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11 Oct 2010 : Column 107W—continued
Nuclear Power Stations: Safety
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what hazard reduction work he commissioned Magnox Electric to undertake in each year between its establishment and its separation into two companies in 2008. [16110]
Charles Hendry: This is an operational matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which took over responsibility for the Magnox sites on 1 April 2005. These sites are operated for the NDA under a management and operations contract with the site licence company, Magnox Electric. The NDA agrees work plans annually with Magnox Electric, including work on hazard reduction. Details of the work commissioned from each Magnox site are set out in the NDA's Annual Plans. Performance against these plans is set out in the NDA's Annual Report and Accounts. These documents are published and are available on the NDA's website.
Renewable Energy: Local Government
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much national grid transmission charges for selling renewable electricity to the grid would be for (a) Westminster City Council, (b) Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) and (c) Angus Council. [13510]
Charles Hendry: Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges are paid by renewable generators-over 100 MW-only most renewable generators are connected to the distribution system and are not subject to TNUoS charges.
Westminster city council falls in the central London generation charging zone where the generation TNUoS charge is -£6.41/kW.
Tariffs for the Western Isles council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) have not yet been set. The nearest equivalent generation charging zone is Western Highland and Skye where the generation TNUoS charge is £22.79/kW.
Angus council falls in the Central Highlands charging zone where the generation TNUoS charge is £17.63/kW.
Ofgem announced a fundamental review of the transmission charging regime on 22 September with the launch of Project TransmiT.
Sustainable Development
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent meetings he has had with representatives of Transition Town projects to discuss environmentally sustainable communities. [14887]
Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met with representatives of Transition Town projects. Ministers have, however, been meeting a number of community groups as they are important for the Green Deal. I attended the Be Birmingham Summit in July and will continue meeting community groups over the coming months.
Wind Power: Electricity Generation
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects on potential windfarm developers of the decision by the National Grid to retain the current charging regime for electricity generators; and what recent discussions he has held with Ofgem on the matter. [15098]
Charles Hendry: National Grid have made no recent decisions on the transmission network use of system (TNUoS) charging regime for generators, but are currently considering the responses to a consultation on a review of intermittent generation charging. DECC's-recent Annual Energy Statement also announced that Ofgem will shortly be conducting their own independent review of the transmission charging regime.
Wind Power: Offshore Industry
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to review guidance on the provision of financial community benefits compensation from large-scale off-shore wind farms over 50MWh; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals to enable local planning authorities to secure and enforce the provision of such financial community benefits compensation. [15329]
Charles Hendry: We recognise the need to ensure that all major infrastructure renewable energy developments take place within the formal planning procedure, which allows all relevant stakeholders, including local authorities and members of the public, to put forward their views on the likely impact of any proposal on the environment and the local community. Any development of renewable energy must also be seen within the wider context of reducing carbon emissions and improving security of the energy supply.
Offshore wind farm developers can and do finance community benefits for local communities and that is a commercial matter for them. Guidance was produced several years ago by the Renewables Advisory Board on this matter. There are no plans to enable local authorities to secure and enforce the provision of such financial community benefits compensation.
The UK has the best offshore wind resource in Europe and we are committed to ensuring that the UK benefits from industry and job prospects from this opportunity.
Work and Pensions
Departmental Contracts
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value is of contracts his Department has awarded to each (a) management consultancy and (b) IT company since 7 May 2010. [16174]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The monetary value of all management consultancy contracts awarded since 7 May 2010 is £134,503.
In the period 7 May 2009 to 20 September 2009 the total value of all management consultancy contracts was £6,029,698.
(b) No new IT contracts have been awarded since 7 May 2010.
Departmental Empty Property
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant (a) building and (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region. [16242]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have any vacant buildings or any vacant parcels of land.
Departmental Fines
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many transport-related fines his Department has settled on behalf of its staff in each year since 2005; and what the cost to the public purse was in each year. [13303]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid the following amounts to settle transport-related fines incurred by DWP staff since 2005:
| Number | Amount (£) | |
| (1) No figures are available prior to 1 May 2006 for hire vehicles. | ||
The figures in the table represent fines incurred by DWP staff driving DWP official fleet vehicles and hire vehicles on departmental business. These figures should be taken in the context of a Department that employs 106,000 staff.
The Department's policy in relation to payment of fines is in the process of being reviewed.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in each year since 2001. [16233]
Chris Grayling: Information on the amount spent in each financial year from 2001 onwards is set out in the following table.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | Newspaper/magazine spend | Periodical spend |
| (1) Included in periodical spend. | ||
Departmental Public Expenditure
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will take steps to assess the impacts on (a) equality of incomes, (b) equality of assets and (c) equality of access to services of measures relating to its expenditure under consideration in the Spending Review. [16361]
Chris Grayling: Work is under way to carry out equality impact assessments as part of the development of Spending Review options, and these will be made public in due course.
Employment Schemes: Coventry
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assistance his Department is providing to those resident in Coventry who have been made redundant on the last 12 months; [16289]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to assist those resident in Coventry and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance to secure employment; [16286]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to assist those resident in Coventry who have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months to secure employment. [16287]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what assistance his Department is providing to those resident in Coventry who have been made redundant in the last 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The Rapid Response Service (RRS) is the starting point for all support for residents in Coventry, who have been made redundant. Jobcentre Plus works with partners to deliver the RRS while employees are under notice of redundancy with the aim of helping as many as possible back into work quickly. The service is offered automatically to all employers declaring at least 20 redundancies (i.e. all those covered by the statutory requirement to provide advance notice to the Insolvency Service). The service is also offered when Jobcentre Plus is aware of employers declaring less than 20 redundancies.
