Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Brazil: Foreign Relations
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Government's bilateral defence co-operation agreement with Brazil; and if he will make a statement. [18014]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The UK-Brazil Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed by both countries in Rio de Janeiro on 14 September 2010. The Agreement will be published as a Command Paper and copies will be placed in the House of Commons, House of Lords and Votes Library when the administrative processes have been completed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence. We expect this to be by the end of this year. A statement announcing the signing of the Agreement was published on the Ministry of Defence website on 14 September.
Burma: Politics and Government
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the (a) leadership and (b) political objectives of the Burmese government. [17884]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Burma is a military dictatorship. Power is controlled by Senior General Than Shwe. He has presided over a wide range of human rights abuses and political prisoners have increased under his leadership. He is the architect of the regime's so-called 'roadmap to a disciplined democracy', including elections scheduled for 7 November. These elections are designed to perpetuate military rule. The Government are clear that they will not be free and fair and lack international credibility.
China: Human Rights
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of China to release from custody the Nobel Peace Laureate, Liu Xiaobo. [18202]
Mr Hague: The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo shines a spotlight on the situation of human rights defenders worldwide. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Government as a whole are committed to freedom of expression in all countries. It was for that reason that I raised the case of Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, during my visit to China in July this year and we will continue to urge the Chinese Government to release Mr Liu.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Greg Mulholland: 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 the Department in each of the last three years. [13478]
Alistair Burt: The information is not held in the form requested. Total spend on official hospitality by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers in each year was:
| £ | |||
| FY | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Activities funded include working meetings with Ministers in the UK, meetings with senior political and military figures from countries, and events hosted for political and business delegations (including those in support of UK Trade and Industry). Any expenditure on official hospitality is kept under rigorous scrutiny to ensure value for money and effectiveness and is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.
Departmental Work Experience
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many interns his Department has engaged in the last 12 months; and how many were (a) unpaid, (b) remunerated with expenses only and (c) paid a salary. [17203]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office engaged 86 interns over the last 12 months on eight internship schemes.
Graduate Talent Pool (30)-a Government-wide internship scheme for unemployed graduates. It was used to fill gaps at Band A before the new intake of administrative staff started work. Interns were taken on for a minimum period of three months.
Partner University Placement Scheme (34)-the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's diversity outreach programme targeting under represented groups. 19 interns were taken on for a two-week period in 2010 and will return next summer to complete their placement for another two weeks. The remaining 15 were returning interns from the 2009 scheme.
Cabinet Office Summer Placement Scheme (10)-a Government-wide diversity outreach programme. Five disabled and five ethnic minority interns were taken on for a period of six to nine weeks.
Economic Sandwich Placement Scheme and Economist Interns (7)
Legal Library Graduate Trainee (1)
Foreign Policy Internship Scheme (3)
They worked in various roles spread across the office's 3,000 strong London work force. All the interns were paid a salary.
The number of interns joining the office will likely be reduced in 2011 and each scheme scrutinised to ensure it is needed.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to ensure its activities are compliant with the provisions of Article 32 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on international co-operation. [17885]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all people without discrimination on any grounds. We strongly support the rights of disabled people as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and play an active role in our international work by encouraging governments to sign, ratify and implement the Convention. In support of this we are currently funding a project in Europe to develop practical guidelines and checklists to assist governments and non-governmental organisations on the implementation and monitoring of the Convention. In India we are funding a project which promotes implementation of the Convention through the integration of disability into health, employment, information technology and rural development policies.
At the UN, we continue to play a leading role in advancing disability rights, including through our membership of the Human Rights Council and our support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which is currently preparing a study on the role of international co-operation to promote implementation of the Convention.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing: East of England
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the representations (a) his Department and (b) the Homes and Communities Agency has received on the 2010-11 National Affordable Housing Programme in respect of the East of England since 6 May 2010. [17942]
Andrew Stunell: Both the Department and the Homes and Communities Agency receive a wide range of representations including correspondence and meetings from many and varied organisations as well as individuals. Given the breadth and volume we are unable to deposit this information within the Library of the House without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bodies had been allocated funding under the Homes and Communities Agency's continuous market engagement scheme in the East of England as at 30 September 2010; and if he will make a statement. [17943]
Andrew Stunell:
The following list shows the providers which have been allocated funding through the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing
Programme continuous market engagement process from September 2008 to September 2010 in the East of England.
