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1 Jun 2009 : Column 184W—continued
Tranquillisers
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has provided scientific advice to the Government on tranquillisers in the last 12 months. [276016]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 18 May 2009]: The chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has not provided scientific advice to the Government on tranquillisers in the last 12 months.
UK Border Agency: Manpower
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed by the UK Border Agency. [276373]
Mr. Woolas: The number of people employed by the UK Border Agency is set out in the following table:
| Area | Full-time equivalent figure |
| (1) Permanent and temporary civil servants. Figure excludes agency workers. (2) This figure contains locally engaged staff who are employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. (3) These figures do not include those transferred from HMRC as they are not, as yet, formally part of the Agency. Sources: 1. ADELPHI personnel system 31 March 2009 2. International Group 1 April 2009 | |
UK Border Agency: Pay
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff earned over (a) £60,000, (b) £80,000 and (c) £100,000 in 2008. [271362]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested is as follows.
104 employees earn between £60,000 and £80,000
20 employees earn between £80,000 and £100,000
1 employees earn over £100,000
United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas visits UK Human Trafficking Centre staff have undertaken in each of the last three years; what the destination was of each such visit; and what the total cost of such visits was. [272050]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 30 April 2009]: Figures for the past three years are not available .
However, since 18 March 2008 UKHTC staff have undertaken 45 trips abroad that have incurred a total expense of £23,760.67.
These trips have been predominantly to European destinations, with other trips to the USA and Saudi Arabia. The purpose of these visits has been to take forward work to progress co-operation on human trafficking with our European and international partners.
This has included operational matters, joint training with the International Organisation of Migration and the Irish police, the launch of the Irish Blue Blindfold campaign and the signature of an intelligence sharing MoU with the US Human Smuggling and Trafficking Centre.
Vetting
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place for payment of compensation to those who lose (a) their post and (b) an opportunity to take up a new post owing to the length of time taken to complete a Criminal Records Bureau check. [276315]
Mr. Coaker: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) does not pay compensation. The payments CRB makes are on an ex gratia basis, as an award to reinforce the sincerity of an apology.
The CRB is bound by the Treasury Guidelines and must endeavour to put all individuals back into the position they would have been but for any maladministration on the part of the Bureau. This scheme is called a Redress Scheme. The CRB awards redress if it has not followed its procedures and it has caused the applicant a loss.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people on the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s list of those prevented from working with children. [276409]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Home Office holds no information on people on the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s list of those prevented from working with children.
Victim Support Schemes
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent work her Department has undertaken with local authorities in the provision of victim support services. [272689]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 6 May 2009]: Support for victims is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice although the Home Office continues to support some specialist services particularly for victims of violent crime.
For example, the Home Office has funded 28 Sexual Assault Referral Centres to provide support to victims of sexual violence and is supporting the national rollout of independent domestic violence advisers, and independent sexual violence advisers, ensuring that this support is available to all victims of these crimes.
The Ministry of Justice is working directly with local authorities to help them improve their response to human trafficking, strengthening the identification and support of victims.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent work her Department has undertaken with local authorities in the provision of rape crisis services. [272688]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 6 May 2009]: The Government expect the majority of funding to the sexual violence voluntary sector to come from local sources as police and health budgets, and area based grants, are devolved to local decision makers who are best placed to assess local needs. However, the Government recognise the ongoing problems experienced by the sexual violence sector in respect of accessing local funding. Officials across Government are working to develop a long-term funding strategy based on research currently under way, and on recommendations made by the Home Office’s Stakeholder Advisory Group on Sexual Violence and Abuse Funding Sub-group.
In order to support services in the short-term, the Minister for Women and Equality announced on 19 March 2009, a £1.6 million special fund to keep open much-needed services by providing grants to specialist sexual violence voluntary organisations.
Work Permits
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU citizens were given the right to work in the United Kingdom in each of the last six months for which figures are available. [254587]
Mr. Woolas: Information relating to the number of work permit applications for non-EU workers approved between July and December 2008 is contained in the following table.
