Written Answers to Questions
Monday 19 July 2010
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to how much expenditure on the future aircraft carriers his Department is contractually committed. [9145]
Peter Luff: The contract placed with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance in 2008 was for the manufacture of two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. That contractual commitment has not changed and our current estimate of total project cost is £5.2 billion.
Defence Equipment
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what unmanned defence equipment is (a) in use, (b) in development and (c) under consideration for future use; and what the cost to the public purse was of each type of equipment programme on the latest date for which figures are available. [8253]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence has many different types of unmanned defence equipment in use, in development and under consideration for future use.
Owing to the variety and number of types of equipment only the major air and land systems have been included in the following table, although in the maritime domain the Royal Navy uses civil derived unmanned underwater vehicles for tasks such as mine countermeasure operations. The table provides the name, description and latest financial approval of the various equipments.
Defence: Exports
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the (a) competitiveness and (b) penetration of defence exports. [9356]
Mr Gerald Howarth: This Government aim to increase Britain's defence exports. The United Kingdom Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) is responsible for promoting British defence industry overseas under the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills. The interests of the Ministry of Defence are recognised under a service level agreement with UKTI.
This Government have publicly stated that we wish to re-energise Government support to defence exports. This is because exports help to secure high skilled British defence manufacturing jobs and to reduce the unit costs of Ministry of Defence acquisition projects through increased production runs.
We also recognise defence exports make an important contribution to achieving wider defence diplomacy objectives.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and I are looking at a number of ways we can achieve this. Ensuring British defence equipment remains competitive is essential to achieving a greater share of the defence market. We have established our five criteria against which future equipment programmes will be assessed, as set out in the speech the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), gave at Dynamic Vehicle Demonstration (DVD) on 23 June 2010 which is freely available at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Ministers/MinisterForDefenceEquipmentSupportAnd Technology.htm
This Government recognise that Government support can be an extremely important factor in making British industry successful overseas. It is our intention to work to achieve greater support to exports while maximising the benefits and value for money to the taxpayer.
Defence: Reviews
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timetable he has set for publication of the (a) value for money review of the Trident replacement programme and (b) the report of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. [8106]
Dr Fox: The Ministry of Defence's work on the value-for-money study should be completed at the end of this month. The findings will go to the Cabinet Office, and will then be considered by the National Security Council. The council's conclusions will inform the strategic defence and security review and the comprehensive spending review, which will be published in the autumn.
Type 45 Destroyers
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the effectiveness of the Sea Viper missile system in protecting air, land and sea forces. [8837]
Peter Luff: The principal anti-air missile system (PAAMS), known as Sea Viper by the Royal Navy, is the primary weapons system of the Type 45 destroyer. With this capability, the Type 45s will be able to engage a large number of targets simultaneously and defend aircraft carriers or groups of ships, such as amphibious landing forces, against current and future threats from the air. This includes stealthy, highly manoeuvrable missiles approaching in salvoes, simultaneously and from several directions.
The missile system is undergoing a rigorous test and integration programme to ensure that all aspects of the system have been thoroughly trialled before it enters
service. In June 2010, PAAMS successfully completed a series of test firings. The trials were conducted over a range of scenarios of steadily increasing complexity, culminating in a salvo firing against a high speed and manoeuvring, sea skimming target.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he expects the new Type 45 destroyers to be delivered to the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement. [8854]
Peter Luff: Under the current programme, the in-service date for HMS Daring, the first in the class of Type 45 Destroyers, is expected to be declared later this summer.
The planned in-service dates for the remaining five Type 45s are listed in the following table:
| Planned in-service date | |
Northern Ireland
Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many copies of the report of the Saville Inquiry have been printed in (a) full and (b) summary; and at what cost to the public purse in each such case. [9509]
Mr Paterson: 285 copies of the 'Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry' (HC29, 5,200 pages) and 2,200 copies of the 'Principal Conclusions and Overall Assessment of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry' (HC30, 60 pages) were printed. These copies were printed to facilitate advance sight of the report and provide interested parties with copies; to provide the required number of copies to Parliament and The Stationery Office for publishing purposes; and for provision within Government, to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and to the Irish Government.
The total cost of printing, including costs related to DVD production and the security measures put in place to protect the integrity of the report prior to publication, was £194,652. It is not possible to separate out the individual printing costs of the full report and the summary document.
Departmental Civil Servants
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees of his Department attended Civil Service Live in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to his Department of such attendance in each such year. [9056]
Mr Paterson: The Department does not hold central records on attendance at Civil Service Live.
Departmental Lighting
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997. [7633]
Mr Paterson: On 12 April 2010 the Northern Ireland Office transferred responsibility for policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available.
Since 12 April the Department has incurred no cost in this area.
The NIO has no agencies. It has one non-departmental public body which has incurred no cost since 12 April.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on hospitality in each year since 1997. [7451] [Official Report, 27 July 2010, Vol. 514, c. 3MC.]
Mr Paterson: On 12 April 2010 the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) transferred responsibility for policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available.
Since 12 April the Department has spent £234 on hospitality.
The NIO has no agencies. It has one non-departmental public body which has incurred no cost on hospitality since 12 April.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Common Fisheries Policy
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the future of the common fisheries policy; and if she will bring forward proposals to (a) give local residents more influence over the future of their fishing industries and (b) end fish discards. [9330]
Richard Benyon: The UK will press for radical reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP). There must be more regionalised decision-making; genuine integration of fisheries with other marine policies; longer-term management planning; greater flexibility and certainty in the system; and a mechanism to ease the transition to a sustainable and profitable future. In particular we want to see decision making decentralised, and simplified, to give more responsibility for implementation to member states, for example where they are working together regionally.