Individual employees are offered a comprehensive package of practical support in coping with redundancy, claiming benefits, applying for jobs and updating their skills or gaining new skills based on the needs of the local labour market.
Jobcentre Plus works closely with the Better West Midlands Project, contracted to the Skills Funding Agency to deliver RRS support for individual employees under notice of redundancy. Other partners are: Coventry City Council, Business Link, National Apprenticeship Service, Consumer Financial Education Body and Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Partnership offering the Next Step careers advice service to individuals. All customers are able to continue accessing these partners' services after redundancy if they are unable to move into a new job immediately.
Individual customers who have been made redundant are also able to take advantage of the Response to Redundancy Programme, delivered by JHP Training on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency. JHP Training delivers a range of training opportunities to any unemployed people aged over 18 who are seeking work during the first six months of unemployment. A package of support, typically between 2 and 8 weeks, helps people refresh their existing skills or begin the work of retraining in a different occupation to aid their progression into sustainable employment.
The Secretary of State has also asked me to reply to your further questions asking what assistance his Department is providing to those resident in Coventry and in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, including those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 12 months, to secure employment.
All customers can use jobpoint screens in Jobcentres or the Jobseeker Direct telephony service to search for suitable job vacancies as well as accessing them via the internet if they prefer.
Residents of Coventry in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) receive personalised help through the Jobseeker's Regime and Flexible New Deal. Jobcentre Personal Advisers are at the forefront of supporting customers with their employment and skills needs.
The Jobseeker's Regime and Flexible New Deal is a combination of regular reviews of a customer's job seeking activity, group information sessions, Personal Adviser interviews at key stages and work focused training. Through this, we provide customers with information and access to jobs, personalised job search advice, opportunities to develop the skills needed to help them improve job prospects and other help to overcome barriers that may be making it harder to find work. The level of support we give increases the longer a customer is out of work.
Newly unemployed JSA customers from professional and executive occupational backgrounds who require help because they have no recent job search experience can attend information sessions delivered by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. These sessions help jobseekers to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence to quickly find relevant jobs, using up to date job search tools and recruitment channels.
Jobseekers who remain on JSA for more than 12 months enter Flexible New Deal which is a programme of tailored, individualised support for each customer delivered by a contracted external provider. Flexible New Deal providers are tasked with providing an innovative and flexible service to deliver the best method of getting jobseekers into sustainable employment. Our contracted providers in Coventry are Serco and Pertemps People Development Group.
Jobseekers in Coventry who need additional advice about the local labour market and the skills required can access individual careers advice from Next Steps advisers who are located in Jobcentre offices as well as other locations in the city.
The Government have set out a number of major welfare to work reforms, including a core Work Programme which we aim to introduce by summer 2011. It will be an integrated package of personalised support providing help for people who find themselves out of work. The Work Programme will be delivered by contractors drawn from the private, public and voluntary sectors.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of continuing the Young Person's Guarantee. [15897]
Chris Grayling:
The spend on the young person's guarantee in 2009-10 was £86 million. The forecast spend in 2010-11 is expected to be £471 million. The forecast spend in 2011-12 is subject to spending review decisions. This is because the FJF payment model allows for 60% of the unit cost of an FJF job to be paid over the six-month period following a job start. We have
made commitments to allow job starts up to the end of March 2011 so expenditure will continue to September 2011. This makes a total predicted spend of £595 million.
There are no plans to continue the young person's guarantee beyond April 2011.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to assist those aged 18 to 24 years and who are unemployed to secure employment. [16288]
Chris Grayling: The Government are committed to tackling youth unemployment. Young unemployed people registering with Jobcentre Plus have access to a named personal adviser from the first day of their claim. The personal adviser works with them to create a personalised back-to-work plan. This support will continue throughout the jobseeker's spell of unemployment as will access to the existing range of opportunities, support and advice to help them find employment. This includes short periods of work experience, mentoring, work-focused training, and internships.
Next year we will introduce our Work Programme. This will offer integrated employment support to young people. The programme will help them move into sustained employment rather than temporary jobs.
Employment: Young People
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to help young people from households in receipt of benefits into sustained employment; what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on young people's likelihood of securing sustained employment of parental receipt of benefits; and if he will make a statement. [14110]
Chris Grayling: Young people aged 16 and over who are on a low income, looking for work, disabled or caring for a child or older person can claim benefits in their own right. The Department supports all benefit recipients, including young people, to make the transition into employment.
Young unemployed people registering with Jobcentre Plus have access to a named personal adviser from the first day of their claim. The personal adviser works with them to create a personalised back-to-work plan. This support will continue throughout the jobseeker's spell of unemployment as will access to the existing range of opportunities, support and advice to help them find employment. This includes short periods of work experience, mentoring, work-focused training, and internships. Next year we will introduce our Work Programme. This will offer integrated employment support to young people. The programme will help them move into sustained employment rather than temporary jobs.
The Department has not commissioned any research specifically focusing on the effects of parental receipt of benefits on young people's likelihood of securing sustained employment. Nor has any internal research been undertaken on this specific topic.
Fuel Poverty: Chronically Sick
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial support his Department provides for terminally ill people in fuel poverty. [13724]
Steve Webb: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) currently have the governmental lead on fuel poverty. Their main grant-funded programme is the Warm Front scheme, which can provide a package of tailored insulation and heating improvements and energy advice for private sector households across England. The scheme is aimed at vulnerable, fuel-poor households, some of whom may be terminally ill. Eligibility is determined by receipt of certain means-tested and disability benefits, including disability living allowance (DLA). The number of disabled people receiving Warm Front assistance has increased since 2005-typically, approximately 38% of all those receiving help are in receipt of either DLA or attendance allowance (AA).
