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13 July 2006 : Column 1988W—continued
Teachers
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applicants there were on average for each (a) primary and (b) secondary school teacher vacancy in (i) London and (ii) England in each of the past five years. [85067]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Teenage Pregnancy
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of teenage pregnancy was in (a) England and (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [84657]
Beverley Hughes: The following table provides under-18 conception rate data for England and East Riding for each year since the teenage pregnancy strategy began. Between 1998 and 2004, the under-18 conception rate in England has fallen by 11.1 per cent. East Riding has experienced a fall of 9.1 per cent. over the same period.
| England under-18 conception rate | East Riding under-18 conception rate | |
| Note: Conceptions per 1,000 females aged 15-17 | ||
Transport Allowances
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was to his Department of transport allowances in the last year for which figures are available. [81909]
Alan Johnson: Details of travel expenditure incurred by the Department over the last financial year are set out as follows:
2005/06: £6,197,029.01
The expenditure does not include costs for domestic and foreign travel that may be charged to a programme account, expenditure incurred as a result of commission on foreign exchange or some miscellaneous travel expenses incurred by individual travellers during the course of the visit. These cannot be easily extracted within disproportionate cost.
Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2004-05 was published on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 158WS. Information for the financial year 2005-06 is in the process of being collated and will be published shortly.
All travel under taken by DfES Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the “Ministerial Code” and the “Civil Service Management Code”.
Working Together
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2006, Official Report, column 797W, on Working Together, if he will list the respondents who (a) disagreed or strongly disagreed that the Government should attempt to set out a clearer policy for professionals including the health service and youth workers on when to share information with social services and the police to protect sexually active children from harm and abuse and (b) disagreed that there was a case for information always being shared in some circumstances; and if he will make a statement. [75633]
Beverley Hughes:
Nine respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed (and 90 agreed or strongly agreed) that the Government should attempt to set out a clearer policy for professionals including the health service and youth workers on when to share
information with social services and the police to protect sexually active children from harm and abuse. Seven of those responded on behalf of or identified themselves as part of organisations, and those organisations are set out as follows. Two of those who responded to this question did so as individuals and did not identify themselves as part of an organisation. Their details have not been included because of Data Protection Act considerations.
South Staffs Healthcare NHS Trust
Portsmouth City council
The British Medical Association
The National Youth Agency and Youth Access
Solihull Area Child Protection Committee
Wiltshire county council
Get Connected Helpline
23 respondents disagreed (and 191 agreed) that there was a case for information always being shared in some circumstances. Of these, 20 responded on behalf of or identified themselves as part of organisations, and those organisations are set out as follows; three individuals also responded to this question.
City and Hackney primary care trust
Professional Association of Teachers
Northamptonshire Area Child Protection Committee
NHS
Lincolnshire Tackling Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Board
Sheffield Area Child Protection Committee/Local Safeguarding Children Board/Children and Young People's Services
London Metropolitan
Reproductive Health Matters
British Association for Sexual Health and HIV
(African Women's Welfare Association) The Lost African Child Project
Family Planning Association
Doncaster Local Safeguarding Board
Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare NHS Trust
Greenwich Social Services
Education Leeds
The Children's Society
Foster Care Associates
Get Connected Helpline
NHS Community Provider and Mental Health Trust
British Association of Social Workers
Effective information sharing is at the heart of good practice to safeguard children. The new “Working Together to Safeguard Children” provides the clear guidance on when and how to share information about underage sexual activity that Sir Michael Bichard's report recommended and which practitioners from all agencies have told us they want.
Constitutional Affairs
Election Ballot Papers
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of requiring voters to sign for receipt of their ballot paper. [84537]
Bridget Prentice: Signing for the receipt of ballot papers at polling stations is an additional security measure that will help to prevent and detect incidences of electoral fraud. It will aid the police with any investigation they may have to undertake post election.
This measure was piloted at the May 4 2006 local elections, and the Electoral Commission are due to publish an evaluation report shortly.
