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7 Feb 2008 : Column 1427W—continued
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department’s policy is on recycling. [174405]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recycling scheme is in operation in each building within his Department. [176672]
Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice is currently implementing its waste management strategy, which clearly sets out the policy and fully demonstrates how recycling is to be performed across the estate.
Recycling facilities have increased within all MoJ Headquarters sites in recent months. Bins are placed on all floors at all sites across the MoJ HQ Estate for the following items—white paper, mixed paper and cardboard, plastic bottles and cans, and glass bottles. The following materials are now recycled through designated contractors across the HQ Estate—white paper, coloured paper, cardboard, plastics, aluminium cans, glass, batteries, toner bottles, toner cartridges, disposable coffee cups and other ad-hoc materials, such as IT equipment and office furniture.
In addition all local management and facilities managers are encouraged to operate effective recycling schemes on site.
Delivery agencies of MoJ (incl. NOMS, HMPS, HMCS and Tribunals):
Following a full waste management review of the estate, HMCS have implemented a waste management reporting action plan within regions across the estate. The aim of the action plan is to create a system which enables full legal compliance, works towards long term savings and allows HMCS to meet the waste minimisation and recycling targets in Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate.
The Tribunals Service is committed to recycling and is currently implementing the Ministry of Justice waste management strategy, with the aim of achieving and maintaining a standard of best waste management practice.
Her Majesty’s Prison Service/National Offender Management Service
To date, 80 prisons have an operational waste management unit, separating out materials for re-use, recycling, composting and, for the residue, responsible disposal. 54 prisons completed performance monitoring returns for the first half of this financial year (2007-08), reporting a total of 7,403 tonnes of controlled waste generated, with 2,948 tonnes being diverted away from disposal for re-use, composting or recycling. An average recycling rate of 40 per cent. was achieved, exceeding the Prison Service target to reuse, recycle or recover 35 per cent. of waste generated by 31 March 2007.
More detailed information on the development and performance of waste management activities at public sector managed prisons is included within the HM Prison Service Sustainable Development Report, which is issued annually and can be found in the House of Commons Library.
Domestic Violence: Sentencing
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of those convicted of domestic violence offences were (a) fined and (b) given custodial sentences in each police authority area in each of the last five years. [184757]
Mr. Hanson: It is not possible to identify separately domestic violence offences on the Court Proceedings Database as the circumstances of offences are not collected centrally.
E-Conveyancing Pilot
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the (a) implementation and (b) review of the e-conveyancing pilot. [184635]
Mr. Wills: The implementation plan for the electronic conveyancing programme is constantly reviewed and updated to ensure that each new service and product is fully tested and evaluated and that customer feedback is taken on board. The latest revision of Land Registry's business case for the programme estimates that the programme of work will be fully implemented in 2014-15.
There will not be a single electronic conveyancing pilot: rather there will be a series of pilots designed to test the performance of individual services, which will, in time, comprise a larger e-conveyancing service.
Electoral Register
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of registered electors in each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales opted to be excluded from the edited electoral roll in each year since 2002. [184751]
Mr. Wills:
The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures on the number of registered electors who opt to be excluded from the edited electoral register. However, the Office for National Statistics will, for the first time, be collecting this information based on the published
electoral register of December 2007. I understand that this information will be placed in the House of Commons Library after 28 February.
Fair Trade Initiative
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department’s policy is on the use of fair trade goods (a) in staff catering facilities and (b) at official departmental functions and meetings; and if he will make a statement. [183852]
Maria Eagle: Catering services to meet my Department’s requirements are contracted out and provided by commercial suppliers.
Within the objective of achieving best value, we continue to ensure that our suppliers are actively encouraged to support and make use of fair trade produce.
My Department will continue to do all it can to promote fair trade through its contracting activities.
Fatal Accident Injury System
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 906W, on Fatal Accident Injury System, (1) what estimate he has made of the number of outstanding coroners’ inquests into deaths of armed services’ personnel overseas which could have been dealt with in Scotland; [185490]
(2) how many meetings have taken place between his Department and the Scottish Executive to discuss changes to the Fatal Accident Injury System. [185491]
Maria Eagle: There is currently no provision under Scottish law for the Lord Advocate to authorise fatal accident inquiries into deaths, including those in military service, outside Scotland. It is an established principle in England and Wales that where multiple deaths occur in the same incident jurisdiction is retained by the coroner to whom the deaths are reported. On this basis we estimate that there are currently three outstanding coroner’s inquests into single service deaths which might have been transferred to the Lord Advocate, had provision existed. Ministry of Justice officials and Scottish Executive officials met on 14 December 2007 to discuss options for enabling investigations into the deaths abroad of service personnel to take place in Scotland, where, that would be in the interests of the families of the deceased. These discussions are continuing.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to answer the letter to him dated 18 December 2007, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Paul Lang. [185053]
Mr. Straw: I apologise for the delay. I will respond to the right hon. Member shortly.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to answer the letter to him dated 17 December 2007, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Gerard Meredith. [185055]
Mr. Straw: I replied to the right hon. Member on 4 February 2008. I apologise for the delay.
