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23 Feb 2009 : Column 339W—continued
Paralympic Games 2012: Transport
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions her Office has had with transport providers serving the Olympic venue on access to their services by paralympians; and what funding is being made to these transport providers to ensure that paralympians can use these services to access the venue; and if she will make a statement. [257279]
Tessa Jowell: Provision of accessible transport was one of the major strengths in London’s bid to host the Games—not just for athletes but also for spectators, with a fully-accessible network of buses, black cabs and the DLR to the heart of the Games in Stratford.
The Accessible Transport Strategy (appendix 2), published in June 2008, lists those organisations that worked with the ODA to produce this document, and who will help deliver our commitment to accessible transport provision.
The ODA is also making financial contributions, alongside existing TfL funding plans, to a wide range of transport upgrade works which include improved accessibility works. Five London underground stations have been identified as serving Olympic venues—Stratford, West Ham, Southfields, Baker Street, Green Park—and works are under way to make all of these accessible by the summer of 2012. Already, all DLR stations, buses (excluding heritage routes), and black cabs are accessible.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will deliver accessible transport for athletes, officials and the Paralympic Family from their accommodation to competition venues in 2012. LOCOG is entering a phase of detailed operational planning, and has already started talking to specialist operators with experience in the provision of transport for disabled athletes.
Justice
Approved Premises: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to establish bail hostels in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire. [256492]
Mr. Hanson: I take the hon. Gentleman to be referring to the accommodation and support service for bail and home detention curfew provided to NOMS by ClearSprings. The service does not provide hostels. There are no plans to have a property in Hemel Hempstead. There is one property in Cheshunt and one property is to be provided in Stevenage.
Civil Servants: Codes of Practice
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) with reference to the answer of 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2632W, on trade unions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the section of his Department's staff handbook which outlines the rules for civil servants applying for (a) paid and (b) unpaid time off to engage in political activities; [250544]
(2) with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 1673W, on trades unions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement with trades unions under which trades unions officers in his Department may take time off for trades' unions duties. [250100]
Mr. Straw: The rules for civil servants in the Ministry of Justice (Mo J) applying for (a) paid and (b) unpaid time off to engage in political activities is contained within the respective Special Leave policies for National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the MoJ.
The rules as to whether civil servants are allowed to take part in political activities is contained within the respective conduct policies for NOMS and the MoJ.
The agreements with the trade unions under which trade union officers may take time off for trade union duties is contained in a number of facility time agreements which are currently under review.
These documents have been placed in the Library of the House.
Civil Partnerships
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in respect of which countries are registers of (a) same-sex marriages and (b) legal partnerships recognised in the UK. [255825]
Maria Eagle: Overseas same sex legal partnerships can also be recognised as UK civil partnerships if they meet the ‘general conditions’ outlined in section 212 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
(a) Same sex marriages from the following countries are ‘automatically’ recognised as civil partnerships in the UK:
Belgium
Canada
Netherlands
Spain
USA (Massachusetts)
(b) The following other kinds of overseas legal partnership are also ‘automatically’ recognised as civil partnerships:
Andorra: unió estable de parella
Australia (Tasmania): significant relationship
Belgium: cohabitation légale (statutory cohabitation)
Canada (Nova Scotia): domestic partnership
Canada (Quebec): civil union
Denmark: registreret partnerskab (registered partnership)
Finland: rekisteröity parisuhde (registered partnership)
France: pacte civile de solidarité (civil solidarity pact)
Germany: Lebenspartnerschaft (life partnership)
Iceland: stadfesta samvist (confirmed cohabitation)
Luxembourg: the relationship referred to as partenariat enregistré or eingetragene partnerschaft
Netherlands: geregistreerde partnerschap (registered partnership)
New Zealand: civil union
Norway: registrert partnerskap (registered partnership)
Sweden: registrerat partnerskap (registered partnership)
USA (California): domestic partnership
USA (Connecticut): civil union
USA (Maine): domestic partnership
USA (New Jersey): domestic partnership
USA (Vermont): civil union
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which overseas countries civil partnerships entered into in the UK are recognised. [255826]
Maria Eagle: The Government do not hold definitive information on which overseas countries recognise UK civil partnerships, or under what terms. The laws of other countries are subject to change without notice, and in some cases can be ambiguous.
We are aware of the difficulties UK civil partners living in countries where their legal relationship status is not recognised can face, and where appropriate, we are working with those countries to achieve recognition.