DLA and AA provide people who have severe disabilities with a contribution towards the extra costs they face because of the effects of their disabilities. People who are terminally ill automatically qualify for the highest rate care component of DLA (they do not have to serve the three-month qualifying period and the benefit is usually paid within 10 days from receipt of claim) or the higher rate of AA. Recipients of DLA or AA have the choice to spend their benefit according to their own priorities, and in a way that best suits their circumstances, including meeting the cost of household fuel.
Terminally ill people may also receive support through employment and support allowance (ESA). While ESA for the most part uses functional descriptors to assess someone's eligibility for the benefit, there are some non-functional descriptors that would find someone eligible-terminal illness is one of these non-functional descriptors. If someone claims ESA under 'special rules', which apply to those who have a life expectancy of no more than six months, they will be fast-tracked to the ESA Support Group and receive the highest rate of benefit. This will be done on paper-based evidence alone without the claimant having to undergo a face-to-face medical assessment or serve any of the normal assessment phase of ESA.
Additional help is available to people receiving any of the income-related benefits through the disability premiums included in these benefits. Cold weather payments are also available to help certain vulnerable people-including those receiving the main phase of income-related ESA or disability premiums in the income-related benefits-with the extra heating costs which result from very cold weather in their area.
Housing Benefit
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of households affected by the proposed increase in non-dependent deductions (a) in total, (b) in Stretford and Urmston constituency, (c) which include one or more pensioners and (d) which include one or more children under the age of 18 years. [15544]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed housing benefit and council tax benefit data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
At present, the management information used to estimate the number of households affected by the proposed change to non-dependant deductions has not been sufficiently quality assured to release.
We shall publish an equality impact assessment for the June Budget change to non-dependant deductions to accompany the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament. The equality impact assessment will provide information on the total number of people affected by this measure subject to quality assurance, and will also cover the impacts on age, families, child poverty, gender, disability and race.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals for changes to housing benefit arrangements to protect the most vulnerable people. [16028]
Steve Webb: We have provided a substantial increase in the Discretionary Housing Payments budget which will give local authorities the flexibility to give additional support to customers who are affected by our proposals for housing benefit. We have referred the proposed legislation to the Social Security Advisory Committee and will respond to its report in due course.
Incapacity Benefit
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has changed the level of funding allocated for retesting and transition of incapacity benefit claimants to employment and support allowance since May 2010. [16385]
Chris Grayling: The retesting and transition of incapacity benefit claimants to employment and support allowance introduces a new process to DWP. As a consequence, funding has been estimated having regard to departmental forecasting and resource allocation models. Such models are regularly updated to provide the most accurate data possible for the new process. The accuracy of the data will be reviewed regularly following national implementation of the new process. However, at present the funding allocation for IB (income support) reassessment has not fundamentally changed since May 2010.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Graduates
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of people who graduated from university in 2010 and who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in (a) England, (b) Leeds and (c) Leeds North West. [16067]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
Maternity Pay
Julian Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number
of payments of statutory maternity pay which included a component representing a bonus otherwise payable to the employee in each of the last three years; and if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the payment of such components in each such year. [16370]
Maria Miller: The first six weeks of statutory maternity pay is paid at 90% of a woman's weekly earnings (with no upper limit) averaged over a set period. Employers are legally required to calculate the amount using earnings actually paid in that period and the dates of that period must be worked out according to how a woman is paid. This will generally capture eight weeks' actual earnings for weekly paid women or two months' earnings for monthly paid women around the fourth to sixth months of pregnancy. For some women a bonus or commission is a regular, integral part of their pay and this may be included in the calculation.
A breakdown of the components making up an individual's pay is not required to be reported. However, payments of statutory maternity pay are liable to audit by HMRC in the usual manner.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money lost to benefit fraud was recovered through his Department's National Benefit Fraud Hotline and its Targeting Benefit Fraud campaign in 2009-10. [16098]
Chris Grayling: The amount of money recovered as a result of fraud referrals generated by either the National Benefit Fraud Hotline or the Targeting Benefit Fraud campaign is not available.
However, in 2009-10 the Department recovered over £290 million of debts owed to the Department.
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff the National Benefit Fraud Hotline employed on the latest date for which figures are available. [16099]
Chris Grayling: During the week commencing 13 September 2010 there were on average 24 customer service agents deployed daily answering National Benefit Fraud Hotline calls.
The majority of Hotline calls are taken by staff based at a contact centre in Preston. Agents at three other sites receive NBFH calls when there are high call volumes, or when the Preston site experiences technical issues. This ensures a high level of customer service at all times.
The Department also provides a dedicated Welsh Language NBFH service at Bangor contact centre. On average, five multi-skilled agents are deployed on all Welsh service lines provided by Bangor contact centre daily.
In addition to this there is also an out-of-hours service which is operated by a private company, Vertex. On average, Vertex deploys two agents between 7 am and 8 am and a maximum of nine agents between 7 pm and 11pm daily. This decreases during the evening as call volumes reduce.