The wasteful practice of discarding fish must be brought to an end. Reform should give fishermen more control, incentives and responsibility for managing fish stocks and helping to reduce discards. Reform also gives the UK an opportunity to deploy evidence on how switching from landing based quotas to catch quotas can reduce discards.
Fly-tipping
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce the incidence of fly-tipping. [8793]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA is working closely with the Environment Agency, Keep Britain Tidy, local authorities, landowners and other members of the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to better understand the causes of fly-tipping, and the best approach to reducing incidences of fly-tipping at a local level.
DEFRA works with organisations such as Keep Britain Tidy to support local authorities with training, guidance and advice on their fly-tipping prevention strategies. DEFRA also funds the Flycapture system which records information on fly-tipping incidents dealt with by local authorities as well as enforcement action taken, allowing DEFRA and local authorities to assess the scale of the problem and prioritise action.
We will be considering how best to target our future activity on fly-tipping as part of the recently announced review of waste policies.
Food: Standards
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to (a) stimulate the rural economy, (b) reduce food miles and (c) improve nutritional standards. [7231]
Richard Benyon: The recession has affected rural and urban areas alike, and DEFRA is working to ensure that rural needs and interests are fairly addressed in all relevant Government economic programmes. In particular, DEFRA is working closely with BIS and DCMS to ensure that the benefits of broadband are fully available to rural people, communities and businesses.
DEFRA works closely with all parts of the food industry supply chain to encourage environmental sustainability best practice, including the movement of all types of food. A number of trade associations are working with their members to achieve sustainability targets, for example, to reduce their overall carbon footprint.
Nutritional standards are primarily the responsibility of the Department of Health. The Government believe it is for individuals to take responsibility for their health, including healthy eating. What the Government can do is put in place ways to make this easier and support people, such as the fruit and vegetables task force. DEFRA launched this task force in October 2009 to identify the barriers to increasing domestic production and consumption of fruit and vegetables in England. It brings together growers, processors, wholesalers, major retailers, representatives of street market, the School Food Trust, the Food Standards Agency, research and development professionals, people involved in public procurement and respected academics.
Genetically Modified Organisms
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure her Department has incurred in relation to each genetically-modified crop test site it has funded in each year since 1997. [8029]
Mr Paice: DEFRA was the main funder of the ecological research that was undertaken as part of the farm scale evaluation trials of GM herbicide-tolerant crops from 1999 to 2003. The total cost of this project was approximately £5.9 million, of which DEFRA paid £5.36 million. The remaining funding was provided by the Scottish Executive. Costs incurred are not available for individual trial sites, of which there were approximately 260 in total.
In addition, DEFRA has contributed to a research project on the control of potato cyst nematodes under a Government Partnership Award programme. This project has been carried out by the University of Leeds, funded mainly by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and has included research trials of GM potatoes in 2008 and 2009 as well as laboratory based work. DEFRA's contribution to the overall project cost of £414,000 was £69,000. Specific cost figures just for the field trial component of the project are not readily available.
Incinerators: Health Hazards
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 125W, on "Incinerators: Health Hazards", if she will request that the Environment Agency publish its own protocol for the representative sampling and testing of incinerator bottom ash for H14 Ecotoxicity in circumstances in which the Environmental Services Association is unable to complete a protocol to the satisfaction of the Environment Agency. [8851]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has no plans to produce a protocol specifically for assessing H14 ecotoxicity of incinerator bottom ash (IBA). Representative sampling of IBA is already required in order to satisfy the waste incineration directive.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make the undertaking of representative sampling and testing protocol for H14 ecotoxicity of incinerator bottom ash a condition for the granting of environmental permits for waste incinerators. [8893]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency does not intend to make this a permit condition. Assessment of incinerator bottom ash to determine whether it is hazardous (including h14 ecotoxicity testing) is a requirement of the hazardous waste regulations, which apply directly to all producers of hazardous waste. There is no need to repeat the requirement within a permit application.
Mr Andrew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will direct the Environment Agency to (a) adopt and (b)
document in its Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control guidance a representative sampling and testing protocol for incinerator bottom ash as part of its Best Available Techniques. [8894]
Richard Benyon: Permits for incinerators already have a condition that requires sampling and testing of incinerator bottom ash to satisfy the requirements of the waste incineration directive. This must be carried out representatively and using techniques conforming to an ash sampling protocol issued by the Environment Agency in 2001.
In light of developments in techniques, the Environment Agency is currently updating its protocol for ash sampling. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.
Rural Payments Agency
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Rural Payments Agency spent on (a) advertising, (b) public relations, (c) consultants, (d) bonuses, (e) entertainment and (f) overtime in each of the last five years. [4877]
Mr Paice: The amounts spent by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on advertising, public relations, consultants, contractors, bonuses, entertainment and overtime in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.
In respect of advertising and public relations the RPA Communications Directorate, responsible for dealing with advertising and public relations, was established as a separate entity in November 2006. Unfortunately the data required to provide information for the 2006-07 financial year and earlier years are not held in a form that is easily accessible. As the extraction and collation of these data would require a considerable amount of work and incur an unacceptable cost an answer cannot be provided.
The figures shown for advertising relate to space paid for in print/online media to raise awareness of existing and new RPA managed schemes, regulatory changes and application deadlines, as well as recruitment activity during the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years.
The figures shown for public relations encompass external public relations activity to raise awareness of RPA managed schemes, direct costs in media relations and agricultural shows during the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years.
With effect from 2007-08 RPA does not employ consultants. From then all external resources employed to provide expert opinion, including holding interim position, are recognised and accounted for as contractors.
Entertainment figures relate to refreshments for meetings.
