Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 22 July 2010
Northern Ireland
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10118]
Mr Paterson: The total amount spent is as follows:
(a) May 2010: £0
(b) June 2010: £204.63
Departmental Operating Costs
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment. [9820]
Mr Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), like other Government Departments, is developing its plans to reduce running costs in the context of the 2010 Spending Review which will set departmental budgets for the financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15. The spending review will report in the autumn by which time the Department will have firmed up target cost savings over the next four financial years.
It should be noted that policing and justice functions, that were previously the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office, were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 April and any historical cost comparisons will be difficult due to the significant restructuring.
Departmental Pay
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10. [9996]
Mr Paterson: Following devolution comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are no longer available.
Departmental Speeches
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department. [7396]
Mr Paterson: No civil servants, special advisers or other individuals in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) are employed specifically to write speeches for Ministers.
Justice
Bribery Act 2010
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) when he plans to publish guidance for businesses on the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010; [10570]
(2) how he plans to consult on implementing the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010; and if he will make a statement. [10571]
Mr Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on 20 July 2010, Official Report, column 12WS.
Corruption: Public Service;
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2010, Official Report, column 161W, on corruption: public service; if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) agenda and (b) minutes of each of the five meetings of the Foreign Bribery Strategy Board. [9747]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The agendas and minutes of each of the five meetings of the Foreign Bribery Strategy Board will be placed in the Library, where they do not meet the exemptions set out in the Freedom of Information Act under Section 31 (law enforcement) or Section 35 (formulation of government policy).
Deportation: Offenders
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals that all EU citizens in a prison in the UK be deported to their home country immediately. [9654]
Mr Blunt: Council Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to judgments in criminal matters imposing custodial sentences or measures involving deprivation of liberty for the purpose of their enforcement in the European Union was adopted on 27 November 2008. The Framework Decision provides for the compulsory transfer of prisoners who are subject to a deportation order or who are being transferred to their country of nationality in which they normally reside. Member states have three years in which to implement the Framework Decision and to put in place the required legislative framework. The Framework Decision will enter into force in December 2011. The Government cannot unilaterally bring forward the date of implementation.
The deportation of foreign national prisoners at the end of their sentence is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. However, foreign national prisoners cannot be deported before their earliest removal date under the Early Removal Scheme. Foreign national prisoners are referred to the UK Border Agency before the end of their custodial sentence so that they can be considered for deportation action.
High Cost Case Unit: Costs
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by the High Cost Case Unit on the 10 most costly case proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [9505]
Mr Djanogly: For very high cost criminal cases, the highest cost contracts for which the contract was concluded in 2009-10 were as follows. These are the total costs paid for the full life of the contract:
1. £3,369,043
2. £3,359,950
3. £3,005,629
4. £2,525,846
5. £2,124,175
6. £2,014,370
7. £1,754,390
8. £1,594,644
9. £1,517,507
10. £1,433,601
For very high cost civil cases, the highest cost cases for which the final bill was paid in 2009-10 were as follows. All these cases were successful and the opponents paid the costs specified in full.
1. £805,000
2. £752,500
3. £729,750
4. £717,000
5. £591,450
6. £550,000
7. £548,002
8. £503,500
9. £499,662
10. £495,833
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the High Cost Case Unit spent on (a) solicitors' costs, (b) counsels' fees and (c) disbursements in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [9506]
Mr Djanogly: Legal aid expenditure on solicitors' costs, counsels' fees and disbursements under the very high cost case (VHCC) scheme in criminal cases during the 12 months between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010, was as follows:
| £ million | |
| (1) Includes payments made to advocates who were not part of the VHCC panel. | |
Civil VHCC costs are not recorded in a similar way and corresponding figures are therefore not readily available.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by the High Cost Case Unit on case proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [9504]
Mr Djanogly: The net cash spend authorised for payment for very high cost cases in financial year 2009-10 was:
| £ million | |
| (1) These are cases where the costs are likely to exceed £25,000 and are funded since 2000 under the Access to Justice Act. (2) These are cases where they trial length is expected to be 41 days or more, or cases with expected trial length of 25-40 days with complexity factors that justified the application of VHCC controls. | |
Legal Services Commission: Immigration
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many of the Legal Services Commission offices in the South East given immigration new matter starts from October 2010 are in (a) Slough, (b) Reading and (c) Windsor and Maidenhead; [10575]
(2) how many of the Legal Services Commission (a) immigration new matter starts and (b) asylum new matter starts awarded in the South East have been given to providers based in (i) Slough, (ii) Reading and (iii) Windsor and Maidenhead. [10576]
Mr Djanogly: The tender process for Immigration Services is not yet complete and we therefore cannot provide details of the organisations that have been successful. The tender will conclude once all appeals have been resolved which we anticipate will be in mid September 2010.
