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9 Jan 2008 : Column 530W—continued
Iraq: Reconstruction
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2007, Official Report, column 915W, on Iraq: reconstruction, (1) how many projects have been completed in Iraq for each of the last five years; and how many of these projects received the top score for success in meeting its objectives in the relevant project completion report; [172377]
(2) whether the annual output-to-purpose reports on reconstruction in Iraq focus only on projects which have been completed in that year; and if he will make a statement; [172378]
(3) if he will place a copy of the annual output-to- purpose report on reconstruction in Iraq for each of the last five years in the Library. [172379]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: DFID has completed 32 projects in Iraq since 2003. This includes projects which are part of our bilateral programme and assistance channelled through the multilateral agencies such as the United Nations and Red Cross. All our projects valued at £1 million and over are regularly scored and monitored. This includes project scoring mid-way through the project—an Output-to-Purpose Review (OPR)—and a Project Completion Report (PCR) which is produced when the project has come to an end.
The following table summarises the scoring of our completed PCRs since 2003.
| Number of projects completed | Completely s uccessful | Largely s uccessful | Partially s uccessful | Successful only to a limited extent | |
Projects and programmes are scored according to whether they achieved their intended objectives. This will depend on a number of factors such as the level of risk and the type of assistance being given.
There is no general output-to-purpose report on reconstruction in Iraq that I can place in the Library, since all OPRs and PCRs are project-specific.
Minimum Wage
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many London-based staff are employed by his Department on the national minimum wage. [175965]
Mr. Malik: The Department for International Development has no London or UK-based staff who are employed on or below the national minimum wage.
Regulation
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for which regulators and inspectorates his Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year. [175309]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development is not directly responsible for any regulators or inspectors.
Tanzania: Overseas Investment
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the UK high commissioner in Tanzania on court actions against UK investors in that country. [166007]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 26 November 2007]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the UK high commissioner to Tanzania on his visit to Dar es Salaam on 26-27 November. He was briefed by the high commissioner about a specific court case against a UK investor.
Justice
Custodial Treatment: Children
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 145W, on custodial treatment: children, how many children of age (a) 10, (b) 11, (c) 12 and (d) 13 years were held in custody in the same establishment as children aged 14 years or over in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [175781]
Mr. Hanson: Young people between the ages of 10 and 13 who have been given a custodial sentence, and those aged 12 and 13 who are remanded to the care of a local authority with a requirement that they be kept in secure accommodation, are placed in secure children’s homes or secure training centres. Secure children’s homes accommodate boys and girls aged 10 to 14, girls up to the age of 16, and 15- and 16-year-old boys who are assessed as being particularly vulnerable. (Courts cannot order 10- or 11-year-olds to be placed in secure accommodation.)
Secure training centres accommodate young people aged 12 to 14, girls up to the age of 16 and boys aged 15 and over who are assessed as being particularly vulnerable.
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 145W, on custodial treatment: children, how many children of age (a) 10, (b) 11, (c) 12 and (d) 13 years were held in custody following incidents of assault in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [175782] [Official Report, 20 February 2008, Vol. 472, c. 10MC.]
Mr. Hanson: The following table shows that the number of young people aged from 10 to 13 in custody on remand or under sentence whose principal offence was assault as at 30 June in the three years in question. Young people in this age range are accommodated in either a secure children's home or a secure training centre. These data have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board.
The data include the following offence types: assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault with intent to resist apprehension or assault on a person assisting a constable, common assault, malicious wounding/grievous bodily harm, violence against the person and wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Land Registry: Pay
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date the current pay agreement at HM Land Registry ended; what the reasons are for the time taken to reach a settlement for 2007; what the timetable for negotiations is for 2008; and if he will make a statement. [177369]
Mr. Wills: Land Registry made a formal pay offer to the Unions on 21 December and is aiming to pay the award to staff in February 2008.
After the publication of the remit guidance on preliminary meetings were held with the Unions to obtain their views on what Land Registry should request in its pay remit. The pay remit was initially submitted to the Treasury on 10 August 2007 and, after correspondence with Treasury officials, was resubmitted on 5 October 2007. Land Registry staff have been kept regularly informed of the progress of the pay review. Clearance of the pay remit was received from the Treasury on 3 December 2007. Meetings were then held with the Unions on 6 December, 11 December and 19 December.
Until the 2007 pay review is settled, Land Registry will continue to apply the rules agreed for the 2006 pay settlement that ended on 31 May 2007.
Land Registry is not in a position to confirm the timetable for the 2008 pay award. However, the target settlement date remains 1 June 2008 and Land Registry will do its utmost to work with the Unions to reach a conclusion as close to 1 June as possible.
Offenders
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders in the North East reoffended in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [175226]
Mr. Hanson: The National Statistics relating to reoffending do not include a regional breakdown. Figures for proven reoffending within two years by adults released from prison or starting a community sentence have been published for 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The most recent data were published in the 2007 report, “Re-offending of adults: Results from the 2004 cohort” which is available online at:
We have developed more timely area-based management information on a different basis from the National Statistics. These show for each of the 42 criminal justice system areas, the proportion of those on the probation caseload who reoffend within three months and are convicted within six months of the end of every quarter. These experimental statistics are circulated to probation areas four times a year.
Prisoners: Vocational Training
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Government last reviewed the relevance of vocational training in prisons to the skills needed in the job market. [174552]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
The Government reviewed the relevance of vocational training in prisons during the development and implementation of the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) in 2005. The Learning and Skills Council's document ‘Developing the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service: the Prospectus’ [September 2007] sets out a process for a full review of the vocational learning offer, by Criminal Justice Area, planned to begin in early 2008.
Prisons: Education
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on education and training in prisons since 1997. [175183]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
Since the transfer of offender learning and skills from HM Prison Service in 2001, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills' Offenders’ Learning and Skills Unit (OLSU), and its predecessors, have spent the following on education and training in prisons:
| Financial year | Total spend (£ million) |
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what minimum standards apply to the provision of education, vocational training and work programmes for prisoners. [175184]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) started to implement an integrated Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) across England from August 2005. The LSC's providers are required to deliver the service set out in the ‘Offenders Learning Journey’ which specifies minimum standards for education arid vocational training for prisoners. A separate version of the ‘Offenders Learning Journey’ specifies the service for those held in Young Offenders Institutions, where the Youth Justice Board requires that 90 per cent. of young people receive 25 hours a week of education, training and personal development activity.
Home Department
Departmental Co-ordination
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the finance director in her Department is required to authorise policies with significant financial implications for the Department; and if she will make a statement. [164964]
Mr. Byrne: The finance director advises Ministers on the appropriate budget delegations to be set for business areas, consistent with the Home Office’s overall budget. The finance director then works with business areas to ensure that policies are affordable within these delegated limits. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 268W, which summarises the Home Office’s approach to policies with significant financial implications and the role of the finance director.
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