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8 Jun 2006 : Column 830W—continued
The judicial studies board is producing a new updated antisocial behaviour training programme for magistrates, which will feature ISOs, incorporating them within practical training exercises. We aim for this to be available by the end of the year.
Legal Services Commission
Mr. Baron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people with a medical or scientific background are employed by the Legal Services Commission to assess the validity of claims. [73865]
Vera Baird [holding answer 5 June 2006]: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not seek to recruit people with a medical or scientific background to assess the validity of claims to Legal Aid. However, the LSC has the power to obtain reports from independent experts to inform decision making.
Work and Pensions
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to question 61500 tabled by the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds on 22 March 2006, on the pension credit helpline. [71698]
James Purnell: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 25 May 2006, Official Report, column 2036W.
Publicity Initiatives
Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the annual cost has been to his Department of (a) publicity initiatives and (b) administration for the (i) minimum income guarantee and (ii) pension credit in each year since they were introduced; [73789]
(2) what funding his Department has allocated to publicity initiatives by local government to increase take-up of the (a) minimum income guarantee and (b) pension credit for each year since each was introduced. [73788]
James Purnell: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in 2001. Information on cost for activity prior to 2001 for minimum income guarantee can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Pension Service continues to develop its activity-based information to better understand the
cost of processing pension credit and other benefits. A modern resource management system is being rolled out across the Department in 2006. This new system includes costing functionality. Until this work is complete we cannot provide the cost of processing pension credit. Administration costs for minimum income guarantee will not be available under the new system.
The pension service is the only agency responsible, with allocated funding for the publicity initiatives for pension credit.
The available information is in the following table.
| Amount (£) | |
| (1) Figure includes costs for advertising media and production and elements of ‘other’ publicity costs. This excludes costs incurred for customer research into MIG claim form. Notes: 1. Allocated funding for pension credit publicity was equivalent to the total spent in each year. 2. Pension credit costs include advertising media and production, direct marketing, other publicity and fees, excluding VAT. | |
State Pensions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the total state pension entitlement in real terms using 2005-06 prices for a person on median earnings who works from age 25, based upon (a) the existing pensions system and (b) the reformed pension system set out in the White Paper Cm 6841. [75511]
James Purnell: The information requested is in the following table.
Deputy Prime Minister
Dorneywood
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 23 May 2006, Official Report, column 1664W whether the terms of the charitable trust for Dorneywood cover the issuing of invitations by the occupants. [74483]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The original trust deed of 9 November 1942 allows that Dorneywood shall be made available to the Prime Minister or a Minister of the Crown who is the nominated resident so that they “may be able to entertain their guests from overseas and other official and personal guests.”
The hon. Member will be aware of my announcement on Wednesday 31 May that I no longer wish to be the official resident of Dorneywood. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will nominate a new resident in due course.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the visitors who have stayed overnight at Dorneywood on his invitation in each year since it became his official residence. [74484]
The Deputy Prime Minister: This information is not collected centrally.
I announced on Wednesday 31 May my personal decision that I no longer wish to be the official resident of Dorneywood. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has accepted that decision.
Dorneywood is operated by a charitable Trust, and there was not any cost to the public purse arising from my use of it. By arrangement with the Trust, I paid my own expenses, such as food and the delivery of newspapers.
Engagements
Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for each day since 4 May; [70236]
Mrs. May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the meetings he will be (a) chairing and (b) attending in the week commencing Monday 15 May as part of his official duties; [71067]
(2) if he will list his official engagements for the week commencing 15 May; [71072]
Mr. Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will list his engagements relating to his responsibilities for overseeing the efficient development of Government policy in the week beginning 15 May. [71404]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have had a number of official engagements since 4 May, including meetings with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, other members of Cabinet and a range of Government officials, as is usual in the discharge of my official duties. I have also been present in the House for a range of Government business.
In addition, I have been on an official visit to Finland in preparation for their forthcoming presidency of the European Union, where I met the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry amongst other dignitaries.
On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, I have chaired a meeting of the British Irish Council and very recently been on an official visit to Canada and the U.S.
Private Office Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of his private office staff is (a) male, (b) female and (c) disabled. [69057]
The Deputy Prime Minister: 50 per cent, of my private office staff are male and 50 per cent, are female. None have declared that they consider themselves to have a disability. However, the hon. Member will be aware that any such declaration on the part of staff is entirely voluntary.
Sovereign Strategy
Chris Huhne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what dates over the last 12 months he met a representative of Sovereign Strategy. [72343]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The information requested is not collected.
All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the ministerial code.
Health
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest abortion rate per 1,000 women was to those aged (a) 19, (b) 18, (c) 17, (d) 16, (e) 15, (f) 14 and (g) under 14 years in the UK; and what forecast she has made for each of the next 20 years. [75625]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is contained within the 2004 abortion statistics for England and Wales which can be found in the Department’s statistical bulletin on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/75/74/04117574.pdf
No future forecast on abortion rates has been made but rates have been mainly stable over the past five years.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) letters and (b) postcards she has received from (i) members of the public, (ii) hon. Members and (iii) Members of the House of Lords about abortion; how many and what percentage (A) supported and (B) opposed abortion; and if she will make a statement. [75645]
Caroline Flint: The Department’s Ministers have received 499 letters or postcards from members of the public, 60 letters from hon. Members, and no letters from Members of the House of Lords since 1 June 2005.
The Department has also received a 1,226-postcard campaign from members of the public opposing abortion.
As we do not collect information on whether specific letters about abortion support or oppose this or specify between letters and postcards, unless they concern a specific, high-volume campaign, this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) feticide interventions, (b) urea injections and (c) lethal injections into the fetal heart have been performed during abortions in each year since 1997. [74157]
Caroline Flint: The information available is shown in the following table.
| Number of feticide interventions for abortions in 2003 and 2004, England and Wales residents | ||
| Feticide method used | 2003 | 2004 |
| Note: This information was not collected prior to 2003. | ||
Avian Influenza
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) of 27 March 2006, Official Report, column 779W, on avian influenza, where the influenza vaccine under the contract awarded to Baxter and Chiron will be manufactured. [75476]
Caroline Flint: Chiron manufactures the H5N1 vaccine in Italy. Baxter ferments the H5N1 vaccine in the Czech Republic and final packaging takes place in Austria.
Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when each organisation within Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority was informed that it would have to contribute towards cost improvements; what discussions took place; and who decided the contribution each organisation would make; [76089]
(2) when each organisation within Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority is expected to have made its full contribution towards cost improvements in identifying cuts in pension to the full value of its contribution; [76090]
(3) what negotiations have taken place on the use of the primary care trust and NHS trust pool of savings in Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority; and what appeal mechanism exists against the amounts recommended. [76091]
Caroline Flint: The role of the Department is to ensure that strategic health authorities comply with the operating framework guidance published on 26 January 2006. It is for individual strategic health authorities to agree with their local health economy the details of the cost improvements required for that local health economy.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what directions she has given to (a) the Gloucestershire, Avon and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority, (b) the primary care trusts in Gloucestershire and (c) the Hospital Trust in Gloucestershire on the requirement for those organisations to balance their annual budgets during the 2006-07 financial year; and if she will make a statement. [74262]
Caroline Flint: The Department has issued the following guidance to the NHS:
“The NHS in England: the Operating Framework for 2006-07” was published 26 January 2006;
Duncan Selbie's letter of 6 February 2006, “Implementing the Operating Framework for 2006-07”, and
Ian Carruthers' letter of 10 May 2006, “The Operating Framework for 2006-07”.
Departmental officials are working with transitional strategic health authority leads to finalise the 2006-07 financial plans.
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