Magistrates Courts
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) court rooms and (b) court rooms in use there are in (i) Denbigh magistrates court and (ii) Rhyl county court. [9490]
Mr Djanogly: There is one court room at Denbigh magistrates court which sits one day per week. There are two court rooms at Rhyl county court which are used five days per week.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the court utilisation rate was for (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the utilisation rate was for each courtroom in each such case. [9491]
Mr Djanogly: Utilisation is only recorded in magistrates courts and by court, not by courtroom. The utilisation rate for Denbigh magistrates court in 2009-10 was 25.6%. The court was used 317 out of 1,239 available hours.
There were 415 sitting days in Rhyl in 2009-10. Each of the two courtrooms could have been used for up to 248 sitting days each (496 total). Therefore there were sittings at Rhyl in 83.7% of the days that were possible.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what HM Courts Service's most recent estimate is of the likely case load of (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court in each of the next three years. [9492]
Mr Djanogly: No estimate has been made of the future case load of each of these courts in the next three years. Forecasting is not carried out at individual court level.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the Court Users Survey in respect of (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court. [9495]
Mr Djanogly: Statistics from the HM Courts Service User Survey are not available at the level of individual courts due to small sample sizes. In 2008-09 (the latest year for which user survey statistics have been published), 67% of users interviewed for the survey at court locations in North Wales said that they were 'very' or 'fairly' satisfied with their court experience, 17% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 15% said that they were 'very' or 'fairly' dissatisfied. The corresponding figures for court users interviewed across the whole of England and Wales were 83%, 9% and 8% respectively. A report of the results for 2009-10 is due to be published on the Ministry of Justice website in October 2010 at:
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the future caseload of Llwynypia magistrates court. [9560]
Mr Djanogly: No estimate has been made of the future case load of Llwynypia magistrates court. Forecasting is not carried out at individual court level.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard in (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court in each of the last three financial years. [9493]
Mr Djanogly: The number of completed proceedings in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court and completed civil (non-family) court proceedings in Rhyl county court, from 2007-08 to 2009-10, are given in Table 1. Centrally collected information does not allow the separate identification of those completed at Denbigh magistrates court specifically.
Tables 2 and 3 show the number of orders made in relation to family cases at Rhyl county court in these years.
| Table 1: Completed court proceedings in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court and Rhyl county court 2007-08 to 2009-10 | ||
| Total number of completed court proceedings in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court | Total number of civil proceedings completed in Rhyl county court | |
| Notes: 1. Total number of completed cases in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court includes all criminal proceedings, adult breach proceedings, and non-criminal proceedings (civil and family applications and means enquiries, representation orders and special jurisdiction). 2. Total number of civil proceedings completed in Rhyl county court includes all cases disposed of by a trial or small claim hearing, or which saw an order for possession of property made at a hearing 3. Magistrates court data have been given to the nearest hundred. Source: Completed Proceedings, HM Courts Service Performance Database ('OPT'), HM Courts Service CaseMan system and Possession Claim On-Line system | ||
| Table 2 Orders made relating to private and public law family cases in Rhyl county court 2007-08 to 2009-10 | |
| Total number of children involved in public and private law family proceedings completed in Rhyl county court | |
| Notes: 1. Figures relate to the number of children subject to each application. 2. Public law refers to child protection cases where a local authority is stepping in to protect a child from harm. Private law refers to cases where there is a dispute between two or more private individuals regarding a child. For example, over where he/she is to live or whether someone should have contact with him/her. Both are cases brought under the Children Act 1989. (3) Statistics for 2009-10 are not yet available; 2009 data are due to be published in September 2010. Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system | |
| Table 3 Completed family court proceedings in Rhyl county court 2007-08 to 2009-10 | |
| Total number of family proceedings completed in Rhyl county court and High Court | |