Social Security Benefits: Vulnerable Adults
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanism he plans to put in place to measure the effects of the implementation of his proposals for welfare reform on (a) deafblind people and (b) other vulnerable groups. [13823]
Maria Miller: Legislation places a duty on all public authorities to pay due regard to the need to promote disability equality. The Government are strongly committed to this principle. My Department undertakes equality impact assessments on any changes to departmental policies and practices and has a well established set of processes to ensure these have a strong evidence base. When we publish our welfare reform proposals we will also be publishing an impact assessment of these changes, which will include an equality impact assessment.
State Retirement Pensions
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2010, Official Report, columns 599-600W, how many people who were in receipt of a full state pension before 6 April 2009 had not accrued the full number of entitlement years by means of national insurance (NI) contributions and had bought back years of entitlement by way of their former spouses' NI contributions. [16049]
Steve Webb: Latest data show that, at the end of September 2009, 1.9 million people receiving a full basic state pension did so because of derived entitlement from their late spouse.
Notes:
1. The figure is for people in Great Britain only.
2. The figure includes recipients of Category B pension. The figure does not include cases where the national insurance contribution record of an individual's former spouse has been substituted for the individual's own record to improve their basic state pension.
3. The figure is for individuals reaching state pension age on or before 30 September 2009. These individuals are not affected by changes to the calculation of entitlement to the basic state pension for people reaching state pension age from 6 April 2010.
Source:
DWP, Information Directorate: 5% sample administrative data
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 267W, on Afghanistan: overseas aid, which areas of expenditure to which the additional £200 million funding announced for Afghanistan is to be allocated were previously administered in whole or in part by the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) Ministry of Defence. [15935]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
The additional £200 million funding announced for Afghanistan, as mentioned in my answer of 27 July 2010, will provisionally be allocated
for (a) improving security and political stability; (b) economic stability, growth and jobs, and (c) helping the Afghan Government deliver vital basic services.
These areas of expenditure were previously and continue to be administered by the Department for International Development (DFID).
A more detailed description was included in my written statement of 21 July 2010, Official Report, column 18-20WS.
Bangladesh: Overseas Aid
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided to (a) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and (b) the Government of Bangladesh in respect of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last five years. [15967]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or the Government of Bangladesh specifically in respect of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
DFID supports Rohingya refugees through core contributions to UNHCR, which manages the official camps; UNICEF; the World Food Programme; the World Health Organisation; the United Nations Population Fund; and the European Union.
Core funding to UNHCR was £20 million in 2005, and £19 million per year from 2006 to 2009. This funding is designed to strengthen UNHCR's capacity to meet its mandate globally, including assisting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Burma: Overseas Aid
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the UK has given to Burma in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [15965]
Mr Duncan: Details of UK aid expenditure in developing countries, including Burma, are published in Statistics on International Development (SID) which is available in the House Library or online at
UK Bilateral Gross Public Expenditure (GPEX) and imputed expenditure through multilateral organisations in Burma from 2004-05 to 2008-09 are reproduced as follows. Figures for 2009-10 will be published in the next addition of SID later this year.
| £000 | ||
| Financial year | Total bilateral GPEX | UK imputed multilateral shares |
Departmental Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [16168]
Mr Duncan: For the period 1 January 2009-31 December 2009, the average cost to the Department for International Development (DFID) of processing an invoice was £12.84.
All invoices settled in the UK during the period were paid electronically. Due to the nature of financial systems in many of the countries in which we work, the majority of invoices settled in our overseas offices are paid by cheque. We are unable to provide a breakdown of payment methods in our overseas offices without incurring disproportionate costs.
Departmental Empty Property
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant (a) building and (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region. [16247]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have any vacant properties or parcels of land in the UK.
The requested information cannot be provided for DFID's overseas properties without incurring disproportionate cost. DFID has not hitherto held central records of our overseas estates. We are currently in the process of developing a central information management system that will capture this information. I will write to my hon. Friend with the requested information once this system is in place.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff his Department employs to consider (a) departmental and (b) national strategy; what output such staff are required to produce; and if he will make a statement. [15595]
Mr Duncan: The Prime Minister wrote to Cabinet colleagues on 29 May 2010 setting out that organograms for central Government Departments and agencies that include all staff positions would be published in a common format from October 2010.
The Department for International Development will therefore shortly be publishing an organogram that includes role descriptions and numbers of staff as at 30 June 2010.
It is difficult to state what constitutes 'departmental' and 'national' strategy, as most staff will work on formulating or co-ordinating departmental or national policies or sometimes a combination of both.
Mr Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date he informed the Secretary of State for Scotland of proposals to reduce the number of staff his Department employs in
Scotland; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on this matter; and when he last met the Secretary of State for Scotland. [15661]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In line with all Government Departments, the Department for International Development (DFID) will be reviewing its staffing requirements at all of its UK and overseas locations following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review (CSR) to be published on 20 October.
Existing resourcing plans will need to be modified and updated to reflect the CSR settlement. DFID's office in Scotland plays, and will continue to play, an integral role in delivering DFID's global objectives. The Department is currently in the process of transferring 70 posts to Scotland from its office in London.
