Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 8 December 2009
Wales
Departmental Freedom of Information
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department received in 2008; and how many of these received a substantive response within 20 days. [305487]
Mr. Hain: In 2008-09 the Wales Office received 49 requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 42 of these were answered within 20 days.
Departmental Manpower
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes to senior officials in his Department there have been during his present appointment as Secretary of State. [305095]
Mr. Hain: A new director has been appointed and three senior civil servant posts have been filled substantively.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many posts at each grade in his Department are unfilled. [305184]
Mr. Hain: There are six posts vacant currently. One at band A (grade 7), one at band C (higher executive officer), three at band D (executive officer) and one at band E (administrative officer).
Departmental Security
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many security passes his Department has issued to contractors providing consultancy services in the last 12 months. [303957]
Solicitor-General
BAE Systems
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Attorney-General has had recent discussions with ministerial colleagues on the Serious Fraud Office's announcement that it intends to seek the Attorney-General's consent for prosecution in relation to charges against BAE Systems. [304096]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General has had no such discussions.
Departmental Assets
Dr. Cable: To ask the Solicitor-General what assets of the Law Officers' Departments are planned to be sold in each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14; what the (a) description and (b) book value of each such asset is; what the expected revenue from each such sale is; and if she will make a statement. [300207]
The Solicitor-General: The Law Officers' Departments hold only minimal freehold assets, and in line with core Government policy actively manage their estates with a view to operational efficiency. Currently there are no plans to sell any assets in the years 2009-14.
The Government have stated their intention to realise £16 billion in asset disposals over the period 2011-14 and will publish further details of opportunities to commercialise business assets in the coming weeks.
Departmental Data Protection
Angela Browning: To ask the Solicitor-General what security requirements are made by the Law Officers' Departments in respect of (a) people employed to provide audio transcription services to his Department from home, (b) the premises in which work to provide such services is carried out and (c) arrangements for the transfer of data between such premises and the Law Officers' Departments. [302692]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-Generals' Office, the Serious Fraud Office, Treasury Solicitors, the National Fraud Office and HM Crown Prosecution Services Inspectorate do not employ people to provide this service.
In the case of the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Service any such services used are supplied by HM Revenue and Customs, who are responsible for ensuring that their security requirements are complied with.
The CPS has contracts with the providers of audio transcription services that require the greatest possible degree of security commensurate with the value of the data and the risks, so as not to compromise the confidence of the vulnerable and intimidated witnesses who have provided the evidence, and to prevent misuse of the recordings, or transcripts for criminal or other unauthorised purposes.
The contract states that "the contractors shall store or process data only at sites specifically agreed in writing by the CPS". No permission has been sought or granted to any supplier to work outside their sites, or for any of their staff to work from home.
The four suppliers used by CPS set out their physical security arrangements for the premises as part of the tender. The details met the requirements of the CPS. The sites have subsequently been inspected and approved by staff from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
All transfer of data between such premises and the CPS is carried out by Royal Mail-Special Delivery or Tracked Document Exchange (DX) or by hand in exceptional circumstances. This accords with the conditions set out in the Cabinet Office Security Policy Framework.
Departmental Leave
Mr. Laws: To ask the Solicitor-General how many days off in lieu (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) its agency granted to staff for working (i) during their lunch breaks and (ii) at other times outside contracted working hours in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [303734]
The Solicitor-General: The exact figures for time taken in lieu within the Law Officers' Departments and agency could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Sentencing: Northern Ireland
Lady Hermon: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions sentences handed down in courts in Northern Ireland have been subject to a referral to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney-General on grounds of undue leniency in the last five years; and on how many such occasions the sentence was amended as a result. [304585]
The Solicitor-General: The matter falls to me to answer as the power to make a reference to the Court of Appeal rests with the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland.
The figures requested are as follows:
| Number of offenders with sentence unchanged | |||||
| Number of offenders referred to Court of Appeal | Number of offenders with sentence increased by Court of Appeal | Court found sentence to be unduly lenient | Court found sentence not to be unduly lenient | Number of offenders with reference withdrawn | |
| (1) One case referred in 2009 awaits hearing | |||||
Terrorism: USA
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Solicitor-General (1) when Law Officers were informed by the Crown Prosecution Service that there was no or insufficient evidence to maintain a prosecution against Lotfi Raissi with regard to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001; [304137]
(2) when Law Officers and officials of the Law Officer's Departments discussed with representatives of the security services, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service or the US Federal Bureau of Investigation progress in the criminal investigation into the alleged activities of Lotfi Raissi with regard to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001; [304138]
(3) when Law Officers and officials of the Law Officer's Departments were informed of the contents of the Crown Prosecution Service report on its conduct of the case relating to the alleged involvement of Lotfi Raissi in the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001; [304139]
The Solicitor-General: I will answer the three questions together. Due to the passage of time which has elapsed since the events in question, it has not been possible to establish when communications passed between the CPS and the Law Officers, or their officials, about the case of Lotfi Raissi in 2001-02. Given the high profile and sensitive nature of the case, the Law Officers would have been kept informed and told promptly of any significant developments. The Law Officers were informed in September 2008 of the contents of the CPS report.
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what records are archived on the premises of 10 Downing street. [304999]
The Prime Minister: The arrangements for the retention of records for the Prime Minister's Office are informed by "Operational Selection Policy OSP 12 (Records of the Central Direction and Oversight of Government Policy and Programmes, 1970-2000)" issued by The National Archives and available on The National Archives' website.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many external consultants work for his Department. [303239]
Paul Goggins: As at 27 November 2009, the Northern Ireland Office core and its Executive agencies employed five consultants on a full-time equivalent basis.
Departmental Disabled Staff
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's guidelines in relation to the recruitment and employment of disabled people in the Northern Ireland Office. [303474]
Mr. Woodward: As the majority of staff in the Northern Ireland Office are Northern Ireland civil servants on secondment from the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Northern Ireland Office follows the NICS policy on the recruitment and employment of disabled people, which is a devolved matter.
Departmental Security
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many security passes his Department has issued to contractors providing consultancy services in the last 12 months. [303941]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office has not issued any security passes to contractors providing consultancy services in the last 12 months.
Departmental Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date he last travelled by (a) bus and (b) taxi in the course of his official duties. [302728]
Mr. Woodward: In accordance with advice the Secretary of State does not travel by bus or taxi for security reasons. All of my travel arrangements are undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Prisons: Alcoholic Drinks
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions illicit alcoholic beverages have been found in the Sperrin unit of HM Prison Magilligan in the last five years. [305000]
Paul Goggins: There have been no illicit alcoholic beverages found in Sperrin House during the last five years.
Racially Aggravated Offences
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of a racially-motivated crime in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years. [305007]
Paul Goggins: The information sought on convictions for racially-motivated crimes is not available. Conviction would be for the simple offence (e.g. assault) without reference to any racial motivation. Court conviction data do not contain background information in relation to offences committed, and it is therefore not possible to separate out the number of convictions for offences with a racial motivation.
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Northern Ireland
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the Serious Organised Crime Agency in Northern Ireland. [303468]
Mr. Alan Campbell: I have been asked to reply.
The purpose of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is to prevent and detect serious organised crime and to mitigate its harms by other means throughout the UK. It discharges these functions in Northern Ireland as it does in the rest of the UK and reports its results in its annual report each year.
Sexual Offences
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of (i) assault and (ii) sexual assault on teachers in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years. [305245]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available. Court prosecution and conviction data do not contain background information in relation to offences committed, and it is therefore not possible to separate out the number of prosecutions and convictions for assault and sexual assault on teachers.
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