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9 Nov 2009 : Column 14W—continued
"...was conducting regulated activities without the necessary authorisation or exemption. However, on the basis of the information currently available to us, and applying the criteria in the Code for Crown Prosecutors, we have decided that it would not be right for us to take a case against any of those involved in running the PMS. However, we remain in touch with the administrator and, if further information comes to light relating to the issues we have investigated, we will look into it."
As the FSA is an independent non-governmental body given statutory powers to make such decisions by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Government do not normally offer comment on the conclusions it reaches on individual investigations, but we shall take account of its report as we take forward our work on the Presbyterian Mutual Society.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance his Department has provided to the Prime Minister's working group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society. [297180]
Mr. Woodward: The Ministerial Working Group, chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, expects to produce a draft report to the Prime Minister in the coming weeks. I have attended both meetings of this group which have taken place to date, and have discussed the matter with Treasury colleagues on a number of separate occasions. Officials from my Department continue to play a full part in the work being undertaken by the officials' working group, alongside officials from Her Majesty's Treasury and the relevant Northern Ireland Executive departments.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on steps to assist members of the Presbyterian Mutual Society. [297325]
Mr. Woodward: I have had a number of recent discussions with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who chairs the Ministerial Working Group set up by the Prime Minister to examine this issue.
Prostitution
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted on charges related to vice in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [297726]
Paul Goggins: Table 1 gives the number of persons arrested for vice-related offences for the calendar years 2007-09 (to date). Table 2 documents the number prosecuted and number subsequently convicted for the calendar years 2004-06 (the latest available year).
It is not possible to reconcile arrest data directly with prosecution and conviction data, as PSNI arrest data denote the offence as it has been initially recorded and this may differ from the offence for which a suspect is subsequently proceeded against.
| Table 1: Number of persons arrested for vice-related offences 2007-09 (to date) | |
| Number of persons arrested | |
| Note: Arrests relate to the offences 'brothel keeping', 'causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography', 'trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation' and 'controlling prostitution for gain'. Source: PSNI | |
| Table 2: Number prosecuted and convicted for vice-related offences 2004-06 | ||
| Prosecutions | Convictions | |
| (1) One prosecution was for the offence 'brothel keeping' and one for prostitute-soliciting'. (2) All three prosecutions were for the offence of 'brothel keeping'. Note: Prosecutions and convictions are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included. Source: NIO | ||
Women and Equality
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many staff in the Government Equalities Office were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to her Department in each year since 2005; and how much that office spent on the management of such requests in each such year. [299132]
Michael Jabez Foster: It is not possible to calculate exact costs as management of freedom of information requests forms only part of the roles of:
one admin officer
one senior executive officer
one corporate services manager
policy and other staff dealing with specific requests
a small part of the time of one legal adviser.
Departmental Home Working
David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many staff of the Government Equalities Office have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months. [297733]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) operates a flexible working policy which is available to all staff. Staff are allowed to work from home, subject to line management agreement based on business need, however central records on the amount of time worked from home are not held.
Departmental Travel
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much her Office spent on (a) car hire, (b) train travel, (c) air travel, (d) hotels and (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in her Office since its inception. [289970]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office was created on 12 October 2007. Since then, the following totals have been incurred on travel related expenditure:
| £ | ||
| Ministers | GEO staff | |
| (1) We are unable to separate the figures for hotel charges, meals and incidentals as these are accounted for collectively using the Department's on-line travel and subsistence claiming system or via a government procurement (Visa) card. Note: Figures current to 31 August 2009. | ||
Olympics
Legacy: North-West
3. Andrew Miller: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the legacy for the North West of the London 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement. [298003]
Tessa Jowell: The North West will gain from sporting, commercial and other opportunities created by the London 2012 Games.
For example, Old Trafford will host rounds of the football competition in 2012 and the Australian Olympic swimming team, the Thailand Olympic and Paralympic team and the Oceania National Olympic Committees have all signed agreements to base their pre-Games training camps in the North West. 13 cultural projects in the North West have also been awarded the Inspire Mark and 5,018 businesses in the North West are registered on CompeteFor.
Construction Programme
Ann Winterton: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent progress has been made on the London 2012 Olympics construction programme. [298002]
Tessa Jowell: Excellent progress is being made on the Olympic Delivery Authority's construction programme, both at the Olympic Park in East London, and other venues around the country. The Queen visited the site last week to witness the transformation.
Order books are being filled all around the country, with 98 per cent. of construction contracts having gone to UK companies.
The programme is on time and within budget.
Contracts: Hertfordshire
Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many contracts related to the London 2012 Olympics have been awarded to businesses and organisation in (a) St Albans constituency and (b) Hertfordshire; and what the monetary value of such contracts is. [297532]
Tessa Jowell: To the end of September 2009, 32 suppliers registered in Hertfordshire had been awarded contracts by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), five of these businesses were registered in St. Albans. The total spend to date for these contracts stands at £54,225,666.
These figures do not include those contracts awarded to sub-contractors based in Hertfordshire. Many other companies will have won work from 2012 projects further down the supply chain. The ODA has this month produced a map showing how companies across the UK are helping to deliver the games, details of which are available on the London 2012 website.
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many helplines the Government Olympic Executive operates; how much revenue it has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years; if she will consider the merits of securing the accreditation of such helplines to The Helplines Association's quality standard; and if she will make a statement. [298395]
Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive does not operate any helplines.
Members: Correspondence
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she plans to reply to Question 291993 on acquisition of cut Christmas trees, tabled on 9 October 2009. [297487]
Tessa Jowell: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 4 November 2009, Official Report, column 994W.
Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the reasons are for the increase in the estimated cost to the public purse of hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games between (a) March 2007 and (b) July 2009. [284496]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 6 July 2009]: The forecast final cost of the programme remains within the £9.325 billion budget announced in March 2007.
Olympic Games 2012: Construction
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2009, Official Report, columns 517-18W, on the Olympic Games: construction, what the value was of the contracts awarded to firms in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) England and (e) elsewhere. [297969]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority is compiling the requested information. I will write to the hon. Member upon receipt, and I will place a copy in the Libraries of both Houses.
Olympic Games 2012: Contracts
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what proportion of contracts for the London 2012 Olympics have been awarded to companies based outside London; and if she will make a statement. [298063]
Tessa Jowell: To date the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has directly awarded contracts to over 1,000 suppliers in the UK, 46 per cent. of these are businesses registered outside of London. Many more businesses are helping to deliver the Games in the supply chains of the ODA's contractors: the ODA has this month produced a map showing how companies across the UK are contributing to the Games, details of which are available on the London 2012 website. Businesses interested in supplying the Games should register on CompeteFor, the electronic brokerage service for Games-related contracts, to date over 4,300 contracts have been made accessible in this way.
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