The bonus amounts include payments made to senior civil servants in RPA.
Wales
Cabinet: Wales
Mr David: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on holding a future Cabinet meeting in Wales. [7009]
Mrs Gillan: The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have committed to continuing the practice of holding Cabinet meetings outside London, and I have requested a future Cabinet is held in Wales.
Departmental Billing
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information her Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if she will make a statement. [9247]
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate her Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by each Minister in her Department in (i) May 2010 and (ii) June 2010. [8234]
Mr David Jones: In May and June of this year the Wales Office spent £16,723 on the Government Car Service. This covers the car charges for both myself and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Train travel charges are as follows:
| £ | ||
| May 2010 | June 2010 | |
All train travel in the Wales Office is now standard class.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in her Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10121]
Departmental Speeches
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in her Department and (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in her Department. [7308]
Mr David Jones: No individuals are employed specifically to write speeches for Wales Office Ministers. However, policy officials and one special adviser contribute to the drafting of speeches as part of their normal duties.
Electoral Commission
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter to her of 26 May 2010 from the Chair of the Electoral Commission. [9116]
Mrs Gillan: The letter referred to is already available on the Wales Office website at:
following a recent Freedom of Information request. Some information has been withheld as it relates to ongoing policy development.
Private Sector: Job Creation
Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of private sector jobs forecast to be created in the next five years she expects to be based in each employment sector in Wales. [8248]
Mr David Jones: The Office for Budget Responsibility has published top-level UK predictions based on macro-economic data and at present there are no sub-national figures available.
We are committed to encouraging growth in all parts of the private sector so that those left unemployed by the recession in Wales are provided with worthwhile, sustainable jobs.
We welcome the Welsh Assembly Government's Economic Renewal Programme and look forward to working with them to create a strong recovery in Wales, particularly in the six key sectors that they have identified.
Public Finance: Wales
Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate she has made of the effect on the number of jobs in Wales of public spending reductions in the next five years. [8247]
Mr David Jones: All parts of the United Kingdom have to play their part in reducing the deficit we have inherited but until the comprehensive spending review is completed, the precise effect on Wales of future spending reductions cannot be known.
We remain committed to working with the Welsh Assembly Government to preserve front-line services and to protect public sector jobs wherever possible.
Referendum: Secretary of State
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's paper entitled Referendum: Role of the Secretary of State. [9115]
Mrs Gillan: The paper referred to is already available on the Wales Office website:
following a recent Freedom of Information request. Some information has been withheld as it relates to ongoing policy development.
Referendum: Timeline
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's document entitled "Timeline: How the commitment to take forward a referendum," has been implemented. [9234]
Mrs Gillan: The document referred to is already available on the Wales Office website at:
following a recent Freedom of Information request.
Culture, Media and Sport
Betting Shops
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will make an estimate of the (a) number of licensed betting shops and (b) population per betting shop in each ward in each decile of the index of multiple deprivation in England. [8134]
John Penrose: The total number of licensed betting shops in England, as at 31 March 2009 was 8,862. These data are published in the Gambling Commission's industry statistics for 2008-09 and can be downloaded on their website:
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/pdf/Gambling %20Industry%20Statistics%202008%202009%20-%20update%20-%20October%202009.pdf
Data regarding population per betting shop in each ward are not held centrally in this Department.
Betting Shops: Gaming Machines
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) if he will bring forward proposals to limit the right of betting shops to operate slot machines on their premises; [8133]
(2) if he will undertake a study to assess the effects on the level of gambling addiction of permitting betting shops to operate slot machines on their premises. [8135]
John Penrose: At present the Government have no plans to reduce the limit of four gaming machines for licensed betting premises. All licensed gambling operators are subject to a range of controls through the Gambling Act 2005, which include access to gaming machines, limits on stake and prize and the number of machines that can be offered.
All operators must comply with the Gambling Commission's Licence Conditions and Code of Practice, which include specific provisions in relation to underage and problem gambling, access, staff training and self- exclusion. In addition all gaming machines licensed in gambling premises must comply with the Commission's gaming machine technical standards and gaming machine testing strategy.
The Government are aware of concerns regarding higher-stake, higher-prize gaming machines and levels of problem gambling in Great Britain. In the last two years the Commission has undertaken research into a range of issues associated with these types of machines and published several independent reports. These are available on the Commission's website:
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/research __consultations/research/research_programme/gaming_machines_research_ progr.aspx
Building on the Commission's work, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board is taking forward a research programme on higher stake higher prize gaming machines as one of its initial priorities and is expected to publish further details of that programme later this year.
Departmental Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) how much his Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feed in the last 12 months; [8784]
(2) how much his Department spent on maintaining its YouTube channel in the last 12 months; [8785]
(3) what recent estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in maintaining social media and networking sites; and what estimate he has made of the cost of employing such people in the last 12 months; [8798]
(4) how much his Department spent on maintaining its Flickr channel in the last 12 months. [8803]
John Penrose: This Department does not have any full-time staff committed to maintaining social media and networking sites.
In addition, we have incurred no costs maintaining the social networks listed. The sites are supported as part of normal communications work with no more than 10% of a full-time employees' time spent on this work.
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by each Minister in his Department in (i) May 2010 and (ii) June 2010. [8237]
John Penrose: The total amount spent by the Department during May 2010 and June 2010 on all domestic and foreign travel by Ministers in their official capacity is set out in the table:
| Minister | Month | Estimated spend (£) |
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [8332]
John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 13 July 2010, Official Report, column 624W.
Digital Broadcasting: Northern Ireland
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects digital switchover to take place in Northern Ireland. [9508]
Mr Vaizey: It is planned that digital switchover in Northern Ireland will take place in the second half of 2012.