| Notes: 1. Figures include orders made in the District Registry of the High Court in Rhyl, and exclude public and private law cases. 2. Figures include cases related to domestic violence injunctions, dissolution and nullity of marriage and ancillary relief. 3. One case may include more than one type of ancillary relief order. Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system | |
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were disposed of in chambers in (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [9494]
Mr Djanogly: Cases are not disposed of in chambers in the magistrates courts. The number of cases disposed of in chambers in Rhyl county court is not held centrally; where this information is recorded on case files held by the courts it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been transferred to other courts from (a) Rhyl county court and (b) Denbigh magistrates court in each of the last three years. [9497]
Mr Djanogly: The following table shows the number of civil and family case transfers from Rhyl county court to another court in each of the last three years:
| Family and civil cases transfers from Rhyl county court | |
| Financial year | Number |
| Notes: 1. The data reflect the number of case transfers where a case was transferred from Rhyl county court to another court. This data do not equal the number of individual cases transferred as some cases may be transferred more than once. 2. The number of family transfer events include those made in the District Registry in the High Court in Rhyl. This is because it is not possible distinguish between county and High court transfers for all types of family. Source: HMCS FamilyMan system and HMCS Manual returns obtained through One Performance Truth Database. | |
The number of cases transferred from Denbigh magistrates court to other magistrates courts is not held centrally as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties. The only means to collect this data would be the inspection of each individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard in the magistrates court in Llwynypia in each of the last five years. [9558]
Mr Djanogly: The number of completed magistrates court proceedings in Llwynypia and Pontypridd magistrates courts, from 2007-08 to 2009-10, are given in the table. Centrally collected information does not allow the separate identification of those completed at Llwynypia specifically. These statistics are not available prior to 2007-08 on a comparable basis.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many witnesses and defendants failed to attend court at (a) the Llwynypia magistrates court, (b) the county court in Pontypridd, (c) the magistrates court in Aberdare and (d) the magistrates court in Pontypridd in each of the last five years. [9562]
Mr Djanogly: Information about the number of witnesses and defendants failing to attend the county court in Pontypridd and the magistrates courts is not held centrally, as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties.
Furthermore, the information collected does not separately identify cases completed at Llwynypia magistrates court is collected from those at Pontypridd magistrates court.
Information on the number of criminal trials at Llwynypia and Pontypridd magistrates courts and Aberdare magistrates court which were either 'ineffective' (does not commence on due date and is re-listed) or 'cracked' (did not commence on the due date and was not listed) due to non-attendance for defendants and witnesses, from 2007-08 to 2009-10, is given in the table as follows. Statistics are not available prior to 2007-08 at a court level.
Information about the number of witnesses and defendants failing to attend the county court in Pontypridd is not held centrally.
| Non-attendance of defendants and witnesses in criminal trials recorded in the magistrates courts, April 2007-09 | |||||
| Magistrates courts | Number of trials where the defendant is absent( 1) | Percentage of the cases where the defendant is absent | Number of trials where the witness is absent( 2) | Percentage of the cases where the witness is absent | Total number of trials |
| (1 )Witnesses are defined as both professional, police and other witnesses for both the defence and prosecution. (2) Prior to April 2007, data were collected from different administrative systems and are not directly comparable with those given in the table. For this reason, the table shows the figures from 2007-08 to 2009-10 only. (3) The figures correspond to trials only and exclude all non-attendance when trials did not occur. Source: Trials, HM courts service Performance Database (OPT). | |||||
Magistrates Courts: Ammanford
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answers of 1 July 2010, Official Report, column 615W, on magistrates courts: Ammanford, 12 July 2010, Official Report, column 582W, on Ammanford magistrates court and 13 July 2010, Official Report, column 636W, on Ammanford magistrates court, whether the operating costs for 2009-10 are inclusive of the refurbishment and maintenance costs. [9705]
Mr Djanogly: The operating costs are inclusive of the refurbishment and maintenance costs.
