persons aged 10 to 17, as notified to the Home Office from 1 June 2000 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) is 3,135. Prior to 1 June 2000 ASBO data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area.
Ethnicity data are not collected centrally as part of the statistical collection of ASBOs issued.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in (a) Lancashire, (b) Blackpool and (c) Lancaster and Wyre in each year since 2002. [71493]
Mr. Byrne: Data on antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are available at criminal justice system area and local government authority (LGA) area level only. A table giving annual data on the number of ASBOs issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office, up to 30 September 2005 (latest available), broken down by the LGA area in which restrictions are imposed is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals in Cambridgeshire have breached their antisocial behaviour orders in the period since 1 January 2004; and if he will make a statement. [72092]
Mr. Byrne: Antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) breach data are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. During this period eight persons are recorded as having breached their ASBO on one or more occasions in Cambridgeshire.
Application Processing Times
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average application processing time in the (a) immigration and nationality directorate, (b) national asylum support service, (c) identity and passport service and (d) UK visas was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [71694]
Mr. McNulty: The information is as follows:
(a) Immigration and nationality directorate (IND) does not hold general statistics on average process times for applications. For some workstreams, target service standards and performance against them are published on the IND website.
(b) The national asylum support service does not hold statistics on average process times for applications.
(c) For the most recent week (ending 14 May 2006) the average processing time for the identity and passport service was as follows:
4.2 working days for straightforward properly completed passport applications.
5.7 working days for all passport applications, including applications that were not properly completed by the applicant and required further identity and passport service contact.
(d) UK visas does not hold statistics on overall average processing time for applications.
Arrests
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made in the six months (a) prior to and (b) since November 2005 in (i) Bournemouth and (ii) Dorset. [71715]
Mr. Byrne: The main arrests collection covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) by police force area only. Information is collected on a quarterly basis and 2005-06 data for Dorset police force area will be available in the autumn 2006.
Information for 2004-05 (latest available) can be found in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, “Arrests for Recorded Crime (notifiable offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE, England and Wales”, which is available on the Research and Development Statistics website:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsstatistical
Copies are also available in the Library.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made in Shrewsbury and Atcham in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005. [72520]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not available centrally.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children are being looked after by local authorities, broken down by (a) ethnic group and (b) local authority. [71237]
Mr. McNulty: Local authorities have reported that a total of 5,521 unaccompanied asylum seeking children were receiving support under the provisions of the Children Act as at the end of February 2006. The overall number may be slightly higher as a few local authorities have still to submit reports. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by ethnic group as authorities are not asked to provide this information. A breakdown by individual authority is set out in the following table.
| Local authorities | Number of UASC |
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