Lead Partner Organisation Name
Hastoe Housing Association Limited
Orwell Housing Association Limited
Housing 21
Hanover Housing Association
Jephson Homes Housing Association Limited
Sanctuary Housing Association
Moat Homes Limited
Octavia Housing
Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited
Hightown Praetorian and Churches Housing Association
Home Group Limited
Estuary Housing Association Limited
English Rural Housing Association Limited
Flagship Housing Group Limited
Orbit Housing Group Limited
Swan Housing Association Limited
Paradigm Housing Group Limited
Places for People Group Limited
Longhurst Group Limited
Catalyst Housing Group Limited
Network Housing Group Limited
Family Mosaic Housing
Paddington Churches Housing Association Limited
Hyde Housing Association Limited
The Guinness Trust
Aldwyck Housing Association Limited
Ability Housing Association
Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association Limited
Circle Anglia Limited
Affinity Sutton Group Limited
East Thames Group Limited
Accent Corporate Services Limited
Persimmon Homes Ltd
Bellway plc
Bloor Holding Limited
Bovis Homes Group plc
Crest Nicholson Operations Ltd
Miller Homes Ltd
Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd
Galliford Try plc
Logic Homes Ltd
Barratt Developments plc
Larkfleet Homes
Morris Homes
Badger Building (E. Anglia) Ltd
Broadgate Homes
Explore Living
Lagan Homes Ltd
Redrow Regeneration plc
Kier Homes Limited
JS Bloor (Sudbury) Ltd
JS Bloor (Northampton) Limited
Employment: Homelessness
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on deeming intentionally homeless a worker in receipt of social housing who decides to move to a different local authority area in search of work. [18041]
Grant Shapps [holding answer 19 October 2010]: The Government are committed to improving current rates of mobility and giving social tenants more control over where they live. We have pledged to introduce a national social home swap programme to make it easier for social tenants to move to another home or another part of the country. The new scheme will increase opportunities to move by allowing tenants to easily see details of every other tenant looking to exchange their home.
The homelessness legislation provides an important safety net for people who become homeless through no fault of their own but is not intended to facilitate mobility among tenants in social housing. The definition of intentional homelessness is set out in primary legislation, and in any particular case it is for the local housing authority to decide whether an applicant has made himself intentionally homeless. Where a person has given up his home in order to move to another area to look for work and not made arrangements for alternative accommodation (and there was no other reason for leaving the home), it is likely that a local housing authority would consider that he had made himself homeless intentionally.
Homes and Communities Agency: East of England
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many sites the Homes and Communities Agency owns in (a) Peterborough and (b) the East of England; what the area is of each such site; in respect of how many such sites has permission to develop been granted; and what estimate has been made of the number of homes to be built on each such site. [17853]
Andrew Stunell: To offer full transparency a complete copy of this information has been placed in the Library of the House, in the form of (i) a list recording 334 development sites owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), including the area of each site, in the East of England by local authority including Peterborough (ii) a separate list recording planning consent status in 300 cases regarding HCA sites in the East of England, by local authority including Peterborough, showing also the number of housing units planned to be built on each site where this is known or recorded.
These two lists are drawn from internal management systems maintained by the HCA for its own working purposes. HCA's financial system maintains a comprehensive record of all its development assets. As a subset of this, HCA also maintains a separate record of any planning-related activity on this land. These two lists represent raw management data. To reconcile this into a single list could be done only at disproportionate cost.
In addition HCA holds a number of residual sites not suitable for housing development.
Housing: Construction
Mr Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to increase the level of new house building. [18104]
Andrew Stunell: The Government are committed to increasing housing supply from current levels.
The previous Government's model of top-down housing targets failed to deliver: in 2009 just 118,000 completions were achieved, the lowest level of house building in England since the Second World War. On 6 July we revoked Regional Spatial Strategies and regional housing targets and passed power back to local communities. Instead of going against the grain of local opinion and creating opposition to imposed new housing, we will increase housing supply by introducing powerful fiscal incentives so that communities benefit directly from housing growth. We are confident that our approach to housing, which rebalances power from central Government to local authorities and local people, and combines this with powerful incentives for local authorities, will deliver the housing that communities want and need. We will set out further details on the timetable for introducing incentives in due course.
We will also seek to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation on homebuilders in order to reduce costs and boost private sector investment. Further details will be announced in due course.
Housing: East of England
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many (a) flats and (b) houses were built in (i) Peterborough and (ii) the East of England in each of the last five years; and how many such properties of each type were built in the social sector; [17848]
(2) how many homes with (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four or more bedrooms were built in (i) Peterborough and (ii) the East of England in each of the last five years; and how many such homes of each such type were built in the social sector. [17849]
Andrew Stunell: The number of new build homes completed in Peterborough and the East of England in each of the last five years are shown in the following tables. Estimates of the proportions that were flats and houses, and the estimated split by number of bedrooms, are also shown for the East of England but this source does not provide such estimates below the regional level.
| Total new build completions, Peterborough UA | |
| Financial year | Number |
| New build completions, East of England | |||||||
| Financial year | Total (number) | Of which | |||||
| Flats | Houses | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | 4 bedroom | ||
| Source: National House-Building Council and P2 returns from local authorities. | |||||||
Information for the social sector is provided in the following tables. This information is based on the number of social rent, intermediate rent and low-cost home ownership homes delivered through the National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP). The breakdown by number of bedrooms and dwelling type is available only for supply recorded on the Housing and Communities Agency's Investment Management System which covers the large majority of supply of new affordable homes.
Not all affordable housing is provided through new build completions as supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. For example, in the most recent period available for 2008-09, a total of 7,710 affordable homes were provided in the East of England of which 420 were in Peterborough.