Digital Broadcasting: Radio
Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policy on digital radio switchover of the sound quality provided by the current DAB digital radio standard compared to that provided by the FM signal. [9159]
Mr Vaizey: The Government have no current plans to make an assessment of the sound quality of digital radio, provided by Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), compared to analogue radio provided on the FM band. However, we note that independent research conducted in 2009 suggested that around 75% of digital radio listeners consider the sound quality on DAB to be as good as, if not better than, FM.
Drama: Young People
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps is his Department is taking to increase levels of participation among young people in (a) drama and (b) acting. [8778]
Mr Vaizey:
The Arts Council's regular funding supports organisations that work to increase the participation of young people in theatre, such as the National Association
of Youth Theatres, the National Student Drama Festival, Company of Angels and Burnley Youth Theatre.
The Arts Council also manages educational projects which engage young people in the arts, including theatre.
The 'Artsmark' programme encourages schools to increase the range, quantity and type of arts that are provided to children. Currently 18.6% of schools hold an Artsmark award.
'Arts Award' is a national qualification which supports young people to develop as artists and arts leaders. Young people can work towards Arts Awards within, outside, and beyond school and college. Since its launch in 2005, 28,797 young people have achieved Arts Awards.
Libraries
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many public libraries there were in each year since 1997. [8802]
Mr Vaizey: The number of public libraries there were each year since 1997 can be seen in the table:
| Libraries open | |
| Number | |
Data showing the number of public library service points in England are published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in their annual Public Library Statistics. Copies of the CIPFA Public Library Statistics are available in the House Libraries.
Museums
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many times a Minister from his Department has visited the (a) British Museum, (b) Natural History Museum and (c) Science Museum in the last 12 months. [8787]
Mr Vaizey: Since the current Administration's tenure, I have visited the British Museum on two occasions. My hon. Friend the Minister for Tourism and Heritage has attended one event hosted there. These visits were in an official capacity.
National Lottery
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he proposes to restrict the Big Lottery Fund to the provision of funding to community and voluntary groups only. [9478]
John Penrose: We are taking steps to focus the Big Lottery Fund's funding towards the voluntary and community sector and will shortly be consulting on proposals for this.
Olympic Games 2012: Contracts
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what Olympic construction contracts of what monetary value have been awarded to companies based (a) in Scotland, (b) in Wales, (c) in Northern Ireland, (d) in England and (e) outside the UK; [8680]
(2) what recent estimate the Olympic Delivery Authority has made of the number of new contracts remaining to be let in respect of the London 2012 Olympics; and what estimate has been made of the monetary value of those contracts. [8681]
Hugh Robertson: The aggregate value of contracts directly awarded by the ODA to businesses as at July 2010 is as follows:
(a) Scotland: £22,200,816
(b) Wales: £573,678
(c) Northern Ireland: £17,094,646
(d) England: £5,073,551,658
(e) Outside the UK: £12,039,243.
The location of each business is determined by its registered address. These figures represent the sums that the ODA has committed up to the 14 July 2010. These values represent the sums that the ODA has spent to date, rather than the end contract value, as the end contract value in many cases will not yet be known.
The figures given only account for the contracts awarded to the top tier of contractors (tier one contractors). The figures do not include the values of contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors rather than by the ODA. The ODA estimates that the total value of supply chain contracts to the regions runs into millions of pounds, but these are not public procurements and so the full value of contracts won across the UK is not captured by the figures provided. The ODA estimates that overall up to 50,000 contracts will be generated throughout its supply chains. Examples of businesses from across the UK that are supplying the ODA's contractors is available in the business section of the London 2012 website under the heading ODA Suppliers, where you will be able to find suppliers listed by venue and sector:
The ODA estimates that it has approximately 140 remaining contracts to let, covering remaining requirements on the Olympic Park, transport, and ODA corporate requirements. The estimated value of the remaining contracts is approximately £275 million. The remainder of the ODA's budget is allocated to transport projects being delivered with other partners, security and ODA operational costs.
Olympic Games 2012: Pay
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what bonuses have been paid to (a) consultants and (b) contractors working on the Olympic Park construction project in the last six months. [8679]
Hugh Robertson: The information requested is as follows:
(a) In order for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to achieve or exceed specific time and cost-based targets incentive payments are made to its delivery partner CLM for the achievement of key performance indicators for the delivery of programme milestones and cost targets. The amounts payable to CLM over the last year in respect of performance will be disclosed in the upcoming ODA's Annual Report and Accounts 2009-10, a copy of which will be available in the House Library, while amounts for previous years are available in the Annual Reports and Accounts from the relevant year.
(b) The ODA incentivises contractors on the Olympic Park to deliver on time and on budget. Incentive payments have therefore been included as part of the contracting process. Payments for the last six months consist of the following:
| Company | Project | Amount (£ million) |
Olympic Games 2012: West Midlands
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what London 2012 Olympics cultural legacy projects are planned for the (a) West Midlands and (b) Black Country. [8220]
Hugh Robertson: The Cultural Olympiad comprises cultural events in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. These events aim to leave a cultural legacy and include major national projects, annual open weekends and individual projects that have been awarded the Inspire Mark.
As elsewhere in the UK, Cultural Olympiad events will bring communities in the West Midlands together, allowing local people to access activities they may never have experienced before leading to a broader interest and participation in cultural pursuits that will extend beyond 2012.
In the West Midlands 25 cultural projects have been awarded the Inspire Mark. These have included a mass dance event at Himley Park, Dudley. The West Midlands has secured £2.2 million from the Legacy Trust to programmes in the region, bringing people together for community activities of all kinds. Dance projects in the region, such as Boys Dancing, StreetCheer and Bollywood Steps have been funded by the Legacy Trust.
