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23 July 2007 : Column 780W—continued
| Financial year early retirement period | Headcount early retirement total | Staff in post total | Taken from published stats, headcount, on-strength perm. and temp. snap shot date | Proportion (percentage) |
Dispute Resolution Procedures
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry's dispute resolution procedures; and if he will make a statement. [150038]
Bridget Prentice: My Department has made no assessment. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs on 17 July 2007, Official Report, columns 284-85W.
Electronic Tagging
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of tagged offenders (a) disarming their tags and (b) breaking curfews while tagged have been reported to police in each of the last three years; and how many resulted in prosecution. [150339]
Mr. Hanson: The electronic monitoring contractors are only required to report to the police breaches of curfew for those subject to court bail conditions under the Bail Act 1976. According to data provided by the contactors the number of breaches reported to the police in such cases, in the previous two financial years, is as follows:
| Financial year | Deliberate tag tampers (including removals) | Other breaches |
The large increase in the number of reported breaches in 2006-07 reflects the increase in the number of people made subject to bail conditions with a curfew requirement compared to the previous year.
The figures include multiple breaches/tag tampers committed by tagged persons on bail and reported to the police. Data for the year 2004-05 are not available as they relate to the previous contract, and could be provided only through a manual trawl of records at disproportionate cost.
The system is designed to ensure that any attempt to remove a tag within the curfew address automatically registers as a tamper at the electronic monitoring service provider’s control centre.
Data on the number of cases resulting in prosecution are not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, through collating information from each police force.
Electronic Tagging: East Sussex
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offences were committed by tagged offenders in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex in each year since 2003. [151360]
Mr. Hanson: Data on reoffending by offenders wearing electronic tags are collated centrally only in respect of offenders released on to the Home Detention Curfew Scheme. The data are not broken down by areas in which subsequent offences are committed. To provide such information would involve a manual trawl of all reoffending data since 2003; such an exercise would incur disproportionate cost.
General Commissioners of Income Tax
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of Clerks to the General Commissioner who will be involved in the final year scheme. [150921]
Bridget Prentice: The final year scheme will involve all of the Clerks who are in office when the year begins. There are currently 234 Clerks.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse of the Clerks to the General Commissioner of Taxes was in 2006-07. [150922]
Bridget Prentice: The total cost of the Clerks to the General Commissioners in 2006-07 was £2,393,000.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of the remuneration will be under the proposed final year scheme for Clerks to General Commissioners. [150931]
Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to say at this stage what the costs of remuneration will be in the final year. This is because the final package of remuneration will be based on the work the Clerks do in the preceding year. Some of the details of the scheme are also still to be finalised. Officials are currently drawing up draft proposals for discussion with the Association of Clerks. These will be ready by the end of the summer.
Legal Aid Scheme: Children
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the legal aid budget dedicated to public law Children Act matters was spent on expert witnesses in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06. [150919]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Legal Services Commission does not keep records to that level of detail and records only solicitor disbursements generally.
Legal Aid Scheme: Expert Evidence
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the legal aid budget was spent on expert witnesses in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06. [150926]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Legal Services Commission does not keep records to that level of detail and records only solicitor disbursements generally.
Mediation
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Legal Services Commission used sanctions against solicitors for not providing advice to clients on mediation in family disputes in each of the last three years. [150037]
Maria Eagle: None. Under the Law Society's Family Law Protocol, family solicitors are required to advise clients on the benefits of mediation where it is appropriate for the client. Legally aided clients are required to consider mediation before proceedings are issued.
There are no specific contract sanctions available at present. The discussions that the solicitor has with the client on the potential use of mediation are evidenced by the completion of a ‘Suitability of Mediation’ form. If this form is not completed and submitted when the solicitor applies for funding to issue proceedings, the application will be rejected and not processed until the solicitor has completed the form and resubmitted the application for funding.
The LSC will be monitoring the number of referrals made by individual firms to mediation. An improved monitoring system, to be implemented in October 2007, will extract information from LSC databases on the reasons used by individual firms for exemption from mediation. Where it is shown that solicitors' firms do not make appropriate and timely referrals, the LSC Relationship Manager will have discussions with the firm about this. Funding to continue with proceedings will be refused until the solicitor has demonstrated that mediation has been assessed as not appropriate, or has been attempted and broken down.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends to answer the letter to his predecessor of 29 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Paul Southworth. [150490]
Bridget Prentice: The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor will write to the right hon. Member soon and apologises for the unacceptable delay which was due to an administrative error.
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will reply to the letter of 12th June 2007 (Ministry of Justice Reference: 162453/13868) from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire. [150764]
Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson) will write to the hon. Member soon and apologises for the unacceptable delay, which was due to an administrative error.
Oakhill Secure Training Centre
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 12 July 2007, Official Report, column 69WS, on Oakhill Secure Training Centre, what recent assessment he has made of staff levels at secure training centres. [150621]
Mr. Hanson: The contracts with the operating companies specify minimum staffing levels. These assume that the centre is operating at full capacity.