The Department's 'Affordable Housing in England Statistical Release', containing information for 2009-10 will be published on 28 October.
| New build affordable housing completions, East of England | |||||
| Number of bedrooms | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | All | |
| Number | |||
| Flat | House | All | |
| New build affordable housing completions, Peterborough UA | |||||
| Number of bedrooms | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | All | |
| Number | |||
| Flat | House | All | |
| Notes: 1. Totals are for NAHP only and include both social rent and low-cost home ownership completions. 2. Data exclude open market HomeBuy type products and bedsits. 3. The totals in the two East of England tables may not match as studio flats are deemed to have zero bedrooms. 4. Data are rounded to nearest 10 units. | |||
Landlord and Tenant
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review the effectiveness of options for redress available to landlords whose tenants do not uphold their contractual obligations. [17809]
Andrew Stunell: Overall, the current legislative framework delivers the right balance of rights and responsibilities between landlords and tenants and we have no plans to change it. The issue of housing benefit being paid directly to tenants is being looked at as part of the Department for Work and Pensions review of the first two years' operation of the Local Housing Allowance. The review is due to report by the end of the year.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agricultural Wages (England and Wales) Order 2010
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed in each of the six grades set out in the Agricultural Wages (England and Wales) Order 2010 in each of the last five years. [18394]
Mr Paice: The following table shows the number of workers in England and Wales by Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) grade for the period 2005 to 2009. Please note that the number of workers by AWB grade for 2010 will not be available until the June Census labour figures for 2010 have been published in December.
Please note that the figures provided, along with other related statistics, are available in the Farm Labour and Wage Statistics publications which can be found on the DEFRA website at:
Agricultural Wages Board
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that support for farm workers continues following the proposed abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board. [18936]
Mr Paice: Once the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) is abolished, workers will continue to be protected by the national minimum wage legislation and Working Time Regulations, as are workers in all sectors of the economy.
In addition, any terms of an agricultural worker's employment contract which exist at the time the AWB is abolished will continue to apply until such time as the worker's contract is varied by agreement between the employer and the worker, or until the contract comes to an end. If an employer makes changes to the terms of employment without the agreement of the worker, this constitutes a breach of contract and the worker may have a claim for breach of contract.
Agricultural Wages Board
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has commissioned an equality impact assessment of the implications for agricultural workers of the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales. [18185]
Mr Paice: An equality impact assessment on the implications for agricultural workers as a result of the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales has been commissioned. It will be published in due course.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms will be in place for regulation and oversight of (a) rates of pay for overtime, (b) stand-by duty and night allowance, (c) entitlement to bereavement leave, (d) birth or adoption grant and (e) dog allowance for agricultural workers following the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales. [18186]
Mr Paice: Once the Agricultural Wages (AWB) Board is abolished, agricultural workers will no longer have a statutory right to the overtime rates of pay, on-call allowance (formerly stand-by duty), night allowance, dog allowance, birth/adoption grant, and entitlement to bereavement leave currently set out in the Agricultural Wages Order. Instead, agricultural workers will be protected by the national minimum wage legislation and Working Time Regulations, as with workers in all other sectors of the economy.
However, any terms of an agricultural worker's employment contract which exist at the time the AWB is abolished, will continue to apply until such time as the worker's contract is varied by agreement between the employer and the worker, or until the contract comes to an end. This is the case whether the agreement is written, verbally agreed, or implied by custom and practice. If an employer makes changes to the terms of employment without the agreement of the worker, this constitutes a breach of contract and the worker may have a claim for breach of contract.
Agriculture: Summertime
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the implications for farmers in the North of England of any change to British Summer Time; and if she will make a statement. [17580]
Mr Paice: We have received no recent representations on the implications for farmers in the North of England of a change in British summer time.
Badgers: Disease Control
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will publish the evidence underpinning her decision to authorise a cull of badgers; and if she will make a statement; [18387]
(2) what factors she took into account in her decision to authorise a cull of badgers; and if she will make a statement. [18388]
Mr Paice: On 15 September, DEFRA launched a public consultation setting out the Government's approach to tackling bovine TB in England and a proposal to address the disease in badgers. Alongside the consultation document, we published the scientific evidence, veterinary assessments and impact assessment on which the Government's proposal is based. A decision on our approach will be taken following the consultation and I intend to publish a comprehensive and balanced bovine TB eradication programme early in 2011.
Dangerous Dogs
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish her response to her Department's consultation on dangerous dogs. [17772]
Mr Paice:
The recent public consultation exercise on dangerous dogs legislation received 4,250 responses. My ministerial colleague Lord Henley is currently
considering the responses and we expect to make an announcement on our proposed way forward later in the autumn.
Food: Labelling
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to bring forward proposals for food labelling guidelines requiring disclosure of slaughter methods for meat products. [18047]
Mr Paice: The European Parliament has suggested an amendment to the proposed EU food information regulations to require food labels to indicate whether an animal has been stunned before slaughter.
I appreciate that this is an issue which people feel strongly about and we will be working with interested groups to find a way to address their concerns. People should know what they are buying in shops and when they are eating out, and I will be discussing with the food industry whether labelling and point of sale information can play a greater role in giving consumers a choice.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations issued by her Department govern the (a) sale and (b) labelling of halal meat; and if she will make a statement. [18120]
Mr Paice: There are no specific regulations governing the sale and labelling of Halal meat. However, if meat is labelled as Halal, this must not mislead the consumer. Information provided on the label or in the presentation of a food must not be false or misleading under the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (as amended), section 15 of the Food Safety Act 1990 (as amended), Article 16 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 (General Food Law Regulation 2004) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Information provided or the overall presentation of a food must not deceive the average consumer such that the average consumer would make a purchasing decision that they would not have taken otherwise.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the merits of bringing forward regulations to require halal slaughtered meat for sale to the public to be clearly labelled as such; and if she will make a statement. [18209]
Mr Paice: The European Parliament has suggested an amendment to the proposed EU Food information regulations to require food labels to indicate whether an animal has been stunned before slaughter.