I speak to all Cabinet colleagues on a regular basis about a wide range of issues, but have not had any specific discussions with the Secretary of State for Scotland on staffing plans for DFID's office in Scotland.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in each year since 1997. [16228]
Mr Duncan: Centrally managed expenditure on newspapers, periodicals and trade professional magazines since 2004-05 is as follows. Information for previous years cannot be compiled without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Financial year | Amount (£) |
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money his Department allocated to (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund, (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool, (c) the Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund, (d) the BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust, (e) the BBC World Service Trust, (f) the Special Reserve, (g) the British Council and (h) the Security and Intelligence Fund in each year since 2005. [15971]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The following table shows the Department for International Development's (DFID) expenditure on the BBC World Service Trust and the British Council from 2005-06 to 2009-10. DFID funding to the British Council includes our contribution to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP), which is administered by the British Council on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). DFID has not provided any funding to the BBC World Service in any year since 2005.
| £ million | |||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
From 2008 the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool and the Global Conflict Prevention Pool were merged into the Conflict Prevention Pool (CPP); and the Stabilisation Aid Fund (SAF) was created. In 2009 the CPP and the SAF were merged to form the Conflict Pool. The Conflict Pool is funded from a separate HM Treasury settlement, managed jointly by DFID, FCO and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and not from Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL). DFID funding to the Pool is laid out in DFID's Resource Accounts.
In the last two financial years, DFID has also provided an additional £1.5 million per year to the Conflict Pool from its core DEL for conflict prevention activities in Sri Lanka. Also, in financial year 2009-10, Departments contributed a total of £20 million from their DELs to support stabilisation activities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, of which £11.5 million came from DFID. DFID did not allocate money for discretionary peacekeeping, the Single Intelligence Account or the Special Reserve in any of the given years.
DFID resources allocated to the Conflict Pool over the period from 2005-06 to 2009-10 are therefore as follows.
| £ million | |||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
DFID has not allocated any money to the Special Reserve or Single Intelligence Account in any year since 2005.
Departmental Secondment
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff his Department has appointed on secondment since 7 May 2010; and from what organisation each such member of staff has been seconded. [16263]
Mr Duncan: Since 7 May 2010, the Department for International Development has appointed a total of four individuals on secondment. These members of staff were seconded from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and the Government Equalities Office.
Developing Countries: Health Services
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's expenditure on health and health systems in 2010-11 has been allocated to human resources for health in the poorest 20 countries. [16395]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides funding for human resources for health as part of our broader support to health system strengthening in our partner countries. DFID are not able to disaggregate expenditure on human resources from broader health system expenditure. However, in 2009 a retrospective review of health spending at country level, it was estimated that approximately 25% of DFID's health spending supported human resources for health. This includes salaries and retention initiatives, pre-service education and training, enhancing skills and productivity and management and supervision of front line health workers.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports he has received on the effects of shortages of health workers in less developed countries on rates of (a) tuberculosis, (b) HIV/AIDS and (c) malaria. [16429]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not received any recent reports referring specifically to the effects of health worker shortages on rates of TB, AIDS and malaria. However, there is a clear body of evidence that the global shortage of health workers, amounting to as many as 3.5 million, affects the poorest countries most. The high rates of AIDS, TB and malaria in many less developed countries will be controlled only through a comprehensive approach to health service delivery that addresses health worker numbers, skills and deployment, essential drugs and commodities and early prevention, accurate diagnosis and quality treatment.
DFID is currently developing plans to accelerate its support to malaria control and to reproductive, maternal and newborn health. Health workers are an important dimension in addressing these priorities, and it should be noted that AIDS, TB and malaria cause a large proportion of maternal mortality. These business plans will be released in early 2011.
Developing Countries: HIV Infection
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to fund further research into a potential microbicide containing tenofovir; and if he will make a statement. [16372]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
Recent research shows that a vaginal microbicide containing 1% tenofovir reduced HIV infection by 39%. These early results are encouraging but the optimism should be tempered with caution. There is some uncertainty about the exact nature of the follow-up research required to confirm these findings
and funding agencies are in discussion with researchers and regulatory agencies. Once there is greater clarity and consensus about the way forward the Department for International Development (DFID) will be able to consider whether additional funding is required. In the meantime DFID continues to fund the Microbicide Development Programme and the International Partnership for Microbicides.
International Assistance
Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Review summit in New York in September 2010. [16071]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The United Nations Millennium Development Goals summit was a success. It generated unprecedented global commitments to save 16 million women and children, reverse the spread of malaria and tackle hunger and under-nutrition.
In his speech to the General Assembly, the Deputy Prime Minister took the opportunity to showcase overall UK leadership on international development issues. He reiterated the UK's commitment to reaching 0.7% of gross national income in aid from 2013 and challenged others to live up to their promises.
International Assistance: Maternity Services
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the composition of the advisory committee for Millennium Development Goal 5 on maternal health at the MDG+10 Summit is balanced in respect of (a) gender and (b) geographical representation. [15877]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UN Secretary General's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Advocates Group was established in June 2010 to galvanize support for the MDGs. The group consists of eminent personalities who have shown outstanding leadership in promoting the implementation of the goals. The UK pressed for the inclusion of women and Southern representatives. Currently there are no female advocates working exclusively on MDG5, however a number of women, including southern representatives are working on MDG3 on gender equality and across the other MDGs.
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the MDG+10 summit outcome document upholds internationally-accepted human rights standards. [15878]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) played an active role in negotiating the outcome document, which provides an action framework for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, focusing global efforts over the next five years towards the achievement of basic human rights, such as access to health care and primary education.
During negotiations DFID pushed for a clear focus on results and accountability, which are essential to upholding human rights standards. This was included in the document and my Department will ensure the
momentum generated at the summit is carried forward. DFID will play an active role in the annual review mechanism in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and in other international fora, such as the G20.
The outcome document can be accessed on the DFID website at:
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the MDG+10 Summit outcome document calls for reproductive health services to be made publicly available and affordable to all, non-discriminatory, non-coercive, sensitive to age and lifestyle and adequately funded. [15879]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The outcome document stresses the need to focus on the Millennium Development Goals that are most off-track, such as maternal health. During negotiations, the UK consistently pushed for the document to call for the fullest possible access to reproductive health services and commodities. We are committed to improving sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to modern family planning as a way of empowering women and promoting women's choice in the developing world.
