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16 May 2007 : Column 784W—continued
Departments: Sovereign Strategy
Mrs. May: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department and its predecessor held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006. [136859]
Vera Baird: Since May 2005 no Ministers from my Department held meetings with Sovereign Strategy. Information from before May 2005 cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. Civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.
Domestic Violence: Foetal Death
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many pregnant women in England were physically assaulted by a partner or former partner which resulted in the death of the unborn child in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available. [136820]
Mr. Sutcliffe: These figures are not held centrally.
Elections: Fraud
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what estimate her Department has made of the incidence of electoral fraud in the form of treating of electors in the latest period for which figures are available. [137184]
Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Commission’s initial analysis of the CPS files on allegations of electoral malpractice between 2000 and 2006, indicate that seven allegations concerning the offence of treating were made during that period.
Electoral Administration Act 2006
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will make a statement on the causes of the drafting errors in the Electoral Administration Act 2006 which have resulted in section 69(a) of the Act not being implemented; and what steps are being taken to remedy them. [137182]
Bridget Prentice: Section 69 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 provides for electoral administrators with new powers to promote participation in the electoral process.
There are no drafting errors in this section of the Act, and it was commenced in time for the 3 May 2007 local elections.
Electoral Register: Armed Forces
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many service voters were registered to vote in each year since 1997 prior to the abolition of the designation of service voting. [137187]
Bridget Prentice: I should make clear that there has been no abolition of the service declaration as a means by which relevant individuals can register as an elector. The Representation of the People Act 2000 placed a time limit on the validity of—but did not abolish—a service declaration, but also provided relevant individuals the option of registering as a normal elector rather than as a service voter.
Information on the number of individuals registered as electors under a service declaration prior to 2001 is not available. The Office for National Statistics figures confirm the number of individuals registered as service voters under a service declaration from this date is as follows.
| Number | |||
| England and Wales | Scotland | Great Britain | |
Norwich Prison
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice when she will publish a response to the report dated 10 May by HM Inspector of Prisons on HM Prison Norwich with (a) a detailed plan of and (b) a timetable for the completion of all necessary remedial action. [137452]
Mr. Sutcliffe: In a protocol agreed with HMCIP and Ministers the Prison Service will aim to produce an initial action plan within two months of the date of publication. This action plan sets out what action will be taken in respect of each recommendation, and the timetable for that action. The plan is updated 12 months after publication.
Prison Accommodation
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the total operational capacity of the prison estate was in each month in 1997. [137113]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The useable operational capacity of the prison estate for each month in 1997 is listed in the following table.
| 1997 | Operational capacity |
Prison Service: Greater London
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many managed moves were announced for London (a) prison governors and (b) their deputies in each of the last two years; how many of these appointments were as a result of open competition; and if she will make a statement. [137290]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There have been seven vacancies for governing governor posts in the London area over the last two years. Five of these posts were appointed via managed appointments and two as a result of open competition.
There have been five vacancies for deputy governor posts in the London area over the last two years. Four of these posts were appointed via managed appointments and one as a result of open competition.
The following table illustrates the figures given and the time scales in which they were appointed;
| Post | 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 | 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 | 1 April 2007 to 14 May 2007 | Managed moves | Open competition | Total |
Prison Service: Manpower
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many additional staff are planned to be recruited to ensure new facilities, including (a) new prison builds, (b) conversion of existing facilities, (c) additional units and (d) prison ships coming on stream are fully staffed on current projections; what funding will be available to achieve this; and if she will make a statement. [137283]
Mr. Sutcliffe: At this stage it is not possible to specify the number of personnel that will be required to staff the new prison facilities included in the prison capacity programme.
For new-build prisons the design will dictate the number of staff that are required to deliver the services and regimes, so the staffing levels can only be determined once the contracts for development have been awarded.
Prison Service: Pay
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (1) when she expects the review of required hours allowance payments in HM Prison Service to be completed; what estimate she has made of the (a) number of HM Prison Service staff incorrectly in receipt of required hours allowance and (b) value of incorrect payments; whether she plans to publish the review into required hours allowance payments; and if she will make a statement; [137279]
(2) how many non-operational managers receive required hours allowance payments in HM Prison Service; what the cost of these payments was in the last 12 months; who is responsible for authorising these payments; if she will place the criteria for authorising these payments in the Library; and if she will make a statement; [137289]
(3) how many non-operational (a) heads of personnel and (b) heads of management units within HM Prison Service are in receipt of required hours allowance payments; and if she will make a statement. [137304]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The criteria for the payment of required hours allowance (RHA) is laid out in the 2001 Pay Code (Phase One of Pay and Grading), Notice to Staff 3/2000 (Pay and Grading Phase 1), and paragraph 7.9 of the Prison Service staff handbook. All are available electronically on the Prison Service intranet, and from the Library of the House.
RHA is considered for those Prison Service manager posts where the role requires regular unpredictable and unsociable working hours by the post holder. This will apply to both operational and non-operational posts in headquarters, area offices and prisons. There are 1,370 posts across the Prison Service which receive RHA at an annual cost of £7,158,250.
The decision to authorise payment of an allowance through salary, is made by the Deputy Director, HR Policy and Reward (formerly Head of Pay and Employee Relations Group).
The first stage review of all those within Prison Service headquarters and area offices in receipt of RHA, has now been completed. The review of posts currently in receipt of RHA within establishments will be concluded by May 2008.
At the end of the review a summary of the findings will be published through the Prison Service intranet.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many breaches of the regulations relating to the use of (a) time off in lieu, (b) ex gratia payments and (c) other supplementary payments occurred in HM Prison Service in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [137298]
Mr. Sutcliffe: This information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prison Service: Sick Leave
Mr. Bellingham:
To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many cases of HM Prison
Service staff reporting absent as a result of work-related stress there were in each of the last four years; and if she will make a statement. [137288]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Prison Service does not record the cause of stress related absences.
Prison Service: Training
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the legal requirements are for the provision of training for HM Prison Service staff managing informants; and if she will make a statement. [137306]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There are no legal requirements for the provision of training to staff managing informants.
Prisons: Smuggling
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight) of 22 February 2007, Official Report, column 892W, on prisons: smuggling, what the grade was of the staff member responsible for commissioning the investigation into the Independent Monitoring Board member found trafficking unauthorised articles into a prison establishment; how much in (a) expenses and (b) allowances had been paid to the independent monitoring board member concerned; and if she will make a statement. [137355]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on individual expense claims is not held centrally.
Prisons: Standards
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many members of independent monitoring boards had their appointments terminated in each (a) HM Prison Service regional area and (b) contracted prison; and if she will make a statement. [137308]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Since August 2003 there has been one Independent Monitoring Board member who has had their appointment terminated in the London area, three members from the East Midlands area, one member from the Surrey and Sussex area, two members from the North West area, one member from the South West area, and one from the Thames Valley area. Also two members of Boards in contracted prisons have had their appointments terminated in the reporting period.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what (a) allowances and (b) expenses are available to members of independent monitoring boards; what the total cost of payments was to independent monitoring board members of each prison establishment in each of the last four years; and if she will make a statement. [137309]
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