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24 Nov 2008 : Column 858W—continued
Wood: Smuggling
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many seizures of illegal timber imports have been made in each year since 1997. [233423]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Under current UK law it is not illegal to import timber which was illegally felled, processed or transported in another country provided the actual importation is legal. The UK Government cannot institute legal proceedings in the UK relating to a breach or breaches of sovereign laws in another country, with one exception.
The exception is CITES—the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. As a CITES signatory, the UK Government have the legal powers to seize timber or timber products containing a CITES—listed species imported without the correct CITES paperwork. Information on any such seizures is not held by core-DEFRA and should be obtained from HMRC as the relevant central Government Department.
Justice
Appeals Service: Standards
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what national targets have been set for the Appeals Service; and what the performance of the relevant offices in South Devon was against those targets in 2007-08. [237938]
Bridget Prentice: The social security and child support performance data is collected on a Tribunals Service regional only basis with South Devon falling under the Wales and South Western Region. Data is not recorded by venue and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
In 2007-08, the following national targets, and the Wales and South Western Region performance against the target, are as follows:
75 per cent. of hearings to take place within 14 weeks of receipt; ‘overall performance 88 per cent.’
85 per cent. of rehearings returned from the Social Security Commissioner following the appeal against the original tribunal to be heard within eight weeks; ‘overall performance 85 per cent.’
10 per cent. average of ‘live load’ that will be over 20 weeks; ‘overall average 8 per cent.’
Approved Premises
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child sex offenders are currently managed in one of the 101 probation approved premises. [237728]
Mr. Hanson: The number of child sex offenders accommodated in the 101 approved premises in England and Wales will vary at any one time. Statistical information about the type of offences committed by offenders residing in approved premises at any one time is not collected centrally, although the offenders’ assessed level of risk of harm at the point of admission is.
Approved premises provide for enhanced and effective supervision of certain offenders which would be much more difficult to achieve if such offenders were dispersed into less suitable accommodation in the community.
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many classified dangerous or very dangerous offenders are currently managed in one of the 101 probation approved premises. [237729]
Mr. Hanson: The terms "dangerous" or "very dangerous" are not designated terms for the description of offenders admitted to and supervised in approved premises. At the end of September 2008, 66 AP residents (3.6 per cent.) were assessed as presenting a very high risk of serious harm and 1,348 (73.5 per cent.) were assessed as presenting a high risk of serious harm.
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child sex offenders have been managed in one of the 101 probation-approved premises in each of the last three years. [237730]
Mr. Hanson:
The number of child sex offenders accommodated in approved premises will vary at any one time. Statistical information about the type of offences
committed by offenders residing in approved premises at any one time is not collected centrally, although offenders’ assessed level of risk of harm at the point of admission is.
Approved premises provide for enhanced and effective supervision of certain offenders which would be much more difficult to achieve if such offenders were dispersed into less suitable accommodation in the community.
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child sex offenders living in approved premises committed further sex offences whilst a resident in each of the last three years. [237731]
Mr. Hanson: The National Offender Management Service collects data about serious further offences committed by offenders who are under any form of supervision by the Probation Service. The available data covers all AP residents whose index offence was of a sexual nature but does not specify whether that index offence was a sexual offence against a child. Figures for the number of sex offenders convicted of a serious further offence of a sexual nature while residing in an approved premises are as follows:
| Number of sex offenders convicted | |
| (1 )With one offender charged with an offence of a sexual nature and still awaiting trial. (2 )As of 22 November 2008. | |
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the minimum level of training is that a probation area requires of staff working in approved premises. [238057]
Mr. Hanson: The minimum level of training for probation area staff working in approved premises will vary according to grade, role, responsibility, and also from area to area. Probation officers are trained to degree level and probation support officers to NVQ or equivalent level.
All staff working in approved premises are required to be competent for their duties, and the majority of staff will therefore be trained in some or all of the following subjects: risk of harm assessment; pro-social modelling; motivational interviewing; ‘living here moving on’ (LiHMO); health, safety (including fire training) and first aid; mental health issues; suicide and self- harm prevention; diversity and equality; drug and alcohol awareness; dealing with violence and aggression (including physical ‘breakaway’ techniques); working with sex offenders; domestic violence awareness; group work; enhanced regimes; teamworking; keyworking; and management and leadership.
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many deaths of residents in approved premises have been recorded in each of the last five years. [238058]
Mr. Hanson: The number of residents of approved premises who have died in each year for the last five years are:
| Number | |
Up to 2006, the figures were collated by calendar year; since April 2006 they have been collated on a financial year basis instead.