The outcome document can be accessed on the Department for International Development (DFID) website at:
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK delegation to the MDG+10 Summit includes (a) members of civil society groups and (b) hon. Members with expertise in sexual and reproductive health and rights. [15880]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK delegation to the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit was led by the Deputy Prime Minister and myself. We were supported by senior officials from my Department with expertise in sexual and reproductive health and rights. Both the Deputy Prime Minister and I met with representatives of civil society groups ahead of and throughout the summit. I will also be meeting with representatives of civil society groups on 12 October to discuss the outcomes of the summit.
Overseas Aid: Drugs
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has paid to (a) the International Harm Reduction Association and (b) others to support harm reduction drug treatment overseas in the last five years; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of such payments. [16291]
Mr O'Brien:
The Department for International Development (DFID) has committed £2,230,252 over five years ending 30 September 2011, in support to the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA). DFID has also supported the provision of HIV services for injecting drug users through bilateral programmes in Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal,
Pakistan, Vietnam and the central Asia region, and through support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It would entail disproportionate costs to collect information on the amount spent on these individual harm reduction programmes as they are part of broader public health programmes.
All programmes funded by DFID are reviewed annually against agreed performance indicators and targets to ensure progress and assess impact and effectiveness. An independent annual review of the IHRA was last conducted in December 2009 which demonstrated significant impact.
Pakistan: Floods
Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [16060]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I refer my hon. Friend to my oral statement of 7 September 2010, Official Report, column 187, setting out details of our support and funding.
The situation in Pakistan is evolving. In most areas of the country early recovery is beginning, whilst in some areas emergency relief is still needed, particularly in Sindh province. My Department continues to closely monitor the situation to identify and deliver aid appropriately.
I will make a more detailed statement to the House shortly.
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations have received aid funding from his Department to assist following the floods in Pakistan in July 2010. [16065]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Details of organisations funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) in response to the Pakistan floods are available on the Floods Monitor on DFID's website at:
To date, DFID has provided direct funding to six UN agencies: the International Organisation for Migration (IOM); the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF); the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Funding has been provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to support their flood relief efforts. My Department has also supported five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who are responding to the Pakistan floods: Concern Worldwide; InfoAsAid; the International Medical Corps; Oxfam and Save the Children, as well as two consortiums of NGOs: the Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies and the Rural Support Programmes Network. DFID provides regular core funding to the following agencies who have also responded to the Pakistan floods: the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
Today I have laid a written statement before the House, committing an additional £70 million to support
relief efforts in Pakistan. Allocations of these additional funds will be made in due course and published on the Floods Monitor.
Pakistan: Overseas Aid
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he plans to allocate to each project in his Department's bilateral aid programme for Pakistan in each of the next three years. [16391]
Mr Duncan: All Department for International Development (DFID) country programmes are currently being reviewed under the Bilateral Aid Review. DFID will announce decisions on country allocations after the comprehensive spending review and the completion of the Bilateral Aid Review.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Burma: Crimes Against Humanity
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take into account the findings of the report by the Irish Centre for Human Rights entitled "Crimes against Humanity in Western Burma: The Situation of the Rohingyas" in developing his Department's policy on Burma; and if he will make a statement. [15966]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Government take careful note of reports such as this one, which documents the appalling human rights abuses endured by the Rohingya ethnic group. We are working to highlight their plight, and seeking to end impunity for such abuses, through the UN Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly.
Departmental Empty Property
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant (a) building and (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region. [16249]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has no vacant buildings in the United Kingdom. There is one plot of 18 acres of agricultural land adjacent to our site at Hanslope Park, North Buckinghamshire, which has been declared vacant and is likely to be sold next year.
Day-to-day management of our overseas estate is devolved to our overseas posts and it is not possible to provide accurate information on vacant properties or land parcels without incurring disproportionate cost. The FCO does not publish valuations of individual properties as this can prejudice the prices achieved on disposal.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in July 2010. [14938]
Alistair Burt: Nil spend for July 2010 on hospitality events for the Minister for Europe, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham), the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne) and Lord Howell.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary hosted events for visiting Foreign Ministers at a cost of £1,976 charged to Government hospitality.
I hosted lunch at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for Arab ambassadors at a cost of £263 to the FCO budget.
Departmental Secondment
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff his Department has appointed on secondment since 7 May 2010; and from what organisation each such member of staff has been seconded. [16258]
Alistair Burt: Since 7 May 2010, 50 staff have joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on loan from Departments including HM Treasury, the UK Border Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and the Ministry of Defence.
Ejup Ganic
Mr Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who attended the meeting relating to Dr Ejup Ganic held at his Department on 27 February 2010; and what (a) matters were discussed and (b) decisions were made at that meeting. [16004]
Mr Lidington: No meeting was held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Saturday 27 February 2010.
Before Dr Ganic's provisional arrest, however, the Metropolitan police held a meeting on 1 March 2010 at New Scotland Yard. Officials from the FCO and Home Office attended the meeting which was to discuss Serbia's request for Dr Ganic's provisional arrest and the issue of possible immunity from arrest and detention. Pursuant to a warrant issued by a district judge at City of Westminster magistrates court, the Metropolitan police later arrested Dr Ganic.