Hassockfield, Medway and Rainsbrook met minimum staffing levels throughout the period 1 June to 8 July. During this period, there were three days on which staffing levels at Oakhill fell below the minimum staffing level. However, on each of these days there was a sufficient number of staff to care for and work with the number of young people who were placed at the centre at that time.
The issue of staffing shortfalls is being addressed by the Oakhill contractor, Group 4 Securicor. The contractor has drawn up a recovery plan which the Youth Justice Board is monitoring. The Board is working with the contractor on the implementation of the action plan.
Prison Service: Corruption
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent assessment is of levels of corruption within the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [150736]
Mr. Hanson: I refer to my noble friend the Lord Falconer of Thoroton's statement in the other place on 10 May 2007. We recognise that there are small pockets of corruption in Her Majesty's Prison Service. We are focusing on five steps: properly identifying the extent of the threat; working to improve our intelligence on matters of corruption; working to implement common standards across the prison estate; ensuring we reinforce a culture where corruption is not tolerated; and working closely with police and other interested agencies.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on what date Michael Spurr was interviewed as part of the Tasker investigation; and if he will make a statement; [150961]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007, Official Report, column 390W, on the Tasker inquiry, who the previous commissioning authority referred to in the answer was; and if he will make a statement; [150962]
(3) on what date (a) Keith Munns and (b) Nick Pascoe received a copy of the partial report of the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement; [150963]
(4) on what date Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the Tasker inquiry; on what date he relinquished responsibility as commissioning authority for the inquiry; to whom he relinquished it; and if he will make a statement; [150964]
(5) on what date Nick Pascoe took over the commissioning authority role for the Tasker inquiry; who the commissioning authority was immediately before that; and if he will make a statement; [150965]
(6) who was responsible as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry after Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement; [150974]
(7) whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the partial report of the Tasker inquiry prior to (a) agreeing to be interviewed
and (b) being interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement; [150975]
(8) who acted as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry between the retirement of Keith Munns and the transfer to Nick Pascoe; and if he will make a statement; [150976]
(9) on what date Ron Tasker was informed that (a) Keith Munns had ceased to be the commissioning authority for his investigation and (b) Nick Pascoe had assumed responsibility; whether a draft of his interim report had been submitted to the commissioning authority previous to either of these dates; to whom the draft of the interim report was submitted and on what date; and if he will make a statement; [150977]
(10) what representations were received by (a) Helen Edwards and (b) Phil Wheatley on Keith Munns' role as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry (i) while area manager for London, (ii) at the point of his retirement and (iii) subsequent to his retirement; and if he will make a statement; [150978]
(11) whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the interim report of the Tasker inquiry before being interviewed as part of the inquiry on 10 May 2007; and if he will make a statement; [150981]
(12) pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007, Official Report, column 2057W, on the Prison Service: public appointments, to whom Keith Munns was reporting when he was supporting the completion of the Tasker inquiry report; whether he was supporting Nick Pascoe or Michael Spurr in the preparation of the interim report of the Tasker inquiry; whether Michael Spurr was acting as the commissioning authority at the time of the appointment of Keith Munns for that role; on what date that appointment took place; and if he will make a statement; [151041]
(13) pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007, Official Report, column 1684W, on the Tasker inquiry, what the change in the terms of reference for the Tasker investigation was; and if he will make a statement; [151050]
(14) on what date the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service first asked Nick Pascoe to assume responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; on what date he became commissioning authority; and if he will make a statement; [151051]
(15) whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service has held responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement; [151053]
(16) pursuant to the answers of 31 January 2007, Official Report, column 201W, on the Tasker investigation, 6 March 2007, Official Report, column1941W, on the Prison Service: disclosure of information and 23 April 2007, Official Report, column 980W, on Wandsworth Prison, what the cause is of the delay in the completion of the report of the Tasker inquiry; what estimate he has made of the additional cost incurred as a consequence of these delays; when he expects the Tasker report to be (a) completed and (b) submitted; and if he will make a statement. [151075]
Maria Eagle: Due to the number and detail of the linked questions it has not been possible to provide a full response. I will write to the hon. Member once I have considered fully.
Prison Service: Manpower
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers were working in the Prison Service in each year since 1997; what the average prison officer to prisoner ratio was at each (a) adult prison, (b) young offender institution and (c) secure training centre in each year; what plans he has to increase the number of prison officers; and if he will make a statement. [150709]
Mr. Hanson: The available information (we do not have complete information for private sector prisons or secure training units STCs) is set out in the tables.
There are no figures available for STCs but the supervision level is typically one member of staff to between 2.5 - 3.5 young offenders.
In the public sector Prison Service a Business Change Team will work alongside the HR Directorate to plan and co-ordinate recruitment activity for new prisoner places and the transfer of experienced staff to enable new prisoner places to operate effectively. Normal recruitment activity continues to be largely managed at area level to ensure that staffing continues within agreed operating margins.
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