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15 Oct 2009 : Column 1018W—continued
Parole Board: Official Hospitality
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Parole Board has spent on hospitality in each of the last five years. [289556]
Bridget Prentice: The Parole Board has spent the following sums on hospitality:
| £ | |
Parole Board: Sick Leave
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days of sick leave were taken by Parole Board staff (a) as a result of stress-related conditions and (b) for other reasons in each of the last five years. [289557]
Bridget Prentice: The number of days sick leave taken by the Parole Board staff in the last five years is set out in the following table:
| Total number of days lost through sickness (annual figure average per member of staff) | Number of sick days recorded as stress/stress related (average per member of staff) | Number of sick days recorded as other reasons (average per member of staff) | Total number of staff | |
Prisoners: European Convention on Human Rights
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what payments were made to prisoners as a result of cases brought under legislation implementing the European Convention on Human Rights in 2008; and if he will make a statement. [293079]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost and would involve the individual examination of several thousand files. The National Offender Management Service records litigation claims by the main type of allegation. Claims often make reference to alleged breaches of human rights. In some cases the claim will be brought wholly on an HRA basis. In others an HRA basis of claim will be but one of a number of alleged grounds of claim.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer Question 288113, on unpaid penalty notices for disorder, tabled on 15 July 2009. [292028]
Bridget Prentice: : I replied on 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 168W.
Youth Custody: Per Capita Costs
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the total monthly cost of a custodial place at (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children's homes. [290208]
Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board calculates annual figures for the cost of places in the three types of establishment in the under-18 secure estate. As at 1 April 2009, these were as follows:
| Average annual cost per place (£000) | |
| Note: VAT is not included within these figures. | |
Defence
Armed Forces: Social Security Benefits
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish the number of spouses of armed forces personnel refused state benefits because of inadequate payment of national insurance contributions. [291510]
Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply.
This information is not collected in the form requested and we have no plans to do so.
The Service Command Paper 'The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans' (Cm 7424), published in July 2008, contained the Department's commitment to award Class 1 national insurance credits to spouses and civil partners of service personnel posted overseas with effect from April 2010. This will enable more members of service personnel families to qualify for jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance.
Iraq and Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the (a) planned and (b) actual average flying hours of each aircraft type operating in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan was in each year since 2003; [289124]
(2) what the (a) planned and (b) actual average flying hours of each helicopter type operating in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan was in each year since 2003. [289125]
Bill Rammell: I am withholding the information requested for Afghanistan as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces. I can say, however, that between November 2006 and April 2009 we increased the number of helicopter flying hours in Afghanistan by 84 per cent.
For Op TELIC aircraft supporting operations in Iraq, information on the number of planned operational flying hours is not held by the Department for any fleet. For actual flying hours on operations, this information is not recorded centrally. I am able to provide information for some aircraft types and this is provided in the following tables . For all other fixed wing aircraft and helicopter fleets that have been deployed on Op TELIC the information is either no longer held by the department or could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All statistics have been rounded to the nearest five hours.
For Nimrod MR2, Hercules and Tornado GR4 the total number of actual flying hours flown on Op TELIC is given by financial year.
| Nimrod MR2 | Total actual flying hours by financial year |
| Hercules (all variants) | Total actual flying hours by financial year |
| Tornado GR4 | Total actual flying hours by financial year |
For VCIO and Tristar the total number of actual flying hours flown on Op Telic is given by calendar year. VCIO was withdrawn from theatre in July 2009.
| VCIO | Total actual flying hours by calendar year |
| Tristar | Total actual flying hours by calendar year |
Over the period 2003-09 Nimrod Rl have flown a total of 1,770 hours and Sentry has flown 1,415 hours in support of Op Telic. It is not possible to break down these totals by year flown, without incurring disproportionate cost.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots qualified to fly Puma helicopters have re-qualified to fly (a) Merlin and (b) Chinook helicopters in 2009 to date. [292325]
Bill Rammell: In 2009 to date, three qualified Puma pilots re-qualified to fly Chinook helicopters. In the same period, no qualified Puma pilots have re-qualified to fly Merlin helicopters.
Territorial Army: Training
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps have been taken to enable members of the Territorial Army to complete minimum training standards in order to qualify for bounty in 2009-10; [293136]
(2) whether members of the Territorial Army (TA) who do not meet the minimum requirements to qualify for bounty as a result of the proposed reduction in TA training will be awarded it. [293137]
Bill Rammell: All TA personnel will be given opportunities to complete the necessary activities to enable them to qualify for an annual bounty, if they have not already done so. One further set of military training tests will be run in each region of the country. In addition, extensions of the training year up to the 30 June 2010 may be permitted by the chain of command to provide those who have not yet completed the minimum number of training days the opportunity to do so.
There will be no waivers for those who fail to meet the minimum qualifying standards.
Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of Bassetlaw constituency have child maintenance arrears of six months or more outstanding from (a) the Child Support Agency and (b) the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission. [292033]
Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many residents of Bassetlaw constituency have child maintenance arrears of six months or more outstanding from (a) the Child Support Agency and (b) the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission. [292033]
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the Child Support Agency from the Department for Work and Pension on 1 November 2008. The Child Support Agency continues to operate the current maintenance schemes until the Commission introduces the future maintenance scheme set out in the Child Maintenance and other Payments Act 2008. The future scheme is currently planned to be introduced in 2011.
Information relating to child maintenance payments by parliamentary constituency is regularly published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics, the latest version of which is available online at the following link:
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