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30 Nov 2006 : Column 893W—continued
Magistrates
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the effect will be of the new anti-age discrimination legislation on the 70 years of age limit on serving magistrates. [106307]
Ms Harman: There are no plans to change the retirement age for magistrates. The new age regulations provide that discrimination will not be unlawful if it is undertaken in order to comply with a requirement of any statutory provision. The retirement age for magistrates is set at 70 by sections 12(2) and 13(1) of the Courts Act 2003.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates are aged (a) 20 to 30, (b) 30 to 39, (c) 40 to 49, (d) 50 to 59 and (e) 60 to 69 years. [106333]
Ms Harman: Magistrates age statistics are collected for age bands under 40, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69.
At the year end 31 March 2006 there were:
1,172 magistrates aged under 40
4,635 magistrates aged 40-49
11,902 magistrates aged 50-59
11,156 magistrates aged 60-69
Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Contracts
Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has paid to DHL since its establishment. [104174]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Nothing.
Departmental Gifts
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average cost was of gifts given to overseas dignitaries at public cost by him in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of (a) the most expensive and (b) the least expensive gift given. [102776]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The answer is the same as the one I gave to previous questions on this issue, to the hon. Members for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) and for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on 30 October 2006, Official Report, column 82W.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department has an incentive or bonus remuneration scheme for staff. [102782]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The staff in my Office are seconded from the Department for Communities and Local Government. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Angela E. Smith), on 23 November 2006, Official Report, column 212W.
Departmental Website
Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the www.dpm.gov.uk website has cost since its creation. [103611]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion on 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1624W.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to public funds, including paying for the expenses of his staff, was of his visit to the MIPIM Property Development Conference in Cannes in 2005. [102780]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The answer is the same as the one I gave to a previous similar question from the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 73W.
Slave Trade Abolition
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many meetings of the Advisory Group on the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British empire there have been; if he will publish the minutes of those meetings; and how many enquiries he has (a) received and (b) responded to on the work of the group. [102778]
The Deputy Prime Minister: To date the full Advisory Group has met four times; 19 January; 20 April; 13 July and 17 October. Details of the Advisory Group membership can be found on the DPM website at: www.dpm.gov.uk. I receive correspondence on a wide variety of issues and, in accordance with established practice, respond to some letters myself while others are replied to by officials. The minutes of the Advisory Group will shortly be placed on the website and made available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members.
Prime Minister
Baker Commission
Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place a copy of the transcript of his evidence to the Baker Commission in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [106564]
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the transcript of his evidence to the Iraq Study Group. [106442]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my official spokesman on 14 November 2006. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website (http://pm.gov.uk/output/Page10421.asp) and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Downing Street Payroll
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what the annual cost was of the No. 10 Downing street staff payroll as of 1 April; [102695]
(2) how many staff were employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time by his Office (i) to work on press and media and (ii) to provide information and publicity in the 2005-06 financial year; and what assumption is made about these figures in his Office’s budget for 2006-07; [102709]
(3) what the total staff costs of the Downing street Press Office were in 2005-06; [102844]
(4) what the total staff costs of his Office were in 2005-06. [102846]
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Prime Minister how many marketing officers, communications officers, press officers and promotional officers are employed in his Office; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Office is in 2006-07, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [104225]
The Prime Minister: The total staff costs for my Office for the financial year 2005-06 were £11.8 million. Figures for the financial year 2006-07 are not yet available.
At 1 April 2006 five members of the Government Information and Communications Service and one secondee from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were working as Press Officers. A further 12 civil servants either worked in the Strategic Communications Unit or provided administrative support. For details of special advisers who work in my Office I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement I made on 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 86-90WS.
The total cost of running the No. 10 press office for the financial year 2005-06 was £1.6 million.
Ecclesiastical Appointments
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister what the average length of interregnum was between the departure and new appointment of (a) bishops and (b) cathedral deans whose appointments lay within his responsibility in each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the effect of such interregnums on the ministry of the church in each of the last five years; what savings in salaries and stipends were made during interregnums; and if he will make a statement. [106669]
The Prime Minister: The information requested is not held centrally.
Gender Equality
John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister (1) when he expects to publish his Office’s gender equality scheme; [101472]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that his Office is taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies (a) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and (b) to promote equality between women and men. [101564]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) today.
John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work in his Office are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when they are exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies. [101523]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) on 28 November 2006, Official Report, columns 594-5W.
Pakistan
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister what the dates were of his recent visit to Pakistan; what his itinerary was; which Pakistani Government Ministers he met; and which other meetings he held during the visit. [106782]
The Prime Minister: I visited Pakistan between 18-19 November 2006 to have talks with President Musharraf, Prime Minister Aziz and other senior Ministers and officials. I also held an informal dialogue with moderate Muslim scholars at Faisal Mosque.
I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 329W.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether his Office uses an internal traffic light or colour-coded system to prioritise answers to written parliamentary questions. [102802]
Press and Media
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what No. 10 Downing street’s budget for consultants to assist with information, publicity, press and media (a) is in 2006-07 and (b) was in 2005-06. [102710]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) on 29 November 2006, Official Report, columns 767-68W.
Home Department
Airport Security
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were in 2005 as a result of incidents related to security breaches airside at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) other airports serving London and (d) other airports; and how many such incidents there have been in 2006. [102454]
Mr. McNulty: Information on the number of prosecutions for incidents relating to security breaches in England and Wales is not held centrally.
Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Office and that for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office.
Asylum Seekers
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers had been receiving section 4 support for more than 12 months on 30 September. [101781]
Mr. Byrne: This information is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of section 4 support for failed asylum seekers was in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement. [101782]
Mr. Byrne: Expenditure on section 4 support in 2005-06 was £58.6 million (subject to audit).
ATMs
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives are being undertaken jointly with the banking industry on crime prevention in relation to the use of ATMs. [106243]
Mr. Coaker: Home Office officials sit on the ATM Crime Group hosted by APACS (The Association of Payment Clearing Services). At this quarterly forum joint initiatives with members of the banking industry on crime prevention in relation to the use of ATMs are discussed.
Studies suggest that creating a one metre “User Zone” around an ATM provides a valuable tool in deterring robbery and helps to protect users. We are planning to re-issue joint guidance alongside APACS and the Local Government Association in the new year that encourages and jointly funds ATM “User Zones” or “Defensible Spaces” in street crime hotspots across England and Wales.
Child Abuse
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to find child abusers who have access to children through (a) education and (b) the church; and if he will make a statement. [103269]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 27 November 2006]: The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 provides the legislative framework for the introduction of a new vetting and barring scheme for those working with children and vulnerable adults.
This scheme will bar individuals from working in situations where evidence suggests that they present a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults. It replaces the current barring schemes, List 99 and the Protection of Children Act list, and the Disqualification Order regime, with a single list of people barred from working with children. The new scheme will ensure that all those who wish to work closely with children will be centrally vetted first. The scheme is due to be implemented from autumn 2008 onwards.
There is also a proposal to establish national protocols, following consultation, programmed for early 2007, for the way the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) works with church organisations. This revised policy will be reflected in the revised National MAPPA Guidance issued in April 2007.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation governs the making and distribution of pornographic text describing the abuse of children; and if he will make a statement. [104540]
Mr. Coaker: The Obscene Publication Acts 1959 and 1964 cover the publication, supply and possession for gain of material which, in the view of the court, has a tendency to “deprave and corrupt” those likely to read, see or hear it. This includes pornographic text describing the abuse of children where it meets this test. The maximum penalty under the Act (as amended) is three years’ imprisonment.
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