I appreciate that this is an issue which people feel strongly about and we will be working with interested groups to find a way to address their concerns. People should know what they are buying in shops and when they are eating out, and I will be discussing with the food industry whether labelling and point of sale information can play a greater role in giving consumers a choice.
Forestry Commission
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the statement of 14 October 2010, Official Report, columns 505-06, on public bodies reform, what consideration her Department gave to transferring the Forestry Commission to the private sector. [18176]
Mr Paice: Prior to the announcement from my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr Maude), on 14 October to retain and substantially reform the Forestry Commission, the Government considered a range options for the Forestry Commission. I will set out the Government's proposals later in the year.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to bring forward proposals for the reform of the Forestry Commission; and which models of ownership for that organisation she plans to consider. [18182]
Mr Paice: The Forestry Commission and DEFRA will publish a consultation later in the year that will seek views on the implementation of a new strategic approach for forestry in England.
Livestock: Sustainable Development
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of sustainable livestock farming in the UK; what recent discussions she has had on this subject at EU level; and if she will make a statement. [17658]
Mr Paice: The Government are committed to ensuring we have a thriving and sustainable livestock sector in the UK, and we are working with the industry on the challenges it faces. This includes Government support for the agricultural industry's Climate Change Task Force in delivering its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for the dairy, beef and sheep, and pork meat sectors in delivering their product roadmaps for environmental sustainability.
DEFRA supports research on livestock through our research programmes on sustainable farming and food and animal health and welfare.
Internationally, the Government holds regular discussions on sustainable farming and food at EU level, with other member states, and more widely through, for example, our membership of the Global Research Alliance on the mitigation of greenhouse gases. The Government's Foresight project examining how the international community can sustainably feed nine billion by 2050 is another example of this UK leadership.
Sustainable Development Commission: Wales
Mr David: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the work of the Sustainable Development Commission in Wales. [16862]
Mr Paice: The Secretary of State and the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing discussed the work of the Sustainable Development Commission when they met at Environment Council on 13 October.
Northern Ireland
Intelligence Services: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which service has responsibility for (a) directing and (b) leading intelligence policy in Northern Ireland. [17808]
Mr Swire: The Security Service directs and co-ordinates all national security intelligence collection and investigation work across Northern Ireland. PSNI officers work in liaison with Security Service personnel, including for the purpose of translating intelligence into executive action. In all circumstances, including where the interest is national security-related, it is the role of the PSNI to mount executive policing operations, make arrests and take forward prosecutions under the direction of the Public Prosecution Service.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding he has allocated to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [17807]
Mr Swire: Funding has not been set beyond the end of the current financial year. I expect that it will be set in the coming months, taking into account the implications of the spending review.
Electoral Commission Committee
Alternative Vote: Referendums
Guto Bebb: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the level of funding required for a public information campaign in respect of the proposed referendum on the electoral system for the House of Commons on a day when national or local elections (a) are and (b) are not scheduled to take place. [17875]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it estimates that the expenditure for its planned public information campaign for the proposed referendum will be £6.83 million. This estimate is not affected by whether the referendum takes place on the same day as elections.
If the referendum takes place on 5 May 2011, as proposed, the public information campaign will include information on both the referendum and elections scheduled, at the cost stated above.
If the referendum did not take place on 5 May 2011, the Commission estimates an additional £2.928 million would be required for a separate campaign for the elections.
Electoral Systems
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what representations the Electoral Commission has received on the appropriateness of the involvement of its Chair in its preparations for the proposed referendum on the electoral system for the House of Commons. [17707]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has received no such representations.
Local Government: Constituencies
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what proposals the Electoral Commission has made for ward boundary changes in Daventry district; what the timescale is for their implementation; and if he will make a statement. [17047]
Mr Streeter: The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) informs me, that at present, it has not made any proposals for ward boundary changes to Daventry district.
The LGBCE has set criteria to trigger a review if there is significant electoral inequality in all or part of a local authority area. The LGBCE commenced an electoral review of Daventry district on 20 July 2010 after it had identified that one ward, Abbey North, had 43% more electors than the average for the district as a whole. A draft Order, intended to implement the LGBCE's final recommendations, will provide for new electoral arrangements for the district council to be implemented at the local elections in 2012.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what representations the Electoral Commission has received on the Daventry district boundary review. [17048]
Mr Streeter: The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) informs me that during the council size consultation period of the review it received 12 representations, all of which can be found on its website:
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much the Electoral Commission (a) has spent and (b) plans to spend on the review of electoral wards in Daventry district. [17189]
Mr Streeter:
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) informs me that to date it has spent £2633 in immediately attributable
costs, and an estimated further £4000 in staffing and overheads, on the electoral review of Daventry district.
The LGBCE informs me that it cannot provide exact costs for future spending. The final costs depend on the geographical scale of the review area, its complexity, and the contribution made by the local authority to framing warding schemes. Costs can change if, for example, further consultation is required at any stage. The LGBCE seeks to discharge its statutory functions while keeping down its own and others' costs.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the future of the Low Carbon Communities Challenge Fund after 2010-11. [17714]
Gregory Barker: The Low Carbon Communities Challenge is a research programme, providing grant funding to communities over two financial years: 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Work evaluating and sharing learning from the community projects will continue beyond 2010-11, but there will be no further funding.
