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30 Nov 2009 : Column 468W—continued
Departmental Databases
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the error rate in each database run by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies. [300731]
Alan Johnson: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
Departmental Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables and (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [300185]
Mr. Woolas: A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report and the first one covering the previous year can be found at:
The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat, fruit and vegetable categories purchased.
Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The report shows the proportion of domestically produced food procured by the Home Office where figures were available and which had gone up from 68 per cent. in 2006-07 to 70 per cent. in 2007-08. Home Office Headquarters PFI service provider is now providing data to DEFRA for use in future reports and in due course data are also expected to come from our new regional facilities delivery contracts let in June 2008. DEFRA expect to publish a third report at the end of 2009.
Departmental ICT
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which organisations his Department has had exclusivity agreements for information technology (a) hardware and (b) software in each of the last five years; how many such agreements have been breached in each year; and what the cost to his Department was of each such breach. [300518]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Department has had no exclusivity agreements with any organisations for information technology for either hardware or software in each of the last five years.
One of our executive agencies the Criminal Records Bureau has an exclusivity agreement and details are provided in the following table:
| Table 1 | |
| Details | |
The remaining two executive agencies, UK Border Agency and United Kingdom Identity and Passport Service do not have any exclusivity agreements with any organisations for information technology for either hardware or software in each of the last five years.
Departmental Pay
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) bonuses and (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years. [300658]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies do not have any direct employer-employee relationships with individual consultants or contractors.
The executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies engage consultants and contractors through suppliers on consultancy and contractor assignments. They do not, therefore, pay the salaries, nor any incentives or bonuses for these individuals.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet. [301539]
Mr. Woolas: We can provide complete information relating to this question only at a disproportionate cost. However, the information we do hold is set out in table 1.
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mass of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years. [301564]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office collects data on waste and recycling in line with the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate targets.
These require that data are supplied on total tonnage of waste recycled but it is not broken down into its constituent parts and this information is not available for the entire estate.
Departmental Statistics
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the statistical datasets collected by his Department it publishes. [302349]
Mr. Woolas: As a matter of course, the Home Office publishes all of its datasets which meet the definition of 'official statistics' set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The statistics are published in accordance with the requirements set out in the "Code of Practice for Official Statistics" and the "National Statistician's Guidance on the Presentation and Publication of Official Statistics".
Departmental Working Hours
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of staff of his Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies work flexibly or part-time; and what his Department's policy is on making jobs available on a job-share or flexible basis. [301327]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office and its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPB's) are committed to supporting the wellbeing of its staff and have in place a range of flexible working policies that can help all staff balance their work and home life.
The flexible working options offered vary throughout the Department, its agencies and NDPB's but can include flexi-time working, compressed hours, term time, part time, job share, and home working arrangements. Flexible working arrangements are agreed locally and may also be used on an ad hoc, informal basis.
The Home Office policy on Flexible working offers all staff the facility to apply for flexible working using any (or a combination) of the options listed. A draft of the policy is attached at Annex 2 placed in the House Library.
Unless there are specific business reasons why a post can only be filled by a full-time member of staff all posts must be advertised as open to part-time staff and job sharers. A Home Office Job Share Database is available to help staff identify potential job share partners within the Home Office HQ and UK Border Agency. Staff across the Department and its agencies and NDPB's can also use the Civil Service wide Job Share Database.
Information on the flexible working arrangements in use in the Home Office Headquarters, the executive agencies and the NDPB's is provided in Table 1.
Deportation
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many asylum seekers were awaiting deportation on 1 November 2009; [301239]
(2) how many foreign national prisoners were awaiting deportation on 1 November 2009. [301240]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency only deports foreign nationals offenders who meet the following criteria for deportation:
A court recommendation.
For non-European economic area nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence, or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (an offence other than possession only).
For EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
At the point where no barriers to removal exist, the UK Border Agency will set a direction to remove. According to provisional management information, as at 20 November, approximately 125 foreign nationals who met the relevant deportation criteria had removal directions set against them.
Of these, around one third had also submitted a claim for asylum at some stage prior to the removal direction being set.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which section of his Department is responsible for handling the legal proceedings relating to the deportation of foreign nationals on grounds of national security. [301269]
Mr. Woolas: The Special Cases Directorate of the United Kingdom Border Agency manage the cases through the courts. Legal Advisors Branch and the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism in the Home Office also deal with specific aspects of the legal case.
Other directorates can be brought in as and when required in specific cases.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been (a) deported and (b) excluded from the UK on the grounds of fomenting extremism under the 12-point plan in each quarter since the plan was implemented. [301270]
Mr. Woolas: I have taken the term "fomenting extremism" as equating to unacceptable behaviour under the policy announced by my right hon. Friend, the then Home Secretary on 24 August 2005. The powers to exclude or deport an individual on the grounds of their unacceptable behaviour are directed at foreign nationals who foment hatred or violence in support of their extremist beliefs. In each quarter since August 2005 the following number of foreign nationals have been (a) deported and (b) excluded from the UK on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour:
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