Open Weekend 2010 will take place over 23-25 July. So far, 44 cultural and sports events have been registered in West Midlands overall.
Some of the Cultural Olympiad Major National Projects include a regional component:
"Artists Taking the Lead" features cutting edge art works in each region. In the West Midlands this work is Godiva Awakes by Imagineer Productions, the recreation of Lady Godiva as a 10 metre high puppet which will journey from Coventry to London.
"Stories of the World" is a UK wide series of exhibitions featuring collections reinterpreted by young people, local communities, historians, artists and other fresh voices. In the West Midlands the exhibition is Style Africa, exploring the fabrics of Africa and based around Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's West African textiles and dress collection.
A further major national project, to be launched to coincide with Open Weekend 2010, is Discovering Places which will encourage people to learn about and engage with the UK's built, natural and historic environments. These include events to celebrate the Black Country's chain making tradition (Making Links) and the lives of the people of the area (History in the Headstones).
Transport
Aviation: Greater London
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has taken steps to examine the feasibility of establishing an airport in the Thames Estuary. [8811]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 15 July 2010]: The Department for Transport has not made any recent assessment of the merits of a new airport in the Thames Estuary. This is not an option the Government are considering.
Our priority is to make efficient use of existing airport infrastructure in the south-east, which is why I am chairing the taskforce announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his written ministerial statement on 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 48WS, to improve operations at the major south-east airports.
Aviation: Volcanoes
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on discussions at EU level on proposals for compensating airlines for costs incurred as a result of volcanic ash. [4986]
Mrs Villiers: At the EU Transport Council held in Luxembourg on 24 June, member states discussed the range of initiatives undertaken in response to the air traffic disruptions taken as a result of the volcanic ash cloud in April. At the meeting, the European Commission confirmed that no member state had made a formal request for state aid clearance for financial assistance to airlines or other companies affected by the disruptions, nor had any draft proposals been presented to the Commission. In a written report to the meeting, the Commission also said that no EU funding was available for this purpose. The Secretary of State for Transport made a written statement to Parliament on the outcome of the Council meeting on 1 July 2010, Official Report, columns 50-52WS.
Birmingham International Airport
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that are likely to be created by the planned expansion of Birmingham International Airport; [8271]
(2) what recent representations he has received from (a) local businesses and (b) local authorities on plans for the expansion of Birmingham International Airport. [8272]
Mrs Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport has not made any estimate of the number of jobs that are likely to be created by the planned expansion of Birmingham International Airport, nor has he received any representations from local businesses or local authorities on the plans for the expansion of the airport.
British Airways: Industrial Disputes
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) BA and (b) Unite on the current industrial dispute at BA. [4985]
Mrs Villiers: The Secretary of State held separate meetings to discuss the dispute with the chief executive of British Airways and with the Joint General Secretary of Unite on 17 May and has subsequently had a number of informal follow-up discussions by telephone and at meetings convened for other purposes. He has consistently urged both parties to settle their differences as quickly as possible, in the interest of the travelling public.
Buckshaw Village Railway Station
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when Buckshaw Village railway station will be operational; and if he will make a statement. [7841]
Mrs Villiers: A revised planning application has been submitted for the station. If this is successful, contracts could be awarded for construction in August 2010.
Network Rail estimates that the new station could be operational in autumn 2011.
Crossrail
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Crossrail services per hour will operate at peak times in both directions between Whitechapel and Paddington when the line is complete. [6575]
Mrs Villiers: The Crossrail programme provides for 24 trains per hour in each direction during peak hours over the central section on completion of project.
Crossrail: Finance
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on the timetable for the Crossrail project of planned expenditure savings in his Department. [8113]
Mrs Villiers: The Government support Crossrail, which will bring substantial benefits to London and the UK. No decisions have been taken to change the schedule of the project.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he expects savings under each budget heading to be made in relation to the Crossrail project; and if he will make a statement. [8114]
Mrs Villiers: The Government support Crossrail, which will bring substantial benefits to London and the UK. No decisions have been taken to change the scope of the project.
Crossrail Ltd continue to explore and pursue opportunities for reducing costs through value engineering and value management, as well as pursuing rigorous risk management and good procurement practice. This work has not yet been completed and so total potential savings have yet to be fully quantified.
Crossrail: Railway Stations
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether new Crossrail stations will be constructed at (a) Paddington, (b) Bond Street, (c) Tottenham Court Road, (d) Farringdon, (e) Liverpool Street, (f) Whitechapel and (g) Woolwich; and what recent discussions he has had with contractors and designers over changes in design of each of those stations. [6573]
Mrs Villiers: The planned Crossrail route includes construction of stations at all of these locations. Station design discussions are continuing between Crossrail Ltd, their designers, and relevant stakeholders. The Secretary of State has not had discussions with contractors or designers but would expect to receive regular reports from Crossrail Ltd as design options are firmed up.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Canary Wharf Group on changes in design of the proposed Isle of Dogs/Canary Wharf Crossrail station; and what alterations to the design and features of the station have been made as a result. [6574]
Mrs Villiers:
The Secretary of State met with Canary Wharf Group and visited the construction site of the
Crossrail Canary Wharf station on 15 June 2010. Previous changes to the design of the station were discussed at the meeting but no decisions were taken to alter the design and features as a result.
Cycling: Children
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children aged (a) 11 years and under, (b) 15 years and under and (c) 16 years and under (i) received serious head injuries and (ii) died as a result of accidents involving bicycles in (A) 2009 and (B) the first quarter of 2010. [9685]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport collates information on the number of people killed, seriously injured or slightly injured in reported personal injury road accidents. However, information on the nature of the injury is not collected by the Department, but is available from the national health service information centre.