Magistrates Courts: Closures
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what staff-related costs will be incurred by the closure of (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court in respect of (i) additional fares, (ii) additional travelling time and (iii) voluntary redundancy. [9498]
Mr Djanogly: The proposals on the court estate are currently out to public consultation and until responses to the consultation have been considered in full, no decision on court closures will be taken. As it is not known whether and which courts will close, no assessment has been made of the effect on staffing numbers or costs. Implementation planning will only occur once decisions have been taken and staff redeployment will form part of that planning. My Department will continue to discuss the proposals with staff and with the trade unions.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the cost of the maintenance backlog was included in his estimate of the likely level of savings to the public purse of the closure of (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court; and whether funding for the maintenance backlog has been allocated. [9513]
Mr Djanogly: As indicted in the consultation papers, if these courts were to close it would remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance. Maintenance backlog figures are therefore separate from estimates of likely savings. Funding for maintenance backlogs has not been allocated.
Closure of all 157 courts covered in the consultation would achieve running cost savings of around £15.3 million per year. These courts also have backlog maintenance of around £21.5 million, costs that can be avoided if the closures go ahead.
Magistrates Courts: Manpower
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff are employed at Llwynypia magistrates court. [9559]
Mr Djanogly: There are no staff permanently located at Llwynypia magistrates court. Staff based at Pontypridd magistrates court travel to Llwynypia for hearings.
Magistrates Courts: Repairs and Maintenance
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what maintenance costs were incurred by his Department in respect of (a) Denbigh magistrates court and (b) Rhyl county court in each of the last three years. [9496]
Mr Djanogly: The maintenance costs in respect of Denbigh magistrates court and Rhyl county court in each of the last three years were:
| £ | |
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the maintenance costs of the magistrates court in Llwynypia were in each of the last five years. [9561]
Mr Djanogly: The maintenance costs at Llwynypia magistrates court for each of the last five years were:
| £ | |
Magistrates Courts: Unpaid Fines
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of court fines in each (a) region, (b) county and (c) magistrates court area levied in each of the last three years were unpaid and outstanding at the end of each such year. [9630]
Mr Djanogly: HMCS systems do not currently identify how many fines imposed within a year are paid within the same period, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of all fine accounts.
However HMCS's systems can identify the amounts imposed within the last three years for all HMCS regions and Local Criminal Justice Board areas. These data together with the total amount outstanding at the end of each year are set out in the following table. The outstanding balance has risen through the application of a strict policy that only allows fines to be written off in certain circumstances. The outstanding balance includes fines imposed a number of years ago during the period when fines could not be cancelled (2004-06) and fines which are being paid by instalments.
Magistrates Courts: Wales
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many cases originally listed for hearing at Pwllheli magistrates court were transferred for hearing before Caernarfon magistrates court in each year from 2006; [10377]
(2) how many cases were transferred for hearing from Llangefni magistrates court to Holyhead magistrates court in each year from 2006 to 2009; [10461]
(3) how many cases were dealt with by district judges in the counties of Gwynedd and Ynys Môn in each year from 2006 to 2009. [10468]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not hold information electronically on cases that are transferred between courts nor on the amount of cases dealt with by district judges in the magistrates courts.
The information is not held centrally, as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties. It may be that the information is held within individual case files but the inspection of these could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs of Pwllheli magistrates court were in each year from 2006 to 2009. [10378]
Mr Djanogly: The running costs for Pwllheli magistrates court from 2005-06 to 2009-10 were as follows:
| £ | |
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what capital expenditure his Department incurred in maintenance of the venue for Pwllheli magistrates court in each year from 2006 to 2009; and if he will make a statement. [10379]
Mr Djanogly: The capital costs for Pwllheli magistrates court were zero for each of these years. The resource maintenance figures for these years, which form part of the overall running costs, are provided in the following table.
| £ | |
Prisons: Population
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the level of (a) numeracy and (b) literacy in the prison population in England and Wales. [9581]
Mr Blunt: Neither the National Offender Management Services (NOMS) nor the Skills Funding Agency routinely collect this information.
However the Skills Funding Agency are able to provide information on the number of literacy and numeracy-related learning aims prisoners were enrolled upon in the last full academic year for which figures are available (August 2008 to July 2009) as recorded on Individualised Learner Records In the 2008-09 academic year prisoners were enrolled upon a total of 243,100 learning aims, with 39,888 of those aims in a literacy-related subject (16%) and 34,804 aims in numeracy-related subjects (14%).
Education in Welsh prisons is delivered through a different model. The number of prisoners in Welsh public sector prisons who started a basic skills course and achieved an accreditation during 2009-10 was 39%.
Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on Wales of his Department's planned spending reductions. [8990]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Government set out in its document 'Spending Review Framework' that it will:
"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7)
Further information will be available at the spending review.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Billing
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his 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 he will make a statement. [9259]
John Penrose: This Department does not hold data on payments to sub-contractors by our first tier suppliers.
Olympic Delivery Authority
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much the Olympic Delivery Authority has spent on (a) polling and (b) focus groups in each of the last three years. [8677]
Hugh Robertson: Spending by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) on polling and focus groups has been mainly on research to support the delivery of a successful transport operation for the 2012 games. The amount spent during the past three financial years is in the table:
| Amount (£) | |
The proportions carried out by (a) polling and (b) focus groups are not recorded.
Radio Frequencies
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has for the future use of the analogue spectrum after digital switchover. [10772]
Mr Vaizey: Around a quarter of all radio listening is now to digital, so a future transition to digital radio continues to gain impetus. However, we believe that FM analogue broadcasting will continue for the foreseeable future and for at least as long as it is needed as a platform for local radio.
It would not be in anyone's interest to force stations on to DAB or to 'switch off' FM at a time when it would leave local and community stations without an appropriate broadcast platform. Radio broadcasting on FM will therefore continue for as long as it is needed and viable.
International Development
Commonwealth
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which Commonwealth organisations his Department provides grant funding; and how much it has provided to each in each of the last 10 years. [10634]
Mr Duncan: Details of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) to Commonwealth programmes since 2002 are provided in the following table. The requested information cannot be provided for previous years without incurring disproportionate cost.
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| (1) These amounts are spend in the financial years 2002-3, 2003-4, 2004-5, 2005-6 and 2006-7 | |||||||||
Departmental Communication
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what instructions have been issued by the private office of each Minister in his Department on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence. [9665]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) ensures guidance is available to staff on our intranet pages regarding the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to correspondence. When any Minister joins DFID, this guidance is updated to reflect the new Minister's preferred writing style. This requires staff to use plain English, avoid acronyms and use a clear structure.
Departmental Official Cars
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office. [7967]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) paid the Government Car Service £45,737.59, between 12 May and 12 June 2010.
DFID has given notice to GCS that we are terminating our contracts for allocated ministerial cars and drivers for the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and myself, and intend to use the new government car pool for ministerial travel purposes as soon as this is in place.
Haiti: Earthquakes
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations have received funding from his Department as part of the aid mission following the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010. [9741]
Mr Duncan: Funding provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) to non-governmental organisations and multilateral organisations to assist the relief operation in Haiti are provided as follows:
Overseas Aid
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to ensure that overseas aid is used for its intended purposes. [9524]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has established a strong set of controls to manage the risk of misuse of funds. We protect our funds in three ways: by ensuring that the funds were paid to the intended recipient, that the funds have been used for the purposes agreed, and that the use of the funds has been audited.
The UK Government are introducing a new 'Aid Transparency Guarantee', which will make our aid fully transparent to citizens in both the UK and recipient countries. Aid transparency is critical to improving aid effectiveness and value for money, and reduces waste, fraud and corruption.
The Secretary of State has also taken the first steps towards creating a new independent aid watchdog to review the effectiveness of DFID programmes. In addition we will modify the way that programmes are designed so that gathering rigorous evidence is built in from the day they start.
Palestinians: International Assistance
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza. [9688]
Mr Duncan: The humanitarian situation in Gaza is stable but fragile, with 75% of Gazans dependent on food aid. We have recently contributed £19 million to the 2010 general budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides basic services to Palestinian refugees across the region. UNRWA spends about 30% of its budget in Gaza, providing education, health care, social services and food aid to the 1 million Gazans who are registered refugees.
The UK also funds a UN team who co-ordinate and facilitate the movement of aid and other necessary items into Gaza.
We are looking at what further steps we can take in the light of the recent announcement by Israel that it will reduce access restrictions and allow a larger range and volume of aid and goods into Gaza.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Location
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to relocate (a) civil servants and (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement. [8290]
Gregory Barker: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.
Departmental Offices
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw. [6562]
Gregory Barker: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.
Departmental Operating Costs
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment. [9604]
Gregory Barker: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough (Mr Blunkett) on 19 July 2010, Official Report, column 72W, which sets out how DECC has made £85 million in savings as part of the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 24 May of wider public expenditure reductions in 2010-11.
