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27 Mar 2008 : Column 351W—continued
Fisheries: Compensation
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by his Department to provide for compensation to inshore fishermen whose fishing grounds are affected by the construction of offshore wind farms; and if he will make a statement. [196234]
Jonathan Shaw: Compensation is a commercial matter and not for Government intervention. Wind farm developers engage directly with local fishing associations to agree a fair compensation package when their proposed developments are likely to have an impact on local fishermen.
Before any construction can commence, however, wind farm developers have to obtain a range of licences and consents. These include a licence under the Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) from the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA).
The MFA will assess the impact of the proposed development on local fishing grounds before deciding whether to issue a FEPA licence. If a licence is granted, it will include a range of conditions to protect the marine environment, including fisheries. Some of these will be site specific. However, all licences stipulate that a suitably qualified fisheries liaison officer be appointed to maintain effective communications between fishermen, the licence holder and contractors.
Pollution Control: Construction
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the quantity of ozone-depleting substances in building; and what amount of ozone-depleting emissions has come from this source since 2000. [195933]
Mr. Woolas: The UK does not hold any reliable figures for the quantity of ozone-depleting substances found in insulating foams which are used in the building sector.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to implement EC Regulation 2037/2000 as it applies to the disposal of ozone-depleting substances found in foam in buildings. [195934]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA has had recent discussions with industry experts about the scope for greater recovery and destruction of ozone-depleting substances found in building foams. Recovery of ozone-depleting substances from building foams is one of the issues being considered as part of a wider review by the European Commission of EC Regulation 2037/2000.
Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007, Official Report, column 1278W, which marine protected areas were not included in the list of areas provided but counted within the total of 180 sites reported in the Government’s response to the Science and Technology Committee report Investigating the Oceans HC (2006-07) 470. [196218]
Jonathan Shaw: The information supplied to the Science and Technology Committee on around 180 marine protected areas differs from that given in the answer of 5 December 2007, Official Report, column 1278W, because of ambiguity in the definition of what constitutes a ‘marine’ site.
Habitats are considered to be ‘marine’ if they are covered (continuously or intermittently) by the sea. However, terrestrial sites can also be considered to have marine elements and interpretation of this criterion may lead to differences in reported figures.
Tree Preservation Orders: Guildford
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2008, Official Report, column 1130W, on tree preservation orders: Guildford, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter of comfort produced by his Department in relation to disposal of the Epsom Road site. [196075]
Joan Ruddock: In my answer of 25 February 2008, Official Report, column 1130W, no mention was made of a comfort letter in respect of Tree Preservation Orders. However, if following the identification by the council of those trees from the joint survey considered worthy of protection, the Department considers such a letter necessary for the interim preservation of trees pending the sale, I see no reason not to publish said letter in the House of Commons Library.
Justice
Alternatives to Prison
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who (a) funds and (b) runs community-based options for substance misuse as alternatives to custody sentences. [196533]
Mr. Hanson: Combined funding from the Department of Health, Home Office and Ministry of Justice known as the pooled treatment budget (PTB) for drug treatment services is allocated annually to drug action team partnerships (DATs). Funding from PTB allocations is supplemented by mainstream funding from the national health service.
The Ministry of Justice contribution (£22 million in the current financial year) pays for the treatment and testing required to deliver the drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) which is the main delivery route for drug interventions within community sentences and is one of 12 requirements available as part of a community order. The overall sentence is supervised and delivered by the national probation service. The treatment is commissioned locally in partnership with the drug action teams (DATs) and is delivered by a range of voluntary and public-sector treatment providers. The national probation service also delivers accredited cognitive behavioural programmes for substance misusers.
Drug action teams receive additional funding—some £110 million in 2008-09—from the Home Office to support delivery of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). DIP works with drug-misusing offenders to move them out of crime and into treatment. While the programme is not a formal alternative to custody its emphasis is on working with offenders, particularly in the community, from their earliest point of contact with the criminal justice system.
Courts: Security
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what minimum level of training is required for security staff in courts; and if he will make a statement. [196528]
Maria Eagle: Security in courts is provided by designated court security officers, appointed by the Lord Chancellor who devolves this power to the Chief Executive of Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS).