Departmental Equality
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to publish equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as part of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [18279]
Gregory Barker: Consultations on policy arising from the comprehensive spending review will be accompanied by published impact assessments comprising, where appropriate, equality impact assessments.
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on overseas visits for senior officials in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [18413]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent £1,525,024 on overseas visits for all officials during the period of 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010.
The amount spent for senior officials can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Fuel Poverty: Dartford
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Dartford constituency were in fuel poverty on the latest date for which figures are available. [18847]
Gregory Barker:
The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2006, and shows that there were 2,800 households in the Dartford constituency
that were classified as living in fuel poverty. This is equivalent to 7% of all households in the Dartford constituency.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Low Carbon Building Programme grants have been made in respect of wind turbines installed in locations which do not meet the wind speed criteria specified in the programme. [18122]
Gregory Barker: The Low Carbon Buildings programme (LCBP) did not have, as a primary validity criterion, a specified wind speed for the grant funding of wind turbines.
Every grant application to the LCBP was scrutinised before approval.
For all grants, regardless of technology, the overall criteria for acceptance was to meet benchmark £/tC02 savings. This indirectly assesses the system performance giving an indication of value for money and amount of C02 saved. There are some projects which are outside recommended benchmarks. However anyone exceeding the benchmark either had their grant capped, i.e. below 50% or they offered a valid explanation as to why it was still good VFM. For example schools might have opted to use a wind turbine to educate pupils.
Renewable Energy: Heating
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the cost of abating each tonne of carbon dioxide under (a) the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive, (b) Feed-in Tariffs and (c) the Renewables Obligation. [17292]
Gregory Barker: The following table shows the latest estimates on the cost of abating each tonne of carbon dioxide under the three schemes:
Defence
Armed Forces: Manpower
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to minimise the loss of expertise in the armed forces resulting from a reduction in service personnel numbers in the next three years. [17806]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 18 October 2010]: At the heart of the Strategic Defence and Security Review has been a thorough examination of our force structure, looking at the overall shape, size and role of the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence Civil Service as well as the reserve forces. This includes the implications on expertise of any redundancies which might result.
Armed Forces: Pay
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the local overseas allowance; and if he will make a statement. [18241]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 19 October 2010]: Within the Strategic Defence and Security Review it was agreed that the overall package of allowances needs to be made simpler to administer, more effective and encourage greater personal responsibility. While the current package will be reduced, no decisions have been taken on individual allowances.
Armed Forces: Pensions
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the monetary value of pension awarded to the family of a serviceman or woman killed in action has related to a previous rank because their rank at the time of their death had been held for less than 12 months in the last five years. [17744]
Mr Robathan: Since 6 April 2005 there have been three instances of personnel killed in action when, at the time of their death, they had held an acting rank for less than 12 months, and where the pension awarded under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 was based upon their substantive rank.
We are considering options to improve the compensation and pension package for the dependants of personnel who are killed in an acting rank.
Armed Forces: Taxation
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent representations he has received on exempting the pay of armed forces personnel from tax during periods of service abroad; and if he will make a statement; [17796]
(2) when his Department last made an assessment of the merits of exempting from tax the pay of service personnel serving abroad; and what its findings were. [17797]
Mr Robathan: In the last year, the Ministry of Defence has received nine letters from Members of Parliament and the public about exempting the pay of armed forces personnel from tax during periods of service abroad.
There has been no recent assessment of the merits of exempting the pay of those serving overseas from income tax. It is a long-standing rule recognised by successive governments that the armed forces, like other Crown servants, are liable for the payment of income tax wherever they are serving. This is not considered inequitable as the UK armed forces have an expectation of worldwide service, which is reflected in their overall remuneration package, which includes, for example, the payment of
the X-factor (currently 14%) in recognition of relative disadvantages on military life and payment to those experiencing an exceptional level of separation. In addition, to further recognise the sacrifices personnel make while deployed further allowances have also been introduced, and the operational allowance, which is itself exempt from tax, has been doubled.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the NATO STANAG 4569 Level 2A test reports on the RWMIK vehicle platform. [17526]
Peter Luff: I regret that I must withhold the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Atomic Weapons Establishment: Finance
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 29 January 2010, Official Report, column 1118W, on AWE Aldermaston, how much his Department spent on capital expenditure for the two Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield in each financial year from 2000-01 to 2004-05. [17344]
Peter Luff: The capital expenditure figures for the two Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield are shown in the following table:
| Capital costs at outturn prices (£ million) | |
Defence Career Partnering
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recovery placements Defence Career Partnering has made since its inception. [18274]
Mr Robathan: Defence Career Partnering is an arrangement between the Ministry of Defence and selected organisations to promote the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured or sick service personnel by way of providing work experience in areas of employment they may not have knowledge of.
Since September 2009, 53 recovery placements have been arranged, or are at various stages of development. Experience gained by those participating in such schemes has rebuilt self esteem and contributed to their own future employability either within the armed forces or outside.
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what contracts his Department has entered into in establishing Defence Career Partnering; [18275]
(2) what services his Department contracts for the delivery of Defence Career Partnering. [18276]
Mr Robathan: The Department has not entered into any contracts to establish, or for services to deliver, Defence Career Partnering.