The latest year for which data are available is 2009. 2010 road accident and casualty figures will be published in summer 2011.
The number of casualties, in the age groups 0-11, 0-15 and 0-16, killed or seriously injured in reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one pedal cycle in 2009 is shown in the following table.
| Reported casualties in personal injury road accidents involving at least one pedal cycle, by road user type and casualty age-group: GB 2009 | ||||||
| Pedal cyclist | Other road users( 1) | |||||
| Age of Casualty | Killed | Seriously injured | KSI( 1) | Killed | Seriously injured | KSI( 2) |
| (1) Includes pedestrians and occupants of vehicles other than pedal cycles. (2) Killed or seriously injured. | ||||||
Departmental Marketing
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his (a) Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on logo design in each year since 1997. [7481]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport spent £16,795 on its corporate identity when it was formed following machinery of government changes in 2002-03. The logo has not changed since. Costs for other years, agencies and non-departmental public bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 1 July 2010, Official Report, columns 50-2WS, on the EU Transport Council, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on his request for a review of EU Regulation 261/2004 on passenger rights; and if he will make a statement. [7520]
Mrs Villiers: My right hon. Friend has had preliminary discussions with some of his EU counterparts both bilaterally and at the Transport Council on 24 June. The UK supports Regulation 261/2004, which has protected passengers' interests and raised airlines' standards of service. However, it has changed radically and unexpectedly as a result of a European Court of Justice ruling last November in relation to flight delays, to the possible detriment of both passengers and industry. Given that the Commission is already looking at the regulation, as part of the work following the volcanic ash crisis, the UK is asking them to include this issue within the scope of the review.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 1 July 2010, Official Report, columns 50-2WS, on the EU Transport Council, what representations he has (a) received and (b) sought from (i) consumer groups, (ii) air passenger groups and (iii) airlines prior to or following his request to the European Commission for review of EU Regulation 261/2004 on passenger rights; and if he will make a statement. [7521]
Mrs Villiers:
The European Commission announced in May that, following the volcanic ash crisis, it was looking again at EU Regulation 261/2004. The UK supports Regulation 261/2004, which has protected passengers' interests and raised airlines' standards of
service. However, as part of the Commission's review process, the UK has asked that it also look at one specific aspect of the regulation, relating to flight delays, which changed radically as a result of a European Court of Justice ruling last November. The Government have received several representations from airlines about the effects of this ruling, which could bring detriment to customers as well as high costs for industry. The Commission's review will be of interest to passengers and airlines alike.
London Airports
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the case for additional airport capacity in south east England; [4972]
(2) what assessment he has made of the merits of proposals for a new airport in the Thames Estuary. [4974]
Mrs Villiers: Our priority is to get the most out of existing airport infrastructure in the south-east, which is why I shall be chairing the taskforce announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his written ministerial statement on 15 June 2010, Official Record, column 48WS, to improve operations at the major south-east airports.
The Department for Transport has not made any recent assessment of the merits of a new airport in the Thames Estuary. This is not an option the Government are considering.
London and South Eastern Railway: Finance
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public funding has been allocated to Southeastern Railway since it took over the Kent Integrated Franchise. [6352]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport publishes subsidy details for Southeastern (The Integrated Kent Franchise) on its website, which can be found at:
The Office of Rail Regulation publishes actual subsidy payments in its 'National Rail Trends' document (table 6.2c), which is available on its website at:
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding has been granted to Southeastern Railway under the National Station Improvement Programme in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [6353]
Mrs Villiers:
The Local Delivery Group responsible for the Southeastern portfolio of stations was allocated £14.3 million of the first £100 million of funding from the National Stations Improvement Programme. Network Rail advises that £960,859, £5,365,053 and £602,271 of
this funding was spent on improvement schemes at Southeastern stations in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively.
London-Birmingham Railway Line
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received on the proposed high speed rail link between London and Birmingham; [4284]
(2) what representations he has received on the proposed high speed rail link between London and Birmingham from residents or organisations in Coventry. [4285]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 28 June 2010]: The Department for Transport has received representations from a range of interested parties, including; business groups, those affected by High Speed 2 Limited's recommended line of route, local and regional government, and environmental groups. None of the representations received was from residents or organisations in Coventry.
Network Rail: Pay
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish each item of correspondence between his Department and Network Rail on executive pay at Network Rail since his appointment. [4984]
Mrs Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to Rick Haythornthwaite, chairman of Network Rail, on 28 May, emphasising the need for restraint on executive pay. This letter can be found online at:
and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
As the Special Member of Network Rail, the Secretary of State also receives a number of letters from Network Rail's directors, which are sent to all members. Since the formation of the current Government, there have been two such letters which have referred to executive bonuses. Copies of these letters have been placed in the House Library.
Railways
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent research his Department has undertaken into the effects of level of use of the rail network on non-rail users. [6889]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport has analysed the benefits of rail use to non-rail users using the National Transport Model-by estimating the external costs to society avoided, including congestion, accidents and emissions, if car users switch to rail. The estimates this analysis produced led to the publication of guidance for those carrying out economic appraisals of rail schemes: "TAG unit 3.13.2: Guidance on Rail Appraisal: External Costs of Car Use". This guidance unit is available at:
Railways: Bury
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress he has made on the Bury to Rawtenstall rail extension project. [9161]
Mrs Villiers: The Bury to Rawtenstall rail extension project is being promoted by Rossendale borough council in partnership with Lancashire county council, Bury council, Rochdale metropolitan borough council and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE). GMPTE has commissioned a study from Atkins to look at public transport on the A56-M66 corridor between Bury and East Lancashire which includes the reinstatement of commuter services between Rawtenstall and Manchester as an option. This study is due to be completed in October 2010.
