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27 Jan 2010 : Column 912W—continued
Shellfish: Testing
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals were used in the safety testing of shellfish in 2008; which shellfish were being tested; and for which poisons the animals were tested. [311019]
Meg Hillier: EU Directive 91/492/EEC, and Commission Decision 2002/225/EC, specify the shellfish types, toxin classes, and test methods used.
However, with respect to the animal numbers used, the information requested is not available, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (implementing the Statistics and Registration Act 2007) and the National Statistician's guidance 'Confidentiality of Official Statistics'. Providing the information requested would breach statistical confidentiality relating to individual establishments and individual licensees.
Terrorism
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in the Metropolitan Police Authority area detained on suspicion of terrorist or related offences were released because there was not enough evidence to charge them within 28 days in the last two years. [313344]
Mr. Hanson
[holding answer 26 January 2010]: The Home Office does not hold statistics which will answer this question. Investigations into terrorism suspects in
the Metropolitan Police Authority area are the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Service and security services. Responsibility for prosecution of terrorism suspects lies with the Crown Prosecution Service.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the date of arrest was of each individual who has been held in pre-charge detention without charge under counter-terrorism legislation for more than 14 days. [313342]
Mr. Hanson [holding answer 26 January 2010]: To date, three individuals have been held in pre-charge detention under counter-terrorism legislation for more than 14 days and subsequently released without charge. Their date(s) of arrest were as follows:
1. 9 August 2006
2. 10 August 2006
3. 10 August 2006.
All three were released on 6 September 2006.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been detained without charge on suspicion of terrorist or related offences for over (a) 14 days and (b) 28 days in the last 10 years; [313337]
(2) what the date was of the most recent arrest under counter-terrorism legislation following which a suspect was held in pre-charge detention for over (a) 14 days and (b) 28 days. [313345]
Mr. Hanson [holding answer 26 January 2010]: The Home Office does not hold statistics which are recorded in this way. However, the Home Office does collate statistics on the number of terrorism arrests and convictions and these are included in a Bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the Bulletin is available at:
The second issue of the Bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below:
Terrorism: Prosecutions
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many potential prosecutions of terrorist suspects have been unable to proceed because of the expiry of the 28-day limit on detaining suspects without charge since the entry into force of that limit. [313343]
Mr. Hanson [holding answer 26 January 2010]: The Home Office does not hold statistics which will answer this question. Investigations into, and prosecutions of, terrorism suspects are the responsibility of the police and security services and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Vetting
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police forces on the types of information to be disclosed in soft data disclosures under enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks. [312641]
Meg Hillier [holding answer 25 January 2010]: Section 113 B (4) of Part V of the Police Act 1997 requires that in addition to criminal record information from the Police National Computer (PNC), enhanced certificates should include any other information which a chief police officer considers might be relevant to the job application in question.
This is usually non-conviction information deriving from local force records and is referred to as 'approved information'; chief officers are obliged to provide such information for Enhanced certificates under the Act. Where disclosed, information of this nature is considered by the police to represent a factual record of previous events that an employer in the most sensitive type of occupation should be aware of in making an employment decision affecting the most vulnerable groups of people.
Factors that would be taken into consideration when making decisions to disclose would include, but not be restricted to, the position the individual is currently applying for, the age of the information, whether the information might be directly relevant to the assessment of the person's suitability to work with children and whether it is reasonable to disclose the information, bearing in mind the human rights of the individuals concerned.
In making such assessments, the chief officers follow guidelines including, Home Office circular 5/2005, "Criminal Records Bureau: Local Checks by Police Forces for the Purpose of Enhanced checks", and this has been augmented by a process known as the Quality Assurance Framework. The circular makes clear that consideration has been given to a person's right to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In this regard there is a section in the circular which details what factors should be considered in determining relevancy.
The Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) is a standardised approach to processing local intelligence information held by Police Force Disclosure Units and was developed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the CRB. QAF provides a step-by-step process framework that ensures that information is considered consistently and in the same way every time. Searches performed on local systems using the QAF Framework and document set produce an audit trail that can be used for quality assurance and to assure QAF compliance.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Trusts Services Authority issues guidance to local authorities on obtaining information on the sexual orientation of social tenants and leaseholders. [313087]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 make it unlawful for public authorities (which includes local housing authorities) to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services, the disposal and management of premises and the exercise of public functions (among other things).
New statutory guidance for local authorities in England, published on 4 December 2009, advises that monitoring and evaluation systems should be put in place and lettings outcomes published so that people can see that the allocation scheme is being complied with and is fair, and that the authority is meeting its duties under the equalities legislation.
Local Government: Empty Property
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty properties local authorities have taken into ownership in the last three years. [312964]
Mr. Ian Austin: Information on the number of empty properties that local authorities have taken into ownership is not held centrally. Since 1 February 2007, 27 Empty Dwelling Management Orders have been issued. EDMOs do not result in a change of ownership but pass the management of the properties to the local authority in order that they can be brought back into use.
Repossession Orders
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in (a) Chesterfield constituency, (b) Derbyshire and (c) England have been repossessed in each year since 1979. [310934]
Mr. Ian Austin: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
Social Rented Housing
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to encourage home-based working in (a) local authority and (b) housing association social housing tenancies. [313089]
Mr. Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 21 October 2009, Official Report, column 1511W, and the answer given to him on 21 January 2010, Official Report, columns 484-85W.
Social Rented Housing: Unemployed
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of social housing (a) tenants and (b) households of working age are not in employment, education or training. [311524]
Mr. Ian Austin: Estimates of the proportion of social tenants not in employment, education or training are provided in the following table. These estimates are based on data from the 2008 ONS Labour Force Survey.
Sustainable Development
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he will publish the new guidance on sustainability and spatial strategy; and if he will make a statement. [313628]
Mr. Ian Austin: The policy statement on Regional Strategy along with the proposed new guidance on sustainability appraisal was published for consultation between 6 August and 30 October 2009. We are actively considering the 153 responses received and look to publish the final policy statement and guidance in mid February.
Treasury
Banks: Finance
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason his Department's due diligence information on (a) banks in which the Government has a shareholding or which the Government owns and (b) RBS assets guaranteed by the Government have not been made available to UK Financial Investments. [313261]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI) has been set up to manage the Government's investments in financial institutions at arm's length and on a commercial basis.
UKFI's objective is to dispose of the investments in an orderly and active manner, within the context of an overarching objective of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer, paying due regard to financial stability and promoting competition.
For the purpose of analysing detailed due diligence information to deliver the APS, the Treasury considered that advice from Treasury's legal and financial advisers was deemed sufficient and that it was not necessary or appropriate to consult UKFI on this information. Sharing such information with UKFI could have led them becoming insiders and could thus compromise their ability to manage or dispose of the shareholdings.
Banks: Iceland
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Icelandic Government regarding the repayment of debt to the Government for the compensation of depositors who held accounts with Icesave. [313619]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
Banks: Pay
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) his Department and (b) UK Financial Investments advised (i) RBS and (ii) Lloyds Banking Group on the categories of employees to be (A) included in and (B) excluded from bonus pools. [313262]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's shareholdings in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group are managed on a commercial and arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). UKFI's objective is to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder, with due regard to the maintenance of financial stability, and to act in a way that promotes competition.
UKFI have agreed deferral and clawback terms for 2009 bonuses for both banks, which have signed up to the FSA code and G20 agreements. No decisions have yet been taken on the quantum of bonus payments.
Departmental Correspondence
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his reply to the letter of 1 November 2009 sent to Lord Myners by Tim Bush. [313694]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No correspondence from Mr Bush has been located in the Treasury. I am grateful to the hon. Member for the copy his office have now provided, and a reply will be prepared as soon as possible.
Departmental Food
Mr. Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available. [310803]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury is committed to making operations as sustainable as possible. Detailed information on waste and recycling in Treasury buildings is published in HM Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09 (HC 611).
Figures for food waste for the past three years for its buildings are shown in the following table.
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