Natural Gas: Utilities
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase the number of gas energy suppliers. [9682]
Charles Hendry: Great Britain has a strong, well-functioning competitive energy market with a diverse range licensed gas suppliers. Ofgem has found that liquidity in the gas supply market compares well with liquidity in other markets, suggesting a healthy level of competition and freedom for new energy suppliers to enter the market. Were barriers to entry for new gas suppliers to be identified, Government and Ofgem would take action to address these issues as appropriate. With regard to the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) market, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently reviewing the effect of the Competition Commission Orders for the domestic bulk LPG market.
Radioactive Waste: Waste Management
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what budget payment for costs of dealing with nuclear waste exceeding (a) the fixed unit price for waste disposal and (b) the contingency cost budgets for such disposal is drawn. [10998]
Charles Hendry: The Government's policy is that the price paid by operators of new nuclear power stations for the disposal of their higher activity radioactive wastes should be sufficient to meet their full share of waste disposal costs. The precise details of this scheme are still under consideration.
Renewable Energy
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to require energy companies to display on customers' bills the proportion of the total cost used to subsidise renewable energy generation. [9325]
Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to improving the transparency of energy bills and improving information to consumers to help them understand and control their energy costs and are currently considering the extent of the information that should be included.
Ofgem estimate environmental and social programmes and subsidies, including but not limited to support for renewables, account for 8% of the average domestic electricity bill and 3% of the average domestic gas bill. Costs of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, the Community Energy Savings Programme, and the Renewables Obligation are included, however, this does not take into account the impact on an average bill of the energy efficiency savings from these policies.
There are currently no requirements for energy suppliers to put information on subsidies on energy bills. Ofgem have produced readily available factsheets explaining energy bills which give a breakdown of the costs that make up consumer bills. Some suppliers have chosen to include example cost break downs on bills to improve transparency and we would strongly encourage this.
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the role of biomass combustion through gasification in the future renewables mix in the UK. [10459]
Charles Hendry: Government recognise that gasification is an important and versatile technology which can be used to convert biomass or bio based waste into a range of energy outputs. Gasification is supported through the renewables obligation, with electricity produced through innovative advanced gasification processes qualifying for two renewable obligation certificates.
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission a review of the comparative efficiency of (a) biomass gasification and (b) anaerobic digestion. [10502]
Charles Hendry: Studies on biomass energy conversion efficiencies already exist, as commissioned by the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), which provides advice to Government on bio energy and energy from waste technologies. Details are available on the NNFCC website at
and the following reports cover biomass gasification:
The potential for bio synthetic gas production in the UK (Reference NNFCC 10-008);
Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for thermochemical bio synthetic gas production in the UK (Reference NNFCC 10-009);
Life Cycle and Techno-Economic assessment of the Northeast biomass to liquids project (Reference NNFCC 08-016).
NNFCC has also commissioned a study on the anaerobic digestion supply chain which will cover efficiency, and this is due for publication shortly. Additional evidence is also being collected through a DECC/DEFRA led project on energy from waste.
The efficiency of technologies using bioresources will depend on a range of factors, including the composition of biomass or waste feedstock and the energy output, and so are not directly comparable.
Sellafield
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on the proposal to provide a new manufacturing line at the Sellafield MOX plant; and if he will make a statement. [10260]
Charles Hendry: The running of the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) is an operational matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (a non-departmental public body of DECC, responsible for tackling the nuclear legacy) and its contractor, Sellafield Ltd. As part of an agreement between the NDA and 10 Japanese Utilities, on a framework for manufacturing Japanese fuel in SMP, a programme of engineering improvements is being implemented to enhance the plant's performance. Part of this programme will be the installation of a new rod line.
Wind Power: Yorkshire and the Humber
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind turbines have been built in each constituency in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [8348]
Charles Hendry [holding answer 13 July 2010]: The Government do not hold information on renewable energy schemes by parliamentary constituency. The number of onshore wind turbines, not including those under 10kW, built in each district in Yorkshire and Humber in each of the last five years is as follows:
| District | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Source: AEA technology | |||||
The Government are committed to the development of wind energy in the UK. As an island nation we have outstanding wind resources and wind energy is an indigenous source of energy which is needed to meet our renewable energy and climate change goals. The wind industry can be a key player in creating the investment, exports and jobs we need to bring back economic prosperity, and the UK is already a world leader in offshore wind.
