Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 20 November 2008
Prime Minister
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent press officers (a) work and (b) provide assistance for his Office. [236649]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 1 May 2008, Official Report, column 624W.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff were employed by his Office in 2007-08; and how many staff were employed by his predecessor's office in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07. [236748]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 1 May 2008, Official Report, column 624W, and the answer I gave the hon. Members for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) and for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 15 October 2007, Official Report, column 819W. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) on 11 October 2006, Official Report, column 2036W and the answer given to the hon. Member the for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 163-4W.
Departmental Television
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether the television licence fee in his official ministerial residence is paid from public funds. [236658]
The Prime Minister: No. My television licence is paid for privately.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Prime Minister how many Questions for written answer were tabled to him and to his predecessor in Session (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2005-06, (e) 2006-07 and (f) 2007-08 to date; and how many were (i) answered substantively and (ii) not answered on grounds of disproportionate cost. [235385]
The Prime Minister: The information requested is a matter of public record and is available in the Official Report.
Energy
Mr. Hague: To ask the Prime Minister when the London meeting on energy referred to in his recent speech in Abu Dhabi is scheduled to take place; what the objective of the meeting will be; and whether representatives of all OPEC member states have been invited. [236379]
The Prime Minister: The London Energy Ministerial Meeting is due to take place on 19 December. The objective of the meeting will be to enhance the dialogue between the major oil producing and consuming countries, in order to improve the functioning of the oil market. A theme of the meeting will be ‘Oil and the World Economy’. All countries who attended the Jeddah meeting in June, including all OPEC oil Ministers, together with the European Commission and the OPEC, IEA and IEF Secretariats have been invited.
Political Office: Telephones
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) of 8 October 2008, Official Report, column 618W, on political office: furniture, how many Downing street Political Office staff have telephones provided at the public expense. [233396]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) on 8 October 2008, Official Report, column 618W.
Shrewsbury
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Shrewsbury. [237017]
The Prime Minister: I have no current plans to do so.
World Economy
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he made at the summit convened by President Bush on reform of the global economy in Washington on 15 November 2008; if he will post on his departmental website all papers submitted to the summit by participating nations; and which Ministers and officials accompanied him to the meeting. [237101]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 17 November 2008, Official Report, columns 21-24.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Internet
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for which Government websites his Department is responsible; how many visitors each received in the last period for which figures are available; and what the cost of maintaining each site was in that period. [235040]
Paul Goggins: The number of visitors and the maintenance costs of the Government websites for which my Department is responsible are detailed in the following tables.
| 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 | ||
| Website | Number of visitors | Cost of m aintaining (£) |
|
Northern Ireland Office www.nio.gov.uk | ||
|
Forensic Service Northern Ireland www.fsni.gov.uk | ||
|
Youth Justice Agency www.youthjusticeagencyni.gov.uk | ||
|
Compensation Agency www.compensationni.gov.uk | ||
|
Northern Ireland Prison service www.niprisonservice.gov.uk | ||
| 1 January 2008 to date | ||
| Website | Number of visitors | Cost of m aintaining (£) |
|
Organised Crime Task Force www.octf.gov.uk | ||
Drugs: Convictions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of drug-related offences in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [237454]
Paul Goggins: The following table outlines the number of convictions for drug-related offences for the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest years available).
Conviction data are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
| Convictions for drug-related offences 2004-06 | |
| Number | |
Drugs: Sentencing
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average sentence handed down by the courts in Northern Ireland for (a) possession of and (b) dealing in drugs was in each of the last five years. [237389]
Paul Goggins: The following table gives the number convicted, number sentenced to immediate custody and the average custodial sentence length (in months) for unlawful possession of and unlawful dealing in drugs.
Data cover the calendar years 2002 to 2006, the latest available years, and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
| Table: Number convicted, number sentenced to immediate custody and the average custodial sentence length (in months) given for unlawful possession and unlawful dealing in drugs 2002-2006 | |||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Disabled
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of new police officer recruits who joined the Police Service of Northern Ireland since November 2001 declared themselves as having a disability at the time of joining. [227417]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the (a) Government and (b) armed forces have held discussions with the Taliban in Afghanistan during 2008. [236212]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 17 November 2008]: The UK’s position remains as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out to Parliament on 12 December 2007, Official Report, column 305; we will not negotiate with the Taliban.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for Harriers undertaking a night commitment in Afghanistan. [236788]
Mr. Hutton: Given the nature of the campaign in Afghanistan, there is a requirement for 24 hours per day air cover for NATO ground forces. This is a mission to which Harrier, as an all-weather day-night capable aircraft, is well suited.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of (a) 9,000 US combat troops and (b) a second US operated runway on command and control in Helmand province. [236995]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 18 November 2008]: We welcomed President Bush’s announcement on 9 September 2008 of the deployment of an additional Battalion and
a Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan. Some elements of the additional Battalion are already operating in Helmand Province under the command and control of HQISAF. Plans for the additional Brigade Combat Team have yet to be finalised. We are not aware of any plans for the United States to operate a runway in Helmand Province.
Armed Forces: Compensation
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) shortest and (b) longest length of time has been between a soldier being killed in action and the standard payment following a death in action being paid to the bereaved family in the last 12 months. [234978]
Mr. Kevan Jones [holding answer 11 November 2008]: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Families
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent Armed Forces Families’ Attitude Survey. [237808]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 November 2008, Official Report, column 416W.
Armed Forces: Young People
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how frequently he receives reports updating the progress-tracking grid on implementation of measures proposed by the Defence Select Committee, the Adult Learning Inspectorate and the Blake Review; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent update report. [236714]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Ministers are briefed orally at least twice yearly on progress relating to the issues raised in reports by the Defence Select Committee, the adult learning inspectorate and previously Nicholas Blake, QC by senior members of each service and officials. The recommendations from the reports have been grouped into 26 subject areas which are open to regular review through audit, inspection and evaluation and other prompts such as policy updates, legislative change and research. Consequently, while issues might be regarded as having been addressed through specific actions, the subject areas remain open and enduring as routine business.
To ensure that change is enduring, effort is now increasingly focused on developing a culture of continuous improvement. Following publication of the ALI “Better Training” report in 2007, Ofsted is now engaged in inspection of recruiting and training, judging progress on care and welfare issues and providing a view on how well self-assessment at unit level is contributing to continuous improvement. Ofsted is due to complete its first report in spring 2009; this will be published and copies placed in the Library of the House.
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