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25 Mar 2009 : Column 404W—continued
Banks: Finance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what restrictions (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Services Authority have placed on the use of public money used to recapitalise British banks to provide loans made by banking subsidiaries of those banks operating outside the United Kingdom. [259863]
Ian Pearson: On 8 October 2008 the Government announced measures to support the stability of the financial system, protect ordinary savers, depositors, businesses and borrowers, and to safeguard the interests of the taxpayer.
As part of their investment, the Government agreed with the banks supported by the recapitalisation scheme a range of commitments. Details are available at
The Government’s investment is managed on a commercial basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd. (UKFI), a company which is wholly owned by the Government. Its overarching objectives are to protect and create value for the taxpayer as a shareholder, with due regard to financial stability and acting in a way that promotes competition.
Borrowing: Insurance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent complaints his Department has received from recipients of financial loans regarding payment protection insurance; and what recent investigations the Financial Services Authority has carried out on reported mis-selling of payment protection insurance on loans. [265594]
Ian Pearson: The Department has not received any complaints from recipients of financial loans regarding payment protection insurance in 2009.
The second part of the question, on recent investigations, is a matter for the Financial Services Authority, and I have asked them to reply to the hon. Member.
Departmental Databases
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) records and (b) data categories there are in (i) the pay as you earn database, (ii) the Self Assessment database, (iii) the Tax Credits database, (iv) the Employment Framework, (v) the Citizen Identification Framework, (vi) the Primary and Secondary Tracking Framework, (vii) the National Insurance Recording system and (vii) the Child Benefit system. [265739]
Mr. Timms: The following table shows the number of records within the identified systems. There are many data categories of different kinds within each of the identified systems. A count of them all could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
| Number (million) | |
| (1) Individuals (2) Employers (3) Employments | |
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 585W, which Ministers attended each of the three courses; what the names of the courses were; and how much these courses cost. [265666]
Angela Eagle: As previously answered, identifying Ministers who undertake training would, or would be likely to, discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development. Ministers have undertaken one Action Learning Set course and two media training courses. As previously disclosed, the cost of the three courses was £1,285.
Financial Services Authority: Standards
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many firms did not meet the Financial Services Authority’s December 2008 Treating Customers Fairly scheme deadline; and what steps the authority took as a consequence; [265922]
(2) what criteria the Financial Services Authority used to determine whether a firm used unfair arrears management practice in its Treating Customers Fairly scheme; [265924]
(3) how many Arrow assessments the Financial Services Authority has (a) conducted to date and (b) planned for 2009 under its Treating Customers Fairly scheme; [265925]
(4) what mechanisms are in place to deal with firms which did not meet the Financial Services Authority’s December 2008 deadline for its Treating Customers Fairly scheme; [265926]
(5) which firms are on the Financial Services Authority’s Arrow Firm watch list; and how many have had (a) one assessment, (b) two assessments, (c) three assessments, (d) four assessments and (e) more than five assessments since the implementation of the Authority’s Treating Customers Fairly scheme; [265927]
(6) what review processes are used in an Arrow assessment by the Financial Services Authority; [265928]
(7) what estimate he has made of the number of customers dealt with by firms that did not comply with the Financial Services Authority’s Treating Customers Fairly scheme in each of the last three years; [265929]
(8) what estimate he has made of the number of customers dealt with by firms on the Financial Services Authority’s Arrow firm watch list in each of the last three years; [265930]
(9) how many (a) mainstream and (b) specialist lenders have been subject to Financial Services Authority investigation of their arrears management practices in each of the last three years; and how many were subsequently penalised; [265931]
(10) how many (a) mainstream and (b) specialist lenders were under supervision by the Financial Services Authority over their arrears management practices in each of the last three years; [265932]
(11) how many (a) mainstream and (b) specialist lenders have not met the Financial Services Authority’s Treating Customers Fairly scheme conditions since the scheme’s inception; [265933]
(12) what the targets to assess a firm’s compliance with the Financial Services Authority’s Treating Customers Fairly scheme are. [265934]
Ian Pearson: The matters raised in these questions are the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority, whose day to day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I have asked the FSA to write to the hon. Member.
Public Works Loan Board
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2009, Official Report, column 420W, on the Public Works Loan Board, how much local authority debt borrowed from the Public Works Loan Board has been repaid in each of the last 18 months. [265872]
Angela Eagle: The amount of Public Works Loan Board debt repaid in each of the 18 months from 1 September 2007 is listed as follows:
| £ | |
| Date | Total repayments |
Quantitative Easing
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what purposes his Department plans to use the £75 billion of Bank of England gilt purchases. [265652]
Ian Pearson: The Government’s annual financing requirement is unaffected by purchases of gilts by the Bank of England. The impact of the Bank of England’s purchases of gilts, which are bought by the Bank on the secondary market, is to increase the volume of gilts that are held by the Bank of England’s Asset Purchase Facility Fund (BEAPFF) and to increase cash in the hands of the entities that have sold the gilts
Trident
Nick Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department’s Major Projects Review Group is expected to complete its review of the future nuclear deterrent capability programme. [264970]
Yvette Cooper: Major Projects Review Group reviews are timetabled to suit the overall timetable of the project being reviewed. The Major Projects Review Group is expected to review the future nuclear deterrent programme in the second half of 2009. Each review takes approximately six to eight weeks to complete.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer Question 244470, on the Modernisation Fund, tabled on 11 December 2008. [265552]
Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Member and apologise for the delay.
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer Question 242249, on staff severance packages, tabled on 5 December 2008. [265557]
Angela Eagle: I have now done so.
Justice
Alternatives to Prison: Finance
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for custody diversion teams was in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2007-08, (c) 2006-07 and (d) 2005-06. [258339]
Mr. Straw: The Government believe that serious, dangerous and seriously persistent offenders should be sent to prison. A range of initiatives offer alternatives to custody where appropriate. None bears the name ‘custody diversion team’.
The Youth Justice Board runs two programmes delivering high intensity community alternatives to custody for young offenders under 18 years of age. These are the intensive supervision and surveillance programme (ISSP) and the intensive fostering (IF) programme. ISSP is available nationally; intensive fostering is being piloted in a programme that commenced in 2006-07. The budget for these programmes is listed in the table.
| Budgets for intensive supervision and surveillance (ISSP) and intensive fostering (IF) programmes 2005-06 to 2008-09 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Programme | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 |
The seven intensive alternative to custody (IAC) projects, outlined in my announcement on 5 December 2007, provide courts with enhanced community sentencing options, combining intensive supervision and demanding interventions to punish and reform adult offenders. The projects are designed to use current legislation to maximise the use of the community order in those cases where the court may be considering custody but where a community sentence may be more effective in reducing reoffending. The Government have made available a total of £13.9 million over three years (£2.7 million in 2008-09; £5.5 million in 2009-10 and £5.7 million in 2010-11).
Adult offenders sentenced to Community Payback have, since 1 December 2008, been required to wear distinctive high visibility clothing to ensure that members of the public are aware when Community Payback by offenders is taking place. Intensive Community Payback of a minimum of 18 hours per week over three days is
now available in all probation areas for unemployed offenders convicted of knife crime offences.
The Government announced on 13 February 2009 investment of £15.6 million over two years to divert vulnerable women, who are not serious or dangerous offenders, from custody.
There are other related strands of work including the Bail Accommodation and Support Service and mental health services.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2009, Official Report, columns 740-1W, which Ministers in his Department attended the six action learning set training courses; and how much those courses cost. [265668]
Mr. Wills:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice) and my noble Friend, Lord
Hunt of Kings Heath, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice attended the six action learning set courses, at a total cost of £1,400.
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