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4 July 2007 : Column 1064Wcontinued
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of levels of overcrowding at young offenders institutions; and if he will make a statement. [146799]
Mr. Hanson: The assessment of the occupancy of all prisoner accommodation is undertaken by senior operational managers in line with national guidance (Prison Service Order 1900 Certified Prisoner Accommodation) which details measurable standards for the certification of cells that can be applied consistently across the estate and contributes to providing decent living conditions for all prisoners.
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many (a) births and (b) terminations there were of babies with Downs Syndrome in each of the last five years; [147008]
(2) how many (a) births and (b) terminations there were of babies with (i) spina bifida, (ii) heart defects and (iii) kidney problems recognised during pregnancy in each of the last five years. [147009]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 4 July 2007:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions asking how many (a) births and (b) terminations there were of babies with Down's Syndrome in each of the last five years (147008); and how many (a) births and (b) terminations there were of babies with (i) spina bifida, (ii) heart defects and (iii) kidney problems recognised in pregnancy in each of the last five years (147009). I am replying in her absence.
The table attached provides (a) the number of births notified to the National Congenital Anomaly System for England and Wales (NCAS) with a mention of (i) Down Syndrome, (ii) spina bifida, (iii) any cardiovascular anomaly, and (iv) selected renal anomalies, for 2001 to 2005 (the latest year available); and (b) the number of legal abortions reported to the Chief Medical Officers for England and Wales under Ground E of the Abortion Act 1967 with a mention of these anomalies, for 2001 to 2006 (the latest year available).
The number of notifications received by NCAS is likely to be less than the actual number of infants born with an anomaly. NHS Trusts provide these notifications to NCAS on a voluntary basis, either on forms sent to ONS or via local congenital anomaly registers. The recording of congenital anomalies is more complete in those areas where a register operates, because the register can obtain additional information locally. Consequently, the figures for congenital anomalies are presented separately for areas where a register operated in 2005 and for areas without a register in that year. In 2005, registers covered 45 per cent of births in England and all births in Wales.
While a few of these local congenital anomaly registers were already established in 2001, others were set up as late as 2003. Increases over time in the number of notifications for some congenital anomalies in the areas covered by a register in 2005 are likely to be due to the improved completeness of information brought about as these registers came into operation.
Congenital anomalies are reported to NCAS at or after birth, and do not include any information on whether or not the anomaly was diagnosed during pregnancy.
Abortions are carried out under Ground E of the Abortion Act only if there is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. Therefore, the anomaly must by definition have been diagnosed during pregnancy.
Table 1: Number of notifications of selected congenital anomalies( 1) , 2001-05 and abortions( 2) , 2001-06, England and Wales( 3, 4) | ||||
Number | ||||
Congenital anomalies | ||||
Register areas | Non-register areas | All areas | Abortions | |
(1) Live and still births notified to the National Congenital Anomalies System with a mention of the anomalies listed. (2) Legal abortions performed under Ground E of the Abortion Act 1967. Figures provided by Department of Health. (3) Births and abortions to women resident in England and Wales. (4) Down Syndrome is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) code Q90, spina bifida using code Q05, and cardiovascular anomalies using codes Q20-Q28. Selected renal anomalies were defined using ICD-10 codes Q60-Q61, Q62.0 and Q63 for congenital anomalies and codes Q60-Q61 for abortions. (5) Congenital anomaly figures for selected renal anomalies are provisional. |
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1495W, on departmental expenditure, whether the £50,955 is in addition to the £133,237 referred to in the answer of 4 December 2006, Official Report, column 196W. [147115]
Angela Eagle: The figure of £50,955 including VAT in the answer of the former Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 18 June 2007 was additional to the figure of £133,237 excluding VAT in the answer of 4 December 2006.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual block grant was for the Home Department in each year since 2002. [147614]
Andy Burnham: The budget for the Home Office is set as part of the three-year spending review cycle. The following table sets out the Home Office budget for capital and resource since 2002. Future budget allocations will reflect transfers of responsibility following the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007.
£ million | ||
Resource | Capital | |
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests for internal review made to his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have taken longer than 40 working days to complete. [146386]
Angela Eagle: There is no statutory obligation on public authorities to complete internal reviews within a specified timeframe.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister agreed to each use by his Department of a section 36 exemption to withhold information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and on which dates. [146527]
Angela Eagle: As is common with other departments HMT's departmental minister oversees the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act.
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps he has taken in the last year to encourage more people to make such contributions. [147341]
Angela Eagle: 89 members of staff in HM Treasury (8 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) currently make additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay.
Pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age.
The benefit statement provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including on options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.
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