The training requirements for court security officers is set out in the Court Security Officers (Designation) Regulations 2005 which were made by the Lord Chancellor exercising the powers conferred on him by section 51 of the Courts Act 2003.
Under these regulations, before a person is designated as a court security officer, he must provide evidence that he has completed training courses in the following:
(a) the duties and powers of a court security officer;
(b) risk assessment;
(c) safe working practices;
(d) managing stress when dealing with threatening situations; and
(e) techniques for restraining a person and removing them from the building.
In addition, security staff in courts are required to follow the guidance provided in the security policy document of Her Majesty's Courts Service: Safe and Secure. This sets out the minimum standards for security in courts according to the function of the separate areas within each building.
Departmental Consultants
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by his Department in 2007-08 on (a) consultants and (b) agency staff. [191951]
Maria Eagle: Expenditure with external consultants since the Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007 is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, from April 2007 until September 2007, the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and those bodies that were formerly part of the Home Office and are now part of the Ministry of Justice spent £5.5 million on external consultants.
The use of agency staff is devolved to separate business areas within the Ministry of Justice. The following table provides a breakdown of the most current figures held by organisation:
| Organisation | Period | Value (£) |
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether confidential or personal information has been compromised through the loss of property from his Department since 1997. [193448]
Mr. Wills:
Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security.
However, following the publication of the Data Handling Procedures in Government: Interim Progress Report on 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 98WS, all Departments will cover information assurance issues in their annual reports.
Departmental Empty Property
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many vacant properties his Department owns; how many of these have been vacant for longer than (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months; and what the value of each property is. [196290]
Maria Eagle: The Ministry owns one property that has been vacant for longer than three months, three that have been vacant for longer than six months and four that have been vacant for longer than 12 months. The estimated value of each property is set out as follows.
| Value (£) | |||
| Property | Vacant >3 months <6months | Vacant >6 months <12 months | Vacant >12 months |
All the properties are non-residential and are vacant awaiting sale. They are owned by Her Majesty’s Court Service.
In addition, the Prison Service owns residential properties. The number of vacancies varies but it is estimated to be between 25 and 30 at any one time and they are disposed of as soon as is practicable. Details of vacancies are not held centrally. Each individual prison establishment would need to be contacted to establish the exact number of vacancies, which would be at disproportionate cost to the Ministry.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, columns 1203-4W, on departmental ICT, when he expects to publish the detailed and assured delivery plans. [196152]
Maria Eagle: An announcement on the delivery plan for Prison NOMIS project is expected by the end of April following the conclusion of commercial negotiations which are currently under way. Delivery plans for the other NOMIS programme constituent projects will follow after commercial negotiations specific to them are complete.
Departmental Pensions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of staff in his Department were making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions in each of the last two years. [193560]
Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007.
In February 2007, 32,589 staff were employed in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs, including the Adjudicator to HM Land Registry (staff), the Judicial Appointments Commission and the Legal Services Ombudsman. A total of 175 staff were contributing to recognised Additional Voluntary Contribution, partnership and stakeholder pension schemes. This total represents 0.54 per cent. of employees.
In February 2008, the Ministry of Justice—including HM Prison Service, the National Offender Management Service, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, the Youth Justice Board, the Parole Board, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and the National Probation Service employed 87,897 staff, of which 875 staff were contributing to recognised Additional Voluntary Schemes, partnership and stakeholder pension schemes. This total represents 0.99 per cent. of employees.
Marriage: Wales
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when legislative changes to eligibility for marriage in the Church of England will be implemented in Wales. [196160]
Mr. Wills: Changes to the rules on where people can marry in the Church of Wales are a matter for that Church to propose. The Church in Wales is disestablished and a separate member of the Anglican Communion from the Church of England. Church of England Measures cannot extend to the Church in Wales.
Offenders: Deportation
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of foreign nationals sentenced to custody was recommended by the sentencing court for deportation on completion of sentence in each of the last 10 years. [187105]
Mr. Hanson: Information on what proportion of foreign nationals sentenced to custody were recommended by the sentencing court for deportation on completion of their sentence in each of the last 10 years is not available.
However, over 4,200 foreign national prisoners have been removed or deported from the UK in 2007.
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