Defence Career Partnering is a partnering arrangement under which the Ministry of Defence partners with selected organisations under a memorandum of agreement to work collaboratively on a range of personnel projects. For example, the Return to Work Initiative provides work experience opportunities for wounded, injured and sick service personnel, as well as enabling industry to show their support for our armed forces.
Defence: Procurement
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on facilitating the award to small and medium-sized enterprises of contracts for maintenance and support for (a) Typhoon and (b) other major equipment platforms sold overseas. [17108]
Peter Luff: It is Government policy to encourage and assist Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in securing contracts with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and overseas customers. The MOD Defence Suppliers' Service helps SMEs and other companies wishing to sell products and services to the MOD, by explaining the acquisition process and providing contact points both within the Department and for our prime contractors, who may have subcontracting requirements. The MOD encourages competition wherever possible in the allocation of lower-tier subcontracts and this provides opportunities for SMEs to bid for elements of larger projects.
In the specific case of Typhoon, the majority of contracts are placed, on behalf of the participating nations, by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) based in Munich and are, therefore, subject to German law. International industrial consortia acting as overall prime contractors for the aircraft and the engines then subcontract the work, including maintenance and support of the aircraft, to the respective national partner companies, including BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce in the UK.
The UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation is responsible for assisting British industry to identify defence export opportunities, including for major platforms sold overseas. It has a dedicated Small Business Unit.
After the Strategic Defence and Security Review process the MOD will publish a Defence Industry and Technological Policy Green Paper that will have a specific section dedicated to SME engagement.
Departmental Energy
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many diesel generators his Department and its agencies have purchased in each of the last five years. [17448]
Peter Luff:
Diesel generators are procured for a broad variety of requirements across the Department and the information requested is not held centrally. Records indicate that the following generators have been purchased by the Ministry of Defence since 2005, although the
majority of these data are not available broken down by year. Purchases by other business areas cannot be ruled out.
| Financial year | MOD Diesel Engine Group |
| Business area | Total |
| (1) Figures provided cover generators purchased in the UK only. Overseas there are different procurement arrangements and there is no central record. | |
Additionally, 37 multi-functional aircraft ground support equipments containing a power generation capability along with a number of other functions, to support joint helicopter command battlefield helicopter operations from deployed flying sites, were purchased over the last five years.
Departmental Equality
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to publish equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as part of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [18032]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 19 October 2010]: The Ministry of Defence has carried out equality impact assessments as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the spending review. Records of this will be kept for a minimum of five years and will be made available to third parties if requested.
Departmental Public Relations
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on public relations consultancy fees since his appointment. [17935]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 18 October 2010]: Information on public relations consultancy fees is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
As with other Government Departments the Ministry of Defence is currently imposing restrictions on all new consultancy expenditure. The Office of Government Commerce will shortly be publishing details of all consultancy contracts with a value of £20,000 or more approved by Ministers since the imposition of the restrictions. No cases approved by Ministers since the restrictions were imposed have involved public relations consultancy.
Military Decorations
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 172W, on military decorations and 15 September 2010, Official Report, column 1286W, on armed forces: medals, whether the review team on the award of medals has been constituted; whether the terms of reference for the review have been set; and if he will make a statement. [17798]
Mr Robathan: In our programme for Government we stated that we intended to review the awarding of medals. Discussions are currently taking place in order to determine the scope and terms of reference of this review.
Nuclear Power: Decommissioning
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of decommissioning liabilities at Atomic Weapons Establishments. [17295]
Peter Luff: The cost associated with the decommissioning, care and maintenance of redundant facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment is estimated to be in the order of £2.7 billion as at 31 March 2010, at 2009-10 prices. This figure includes the conditioning, retrieval and storage of contaminated materials.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many facilities at Atomic Weapons Establishments are (a) timetabled for decommissioning, (b) incare and maintenance awaiting decommissioning and (c) undergoing decommissioning. [17296]
Peter Luff: The numbers of nuclear facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishments that are timetabled for decommissioning, in care and maintenance awaiting decommissioning and undergoing decommissioning are 33 timetabled for decommissioning, six in care and maintenance awaiting decommissioning, and three undergoing decommissioning.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a timetable has been set for decommissioning the gravel gerties at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield. [17315]
Peter Luff: Decommissioning activities for the gravel gerties (the current nuclear warhead assembly and dissassembly facilities at Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield) are currently planned to commence in late 2015 and to be complete in late 2021.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what options are under consideration for decommissioning the Pangbourne Pipeline at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston; and when he expects the AWE Executive Board to complete its business evaluation of proposals for decommissioning the pipeline. [17316]
Peter Luff: Two options are under consideration for the decommissioning of the Pangbourne Pipeline: to leave it in-situ or to remove it. The Executive Board of AWE plc is expected to complete the evaluation of proposals for decommissioning the pipeline by March 2011.
Education
Academies
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason his Department does not require academies to provide the curriculum entitlement of a maintained school; and if he will make a statement. [12276]
Mr Gibb: Academies are not required to follow the national curriculum because we believe that having the flexibility to be imaginative in their curriculum design, within a broad and balanced context, is a core freedom which is at the heart of the academies programme.
All academies established by the Secretary of State enter into a funding agreement. This funding agreement provides the framework within which the academy must operate. Furthermore, the ongoing funding of the academy trust is contingent upon the conditions in its funding agreement being met, one of which is having a curriculum that is balanced and broadly based.
