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19 Feb 2008 : Column 577W—continued
Sonia Poulton: Child Support Agency
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his statement of 24 July 2007, Official Report, column 230WH, when the Child Support Agency case of Sonia Poulton will be resolved; and if he will make a statement. [179751]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 17 January 2008]: 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 19 February 2008:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question 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, pursuant to his statement of 24th July 2007 Official Report column 230WH when the Child Support Agency case of Sonia Poulton would be resolved; and if he would make a statement. [179751]
As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.
Sunbeds
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress is being made on updating Health and Safety Executive Leaflet INDG209 on sunbeds. [180624]
Mrs. McGuire: My noble Friend Lord McKenzie and my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Health met on 23 January to discuss how best to take forward HSE leaflet INDG209 in the context of the Government’s Cancer Reform Strategy, announced in December 2007. It was agreed that HSE would put out for consultation a revised draft update of the leaflet and that a joint letter will be sent to the hon. Member to inform her more fully of the outcome of this meeting.
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 28 February 2007, Official Report, column 1414W, on winter fuel payments, how much was spent on making winter fuel payments to pensioners living outside the UK in 2006-07, broken down by country of recipient’s residence. [179255]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 15 January 2008]: European Community law means that some benefits acquired in one member of state must be paid to people when they move to another country within the European Economic Area. Winter Fuel Payments are only paid to former UK residents living in the European Economic Area if they qualified for payment before leaving the UK. The number of Winter Fuel Payments made to former UK residents living in the EEA is in the following table.
| 2006-07 | |
| By country | £ |
Written Questions
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's target time is for answering written parliamentary questions; and what the average time taken for answering parliamentary questions has been in each of the last 12 months. [180134]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department aims to answer parliamentary questions within the timescales set by Parliament. The average time taken to answer written House of Commons parliamentary questions in each of the last 12 months is in the following table.
| Average number of working days taken to answer Commons written PQs in 2007 | |
| Month | Average number of days |
| Note: Average number of days relates to days when Parliament was sitting and replies to parliamentary questions could be tabled. | |
Home Department
101 Calls
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, columns 253-4W, on 101 calls, (1) what information her Department has received from each pilot on the costs and benefits of the 101 single non-emergency number; if she will place the information in the Library; and if she will make a statement; [182614]
(2) what evaluation has been conducted of the costs and benefits of the 101 single non-emergency number pilots; and if she will make a statement. [182615]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office has worked closely with all the initial 101 single non-emergency number areas since the service was launched to understand the costs and benefits of the 101 service and to inform options for its future operation. The information gathered has formed part of the overall evaluation of the costs and benefits of the 101 service and has included assessment of caller demand, customer satisfaction, public awareness and the impact on the delivery of local services and the management of resources.
The evaluation and assessment found that the 101 service has successfully demonstrated benefits around improving the public's access to and satisfaction in local community safety services. Through greater partnership working and better information about what problems are happening where, the 101 service has also helped local police and councils to target their resources more effectively and efficiently and improve the delivery of those services to the public.
The Home Office will be making available the wider learning and good practice identified from this assessment, to provide a toolkit to help enable and inform all local areas to embed the benefits in local services and to develop locally funded 101 services where possible. This material will be placed in the Library when it is available.
Crime: Computers
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) staff work on e-crime; and what SOCA’s budget for dealing with e-crime is in 2007-08. [186945]
Mr. Coaker: SOCA’s e-crime work is carried out by either the e-crime department (within the Intervention Directorate) or by staff from elsewhere across the organisation. In addition, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre—which is affiliated but operationally independent to SOCA—undertakes e-crime investigations in relation to child protection. SOCA’s e-crime department has a target capacity of 58 staff, with 51 in post as of 12 February 2008. The staff budget for the e-crime department in 2007-08 is £3,337,000, which does not include the cost of centralised services such as IT and premises.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Hi Tech Crime Unit in dealing with e-crime following its transfer into the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. [186946]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office monitors SOCA’s performance regularly. As required under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, SOCA will issue an annual report as soon as possible after the end of the 2007-08 financial year to describe how SOCA discharged its functions in that year.
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in the e-crime department of the Serious Organised Crime Agency in April 2006; and how many people are so employed now. [173827]
Mr. Coaker: In April 2006 there were 50 staff in the e-crime department. As of 25 January 2008 the e-crime department has 51 staff. Planned recruitment will bring the unit to its target capacity of 58 staff.
Crime: Statistics
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008, Official Report, column 209W, on crime: statistics, what account is taken in the compilation of crime statistics of unreported crime. [186948]
Mr. Coaker: The British Crime Survey (BCS) and police recorded crime statistics are complementary series, and together these two sources provide a more comprehensive picture of household and personal crime than could be obtained from either series alone.
The main purpose of the BCS is to give a count of crime that includes those incidents that are not reported to the police, or not recorded by them. As such, the BCS asks victims whether an incident had been reported to the police, or whether the police came to know about it another way, and is therefore able to estimate reporting rates. Overall, the 2006-07 BCS estimated that more than half of crimes are never reported to the police. Reporting rates are reported at a national level and published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Crime in England and Wales. See
Driving Under Influence: Drugs
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1066W, on driving under influence: drugs, when the Forensic Science Service will complete the specification for a roadside drug screening device. [186020]
Mr. Coaker: The specification must set realistic requirements to ensure reliability and lead to a device that the police will find helpful. The continuing identification of issues has delayed issue of the specification, but we hope to reach a conclusion shortly on how best to proceed.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1066W, on driving under influence: drugs, what progress manufacturers are making towards preparing a roadside drug screening device; when they are expected to submit a device for type approval; and how long the type approval process is expected to take. [186021]
Mr. Coaker:
Manufacturers and our advisers remain in contact over what should be required in a device that could be submitted for type approval. The development
of such a device is a matter for the manufacturers The future time scale will depend on how quickly they can finalise and submit a device once a specification is available, how well the device performs, how quickly they can make any necessary adjustments and how soon they can put them on the market.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1066W, on driving under influence: drugs, what progress has been made by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch in its investigation into developing an impairment measuring device. [186022]
Mr. Coaker: The HO Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB), in consultation with the Department for Transport, continues to discuss possible improvements to the field impairment test currently used by the police. A review of published scientific data originating from research in Australia into alternative impairment cues has been completed. Discussions regarding suitability of any further tests to meet the operational requirement and practical application are being undertaken. HOSDB continues to investigate a possible impairment measuring device through established contacts working in this area. Opportunities for partnership with a suitable university or other outside agency continue to be sought.
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