We also want communities and individuals to benefit from the increase in renewable energy, including wind power, and to own a stake in our collective low carbon future. This is why we committed in the coalition programme for government to encouraging more community-owned renewable energy and allowing communities that host renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates they generate.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for the role of UK personnel in the current counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan of reports that the Government will seek to begin the withdrawal of such personnel from Afghanistan by 2015; and if he will make a statement. [8197]
Dr Fox: At the London conference on 28 January 2010 the international community agreed with the Afghan Government that we would aim to build up the Afghan security forces to the point where they are ready to take on security responsibility across Afghanistan within five years. This objective was reconfirmed at the G8 meeting in June.
We would expect UK personnel to move increasingly to a supporting role as the Afghan security forces gradually assume more responsibility for the security of their country. The Prime Minister has said that there will not be British troops in Afghanistan in five years time. There could be some troops there in a training role as part of a wider diplomatic relationship.
Aircraft Carriers
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the 1998 Strategic Defence Review identified aircraft carriers as central to the future configuration of UK armed forces. [9120]
Dr Fox [holding answer 19 July 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the arguments in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review White Paper and supporting essays, which can be found at:
Armed Forces: Child Trust Fund
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the effect on service personnel families who have received payments from the Child Trust Fund of the June 2010 Budget. [10566]
Mr Robathan: The effect of the changes of the June 2010 Budget on families of service personnel who have received payments from the Child Trust Fund is no different to that of civilian society.
As the pay rate for a newly qualified soldier is above the threshold for the additional payments for families on lower incomes, it is anticipated the changes will have a very limited effect across the armed forces.
Armed Forces: Housing
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to improve the standard of service family accommodation in Kingston. [10241]
Mr Robathan: The Government will look at whether there is scope to refurbish the armed forces' accommodation in Kingston, and elsewhere, from efficiencies within the Ministry of Defence.
Armed Forces: Reserve Forces
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support his Department provides to small and medium-sized businesses who allow reservists time off to train and engage in active service. [9750]
Nick Harvey: The Reserve Forces Act 1996 (RFA 96) provides the legal framework within which the reserves are formed and called out. It also provides a number of safeguards for the reservist and his/her employer. Under RFA 96, employers, no matter what size the business is, may claim financial assistance in accordance with SI 859 because a member of their staff has been mobilised. Examples of assistance might be agency and advertising costs, and/or the costs of re-training the reservist on his/her return to work.
When a reservist undertakes training, businesses do not receive financial support. Any leave required by a reservist to attend training should be an agreement made between the employee and their employers. Employers are not obligated to give a reservist additional leave for training, either paid or unpaid. However, many employers choose to do so, because they realise that such training gives them valuable skills that can be transferred directly to the work place. Recent research for the Ministry of Defence and endorsed by the Chartered Management Institute, has calculated that the work experience value to employers gained by reservists deployed on operations is £18,432.
Astute Class Submarines
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East (Mr. Watson) of 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 347W, on Astute-class submarines, what progress has been made in re-baselining the drumbeat production level of the Astute-class submarines; and if he will make a statement; [9779]
(2) what his most recent estimate is of the future drumbeat level of production of Astute-class submarines; what he expects the (a) launch and (b) in-service dates to be of the remaining submarines; and if he will make a statement. [9780]
Peter Luff [holding answer 21 July 2010]: All projects are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and the outcome of this will be announced later this year.
The re-baselining work, which includes detailed joint planning and cost analysis by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, the prime contractor for the Astute Submarine Programme,
is ongoing. The programme production timetable, including expected launch and in-service dates for the Astute class of submarines, can only be confirmed once this work has been completed, and MOD and HM Treasury re-approval has been obtained.
