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16 Jan 2007 : Column 1032W—continued


Police

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the gross revenue expenditure was by Devon and Cornwall police authority in each year since 1992; and what the average expenditure was for all police authorities in England and Wales in each year. [112753]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested where available is set out in the following table.

Gross revenue expenditure 1991-92 to 2005-06
£ million
Devon and Cornwall Gross average expenditure England and Wales

1995-96 (1,2)

147,147,000

150,560,976

1996-97

154,430,000

160,630,186

1997-98

160,181,000

166,828,249

1998-99

177,528,000

173,255,348

1999-2000

180,189,000

181,402,162

2000-01

187,709,000

193,255,441

2001-02

208,734,000

208,624,186

2002-03

226,575,000

218,568,813

2003-04

231,085,000

236,697,395

2004-05

264,664,000

267,763,069

2005-06 (3)

265,734,000

272,717,651

2006-07 (3)

269,011,000

286,918,348

(1) Figures before 1995-96 were not reliable due to changes in police authority structures
(2 )Essex not included
(3 )Figures are estimates
Source:
Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

Police Response Times

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department (a) collects and (b) publishes on police response times in each police force area. [113334]

Mr. McNulty: Data on police response times is not collected centrally. This is essentially an operational matter for the chief constable of each force.

Police Stations

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations there are in Suffolk; and how many there were in 1997. [110325]

Mr. McNulty: The provision of police stations is a matter for the police authority and the chief constable.

Prison Service

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost to public funds was of the recently announced early retirement of the Prison Service London area manager; who authorised the retirement; for what reason the early retirement was authorised; and if he will make a statement. [115794]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The pension benefits and associated costs falling to the Department, and reasons for leaving in individual early retirement cases, is information considered personal and would therefore not be provided. The decision to consider and authorise early retirement, taken in this case by the Home Office Board, was in accordance with the rules and criteria set out in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme governing early retirement.

Probation Service Recidivism

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reconviction rates for offenders placed under the supervison of the Probation Service were as measured over a period of two years from the start of the order. [113917]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The most recent re-offending information for adults living in England and Wales was published in November 2006 as: “Re-offending of Adults: results from the 2003 cohort”, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 20/06. The report is available online at:

The two year re-offending rate for the 2003 cohort was 57.6 per cent. Among offenders discharged from custody the re-offending rate was 66 per cent. and for offenders commencing a community sentence the re-offending rate was 53.4 per cent.


16 Jan 2007 : Column 1033W

School Summit: New South Wales

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether representatives from his Department attended the recent school summit held by the Government of the State of New South Wales. [114803]

Mr. McNulty: No Home Office Minister, in their official capacity, attended the recent school summit held by the Government of the State of New South Wales.

Single Non-emergency Phone Number

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the single non-emergency telephone number to be introduced in London; and if he will make a statement. [114265]

Mr. McNulty: The outcome of the evaluation and assessment of the introduction of the single non-emergency number, 101, in the initial five wave-one areas, to be completed by the autumn of 2007, will inform plans for future development of the service.

Trade and Industry

Astra

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate he has made of the financial losses to individuals resulting from the collapse of Astra. [114794]

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no recent estimate of the financial losses suffered by individuals in relation to Astra Holdings plc.

Energy Security

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the UK's energy security position in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) 2005. [115346]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 15 January 2007]: The Department set up the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS) with Ofgem in July 2001. Its first full report was published in July 2002 and it has subsequently published a further six reports, the most recent being in December 2006. The Secretary of State's first report to Parliament on the security of gas and electricity supply was also laid before the House in July 2005.

In 1997 the best assessment of the UK's energy security position was published in the energy projections embodied in Energy Paper 65, published in March 1995.

