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9 May 2007 : Column 247W—continued
Manpower: Home Office
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which committees and working groups in his Department deal with identity cards policy. [133424]
Joan Ryan: There is no departmental committee or working group on identity cards policy. The introduction of identity cards is already Government policy and, within the Home Office, the Identity and Passport Service has responsibility for its implementation.
Offensive Weapons
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) injured and (b) killed by knife crime offences in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997. [131273]
Mr. Coaker: The information available centrally relates to homicides by sharp instrument recorded by the police and is given in the following table. These figures are not collected below police force area level.
Passports: Fees and Charges
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints about the cost of passport renewal from women who have renewed their passports early owing to a name change following marriage his Department has received in each of the last five years. [134119]
Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not keep records in such a way as to be able to extract this information without incurring disproportionate cost. Complaints are recorded in particular categories, each covering a range of issues. There is not a specific category for women who have complained about the cost of renewing passports early owing to change of name following marriage. However, the IPS receives regular representations on this subject. When fees are next reviewed the IPS will discuss with HM Treasury whether the rules on Government fees and charges would permit some reduction of the fee in these circumstances.
The IPS received 8,551 complaints in total in the financial year 2005-06, which represents 0.13 per cent. of the total business.
Prisoners: Foreigners
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign citizens who had previously been convicted of a crime in their country of origin were subsequently convicted of (a) burglary, (b) supplying a controlled substance, (c) rape and (d) murder in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [133514]
Mr. Byrne: We do not hold comprehensive records of the nationalities of offenders.
Prisoners: Qualifications
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners in prison establishments in England and Wales achieved (a) GCSE, (b) post-GCSE and (c) third level qualifications in each of the last six years; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of prisoners achieving such qualifications. [136054]
Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not collected centrally. However, following the introduction of the Learning and Skills Council-led delivery arrangements for offender learning in England from 31 July 2006, data
on prisoner achievement will increasingly become available for adults, young offenders and juveniles in custody.
The Government’s proposals for improving the education of offenders are set out in the “Reducing Re-Offending Through Skills and Employment: Next Steps” document which was published on 13 December 2006. Copies of the document were sent to all Members of Parliament on the day of publication.
Television: Licensing
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue fines from unpaid television licences generated in 2004-05 and 2005-06. [134585]
Mr. Coaker: Court proceedings data are collected and published by calendar year.
A total of £11.1 million was ordered by the courts to be paid by way of fines given for offences of television licence evasion in 2004 in England and Wales where a fine was the principal disposal and this offence the principal offence for which the persons concerned were dealt with. A total of £14.4 million was similarly ordered to be paid in 2005.
Figures for 2006 will be available in the autumn of this year.
These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
The collection of fine amounts centrally is not sufficiently detailed to show how many of these total sums were actually paid.
Theft: Driver Information Systems
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many thefts of satellite navigation systems for cars took place in (a) the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood, (b) each London borough and (c) England in the last three years for which figures are available; [135825]
(2) what estimate he has made of the value of stolen satellite navigation systems for cars over the last three years for which figures are available. [135827]
Mr. Coaker: Figures for theft of satellite navigation systems are not collected centrally and no estimate has been made of the total value of those stolen.
Anecdotal evidence from a number of police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, is that this type of theft is a growing problem in some force areas. To help combat it, the Home Office met a number of the main manufacturers in 2005 and, as a result, some of the manufacturers fast-tracked the introduction of security features into new models. The Home Office also produced a crime prevention advice leaflet aimed at motorists showing them the simple steps they could take to help prevent them becoming victims of this type of crime. This leaflet is available on the Home Office website and is intended for use by police and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the insurance claim against Bedfordshire Police in relation to the fire at the Yarl’s Wood detention centre in February 2002 to be settled; and if he will make a statement. [133372]
Mr. Byrne: This is a matter to be settled between the insurance company and Bedfordshire Police.
Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre: Prescription Drugs
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rules are applied at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre on permitting detainees to take their medication into the centre when they are detained; and on what basis Miss Nathalie Ketchanon was refused permission to do so. [134972]
Mr. Byrne: All medication is assessed by the centre GP as to the suitability of allowing the medication to be held in possession by the detainee. Where it is decided that the medication should be held in the healthcare suite the detainee is notified and advised to attend the pharmacy at the appropriate times for dispensing.
I will write to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South regarding Miss Ketchanon.
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency: Tribunals
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many tribunals were operated by the Child Support Agency (CSA) in each of the last five years; how much was spent on those tribunals in each year; how many appeals were received by the CSA in each year; and how much was spent on processing appeals in each year. [130677]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 29 March 2007]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 May 2007:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many tribunals were operated by the Child Support Agency (CSA) in each of the last five years; how much was spent on those tribunals in each year; how many appeals were received by the CSA in each year; and how much was spent on processing appeals in each year. [130677]
Please find attached a table detailing the number of tribunals operated by the Tribunal Service on behalf of the Child Support Agency and the number of appeals received by the Agency.
Unfortunately the information requested in respect of the cost of tribunal hearings and the cost of processing appeals is unavailable in the format requested.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
| Appeals received by Child Support Agency and referred to the Tribunal Service | ||
| Appeals received by the CSA | CSA appeals referred to Tribunal Service | |
| Note: Appeals and referrals rounded to nearest 100. | ||
Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many grievance procedures have been initiated in his Department in the last 12 months. [135166]
Mrs. McGuire: No information is held on the number of grievance procedures that have been initiated in the Department for Work and Pensions in the last year. The Department has recently introduced a new IT resource management system. In the next 12 months it will record details of the number of grievance procedures initiated across the Department and will be able to provide information centrally.
Departments: Energy
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) instructions are issued to staff in his Department and (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night. [136107]
Mrs. McGuire: When joining the Department, staff are told how to shut down personal computers as part of their initial training. Further advice is also available on the Department's intranet site and from local IT support staff. Computers are shut down each evening by the member of staff who uses them.
Departments: Paper
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of paper used (a) for photocopying and (b) in printed publications by his Department was from recycled sources in each of the last three years. [134049]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department is committed to meeting cross-Government sustainable operations targets which include commitments to increase recycling rates and the mandatory minimum environmental procurement product standards for paper.
(a) Photocopying paper purchased is used in both photocopiers and office printers and therefore a separate figure for photocopiers is not available.
| Usage (Percentage) | |
| (1 )This followed a change of supplier, product and price and the mandatory use of recycled paper. | |
(b) Printed publications (this includes Department’s claim packs forms and leaflets): from June 2007 all existing contracts for the supply of printed materials will cease and a new contract for the supply of Print and Associated Services will commence. This contract will meet all the sustainable operations targets for the supply of printed materials. All paper used, including paper with no recycled content, is derived from sustainable sources.
| Usage (Percentage) | ||
| 100 per cent. con tent( 1) | 50 per cent. content( 2) | |
| (1 )Made from up to 100 per cent. post consumer waste with full Blue Angel accreditation. No bleaching is used in production and the energy supply used by the mill is also 100 per cent. green. (2 )Made from up to 50 per cent. post consumer waste and virgin fibre. | ||
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