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many approved premises have not introduced double working night levels. [238059]
Mr. Hanson: Double waking night cover was introduced in approved premises in 2006. Eight out of 101 APs are not currently operating double waking night cover. These eight operate a system of single waking night cover with another member of staff sleeping on the premises, who may be called to duty, should the need arise.
Double waking night cover is the expected norm, although there are justifiable exceptions. We will shortly be issuing new instructions that will allow alternative arrangements to be used, provided they have been risk-assessed, provide equivalent levels of staff safety and public protection and have involved consultation with local staff representatives, directors of offender management and ministers.
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether a national record is kept of violent incidents against staff working in approved premises. [238060]
Mr. Hanson: Incidents of violence and abusive behaviour against probation staff are recorded locally but not collated nationally. However, we are considering introducing a national reporting requirement in conjunction with the safer custody initiative.
Cemeteries
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the recommendations made by the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee in its Eighth Report of Session 2000-01, HC 91, on cemeteries, have been implemented; and what progress has been made on implementing the other recommendations accepted by the Government. [237551]
Bridget Prentice: The Government Response (Cm 5281) made clear that the great majority of the Select Committee's 41 recommendations had or would be implemented. In particular, an advisory stakeholder group has been established, and we have published the results of a survey of burial grounds, the Government response to public consultation on burial law reform, and guidance for burial ground managers. I intend to publish guidance on the management of memorial safety shortly and expect to make an announcement early next year about the provision and maintenance of burial grounds and proposals for amendments to existing burial legislation. I will write to my hon. Friend with details of the progress made on each recommendation.
Christmas
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in the last 12 months. [237483]
Maria Eagle: The first year that a Ministry of Justice Christmas card was produced was 2007 and 6,000 cards were ordered at a cost of 34p each, totalling £2,040. These cards were produced internally and were not centrally funded. Each business area covered the costs of the cards they ordered from their stationery budgets.
The order for cards for 2008 has not yet commenced.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 October 2008, Official Report, columns 742-43W, to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk), which provides information on the spend on Christmas functions in 2007-08.
The cost of trees and decorations for the central London HQ buildings for 2007 is as follows:
Trees—£460.40 + VAT
Decorations—£325.90 + VAT
An order has not yet been placed for 2008 and wherever possible, last year’s decorations will be reused.
The information for agencies can be gathered only at a disproportionate cost, as each individual building would order their own trees and decorations.
Courts: Fees and Charges
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely cost to local authorities resulting from (a) the increase in public law family fees and (b) making those changes retrospective over the next two years. [237596]
Bridget Prentice: Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) calculated the cost of public law family proceedings, was £40 million. The increased fees were set on this basis, and an additional £40 million was built into the local authority settlement for England and Wales. This figure applies to all three years of the settlement and will form part of the baseline for future spending reviews. It is likely to exceed the actual expenditure on court fees for local authorities as it assumes that the maximum fee is payable in each case. It does not allow for any savings arising from early resolution or fast track procedures recently introduced under the revised Public Law Outline.
Fees have not been charged retrospectively.
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many external consultants work for his Department. [235302]
Maria Eagle: In the financial year 2007-08, the Ministry of Justice let contracts for consultancy services with 244 suppliers. The number of individual consultants involved in the delivery of those contracts is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental ICT
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department’s total IT budget was in the last year. [228863]
Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice’s IT expenditure in 2007-08 was £660 million. This includes the cost of running the live operational services across the Ministry, the costs of new IT developments and the transition costs to new IT suppliers for the former Department for Constitutional Affairs.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what IT projects (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies is undertaking; and what the most recent estimate of (i) the cost and (ii) the completion date of each is. [229159]
Maria Eagle: Funding plans for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have not yet been agreed. These will be subject to a further budget review in December 2008, as part of the Ministry’s wider review of all areas of expenditure, including IT projects.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2007-08. [237470]
Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice has no staff solely responsible for branding activity in the Department this year. It is not possible to separate out branding activity from other communications and marketing duties undertaken by staff.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department assist special advisers; and what the cost of employing such staff was in each of the last three years. [237503]
Mr. Straw: In each of the last three years, the Ministry of Justice and the former Department for Constitutional Affairs has employed the services of two special advisers. Each special adviser has the support of one member of administrative grade staff. The cost of these two members of staff was £64,923 in 2005-06; £63,866 in 2006-07; and £45,308 in 2007-08.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department has been in the last 12 months. [238173]
Mr. Straw: There is no provision for Government cars for special advisers in the Ministry of Justice. There has therefore been no cost to the Department.
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