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6 Jan 2010 : Column 458W—continued
The requirement for Royal Naval Reserve personnel is set by the Commander Maritime Reserves. The bearing against requirement for the years provided in the answer is:
| Percentage | |
| Note: 1. Warrant officers were not part of the rank/rate structure of the Royal Naval Reserve until 2005. | |
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has plans to privatise the Royal Fleet Auxiliary; and if he will make a statement. [307856]
Mr. Kevan Jones: We are currently reviewing the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's business delivery model to establish if there is scope to enhance efficiencies and deliver greater value for money. The review will consider a number of alternative models. No conclusions have yet been reached.
SAR Chivenor
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential cost savings consequent on the proposed reduction of service at SAR Chivenor from 24 hours to 12 hours. [307995]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The future Search and Rescue Helicopter (SAR-H) service will use improved helicopters that will enable us to continue to meet our national and regional Search and Rescue requirements at night using only nine of the 12 bases.
The SAR-H competition for the future UK service is ongoing. Potential cost savings from the reduction of operating hours from 24 hours to 12 (day-time only) have been estimated to be in the order of £60 million over the planned 25-year life of the service.
Somalia: Piracy
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the operational headquarters for Operation Atalanta will be based in 2010; who has command; what the command structure will be; how many naval assets by type will be involved; and from which navies. [309198]
Bill Rammell: Until the end of the current EU mandate in December 2010, the operational headquarters for Operation Atalanta will continue to be located at Northwood in Middlesex, commanded by a British two star military officer.
The Political and Security Committee (PSC) exercises the political control and strategic direction of the EU military operation, under the responsibility of the Council of the European Union. The European Union Military Committee (EUMC) monitors the correct execution of the operation conducted under the responsibility of the Operation Commander. In theatre command is exercised by the Afloat Force Commander, reporting to the Operation Commander.
Exact numbers and types of naval assets for 2010 have not yet been finalised, but offers of naval assets (including vital maritime patrol aircraft) have been received from a number of nations including the UK.
More information on the naval assets currently assigned to Operation Atalanta can be found at the following link:
Children, Schools and Families
Chief Information Officer
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what pay band his Department's chief information officer (CIO) is employed; whether the CIO is employed on a fixed-term or permanent contract; and what the size is of the budget for which the CIO is responsible in the period 2009-10. [307571]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The role of chief information officer in the Department is filled on a permanent basis at SCS pay band 2.
The budget for 2009-10 for which the CIO is responsible is £44 million.
Children: Social Services
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many care applications have been made in each month since November 2008. [307471]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
The table shows the number of care orders applied for in the family courts of England and Wales in each month between November 2008 and September 2009, the last month for which figures have been published.
Statistics on public law applications are published on a quarterly basis by the Ministry of Justice in the statistical bulletin 'Court Statistics Quarterly' and annually in the command paper 'Judicial and Court Statistics'. Statistics for quarter 4 (October to December) of 2009 are due to be published in the next edition of Court Statistics Quarterly in March 2010, and will be available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
| Care orders applied for in England and Wales, November 2008 to September 2009 | |
| Month | Number of care order applications |
| Notes: 1. The data are taken from the HMCS FamilyMan system and summary returns. 2. Figures relate to the number of children subject to applications. 3. Figures include applications made in all three tiers of court (County Court, High Court And Family Proceedings Court). 4. Research undertaken by the Ministry of Justice has identified that some cases that have transferred from the Family Proceedings Court to the County Court have been incorrectly recorded as new applications in the County Court, thus inflating the number of new applications (see Masson et al, 2008). Work is in train to improve the accuracy of County Court records. 5. The figures for 2009 are thought to include a degree of double counting of applications initially lodged in a County Court and then transferred to a Family Proceedings Court. This issue is being investigated by Ministry of Justice statisticians, which may lead to the figures being revised in future. | |
Children's Services: Essex
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has for further intervention in relation to children's services in Essex. [307861]
Dawn Primarolo:
On 15 December, Essex county council was issued with a statutory direction to improve children's services in Essex. It requires: the establishment of a new improvement board by the end of January 2010 and the appointment of an independent chair; the improvement board to approve an improvement plan drawn up by the council which must meet the targets and requirements set by the Secretary of State and agreed with the council; the chair to report, on a bi-monthly basis, to both the Secretary of State and the leader of the council; and the chair to report to the Secretary of
State and leader of the council by early February 2010 on the most immediate priorities for action, and the capacity required to address them.
Christmas
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables, (h) fruit and (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [300880]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: While each business area within the Department tends to have a Christmas function, these activities are paid for by the attendees. This Department does not pay for its officials or staff members to attend such functions. We do not collect information about the Christmas functions hosted or attended by officials or staff members in the Department and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Art Works
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on art works in the last 12 months. [308576]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) financial systems does not hold information on the amount of spend incurred purely for art works. Therefore the information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Departmental Billing
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of invoices submitted to his Department have been paid within 10 days in each month since October 2008; and if he will make a statement. [307957]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department's payment performance in relation to the 10-day target is reported to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on a monthly basis. The Department's performance from 1 November 2008 to 28 October 2009 is as follows:
| Number of invoices paid | Percentage paid within 10 days | |
Departmental Legislation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criminal offences have been (a) created and (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008. [307803]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: No criminal offences have been created or abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families since 1 May 2008.
GCE A-level
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnic group who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals achieved three A grades at A level in each year since 1997; [309213]
(2) how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnic group who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals achieved an A grade in A-level further mathematics in each year since 1997. [309214]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Figures giving a breakdown of ethnicity by free school meal eligibility for the requested indicators cannot be provided due to the requirement to suppress small numbers to protect confidentiality.
Figures for A level achievement by pupil characteristics only relate to qualifications taken in maintained schools, not independent schools, sixth form colleges (SFCs) or further education colleges and therefore numbers are low. Further disaggregation combining ethnicity and FSM eligibility gives figures that fall below the threshold for disclosure.
GCSE
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in (a) comprehensive and (b) maintained schools did not obtain at least one GCSE at grade C or above, excluding equivalents, in 2009. [304904]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: 95,056 pupils in comprehensive schools did not obtain a single GCSE at grade C or above excluding equivalents(1), according to provisional figures for 2009. This represents 18.3 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in comprehensive schools.
110,143 pupils in all maintained schools(2) did not obtain a single GCSE at grade C or above excluding equivalents in 2009. This represents 19.0 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all maintained schools.
(1) Qualifications included are full GCSEs, GCSE double awards and GCSEs in applied subjects only.
(2) Maintained schools include special schools but do not include hospital schools and pupil referral units.
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