Railways: East Anglia
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 17 June 2010, Official Report, column 58WS, on "Transport: Rail Franchising," (1) when he expects the competition process for the Greater Anglia franchise to (a) open and (b) close; [8903]
(2) when he expects the new Greater Anglia franchise to be operational. [8904]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport is currently in the process of reviewing rail franchising policy. To enable the Greater Anglia franchise to reflect the changes that may arise from the review of this policy, the competitions that started in January this year have been cancelled. It is expected that the new competition process will be advertised by the end of this year. There is no set period between issuing such an advert and franchise commencement, however typically invitations to tender have been issued around a year before the franchise start date.
Railways: Fares
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward measures to hypothecate annual increases in rail fares above the level of the retail price index plus one per cent. for capital investment in rail or in new rolling stock and other investment purposes; and if he will make a statement. [6576]
Mrs Villiers: The Government are committed to fairness on rail fares. We hope to be able to keep the current formula for the cap on regulated fares, but we need to wait until further work has been done on the spending settlement before making a final decision on the fare formula for next year.
Railways: Freight
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the contribution of levels of use of rail freight to the economy. [6890]
Mrs Villiers:
No recent assessment has been made. However, the economic value of rail freight was considered
by Skills for Logistics in 2008, which estimated that the freight and logistics sector as a whole is worth around £74.5 billion to the economy.
Transport: Forecasts
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what progress he has made on his plans to revise the New Approach to Transport Appraisal; and what the (a) terms of reference and (b) timetable are for that review; [6999]
(2) whether transport schemes approved for progression during the Comprehensive Spending Review will be reappraised using the revised New Approach to Transport Appraisal before they receive final approval. [7000]
Norman Baker: During the Spending Review decision-making will be informed by updated carbon values and a Treasury methodology being used by all departments to assess value for money in a consistent way. We intend to introduce reformed decision-making procedures for new projects as soon as possible after the Spending Review. At that point, projects seeking final approval will be expected to adhere to the new procedures.
Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on Wales of his Department's planned spending reductions. [8986]
Mr Philip Hammond: As part of the spending review I will be reviewing the regional impacts of all spending decisions made by my Department, in line with Her Majesty's Treasury guidance. However, as transport is a devolved function, the impact of any reductions in spending in Wales as a result of Barnett consequentials will be determined by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Home Department
Detainees
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement of 6 July 2010, Official Report, columns 175-78, on the treatment of detainees, from which departmental budget any sums paid in compensation to those bringing civil cases against the Crown involving the treatment of detainees will be drawn. [8335]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 13 July 2010]: Formal mediation has not yet begun and at this stage we do not know what the outcome will be. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment any further on the details of any potential payments.
Crime: Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will commission a report from the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis on the number and location of anti-Semitic incidents in London since December 2008; and if she will make a statement. [8576]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office is committed to tackling all hate crime. Data on anti-Semitic hate crime are collected by the Metropolitan police and provided to the Association of Chief Police Officers National Community Tension Team to ensure that current threats are closely monitored. We have no plans to commission a separate report from the Metropolitan Commissioner on this issue.
Departmental Marketing
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her (a) Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on logo design in each year since 1997. [7486]
Nick Herbert: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Spend incurred for logo design is not always itemised and invoiced separately on the Cabinet Office Resource Accounting System. Therefore, to determine conclusively the Department's spend on logo development would require an analysis of every transaction undertaken during the period in question and would mean manually checking thousands of individual invoices.
Departmental Official Cars
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office. [7969]
Nick Herbert: Since the new coalition Government came into effect on 11 May 2010, the Home Office has spent £22,027 on the Government Car Service.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010, Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £367 million of savings allocated to her Department will be made. [6830]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office and Government Equalities Office contributed £367 million in 2010-11 to the £6 billion in-year cross-Government savings announced by the Chancellor on 26 May 2010.
Police funding for 2010-11 was reduced by a total of £135 million, of which £125 million was comprised of reductions to the core police grant and police capital grant, as set out in the written ministerial statement laid before the House on 27 May 2010, Official Report, columns 12-16WS. A further £10 million reduction was made from policing counter-terrorism grants.
Some £82 million of the savings were made from the Department's agencies and arm's length bodies, as well as the Government Equalities Office. I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Alan Johnson) on 29 June 2010, Official Report, columns 508-09W.
A further £139 million is accounted for by:
a £30 million reduction to the Home Office crime and policing budget, including some grants;
a £69 million reduction to the budget of the UK Border Agency;
a further £13 million reduction to the Identity and Passport Service budget;
a £13 million reduction to the Home Office corporate services budget; and a
£14 million reduction to the security and counter-terrorism budget.
Within these headline numbers the Department is targeting its overheads, consultancy and lower value spend.
The remaining £11 million savings will be managed through the usual in-year budget management processes within the Department.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010, Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on spending control, under what budget headings the £55 million of savings allocated to her Department will be made; and what savings will be made in respect of each police authority area. [7211]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 12 July 2010]: The Treasury has confirmed that the Home Office should expect to receive half of the £110 million of capital end year flexibility upon which its capital plans for 2010-11 were based. This means that reductions of around £55 million will need to be made in-year. This will be achieved by bearing down on costs across a range of Home Office programmes and projects. There are no cuts planned to police capital funding.
Departmental Training
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) her Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee away days in each year since 1997. [7322]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office accounting system does not separately identify expenditure on staff away days. The relevant expenditure is compartmentalised within separate accounting codes and would therefore require an investigation of every separate claim for the period in question. To provide the requested detail would incur disproportionate cost.