Mr Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with the Government of Serbia on the judgement given by Mr Tim Workman, Senior District Judge at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court on 27 July 2010 in the case of the Government of the Republic of Serbia v. Ejup Ganic. [16005]
Mr Lidington: The Government have had no discussions with the Government of Serbia on the judgment given in the case of the Government of the Republic of Serbia v. Ejup Ganic.
India: Foreign Relations
Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to sustain and develop relations with India following the Prime Minister's visit in July 2010. [16089]
Alistair Burt: The visit to India by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and ministerial colleagues in July 2010 formed an excellent basis on which to develop an enhanced partnership with India. The Government have worked since the visit to take this forward at all levels. My hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration visited India in August 2010 and the coming months will see visits by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Defence and International Development, and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Universities and Science. Officials and members of the business community are in the final stages of establishing forums to pursue mutual trade and investment interests. And co-operation on science, education and climate change is ongoing. People to people links also remain important and my ministerial colleagues and I look forward to meeting a visiting delegation of Indian parliamentarians on 14 October 2010.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to seek to secure the release of Gilad Shalit. [16077]
Alistair Burt: The UK has been consistent in its views of the inviolability of Israel's security and for the need to release, unconditionally, Gilad Shalit.
My right hon. friend the Foreign Secretary made the following statement on 25 June 2010, the fourth anniversary of Shalit's capture:
"Today marks the fourth anniversary of the abduction of Israeli soldier, Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit. My thoughts are with Gilad's parents today. I sincerely hope that they will soon be able to welcome their son home.
The UK has long called for Gilad Shalit's immediate and unconditional release and we reiterate that call today. It is also vital that Hamas allows the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Gilad immediately and ensure that he is in good health. His continued captivity without any ICRC access and with only very occasional, minimal contact with his family is utterly unacceptable. We continue to call on Hamas to renounce violence and take immediate and concrete steps towards the Quartet principles and to free Gilad Shalit without delay."
Office of UK Permanent Representative to EC
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that the appointment of the next UK Permanent Representative to the EU is made subject to a confirmation hearing by the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs. [15580]
Mr Lidington: It is not our practice for Diplomatic Service appointments to be subject to such hearings. The Government will continue to offer the Committee post-appointment hearings in the case of outside appointments to diplomatic posts.
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he uses to assess the performance of the UK Permanent Representative to the EU against the objectives set for him. [15602]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office uses an annual appraisal cycle to assess the performance of all the staff. At the beginning of each reporting period, the job holder agrees a series of objectives with their line manager against which their performance is assessed on a regular basis throughout the year.
Pakistan: Ahmadiyya
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Pakistan on the attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslims in Mardan, Pakistan on 3 September 2010; and if he will make a statement. [15547]
Alistair Burt: The UK condemns all attacks against religious minorities in Pakistan, whenever and wherever they happen.
The attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslims in Mardan on 3 September 2010 are a further example of the persecution suffered by this religious group. They follow the horrific attacks in Lahore on 28 May 2010, in which over 90 people were killed. These attacks were condemned by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, and our high commissioner in Islamabad raised the discrimination suffered by the Ahmadiyya community with the Chief Minister of Punjab alongside his EU colleagues. I have spoken directly to the Pakistani Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, to encourage Pakistan to fully guarantee the fundamental rights of all Pakistani citizens.
Serbia: EU Enlargement
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the surrender of Ratko Mladic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as a pre-condition for the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the EU. [15914]
Mr Lidington: The UK, along with all other EU member states, has consistently made clear that achieving and maintaining full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is essential for Serbia's progress towards EU membership.
In April 2008, EU member states signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and Interim Agreement on trade and trade related matters (IA) with Serbia, in recognition of the EU's commitment to Serbia's European future, but agreed to delay implementation of the IA, and the commencement of ratification procedures of the SAA, pending agreement among EU member states that Serbia was fully co-operating with ICTY.
In December 2009, following a positive report by the ICTY Chief Prosecutor to the UN Security Council (UNSC), EU member states agreed to implement the IA and to consider the issue of ratification of the SAA after a further six months.
In June 2010, following the most recent report to the UNSC by the ICTY Chief Prosecutor, EU member states noted that Serbia had maintained its co-operation with the tribunal and agreed to submit Serbia's SAA to their Parliaments for ratification.
The Government will continue to keep Serbia's co-operation with ICTY under review, including at each stage of its EU accession process, in order to ensure that it continues to co-operate fully with the tribunal.
Sri Lanka: Human Rights
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on recent reports of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [15984]
Alistair Burt: We support the EU's statement of 17 September at the UN Human Rights Council encouraging Sri Lanka to improve the human rights situation and intensify its efforts to address the legacy of the military conflict. Our high commission in Colombo regularly speak with EU counterparts in Sri Lanka and we repeatedly call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to investigate reports of human rights abuses wherever they occur.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken at (a) the United Nations and (b) EU level to establish an independent inquiry into human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. [16051]
Alistair Burt: We have welcomed the UN Secretary-General's establishment of a Panel of Experts to advise him on the issue of accountability, and encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to co-operate fully with the members of the panel, including through the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
We support the EU statements of 27 October 2009 and 8 June 2010 calling for an independent and credible inquiry into allegations of violations of international law in the conflict and for those accountable to be brought to justice. Most recently we support the EU statement of 17 September at the UN Human Rights Council encouraging Sri Lanka to improve the human rights situation and intensify its efforts to address the legacy of the military conflict.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the internal inquiry by the Sri Lankan Government into human rights abuses. [16052]
Alistair Burt: We welcomed the Government of Sri Lanka's 'Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission' (LLRC) which is examining the causes of the conflict in the period 2002 to May 2009 when it was set up, but also stressed that it should investigate fully allegations of war crimes. We will continue to closely monitor progress on human rights issues, given the need for a credible process which addresses UK and international concerns.
