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10 Jan 2007 : Column 627Wcontinued
Investigators must have no significant conflicts of interest with the matter or persons under investigation. Should such conflicts arise within the course of an investigation the matter must be immediately referred to the Commissioning Authority
If the conflict of interest relates to the Commissioning Authority, the investigation would be passed to another manager of the same grade or a more senior manager within the operational line. Lead investigators, once they inform the Commissioning Authority of a conflict of interest, would cease their involvement with the case if it is deemed necessary to do so.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures exist within HM Prison Service to deal with staff who deliberately withhold information from disciplinary investigations; what the responsibilities are of the investigating officers in such circumstances; and if he will make a statement. [112891]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Staff in the public sector Prison Service are required to offer reasonable co-operation during internal disciplinary investigations. Failure to do so or act in any way that undermines the investigations process or procedures is a breach of conduct set out in Prison Service Order 8460, Conduct and Discipline.
It is the responsibility of the investigating officer to notify the Commissioning Authority when a member of staff fails to offer reasonable co-operation to an investigation, to determine whether further action is necessary.
Mr. Greg Knight:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current financial position is of HM Prison Service; what the final
financial position is expected to be at the end of the 2006-07 financial year; and if he will make a statement. [112892]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Up to the end of November, the Prison Service had spent 64 per cent. of its delegated budget for 2006-07. It is forecasting to fully spend its budget in the year to 31 March 2007.
The Prison Service financial position and outturn is monitored on a monthly basis and reported through National Offender Management Service to AFU within the Home Office.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of changes to television sets in prisons as a result of digital switchover. [108004]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Plans for the digital switchover of the prison estate are being tested but have not yet been finalised. However, it is anticipated that the bulk of the cost will be met from the weekly charge paid by prisoners for the rental of televisions.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners with mental health problems were released into the community with supported housing in the last 12 months. [113603]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what most recent estimate he has made of the number of prisoners who have taken drugs in the year before entering prison; [113619]
(2) what his most recent estimate is of the number of prisoners who continue illegal drug use after release. [113623]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the number of prisoners using drugs before or after custodial sentences is not collated centrally.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent assessment is of the effect of employment on release from prison upon reoffending rates. [113608]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There is currently no published information detailing the effect of employment on release from prison upon re-offending rates in the UK. The Home Office is currently undertaking a reconviction study based on information collected in three resettlement surveys undertaken in 2001, 2003 and 2004. The chief objective of the research is to increase understanding of links between criminal history, demographics, interventions, resettlement factors (including employment) and reconviction.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Government plan to remove from the Electoral Commission the function of promoting democracy. [114015]
Bridget Prentice: The Committee on Standards in Public Lifes review of the Electoral Commission is considering the extent to which the Commission should have a role in promoting democracy. No decisions will be taken about the Commissions future role until the committee has reported.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the criteria are for local authorities to receive funds from the electoral participation fund. [114006]
Bridget Prentice: The aim of the participation fund is to enable local electoral officers to use their new powers under section 69 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 to promote participation in the electoral process, within their local area.
No specific criteria for the nature of promotional activities have been set out. However, such activities should not be part of electoral officers ordinary duties, such as sending out registration forms during the canvass. The Electoral Commission will also be issuing guidance to electoral officers on the types of activities they might consider.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 344W, on boundary changes, what the timetable is for laying and approving the draft order which will implement the Boundary Commissions recommendations on new parliamentary boundaries in England. [113947]
Bridget Prentice: Further to my answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 344W, I understand that the current estimate for the completion of the printing and binding of the Boundary Commissions report is likely to be mid-March 2007. The draft order to give effect to the new boundaries must be laid alongside the printed report. The subsequent scheduling of the debates on the draft order will be a matter for the parliamentary business managers.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost to the public purse was of the judicial review of the Boundary Commissions recommendations for new parliamentary boundaries in England. [114007]
Bridget Prentice: The legal costs to the Boundary Commission for England for defence of the application for judicial review, including the whole pre-action procedure and preparation, was £13,543.77.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations her Department has received on the Fifth General Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in England since the Boundary Commission submitted its final report to the Secretary of State. [114009]
Bridget Prentice: As at 9 January 2007, my Department has received no formal representations seeking modification of the recommendations of the Boundary Commission for England, which are set out in the report of their Fifth General Review of Parliamentary Constituencies.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether remand prisoners are eligible to vote in the constituency in which their prison is located if their last known abode was in a different constituency. [114012]
Bridget Prentice: Section 7A of the Representation of the People Act 1983 sets out the legislation that enables persons remanded in custody to vote. A person held on remand may register to vote within the constituency where he has previously resided or has a local connection. If the length of the period which he is likely to spend in prison on remand is sufficient for him to be regarded as a resident, then he may register to vote in that constituency.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will take steps to compel companies and organisations required to hold public liability insurance to disclose this information in the event of an incident. [113317]
Bridget Prentice: The Department has no plans to compel companies and organisations required to hold public liability insurance to disclose this information in the event of an incident.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests for voluntary contributions to access to work funding from employers in 2005-06 resulted in contributions being made; and what the total value was of such voluntary contributions. [109750]
Mrs. McGuire: It is standard practice for Advisers to request a voluntary contribution for every single Access to Work application. However, information about the number of resulting contributions actually made and the total value of such contributions during 2005-06 is not collated centrally and would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will break down by main budget heading the (a) Corporate and Shared Services, (b) Public Corporations, (c) Childrens Benefits and (d) Grants to Independent Bodies budgets listed on pages 146-48 of his 2006 departmental annual report. [109504]
Mrs. McGuire: Further detail on information provided in the 2006 departmental report (cm 6829) (Tables 1 and 2) is provided as follows:
(a) Corporate and Shared Services
The following table provides a breakdown of corporate and shared services included in tables 1 and 2.
£ million | |||||
Outturn | |||||
2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | |
Total corporate and shared services as shown in departmental report 2006 |
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