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11 July 2007 : Column 1492W—continued
Prisoners: Literacy
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to improve the rate of literacy amongst prisoners; and what other measures are in place to increase the prospects of a prisoner obtaining employment on release from prison. [148065]
Paul Goggins: The Prison Service provides a range of educational services at each prison with particular focus on increasing proficiency in basic literacy and numeracy skills. On committal to prison individuals are assessed to determine their standard of literacy and numeracy and, where appropriate, the level of entry into the Essential Skills Programme. Literacy skills are further encouraged through the use of library services.
Employability potential is increased through a wide range of vocational training opportunities which include bricklaying, joinery, painting and decorating, IT, plastering and crafts.
Job search terminals are installed in each of the three prisons to provide prisoners with up-to-date job information and recently, at Magilligan Prison, a new pilot programme (GOALS) was launched to help prepare prisoners for release and employment. The Prison Service works closely with other statutory, voluntary and community organisations such as NIACRO and Business in the Community in sourcing potential employment opportunities for inmates on release.
Trade Unions
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what figures the Northern Ireland Certification Officer holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of trade union members, of each union, who have opted in to a political fund; [146881]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the rules on trade union political funds published by the Northern Ireland Certification Officer. [146882]
Paul Goggins: These are now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.
Vandalism
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to reduce the incidence of criminal damage in Northern Ireland. [148057]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office Community Safety Unit funds and supports 26 multi-agency Community Safety Partnerships across the whole of Northern Ireland to undertake projects to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, including criminal damage, in their areas.
Organisations represented on the CSPs, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, are also engaged in their own right in the delivery of projects and initiatives which will contribute to reduction of crime and antisocial behaviour, including criminal damage. In addition, the National Intelligence Model enables police commanders to identify crime problem areas such as prolific criminal damage and to allocate resources to deal with it.
Prime Minister
Departments: Common Purpose
Philip Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was. [147594]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) today.
Honours
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy not to have a Prime Minister’s resignation honours list; and if he will make a statement. [147100]
The Prime Minister: It has not been the practice of Prime Ministers to set out a policy on this.
Scotland
Departments: Older Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years; [145686]
(2) how many people aged (a) over 55 years of age and (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year. [145700]
David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question 143901 of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 2W.
Departments: Pay
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last three years; and at what total cost. [146980]
David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 19 December 2006, Official Report, column 1765W and to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 13 June 2007, Official Report, column 1048W.
Departments: Public Transport
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate his Department has made of the number of its staff using public transport to commute. [147317]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not hold this information centrally as staff are seconded from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice.
Departments: Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department have taken (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months. [147047]
David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 2047W.
Departments: Stationery
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on stationery in each of the last five years. [149116]
David Cairns: The information is as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) The Scotland Office provides a number of services, including stationery and office supplies, to the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland (OAG); prior to 2003-04, expenditure by OAG was not held separately. | |
Scottish Executive
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings he and his predecessors have held with Scottish Executive Ministers in each of the last five years. [148606]
Des Browne: I and my predecessors have had numerous meetings with Scottish Executive Ministers in each of the last five years.
Wales
Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in his Department have been (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in the last 12 months. [149180]
Departments: Racial Harassment
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which his Department is responsible have been (a) investigated and (b) upheld in the last 12 months. [149240]
EU Grants and Loans
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister on monies from Objective 1 funds returned to the Welsh Assembly Government by Welsh local authorities; and what consideration he has given to adding the returned funds to the Convergence Fund. [147944]
Mr. Hain: I have regular meetings with the First Minister on a range of issues including Objective 1.
I know that the Welsh Assembly Government are committed to ensuring the effective delivery of the Objective 1 Programme for West Wales and the Valleys. Where underspends are identified, the Wales European Funding Office recycles these within the programme. However, European Commission rules would not allow any surplus funds from one round of programme to be transferred to another.
Furthermore, I am advised that the Welsh Assembly Government have achieved all annual spend (i.e. N+2) targets for the Objective 1 programme to date, and are on track to achieve the N+2 target for 2007.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the budget for the Access to Work scheme in order to meet the Government’s aspiration of getting a further million older people and a million people with disabilities into work. [146848]
Mrs. McGuire: The Access to Work budget has more than quadrupled since 1997, from £15 million to £64 million and now helps nearly three times as many people as it did ten years ago. However, Access to Work is only one of a range of measures which we have to help disabled people return to work, and most people currently claiming an incapacity benefit do not require help from this programme.
The aspiration to reduce the number of people on incapacity benefits by 1 million over the course of a decade remains our overall long-term aim. We will do this by addressing the needs of each individual. We will help those already in work to stay in work if they become ill or disabled. We will also provide support to those already without work to help them find the right work for them and we will create the right environment for them to move into and keep a job. The support available includes our successful Pathways to Work programme, new deal for disabled people and a wide range of programmes provided by Jobcentre Plus, which includes Access to Work.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of unmet demand has been in relation to applications for support under the Access to Work scheme during the last five years. [146849]
Mrs. McGuire: Access to Work is a demand-led programme and the budget has increased year-on-year to cope with the extra numbers of customers and has more than quadrupled since 1997, helping three times as many people. During the last five years, all customers who have been eligible for help under the current programme rules have been offered help through Access to Work. Therefore, there has not been any unmet demand.
Danny Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has undertaken of the (a) value for money and (b) effectiveness of
publicity undertaken to promote the Access to Work scheme to employers. [146850]
Mrs. McGuire: The promotion of Access to Work comes under the wider Jobcentre Plus marketing budget. Around £125,000 was spent in 2005-06 on targeted marketing of Jobcentre Plus services for disabled people in disability magazines. The Department does not record specific marketing expenditure on Access to Work separately.
Because Access to Work has not been marketed in isolation from the other disability programmes, it is not possible to evaluate how effective the overall marketing exercise has been for that specific programme.
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether private enforcement of maintenance debt will be permitted under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement; [146142]
(2) what plans he has to allow parents with care to take legal action to enforce child maintenance where (a) maintenance and (b) arrears has not been secured within a set time scale; and if he will make a statement. [146439]
Mr. Plaskitt: We have given serious consideration to whether or not parents with care should be able to privately enforce maintenance debt under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. However we do not believe it is appropriate and I refer you to the Government’s response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee report (CM7062 para 28).
Child Support Agency: Compensation
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to pay compensation to parents with care who are owed large arrears through the Child Support Agency which may never be collected; and if he will make a statement. [146172]
Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2006, Official report, column 1990W.
Child Support Agency: Debt Collection
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the longest repayment schedule for Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears is which has been agreed by the CSA to date; and if he will make a statement. [146136]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of non-resident parents owing arrears through the Child Support Agency who are now deceased. [146149]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 July 2007:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions 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, what recent estimate he has made of the number of non-resident parents owing arrears through the Child Support Agency who are now deceased.
The Agency is not able to provide an estimate of the number of non-resident parents owing arrears of child support maintenance who are deceased. Current legislation states once a non-resident parent dies, the Agency closes the case. The Agency would in such cases, if we were approached by the Executor of the Will accept an offer for child maintenance arrears. The Agency cannot make an approach directly to the Executor of the Will. It would be for the parent with care to pursue the Executor of the Will for maintenance arrears.
Since the launch of the Agency the value of debt suspended due to this reason on the old computer system is £2.645 million, the equivalent value for the new system is not available.
I hope this is helpful.
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