Adoption: Finance
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the cost to adoptive parents of adopting a child; what plans he has for the future level of the inter-agency fee; and what recent representations he has received on the financial situation of voluntary adoption agencies. [14481]
Tim Loughton: Regular discussions take place, covering a wide range of topics, between Ministers from the Department for Education and their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Local authorities have the discretion to give financial support to adopters whose adopted children can cost more to care for than other children. Although local authorities must make their own decisions, I hope they will always want to prioritise services for the most vulnerable, including looked-after children, and those moving into and out of care.
Ministers are in close contact with representatives of the adoption sector, and are very aware of their concerns. They do not set the inter-agency fee, but are currently considering what action should be taken in other areas, for example to help reduce delay in placements for adoption. It is particularly important that local authorities take full account of the evidence in the research paper 'Adoption and the Inter-agency Fee':
This makes clear that effective use of voluntary adoption agencies has a positive impact on finding suitable and timely placements at a lower cost for local authorities.
I have set up an adoption advisory group that will look at all aspects of adoption, to help ensure that suitable adoptive placements can be made available in a timely manner for all those children for whom adoption is the appropriate permanent placement.
Children in Care
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to improve arrangements for accountability in decision-making in respect of decisions on removal of children from parental care. [18367]
Tim Loughton: A key principle of the Children Act 1989 is that children are best looked after within their families unless compulsory intervention in family life is necessary. This is reflected in the local authority's functions to provide services which support children and their families.
Unless they have the parents' consent, local authorities cannot remove children from their parents' care without first referring the matter to a court. In every case where a child is taken into care on a care order, the courts will have considered all the evidence and taken the view that there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is suffering from, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.
The Family Justice Review is currently considering what changes are needed to improve the operation of the family justice system and deliver better outcomes for the children and families it serves. Care proceedings and the accountability arrangements supporting them are part of the review's deliberations. The review is due to deliver its interim report in the spring and its final report in the autumn next year.
Children: Protection
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future provision of child protection services previously provided through the Government Office Network; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects on child protection services of the closure of that Network. [16420]
Tim Loughton: Following the Government's decision to close the Government office for London and the announcement of its intention, in principle, to abolish the remaining eight regional Government offices, the Secretary of State for Education has made clear that we will be ending virtually all of this Department's functions delivered by Government offices.
Closing the regional Government office network is in line with the Government's policy on removing administrative layers and simplifying accountability across national and local government, and reducing public expenditure. It will also contribute to delivering the Government's commitment to empower local authorities by removing top down monitoring, support and challenge, freeing them up to focus on their own plans for improvement.
To support Government's accountability for the child protection system as a whole, departmental officials have notified Ministers routinely of significant developments in relation to serious child care incidents, so that a view can be formed as to how well child protection arrangements are working across the country. This information has up until now been provided by local authority and Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) staff to Government office Children and Learner teams who have, in turn, liaised with departmental officials. From 1 October the gathering of information on serious child care incidents and serious case reviews in relation to local authorities
and LSCBs in London has been carried out by a team within the Department for Education. This team will, from a later date, also carry out this function in relation to local authorities and LSCBs across the rest of England.
The Government are committed to ensuring that we have the information necessary to support our national role in relation to child protection. We will keep these new arrangements under review and have sought feedback from local authorities and LSCBs on the operation of the new system.
Departmental Travel
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by each Minister in his Department in (i) May 2010 and (ii) June 2010. [8225]
Tim Loughton: As set out in the ministerial code Departments will publish, at least quarterly, details of all travel overseas by Ministers. Information for the first quarter will be published as soon as it is ready.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for York Central (Hugh Bayley) on 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 346W.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.
Education: Finance
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what grants his Department has made to (a) the Personal Social Health and Economic Education Association, (b) the Sex Education Forum of the National Children's Bureau and (c) the National Personal and Social Education Association for Advisors, Inspectors and Consultants in each of the last five years; how much grant funding is planned for each body in the next two years; what the (i) monetary value and (ii) purpose of each such grant is; and if he will make a statement. [17857]
Mr Gibb: The Department has made grant payments to the Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) Education Association over the past five years as follows:
| Grant (£) | |
The purpose of the grant was to support the provision of PSHE in schools; for the first two years (2006-07 to 2007-08) the grant money was paid to the National Children's Bureau (NCB) who hosted the Association.
The Sex Education Forum (SEF) received grant payments from the Department over the past five years as follows:
| Grant (£) | |
The overall purpose of grant funding for the SEF over the last five years was to support schools in providing sex and relationship education. More specifically in years 2006-07 and 2007-08, £27,000 was allocated to develop guidance and set-up and maintain a support network for health advisers working in drop-in centres in schools and FE colleges. In 2008-09 the grant included funding to cover work related to the previous Government's review of Sex and Relationships Education in schools. Funding for 2009-10 was set at £156,000 to continue the development of networks, promulgate best practice and work towards making PSHE, including Sex and Relationship Education, statutory in the National Curriculum (part of the previous Government's policy). Grant funding for 2010-11 has been provisionally profiled at £116,000.
The Department has not paid any grants to the National Personal and Social Education Association for Advisors, Inspectors and Consultants over the past five years.
Grant payments for the next two years have not yet been decided.