The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain. This table does not include grants of permission to work under comparable routes within the new points based system as those data are not yet available. It is due to be published in August.
| Approved work permit applications, non-EU nationals ( 1, 2) | |
| 2008 | Number |
| (1) Figures are rounded to nearest five. (2) The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. | |
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to Questions (a) 245364 on senior information risk owner and (b) 245325 on data handling by contractors and suppliers, tabled on 15 December 2008. [261531]
Mr. Woolas: I replied to the hon. Member on 23 March 2009, Official Report, column 114W and 6 May 2009, Official Report, columns 271-72W.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer question 247975 tabled on 12 January, on placing material in the Library; what the reason for the time taken to reply is; and if she will make a statement. [263297]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 18 March 2009]: I replied to the hon. Member on 11 March 2009, Official Report, column 298W. My Department makes every effort to answer all Members parliamentary questions within the timescales given.
Young Offenders: Sexual Offences
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to tackle sexual violence perpetrated by children and young people; and if she will make a statement. [275378]
Mr. Alan Campbell: A minority of sexual offenders are children. Their age and needs as children have to be balanced against the issue of public protection as they have committed a serious criminal offence. Such challenges are acknowledged in the 2007 Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse and a cross-Government framework on Young People who Sexually Abuse is currently being developed.
This will establish a common screening framework so that young people who display sexually harmful behaviour are identified earlier and receive appropriate treatment, thereby reducing the risk of reoffending in adulthood.
Communities and Local Government
Church of Scientology
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 20 April 2009, Official Report, column 428W, on Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund, whether the Church of Scientology is deemed to be a faith organisation under her Department's definition of a religious or belief community. [277109]
Mr. Khan: The Government do not maintain a list of recognised faiths. The Equality Act 2006 and the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 define religion and belief as “any religion or any religious or philosophical belief or any lack of such religion or belief”. This broad definition is in line with that in article 9 of the European convention on human rights, which also stipulates that a religion must have a clear structure and belief system. This is consistent with the guidance notes for applications to the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund. If there is any question of doubt as to whether or not something constitutes a religion or belief within that definition then it would ultimately be a matter for the courts to determine.
Climate Change
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to adapt to climate change in the last two years. [277649]
Mr. Khan: In February 2008 the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) published its Sustainable Operations Policy. The document details the Department’s commitment to ensuring our internal activities are sustainable and that our performance continually improves. The policy covers the key areas of climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, and natural resource protection. It addresses all the targets and mandates for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) requiring, for example, that all new departmental buildings, major refurbishments and office relocation projects fully consider and as appropriate include measures that recognise the need for appropriate procurement, adaptation and resilience to future climate conditions during the design process.
Specific measures taken during the last two years have included fitting solar film to glazing (to reduce solar gain), and commissioning a heat recovery feasibility study at Eland House, which identifies options for reducing the CLG estate’s contribution to the urban heat island effect.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of her Department's potential gross (a) costs and (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years. [277728]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Communities and Local Government is currently in the process of calculating the potential gross costs and savings arising from planned climate change adaptation measures across the HQ estate over the next three years.
There are a number of adaptation measures being considered, such as the application of additional solar film and installation of heat recovery systems, but these options have not yet been fully appraised. Having assessed the potential short term risks to the Department's estate from climate change the primary focus at present remains on climate change mitigation.
Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment her Department has made of the merits of self-certification for fire certificates in light of the effect on businesses of the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007. [277363]
Mr. Khan: None. Fire certificates, as required by the 1971 Fire Precautions Act, were abolished in October 2006 with the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Councillors
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to Baroness Hamwee of 7 May 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA134, on community empowerment, housing and economic regeneration, for what reasons her Department has decided not to proceed with proposals on (a) remote attendance and voting by councillors, (b) payments for councillors on loss of office and (c) incentives to vote in local elections. [276960]
Mr. Khan: Most of the proposals for change in the White Paper “Communities in Control” do not require legislation. For those where legislation is required, the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill, which is currently before Parliament, contains the major provisions, including a number added since introduction. Given the stage of the parliamentary cycle, we have decided to concentrate our energy on this, and not to publish a Draft Community Empowerment Bill, which would have contained only a few more minor proposals.
Substantial progress has been made since “Communities in Control” was published. We plan to publish a “Communities Progress Report” soon.
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