Constituencies
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert
Neill) of 10 March 2008, Official Report, column 150W, on constituencies, what progress has been made on the review of legislation on boundary rules; and what the timetable for consultation with political parties is. [258057]
Mr. Wills: It remains our intention that the current legislation in relation to the conduct of parliamentary boundary reviews will be the subject of an independent review. The arrangements for the conduct of the review are still under consideration. Consultation with interested bodies will be a matter for the review once it is established.
Coroners: Oxfordshire
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the (a) average and (b) longest time it took for a coroner to hold a treasure inquest once requested for finds from Oxfordshire in 2007; and if he will make a statement. [257254]
Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice collects statistics on the number of finds under the Treasure Act 1996 reported to coroners in England and Wales during each calendar year, the number of treasure inquests concluded during the year and, of these, the number of verdicts of treasure returned. Information is not collected on the time taken to conduct treasure inquests.
Informal figures are, however, collated by the British Museum, which records the time between the inquest being requested by the British Museum and a verdict being returned. These show that in 2007, the British Museum requested that the Oxfordshire coroner hold seven treasure inquests. The longest time between an inquest being requested and a verdict being returned was 525 days, while the other six ranged in duration from 77 days to 423 days. A statistical average based on such a small number of cases would be very volatile and heavily dependent on the particular circumstances of each case.
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [256043]
Mr. Wills: Display energy certificates (DECs) and advisory reports issued for public buildings are not held centrally in respect of Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and all its agencies. To commission copies of (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports, to be placed in the Library for over 500 buildings, with the associated costs of copying, postage and staff time to complete the work could be done only at disproportionate cost. Accordingly, MOJ will not be placing these in the Library.
The DEC ratings for MOJ buildings completed as at October 2008 can be found in the OGC Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate—Government Delivery Plan Update, published on 18 December 2008, a copy of which can be found at:
Annex B of the plan provides the relevant information on MOJ DECs.
Departmental Data Protection
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many members of staff have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones in each year since 1997. [247960]
Mr. Straw: The Ministry has taken decisive action to improve data handling including minimising the amount of data put on removable media, encryption programmes for data and mobile devices that carry personal protected data and the introduction of training and education programmes to improve staff awareness of information risks.
Government take data security very seriously, which is why a report into data handling procedures across Government was commissioned and new measures to improve and strengthen controls in the protection of personal data were introduced.
Under paragraph 2.8 of the Data Handling Report published in June 2008, all Departments are required to amend HR processes where necessary to make clear that failing to apply controls in handling personal data could amount to gross misconduct, and this has been reflected in the Ministry’s revised Discipline Policy issued in July 2008.
In the Ministry of Justice, excluding the National Offender Management Service, details of the number of staff investigated for losing memory sticks, laptops, desktop computers and mobile telephones are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on suspensions is not held to include the level of detail requested by this question. Central records only exist from 2003 and indicate that no members of staff have been dismissed for losing IT equipment. The central records from 2003 to 2005 do not include details of dismissals from the Magistrates Courts Committees, and these records are not held centrally.
In the Ministry of Justice National Offender Management Service, details of the numbers of staff investigated or suspended for losing memory sticks, laptops, desktop computers and mobile telephones are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information regarding the outcome of disciplinary proceedings shows that no members of staff have been dismissed since January 2005 for the aforementioned offences. However, formal disciplinary action was taken against one member of staff during 2005 following the loss of a laptop.
Departmental Databases
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of maintaining the databases owned and managed by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008. [256153]
Mr. Wills: The Department has more than 70 major database systems, as well as other smaller database systems supporting local business areas.
Responsibility for maintaining the accuracy of data held in individual databases rests with the appropriate
business area. As this is not a centrally managed function, the information required to answer this question fully could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department were disciplined for (a) bullying and (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years. [254079]
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department and its predecessors were disciplined for (a) bullying and (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years. [257752]
Mr. Wills: Harassment is defined in the MOJ conduct policy as:
“unwanted behaviour which affects a person’s dignity. It can relate to age, sex, race, disability, religion, nationality or any other personal characteristic of the individual and may be continuous or a one-off incident.”
Bullying is not specifically defined by law, but may be seen as a form of harassment. Bullying could consist of:
offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour;
persistent unwarranted criticism; and
exclusion and ostracising.
In the Ministry of Justice there are three levels of sanction in disciplinary cases. They are first written warning, final written warning and dismissal.
The Ministry of Justice, HMPS and NOMS do not hold the information centrally in the format requested and can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, validated records of dismissals for the MOJ (excluding HMPS and NOMS) are held centrally. The following table details the number of dismissals in the last three years.
| Bullying | Harassment | |
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