Defence Fire and Rescue Service
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed (a) by Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS), (b) as DFRS Locally Employed Civilians, (c) as Royal Navy Aircraft Handlers, (d) by the Royal Air Force Fire Service, (e) as contractor agency staff to provide fire protection services and (f) as associated support staff in each of the last 10 years. [9753]
Mr Robathan: Figures detailing the numbers of people employed in fire protection over the last 10 years are not held centrally and could be provided only at
disproportionate cost. The following table provides the most recent figures available.
| Service | ( 1) Numbers |
| (1) Figures provided as at June 2010. All figures have been rounded to 10 (2) Locally employed civilians are working in Cyprus, Gibraltar and Germany (3) This branch of the RN undertakes several functions one of which is fire protection | |
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which private contractors provide fire protection services at his Department's (a) nuclear storage facilities, (b) ammunition storage facilities and (c) married quarters accommodation; [9756]
(2) which contractors provide fire protection services for his Department; and what the monetary value of the contract is in each case. [9798]
Mr Robathan: The following private contractors provide fire protection services for the Ministry of Defence (MOD):
Atomic Weapons Establishment Management Limited (AWE ML) is responsible for running the UK's nuclear storage facilities including fire protection services. AWE ML is a consortium comprising Serco, Jacobs and Lockheed Martin.
For ammunition storage facilities QinetiQ is responsible for running the ammunition trials and disposal facility at Shoeburyness ranges, and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), a trading fund of MOD, runs the explosives site at Fort Halstead. QinetiQ provides fire protection services either using their own manpower or through sub-contractors. DSTL sub-contracts fire protection to Serco.
Married quarters estates lie within the responsibility of local authority fire and rescue services. However contracted fire services will respond if called. Current contracted companies on the MOD estate are QinetiQ
at Aberporth, Boscombe Down, and Shoeburyness; Babcock International Group at Valley, and Colerne; and Serco at Cranwell, Scampton, Wyton, and High Wycombe.
Some of these contractors are also employed to provide fire protection services at other MOD establishments.
Services contracted for in this way are usually provided under larger multi activity contracts covering a number of sites. The individual contract costs of fire protection are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Civil Servants
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [9055]
Mr Robathan: The overall delegate numbers from the whole of Government, and private individuals who paid to attend, for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively.
A detailed record of every member of Ministry of Defence staff that attends the event, and the number of working hours spent at the event is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Operating Costs
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment. [9602]
Dr Fox: The Department is considering how savings will be achieved through its contributions to the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the Government's spending review, both of which are expected to report towards the end of the year.
Departmental Responsibilities
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish his Department's Structural Reform Plan. [9889]
Dr Fox: The Ministry of Defence's Structural Reform Plan will depend on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The plan will therefore be published after the review has been completed.
Depleted Uranium
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make it his policy to support international efforts to ensure transparency in the use of depleted uranium munitions in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War in order to reduce the potential risks to civilians and to facilitate safe management; and if he will make a statement; [8801]
(2) if he will publish the locations and quantity of depleted uranium munitions used by UK forces during the Iraq War; and what steps he has taken to monitor the effectiveness of depleted uranium clearance programmes in Iraq; [8809]
(3) if he will publish the geographical and quantitative data on the UK's use of depleted uranium munitions in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War held by his Department; if he will make representations to his NATO counterparts to release equivalent information held in their countries; and if he will make a statement. [8810]
Dr Fox: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has previously published information about the extremely limited use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by UK forces during the 1991 Gulf War: less than one metric tonne of DU was expended in these munitions.
Approximately 1.9 metric tonnes of DU ammunition was expended in the 2003 Iraq War by UK forces. The MOD provided the coordinates of targets attacked using DU ammunition in 2003 to the United Nations (UN) Environmental Programme. The MOD also shared with the UN and the Government of Iraq the results of a scientific assessment carried out in June 2003 that indicated very low levels of DU even in the vicinity of vehicles struck by DU munitions.
Responsibility for clean-up after an armed conflict falls to the country's civilian administration with assistance from the international community. The World Health Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency state that the risks of DU can be controlled with simple countermeasures conducted by national authorities.
In Iraq, UK forces carried out ordnance disposal activities and removed surface-lying DU fragments as they were discovered. They also exchanged information with humanitarian and other organizations, and warned Iraqis through signs and leaflets that they should not go near or touch any debris they find on the former battlefield. The UK has also provided UN and Iraqi scientists with the results of our DU contamination monitoring in Iraq and offered to provide advice on carrying out risk assessments and on long-term monitoring of DU in the environment, including water.
The MOD has made it clear that we take seriously concerns about the effects of the use of DU munitions. However, the scientific literature and UN report of 24 July 2008 indicate that DU has not been shown to have, and indeed is very unlikely to have, any significant impact on the local population or on veterans.
Other nations' choices to share or not to share information are a matter for them alone.
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