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18 Jun 2009 : Column 499W—continued
Reoffenders
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serious further offence reviews were carried out in (a) England and Wales and (b) London in 2008-09. [280184]
Maria Eagle: The figures for serious further offence reviews for 2008-09 will be published in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics on 31 July 2009. As the published statistics do not contain a breakdown by individual probation area, I will provide the hon. Gentleman with the figures for London, once the national figures have been published.
The most recent statistics available show that, between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, there were 1,252 reviews carried out by probation areas in England and Wales, in cases which were initially notified to the National Offender Management Service. The corresponding figure for London was 165.
Reparation by Offenders: Clothing
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders used high-visibility clothing whilst undertaking community payback work in the last period for which figures are available. [279895]
Mr. Straw: The use of distinctive high visibility clothing by offenders sentenced to Community Payback is monitored centrally by the number of hours worked. The number of offenders using high visibility clothing is not recorded. The last period for which figures are available is March, when 76.25 per cent. of the hours worked by offenders on Community Payback projects potentially in view of the public, were undertaken using distinctive clothing.
Exemptions to the use of distinctive clothing may be granted where convincing evidence is provided on the basis of health and safety concerns, or business risk to the organisation benefiting from the work. Probation areas have successfully engaged with beneficiary organisations to increase the proportion of hours worked using distinctive high visibility clothing. The hours worked using distinctive clothing increased from 210,974 hours in December 2008 to 401,680 in March 2009. Distinctive clothing is not worn on work projects taking place on enclosed premises, such as workshops, where the work done by offenders is not potentially in view of the public.
Children, Schools and Families
GCSE: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children resident in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which information is available. [280447]
Mr. Coaker: Consistent information about pupil achievement based on residency is only available for years 2002/03 onwards. The requested information for 2002/03 and 2007/08 is provided in the following table.
| Percentage of pupils( 1) resident in Essex local authority and Castle Point constituency achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalents, 2002/03( 2 ) and 2007/08( 3) | ||
| Percentage | ||
| Essex | Castle Point | |
| (1) Pupils attending maintained schools only. (2) Based on pupils aged 15 with a valid postcode at the start of the academic year and includes GCSEs and GNVQs. (3) Based on pupils at the end of key stage 4 with a valid postcode in that academic year and includes GCSEs and equivalents. Source: National Pupil Database (final data) | ||
Schools: Crimes of Violence
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent guidance his Department has issued to schools on (a) protecting staff from violent behaviour by pupils and (b) dealing with such behaviour. [280471]
Mr. Coaker: Violence against school staff is completely unacceptable and our guidance on exclusions, revised in September 2008, makes it clear that a pupil can be permanently excluded for violence even when it is a first offence.
In May 2008 we issued revised guidance on the education of children and young people experiencing behavioural, emotional and social difficulties as a special educational need (BESD). We have also commissioned the National Strategies to provide a wide range of support and advisory services, including a continuing professional development scheme, which includes study materials on managing behaviour in schools and addressing BESD.
In addition to guidance, we are implementing a comprehensive national programme to strengthen schools’ capacity to manage behaviour. This includes targeted support for schools, high quality training, curriculum materials and consultancy support. We have also strengthened the law to help protect schools from challenges to their authority from pupils or parents, and enable them to foster a safe and orderly learning environment.
We are encouraging schools to develop a whole-school approach to improving social and emotional wellbeing and continuing to reduce behavioural difficulties, by promoting the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme and by publishing guidance on the management of behaviour.
Social Work Taskforce
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish all of his correspondence with the Social Work Taskforce. [264842]
Dawn Primarolo: The Social Work Task Force was created in December 2008 to look at front line social work practice and to recommend how, in the light of their conclusions, improvements could be made as part of a long term programme of reform for social work. The Secretaries of State for Health and for Children, Young People and Families, wrote to Moira Gibb, chair of the Social Work Task Force on 5 December 2008 to lay out this remit. This letter was copied to the other members of the task force with their invitations to join, and placed in the House Libraries.
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families wrote to Moira Gibb again, in her position as chair of the Social Work Task Force, regarding Lord Laming’s recommendations in his Progress Report on the Protection of Children in England on 12 March 2009. This letter was also placed in the House Libraries.
Moira Gibb wrote to the Secretaries of State for Children, Schools and Families, and for Health on 5 May 2009 with the Social Work Task Force’s first report, which outlined its initial findings. The Task Force is expected to submit a further report in July, in advance of their full recommendations in October 2009.
Women and Equality
Demos
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what (a) private meetings and (b) public engagements Ministers in the Government Equalities Office have attended at which representatives from the think-tank Demos were present in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [279520]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Ministers for Women have not attended any private meetings with Demos during the last 12 months are not aware of any public engagements attended at which Demos representatives were present during the same period.
Departmental Lost Property
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many laptop computers belonging to the Government Equalities Office have been lost or stolen since its creation. [281058]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) was established on 12 October 2007. Since then there have been three reported incidents of stolen laptop computers. They have occurred in the following years:
| Calendar year | Number of laptop computers reported as lost or stolen |
GEO laptops are encrypted and can only be used with security keys and passwords.
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Manpower
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer to Baroness Warsi of 5 May 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column 98WA, on the Equality and Human Rights Commission, what the (a) job title and (b) salary range is of each of the 83 full-time equivalent posts that are vacant. [279792]
Michael Jabez Foster: The following table summarises the 83 full-time equivalent vacancies as at 31 March 2009.
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