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11 Mar 2009 : Column 455W—continued
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009, Official Report, column 1507W, on legal aid: housing (1) how many applications for acts of assistance relating to housing have been received in 2008-09; and how many such applications have been accepted; [261945]
(2) how much the Legal Services Commission spent on acts of assistance relating to housing in each of the last five years; and how much has been spent in 2008-09 to date on applications for acts of assistance; [261946]
(3) how many new housing matters have been started by the Legal Services Commission in 2008-09; [261947]
(4) what proportion of all applications for (a) civil representations and (b) legal help in 2008-09 to date have been related to housing. [261948]
Mr. Malik: The information requested is currently being collated. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the information becomes available.
Legal Aid: Negligence
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legally-aided clinical negligence cases were closed in the last year for which figures are available; and how many resulted in (a) an award of damages and (b) a settlement involving an agreement to pay (i) damages and (ii) compensation. [262744]
Mr. Malik: The information requested is currently being collated. I will write to the hon. Member once the information becomes available.
Reoffenders: Essex
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders re-offended while on probation in (a) West Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in the last five years. [261770]
Mr. Hanson: The measure of reoffending used to provide National Statistics for England and Wales is not broken down by area. However, newly published data on local adult reoffending (a different measure of reoffending to the national statistics) are broken down by probation area and local authority (upper tier only).
The number of offenders used to calculate the local reoffending rate for the Essex probation area between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2008 is 20,810 and the reoffending rate is 8.19 per cent.
The number of offenders used to calculate the local reoffending rate for the Essex county council area, which excludes the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, is 15,737 and the reoffending rate is 8.20 per cent.
The local measure measures the reoffending of all offenders on the probation caseload, aged 18 or over, at a certain point in time (a “snapshot”), while the national measure covers all offenders commencing a court order under probation supervision or released from custody during the first quarter of the year. Additionally, the local measure allows a three month period for reoffences to be committed, while the national measure allows a year.
The local reoffending figures are produced by aggregating the data of four snapshots of the probation caseload. Therefore the number of offenders quoted above is approximately four times the number of offenders on the caseload at any one time.
A reoffending rate of 8.19 per cent. with a caseload size of 20,810 does not mean that 1,704 different offenders committed a reoffence, as some offenders may have appeared in more than one cohort and reoffended more than once.
It should be noted the probation supervision of some offenders may end during the period while their reoffending is being monitored. Therefore some reoffences may be committed after probation supervision has finished.
For further details please see “Local reoffending results 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008 England and Wales” available at:
This is the first time that reoffending data at the local level have been made available.
The Ministry of Justice does not currently collate reoffending data at the constituency level.
Wetherby Young Offender Institution
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether boys held on red level in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution are permitted to telephone their solicitors during office hours; [261682]
(2) how much outdoor exercise boys in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution are able to take; [261683]
(3) how often boys held on red level in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution have association with other young people; and how long on average they spend alone in their cells each day; [261684]
(4) how often boys held on red level in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution are permitted to telephone their families; [261685]
(5) what the arrangements for providing boys in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution with decent clothing are; [261686]
(6) how often boys held on red level in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution are allowed to have a shower; [261687]
(7) how many boys in each age cohort have been placed on red level in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution in each month since January 2008; and for how long each was on red level. [261688]
Mr. Hanson: Those on red level status have the same access to telephones during office hours as other young people at Wetherby. However like all other young people they are normally engaged in educational or vocational training activities during the core day. If a young person needs to contact his solicitor a member of staff will facilitate it as soon as possible.
During the week, young people walk to their activity areas each day in the fresh air. At weekends, all young people have access to at least one hour's outdoor exercise per day. During the summer months, young people also have access to outdoor exercise in the evenings. In addition there are a large number of outdoor activities as well as horticultural and recycling vocational training. Some physical education activities also take place outdoors.
Young people on red level participate in the whole range of purposeful activities and curriculum. However they do not take part in association with other young people during the evenings or at weekends. Typically, they might expect to be out of their room for approximately 6.75 hours each day during weekdays, although this will vary for each young person.
Young people on red level are permitted to telephone their families at least every other day. However, more frequent contact can be arranged in cases where young people would benefit from it.
Freshly laundered clothing is issued to young people on a weekly basis. They receive five T-shirts, seven pairs of underpants, socks, a gym vest and shorts, two jumpers and two pairs of trousers. Each unit also keeps a stock of clean clothing in case a young person requires an emergency replacement.
48 rooms at Wetherby have a fitted shower providing unlimited access. The vast majority of other young people, including those on red level, have an opportunity to shower daily when they attend physical education activities or during the evening association periods.