UK Permanent Representative to EC
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what powers of prerogative Kim Darroch was appointed UK Permanent Representative to the EU. [15882]
Mr Lidington: The appointment of the UK's Permanent Representative to the EU is made in accordance with the Diplomatic Service Order in Council 1991, which also covers other appointments of senior ambassadorial rank.
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will require any future UK Permanent Representative to the EU to appear before the appropriate committee of the House prior to taking up the appointment. [15885]
Mr Lidington: Select Committees of the House are able to ask Government officials to give evidence. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials appear before committees on a regular basis.
Vietnam
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam; and if he will make a statement. [15829]
Mr Jeremy Browne: A copy of the Strategic Partnership Declaration has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Speaking after the signing of the declaration on 8 September my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said:
"Today's agreement with Vietnam is yet another example of the UK's commitment to pursuing an active foreign policy with emerging powers around the world. This partnership will bring more direct links between our universities, closer co-operation on serious and organised crime and will continue our frank dialogue on human rights. It is also a real boost for British businesses looking to invest in Vietnam."
Justice
Arrest Warrants: Offenders
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the public purse of (a) issuing and (b) executing a warrant for the arrest of a defendant absent from court was in the latest period for which figures are available. [15575]
Mr Djanogly: HMCS systems do not currently identify the cost to the public purse in relation to issuing or executing a warrant for the arrest of a defendant absent from court, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ashwell Prison
Mr Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish his Department's internal report on the riot at Ashwell prison in early April 2009; and if he will make a statement. [16107]
Mr Blunt:
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) drew up an action plan in response to each of the recommendations in the report, all of which were accepted by Ministers. A copy of the action plan was
placed in the Library in response to a question from my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr Garnier) on 11 November 2009, Official Report, columns 462-63W.
Key findings were that the incident could not have been foreseen; that the prisoners held at Ashwell were appropriate for the prison; and that staffing levels were also appropriate. It is not NOMS policy to publish in full restricted reports, which contain sensitive information and, in this case, where criminal investigations are continuing.
Bail
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many defendants have breached their bail conditions in the last three years; and how many were remanded in custody as a result; [15565]
(2) how many people breached bail conditions (a) once, (b) between two and five and (c) on more than five occasions in each of the last five years; and how many people in each category were subsequently remanded in custody. [15606]
Mr Blunt: Information on breaches of bail conditions is not held centrally. The courts have this information before them to enable them to take a fully informed remand decision on an individual case basis.
Courts: Applications
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions (a) magistrates courts and (b) the Crown court refused applications by the Crown Prosecution Service to remand defendants in custody in each of the last three years. [15863]
Mr Djanogly: Information about the number of occasions that magistrates courts and the Crown court refused applications by the Crown Prosecution Service to remand defendants in custody is not centrally collected on either Crown Prosecution Service or HM Courts Service central database systems.
Although the recording of bail decisions is a required court function, the Crown Prosecution Service does not routinely record bail decisions and report on them even though endorsements are made on case files. To find this information, each case file would have to be reviewed to ascertain whether these circumstances applied. Therefore, in this case a disproportionate cost would be incurred.
Courts: Attendance
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of attendance in court of (a) defendants, (b) witnesses and (c) police officers of his proposals to close magistrates courts. [15706]
Mr Djanogly: I do not anticipate that the court closure proposals will have a significant effect on attendance in court of defendants, witnesses or police officers.
There is no evidence to suggest that travel distance to court is a significant cause of defendants failing to appear. Defendants are expected to attend court when summoned and courts may take into account travel considerations for defendants and witnesses when listing cases.
Ministry of Justice economists are currently working on the provision of area-wide impact assessments that will provide a full assessment of the costs and benefits of each closure. These will include an assessment of the travel impact on court users, police and probation and solicitors funded by legal aid.
We intend to publish the impact assessments alongside the consultations responses, by the end of the year.
Courts: Closures
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely (a) savings to and (b) maintenance costs foregone by HM Courts Service arising from the closure of each magistrates court proposed in his Department's consultation. [15707]
Mr Djanogly: The estimates of operating costs and maintenance backlog costs foregone by HM Courts Service (HMCS) for each proposed magistrates court closure are listed in the following table. The 2009-10 operating costs exclude income, as well as non-cash, staff and judicial costs. The maintenance backlog figures were collected in July 2009.
HMCS will produce a final proposal impact assessment for each consultation document to inform any decision on whether and which courts should close. These impact assessments will take account of the potential costs and benefits to HMCS, as well as wider economic, societal and environmental costs and benefits. We intend to publish these alongside the consultations responses, by the end of the year.
| £000 | ||
| Magistrates court | Operating costs 2009-10 | Maintenance backlog 2009 |
Courts: Expenditure
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much HM Courts Service has spent on the maintenance of Keighley magistrates court sitting at Bingley magistrates court in each of the last five years. [15571]
Mr Djanogly: The resource maintenance costs incurred at Keighley magistrates court, sitting at Bingley, for the last five years are given in the following table.
| £ | |
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the operating costs were under each category of expenditure of operating Keighley magistrates court sitting at Bingley magistrates court in the latest period for which figures are available. [15572]
Mr Djanogly: The operating costs for 2009-10 for Keighley magistrates court sitting at Bingley are given in the table under each category of expenditure. These costs exclude income but include non-cash costs, staffing costs and judicial costs incurred by HM Courts Service.
| £ | |
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