Ministry of Justice: Reorganisation
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 January 2008, on the Ministry of Justice (Reorganisation), what steps he has taken to translate the documentation relating to changes in the Welsh Prison and Probation Service into the Welsh language. [184552]
Maria Eagle: We are committed to ensuring that all materials directed at the public in Wales will be published and printed in a bilingual form where reasonably practicable; otherwise documents will be available in separate English and Welsh versions at the same time.
In common with other documents issued by the Ministry of Justice, a translation of the prison policy update briefing paper into Welsh is available on request. The details of how to request alternative formats, including translation, is printed on the cover of the document.
No other documentation following the written ministerial statement has been produced yet.
Offender Management Service: Trade Unions
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultations he has had with trades union representatives on the restructuring process of the Offender Management Service in Wales. [184667]
Mr. Hanson: Prison and probation trade unions are regularly consulted through the NOMS Joint Council, which is chaired by the NOMS chief executive. In addition, while it was not possible to consult on the detail of the restructuring prior to the announcement because of the need to first inform Parliament, the organisational review team met with members of NAPO in October at their request.
Since the announcement, the probation service consultative council meeting on January 30, chaired by the Director of probation, included a full briefing on the implications of the re-structuring, as did the meeting of the NOMS Joint Council on January 31. The Director General of the prison service wrote to all prison trade unions on the day of announcement, and spoke with representatives from the POA and the PGA to talk them through what was being planned and commit to ongoing consultation
Moving forward, the trade unions will be fully involved in the development of the next stage of design as part of the normal consultative processes. Consultation with the trade unions will continue as changes are implemented. There is ongoing consultation/dialogue which will continue as reform is implemented.
Offenders: Housing
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average daily number of persons accommodated under the bail accommodation and supervision scheme was in the latest period for which figures are available; [185550]
(2) how many properties Clearsprings has (a) provided and (b) contracted to provide in each (i) Welsh and (ii) English region. [185551]
Mr. Straw: The caseload of persons accommodated at 5 February was 242. On 31 January it was 243.
The contractor is required to provide bed spaces as opposed to a specified number of properties. The numbers of bedspaces currently required and the numbers provided in Wales and in each of the English regions are in the following table:
| Region | Bed spaces provided | Contracted to provide |
In some regions the number provided exceeds the current requirement because the requirement has been reduced from that initially specified. The scheme endeavours to return people to their home area unless there is a reason not to. The accommodation requirement is based on the location of courts and prisons and data on prisoner origins. Both the requirement and the distribution are reviewed regularly and adjusted in response to demand.
Post-Mortems: Children
Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to reform the Coroners Act 1988 and the restrictions regarding moving infants’ and children’s bodies for post mortem examinations; and if he will make a statement. [184748]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given today.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has awarded any contracts to PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2000. [181510]
Mr. Wills:
The Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007. For the years from 2000-01 to 2006-07, where information is available for contracts awarded to PricewaterhouseCoopers by the former Department for Constitutional Affairs, and those bodies that were
formerly part of the Home Office and which are now part of the Ministry of Justice, it appears in the following tables.
Information on contracts awarded in the first half of the current financial year across the Ministry of Justice is also provided.
Engaging consultancy support offers the Ministry of Justice a fast and flexible way of obtaining skills and experience that are not available in-house. Additionally, it is an efficient and cost-effective way of meeting ad hoc requirements and provides better value for money than expanding our permanent work force.
The Department uses appropriate competitive processes when seeking to engage consultants. Additionally, it is Department policy:
to make the most of skills and expertise available in-house by seeking to use such resource as a first option;
where external resource is used, to maximise the benefits from such expenditure by getting a good deal and managing the contract for value; and
to comply with good practice and EU rules in how we procure and manage such services.
| Former Department for Constitutional Affairs | ||
| Financial year | Number of contracts awarded to PWC | Net value (£) |
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