The information on numbers of young people placed on red level and the length of time spent on red level is not held in the format requested and would involve the examination of a very large numbers of individual files which would involve disproportionate cost.
Wymott Prison: Manpower
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison staff were employed at HM Prison Wymott (a) before and (b) after the opening of the new residential unit. [262398]
Mr. Hanson:
The residential unit at HM Prison Wymott was opened on 19 September 2008. At 31 August 2008 567 staff were employed in Wymott and at 30 September
2008 573 staff were employed in this establishment. As at 28 February 2009, there were 562 staff employed in this establishment
Culture, Media and Sport
Anniversaries
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria are used by his Department in its decision to mark the anniversary of an occasion; and which anniversaries his Department plans to mark in each of the next three years. [262573]
Barbara Follett: No one Department within Whitehall deals with anniversary events as such. Decisions on commemorating significant occasions or events are taken by Ministers and then the most appropriate Department will take forward the arrangements.
DCMS is responsible within Government for co-ordinating the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph.
Anniversaries for which celebrations are planned by DCMS sponsored bodies include the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, organised by English Heritage, and the 500th anniversary of Henry Vlll’s accession to the throne, organised by Historic Royal Palaces. Both these anniversaries occur in 2009 and plans by the Department, or its sponsored bodies, for the celebration of other major anniversaries will be announced nearer the time.
British Library
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to minimise the possibility of a fire sprinkler malfunction at (a) the British Library and (b) other places where items from the national collection are stored. [261692]
Barbara Follett: Extensive fire and flood prevention and protection measures are built into (a) British Library premises and (b) other places where items from the national collection are stored. The British Library and other places where items from the national collection are stored are aware of the risk to collections from a fire sprinkler malfunction and have accounted for this at design stage and in on-going procedures. In addition, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has a National Security Adviser who can advise and carry out fire and security risk assessments.
Broadcasting: EU Action
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost to business in the UK of implementation of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive; and what the regulatory costs of its predecessor were. [261617]
Andy Burnham: The estimated additional cost of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive is £505,000 per annum plus £250,000 in one-off transition costs.
We set out these costs in the preliminary impact assessments published with our consultation on 31 July 2008. They will fall to be met by the video-on-demand industry, and by non-EU satellite channels uplinked from the UK. They do not take into account the savings to the industry of replacing the current self-regulatory arrangements for video-on-demand services.
Updated impact assessments will be published with the implementing regulations later this year. I have made no estimate of the regulatory costs of the Television Without Frontiers Directive, which preceded the AVMS Directive and was last revised in 1997.
Departmental Detergents
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to ensure that no cleaning products or ingredients of cleaning products used by his Department have been tested on animals. [261131]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department does not use any cleaning products or ingredients that have been tested on animals.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date. [260351]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Costs incurred will be available only when the Department’s resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what risk rating was applied to each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies as part of their recent risk reviews; and what additional discretion has been afforded to those bodies deemed to be low risk. [261622]
Andy Burnham: The risk ratings are an internal tool that we use to guide our day-to-day relationship with each sponsored body. The ratings can change whenever there is a significant change in a body’s activities or in its external environment, therefore we do not publish them.
We will shortly use the risk ratings to delegate greater freedom, where appropriate, for sponsored bodies to undertake capital projects without having to seek approval from Government. We will continue to look for ways of streamlining the framework of checks and controls that applies to low-risk bodies.
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [259963]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department sent 42,170 items of mail in the last 12 months. 100 per cent. were given to the Royal Mail.
Departmental Public Appointments
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has responsibility in the last five years who previously had careers in the banking industry. [261231]
Andy Burnham: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Consultants
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments for (a) polling and (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research Limited since 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement. [261060]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has no records of payments to either Deborah Mattinson or Opinion Leader Research Limited.
Departmental Training
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months. [260639]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Within the last 12 months the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not provided voice coaching courses for any of its employees.
Hotels: Greater London
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of visitor accommodation facilities in London are accredited under the National Quality Accreditation Scheme. [262489]
Barbara Follett: The London Development Agency have advised that, as at February 2009, 57 per cent. of visitor accommodation facilities (rooms) in London are accredited under the national quality accreditation scheme. This includes hostels, campus sites, serviced and self-catering apartments, bed and breakfast establishments/guesthouses, caravan parks, hotels, single rooms and accommodation found through agencies. The figure for hotels alone is 76 per cent. of rooms.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the London Development Agency's funding for increased accreditation of London accommodation under the National Quality Accreditation Scheme has been spent. [262490]
Barbara Follett: The London Development Agency have advised that as at January 2009 they had spent £443,397 promoting quality improvement in London for businesses that provide accommodation.
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