GCSE
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children taking GCSEs in (a) grammar schools, (b) comprehensive schools, (c) secondary modern schools and (d) independent schools were awarded five or more GCSEs at (i) A* to A and (ii) A* to B grades in the most recent year for which figures are available. [12636]
Mr Gibb: In 2009, the percentages of pupils awarded five or more GCSEs by school type and grade are shown in the following table:
| Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 who were awarded 5 or more GCSEs | ||
| Percentage | ||
| Grades | ||
| A* - A | A* - B | |
| Note: GCSEs counted are full/applied, short course (counts half) and double awards (counts double). Source: Achievement and Attainment Tables. | ||
History: GCSE
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many and what proportion of pupils were entered for history GCSE in (i) comprehensive schools, (ii) selective maintained schools and (iii) independent schools in each year since 1997; [15946]
(2) how many and what proportion of pupils entered for history GCSE in (a) comprehensive schools, (b) selective maintained schools and (c) independent schools obtained a grade C or above in each year since 1997. [15947]
Mr Gibb: The information is given in the following tables.
| Number of pupils( 1) entering history GCSE( 2) | Percentage of pupils( 1) entering history GCSE( 2) | |||||
| School type | Comp | Selective | Indep( 3) | Comp | Selective | Indep( 3) |
| Number of pupils( 1) passing history GCSE( 2) at grade A*-C | Percentage of pupils( 1) entering history GCSE( 2) that pass at grade A*-C | |||||
| Comp | Selective | Indep( 3) | Comp | Selective | Indep( 3) | |
| Notes: (1) For the years 1997-2004, 15 year old pupils are counted. For the years 2005-09, pupils at the end of key stage 4 are counted. Note also that these figures include pupils recently arrived from overseas that will not be included in the local authority level figures in PQs 15948 and 15949. (2) Only full GCSE courses have been counted. (3) Pupils at independent special schools are also counted. | ||||||
Music: Education
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to identify and nurture musical talent in schools following the end of the Standards Fund in 2011. [12528]
Mr Gibb:
A solid, knowledge-based music education for all children and young people is very important to this Government. We also believe that every child should learn to play a musical instrument and to sing. No decision has been taken on funding for music education
beyond March 2011 as the spending review continues. Following the review we will set out how we plan to promote the teaching of music and the development of musical talent in schools. The Secretary of State announced on 24 September that he has asked Darren Henley, managing director of Classic FM, to carry out a review focusing on the funding routes and delivery mechanisms for music education making recommendations on how the funding for music education can be made to work harder and smarter to produce that quality experience for children and young people.
Home Department
Asylum
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of her Department's progress against its objective to complete outstanding decisions on legacy asylum cases by 2011. [17994]
Damian Green: The chief executive of the UK Border Agency, Lin Homer, updated the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) on 19 July 2010. The Case Resolution Directorate had concluded 277,000 cases up to the end of May 2010. She will provide a further progress update on the conclusion of these cases in her next correspondence to the HASC later in the autumn.
Asylum: West Midlands
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who are the subject of legacy cases are resident in Wolverhampton South West constituency. [17995]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is unable to accurately report on the outstanding asylum cases being dealt with by the Case Resolution Directorate (CRD) in the Wolverhampton South West constituency.
As reported in July 2010 to the Home Affairs Select Committee, 50% of the concluded cases were data errors and required no further action. In addition, due to the age of some cases addresses on file are subsequently found to have changed. Therefore, any such report would be unable to accurately represent CRD cases with outstanding applications.
The agency will be reporting on its current performance in clearing the backlog later in the autumn. I am confident that the agency is on track to clear the backlog of older asylum cases by summer 2011.
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who applied for asylum in the last 12 months are resident in Wolverhampton South West constituency. [18001]
Damian Green: Between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010, 147 main applicants and 71 linked dependants (a total of 218 individuals) applied for asylum with addresses within the area of Wolverhampton South West.
All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
Borders: Personal Records
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultants her Department employed on the e-Borders programme in each year since 2006-07, and at what cost; what the role of each such consultant was; what assessment she has made of the performance of such consultants against the objectives of the programme; and if she will make a statement. [16990]
Damian Green [holding answer 13 October 2010]: The following table provides the numbers and costs of consultants and independent contractors employed by the e-Borders programme since 2006:
| Consultancy | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
The consultancy expenditure during 2010-11 for the first six months (April to September) has been £4,706,591.
The periods covered saw the programme move from procurement of the strategic solution and provision of the Semaphore pilot system to the more complex activity to assure the design and delivery of the strategic solution. The fall in consultant and contractor headcount during this time did not deliver an equivalent reduction in cost since there was an associated change in the mix and type of consultancy support provided, along with a need to use more hours from individual consultants because of the pressures on the programme and the requirement for their specialist knowledge.
Prior to contract award, the role of consultants was to manage and provide advice on the procurement process. Following contract award, consultants provided advice and support in a number of areas including business design, programme management, carrier and port liaison and testing activities.
All work carried out by consultants was agreed in formal work packages which detailed the deliverables and activities required. Achievement of those deliverables was signed off by civil servants. Consideration of the value for money provided by consultants in carrying out these activities was an integral part of the process in agreeing each work package.
The e-Borders programme has been managed throughout by senior civil servants reporting ultimately to the senior responsible officer. Advice and guidance on specialist areas of expertise has been provided by consultants during this period to the senior management team and the e-Borders programme.
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