Elections (Commonwealth Countries)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which Commonwealth countries allow all Commonwealth citizens to vote in their general elections. [83844]
Bridget Prentice: This information is not held centrally. In respect of the UK, the Representation of the People Act 1983 provides that all Commonwealth citizens who are lawfully resident here are entitled to vote in parliamentary and local elections. Decisions about the voting rights of Commonwealth, including British, citizens resident in other Commonwealth countries are for the individual countries concerned.
Electoral Register
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what steps she plans to take to maximise data-sharing in drawing up the electoral register; [84539]
(2) if she will place a duty on electoral registration officers to use all relevant available databases to compile the electoral register. [84540]
Bridget Prentice: The recent Electoral Administration Act 2006 requires electoral registration officers when drawing up the electoral register to make full use of their powers to use those records which they are permitted to access. They are currently able to inspect and take copies of any records kept by their own council, and to inspect and take copies of records kept by any registrar of births and deaths.
My Department is also currently exploring whether there are other records not covered by existing powers, to which it might be appropriate to allow an electoral registration officer access.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the number of eligible voters not included on the electoral register; [84541]
(2) what estimate she has made of the number of eligible voters who are not registered. [84550]
Bridget Prentice: I have not made an estimate. However, the Electoral Commission in its research report ‘Understanding electoral registration’ published in September 2005 found that in the region of 3.5 million people across England and Wales who were eligible to be registered were missing from the register in 2000.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what targets she plans to set for electoral registration officers to improve their electoral registers. [84549]
Bridget Prentice: I do not plan to set targets. However, we have made provision in the Electoral Administration Act for performance standards to be established. In future, the Electoral Commission will set standards for electoral administrators (including electoral registration officers) and require them to provide the Commission with returns and reports on their level of performance against the standards that have been set.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of registration levels among black African voters. [84551]
Bridget Prentice: I have not made an estimate. However, the Electoral Commission in its research report “Understanding electoral registration” published in September 2005 found that 37 per cent. of black Africans who were otherwise eligible were not registered.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research she has undertaken of voting registration in different types of housing tenure. [84553]
Bridget Prentice: I have not undertaken any such research. However, the Electoral Commission in its research report “Understanding electoral registration” published in September 2005 found that 3 per cent. of people who own their property outright are not registered, while 27 per cent. of people who rent from a private landlord or letting agency are not registered.
Environmental Standards
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if she will make a statement. [81180]
Bridget Prentice: My Department is fully committed to the achievement of EMS’s to ISO 14001 standard. My Department is currently piloting two EMS’s at our largest HQ building and at our largest Court complex, both are due to be certified (externally) later this year.
FIFA World Cup
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which matches (a) the Secretary of State and (b) other Ministers in her Department attended at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contribution from third party organisations. [83596]
Malignant Mesothelioma
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she has taken to facilitate compensation claims for malignant mesothelioma. [84566]
Bridget Prentice: The Government intend to bring forward an amendment to the Compensation Bill to provide that in mesothelioma cases, negligent persons should be jointly and severally liable, so that the claimant can recover full compensation from any relevant person.
New Electors
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will ensure that new electors are sent information about exercising their right to vote. [84584]
Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 provides for pre-polling information to be sent to all electors, informing them about their right to vote at any upcoming elections.
The Act will also give electoral administrators a power to encourage participation in the electoral process. This could include, for example, campaigns to inform young electors about their right to vote.
Personal Injuries (Compensation)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the maximum levels of compensation in personal injuries cases were last reviewed; and if she will make a statement. [84522]
Bridget Prentice: No maximum levels of compensation are prescribed for personal injury cases in general, and the amount of damages to be awarded in individual cases will depend upon the circumstances of that case. The level of general damages for pain and suffering was considered by the Court of Appeal in the case of Heil v. Rankin in 2000. The Judicial Studies Board publishes guidelines for the judiciary on the assessment of general damages based on decided cases following Heil v. Rankin. These do not cover any damages that may be awarded for other elements of the claim, such as loss of earnings.
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