Farepak

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress on his Department's inquiry into the collapse of Farepak; and when he expects the inquiry to be completed. [114241]


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Mr. McCartney [holding answer 11 January 2007]: The investigation is progressing satisfactorily. It will be completed as soon as possible consistent with the need for a thorough inquiry into the matters of concern. As my right hon. Friend knows, as soon as administrators were appointed for Farepak the Secretary of State announced an immediate investigation instead of waiting months for the administrators to report so that the facts could be established as soon as possible as a basis for further action.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which coal industry co-contractors have refused to agree settlements for coal health claims. [114788]

Malcolm Wicks: No contractors have refused to discuss liability. Negotiations continue with co-contractors and their representatives over the appropriate level of their contribution in some claims.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for miner’s compensation have been registered by Avalon solicitors in the name of John Mann. [114798]

Malcolm Wicks: Four.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal health claims are outstanding because of delays by co-contractors; and how many such cases concern pension loss claims. [114800]

Malcolm Wicks: There are around 3,000 respiratory disease claims outstanding in which co-defendants are involved and 465 claims concerning pension loss. Of about 4,500 outstanding VWF general damages claims, nearly 4,000 involve co-defendants.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of all papers relating to the industrial disease claim of Mr. Stephen Todd of Bassetlaw constituency. [113778]

Malcolm Wicks: It would be inappropriate to place the requested papers in the Library of the House. The claim file is confidential and may contain personal data and material that are subject to Legal Professional Privilege.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the minutes of the two meetings about the UDM/Vendside agreement between his Department and AMS Law and Moss Solicitors in 1998 and 1999. [114795]

Malcolm Wicks: Minutes of those meetings are not readily available. In any case, it is likely to be inappropriate to place the requested papers in the Library of the House. The minutes may be confidential and may contain personal data and material that are subject to Legal Professional Privilege.


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Minimum Wage

Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers have been affected by employers not paying the minimum wage in Copeland; and what estimate he has made of (a) how much money this has withheld from the local economy and (b) how much this has cost the Exchequer. [114901]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available and no such assessment has been made.

Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate how many employers in (a) Cumbria, (b) West Cumbria and (c) Copeland have avoided paying the minimum wage since its introduction. [114902]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available and no such assessment has been made.

Personal Debt

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of personal insolvency were reported in the Greater London area in each year since 2000, broken down by London borough. [116038]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table records the numbers of individual bankruptcy orders in the London Region classified according to the Official Receivers’ Office from 1999-2000 to 2005-06. Figures are not separately available for each London borough.

Numbers of bankruptcy orders recorded in the London Official Receivers offices. 1999-2000 to 2005-06 ( 1)
Financial year totals Bankruptcy Orders

1999-2000

1,290

2000-01

1,298

2001-02

1,421

2002-03

1,562

2003-04

2,132

2004-05(1)

4,910

2005-06(1)

6,699

(1) From 2004-05 Croydon Official Receiver’s Office is classified under London Region.

Post Office Network

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether following his December statement post offices have been identified for closure; and what strategy is in place for recommending post offices for closure. [115227]

Jim Fitzpatrick: No decisions have been made on individual closures in any particular area of the UK.

Post Office will develop specific proposals for post office closures and other changes to service provision after the national public consultation has ended and Government have reached their final decisions on future strategy for the post office network.


16 Jan 2007 : Column 1036W

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the £1.7 billion for the Post Office Network announced on 14 December 2006 will be spent, broken down by main budget heading. [113910]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government intend to provide up to £1.7 billion, subject to state aid clearance, between now and 2011 in support of the post office network.

A detailed breakdown of our funding is not yet available and will be dependent, following the conclusion of Government's national consultation, on how Post Office Ltd. intends to implement the necessary restructuring of the network to meet the framework set by Government's proposals.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of possible post office closures in (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale and (b) Lancashire which are likely to result from network reduction plans. [115141]

Jim Fitzpatrick: No decisions have been made on individual closures in any particular area of the UK.

Post Office Ltd. will develop specific proposals for post office closures and other changes to service provision after the national public consultation has ended and Government have reached their final decisions on future strategy for the post office network.


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