All expenditure on away days is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her (a) Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee training in each year since 1997. [7652]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Detainees
Chris Leslie:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement of 6 July 2010, Official Report, columns 175-78, on the treatment of detainees, if she will make it her policy to
require that requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for disclosure of compensation paid in resolving outstanding civil cases are not declined on grounds of statutory exemption. [8336]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 13 July 2010]: Mediation is a confidential process and the question of whether any elements are made public is for agreement by both parties. I can however confirm that the exemptions provided for in the Freedom of Information Act would have to be considered before any response could be given.
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the oral statement of 6 July 2010, Official Report, columns 175-78, on the treatment of detainees, if she will disclose to (a) the Intelligence and Security Committee, (b) the National Audit Office and (c) the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation details of the compensation to be paid in resolution of any civil cases involving the treatment of detainees; [8333]
(2) if she will make it her policy to publish figures for (a) the number of mediated civil cases where compensation is paid and (b) the total amount of compensation so paid. [8334]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 13 July 2010]: Formal mediation has not yet begun and at this stage we do not know what the outcome will be. The Prime Minister has said that where appropriate financial compensation will be awarded. However, mediation is a confidential process and the question of whether any elements are made public is for agreement by both parties. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
EC Law
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the statutory obligations on it provided for in legislation introduced as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available. [6334]
James Brokenshire: Over the last 12 months (July 2009 to June 2010), the Home Office has introduced a small number of domestic legislative measures (primary and secondary) implementing in whole or in part statutory obligations arising from EU legislation.
Eight of these have resulted in minimal costs to the Home Office beyond those integral to the planning, drafting and production of these measures for which figures are not available. Of the remaining two measures:
The Immigration (Biometric Registration) (Amendment No.2) Regulations 2009 enables the UK to move towards complying with EC Regulation 380/2008, which concerns the format of residence permits issued to third country nationals and specifically enabled the UK to roll out biometric residence cards to migrants extending their stay under tier 2 of the PBS (skilled workers). As a proportion of the overall start-up costs for Biometric Residence Permits, £2.6 million was apportioned to the rollout of cards to these migrants. The average annual maintenance cost is £2.1 million which is recovered through application fees.
On 23 December 2009, benzylpiperazine was brought under control of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as a Class C drug pursuant to European Council Decision 2005/387/JHA in relation
to new psychoactive substances. No figures are available in relation to the cost to the Department. An impact assessment (IA) laid with the draft Order established that it was not possible at that time to estimate the costs associated with law change. The IA is available at:
Firearms
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many guns have been seized by the police in each year since 1997. [8824]
James Brokenshire: These data are not collected centrally.
Offences Against Children
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the police has used the European Criminal Records Information system in (a) locating and (b) bringing charges against British citizens who have committed sexual crimes against children overseas. [9009]
Lynne Featherstone: The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) is a secure computerised exchange system, using a standardised format so that individual member states are able to exchange criminal conviction information in a uniform, electronic and easily computer translatable way. It is due to be implemented by all member states in April 2012. As the information exchanged through ECRIS will only be existing criminal convictions it will not be possible to use it to locate and bring charges against British citizens who have committed sexual crimes against children overseas.
The United Kingdom already receives criminal conviction notifications from the majority of EU countries. An offender will be placed on the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register (VISOR) if the offence abroad is one that would have resulted in him being placed on VISOR if it had occurred in the UK. There are currently 499 offenders on VISOR as a result of offences committed abroad.
Offences Against Children: Prosecutions
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions were brought and (b) convictions there were under section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for sexual crimes committed against children outside the UK in each year since the Act came into force; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the length of the sentences given in relation to the maximum available sentence. [8563]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 15 July 2010]: The Court Proceedings Database held by the Ministry of Justice contains information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Other than where specified in a statute, statistical information available centrally does not include the circumstances of each case and does not identify where the offence was committed. Therefore it is not possible to separately identify those defendants proceeded against who committed the offence while abroad.
No internal assessment of sentencing under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 has been made. However, the Sentencing Guidelines Council published definitive guideline on sentencing under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 on 30 April 2007 that addresses appropriate levels of sentencing in relation to the maximum sentences. I will place a copy of these guidelines in the Library.
Offensive Weapons
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people stopped by the police on suspicion of carrying a knife were subsequently (a) charged and (b) convicted in each of the last five years. [8792]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not held centrally.
Data on the number of persons stopped and searched, and resultant arrests for offensive weapons under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 do not separately identify searches for knives.
Information on the number of stop searches and resultant arrests for offensive weapons can be found in tables 2a and 2b of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 'Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales 2008/09'. Copies of the bulletin are available in the Library of the House.
These data do not link to any subsequent outcome therefore it is not possible to identify the number of convictions for possession of a knife in public arising directly from these stop and search procedures.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knives have been seized by the police in each year since 1997. [8808]
James Brokenshire: The requested data are not held centrally.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) illegally-held and (b) air weapons were seized by police in each year since 1997. [8827]
James Brokenshire: These data are not collected centrally.
Pakistan: Torture
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) her Department and (b) the government of Pakistan has spent on the protection of General Musharraf provided by her Department while in the United Kingdom in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [7018]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not comment on the protective security arrangements and their related costs of any individuals or groups. The hon. Member will appreciate that disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and the security of those involved.
Police
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police warrant cards have been recorded as (a) lost and (b) stolen in each year since 1997. [8797]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Police: Dismissal
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were dismissed from each police force between 1997 and 2010. [8887]
Nick Herbert: The available data are provided in the following table. Data are only available for 2002-03 to 2008-09.
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