Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Welfare: Circuses
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of wild animals in circuses. [25242]
Mr Paice: A consultation on the use of wild animals in circuses came to an end earlier this year. We are currently considering the 13,000 or so responses before we publish a summary. In the meantime, Lord Henley has been meeting with representatives of welfare groups and the circus industry. An industry body has proposed a self-regulatory system but no decisions have been made.
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on bringing forward legislative proposals to extend the application of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to private dwellings. [25244]
Mr Paice: Earlier this year, DEFRA and the Home Office published a public consultation on dangerous dogs and how to encourage responsible dog ownership. A number of proposals were raised during the consultation, including the issue of whether to extend the criminal offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to private places. The consultation closed on 1 June and received 4,250 responses. We are currently analysing these responses and will publish a summary of the responses to the consultation very soon.
Dogs: Electric Shock Equipment
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the merits of introducing a ban on the use of shock collars. [26002]
Mr Paice: There are no current plans to ban the use of electronic training aids for animals. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 already makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal and to treat an animal in a way that fails to meet its welfare needs. It also provides additional powers to prohibit the use of any such equipment through secondary legislation if considered necessary.
However, we recognise the need for further research into this issue. DEFRA is currently carrying out a study into whether electronic training collars cause unnecessary suffering, and this is expected to be completed next year.
Natural England: Agriculture
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of members of the Natural England (a) board and (b) committees has a background in farming. [25540]
Mr Paice: The information is as follows:
(a) The Natural England Board has two farmers and a smallholder out of a total of ten non-executive board members.
(b) Natural England has no statutory committees. Other groups or committees such as the Audit and Risk Committee meet according to business needs and include membership drawn from the non-executive Board. Natural England's Science Advisory Committee includes external representation from universities, including the Centre for Rural Economy, School of Agriculture, University of Newcastle.
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors she will take into account in determining whether beak trimming of laying hens can be ended in 2016. [25522]
Mr Paice: The Beak Trimming Action Group, comprising representatives from industry, welfare groups, DEFRA, scientific and veterinary professions will be reconvened at the start of next year. It will be tasked with establishing an action plan to work towards a ban on routine beak trimming of laying hens in 2016. The review will consider results of on-going research projects that are investigating practical and realistic ways to rear laying hens without the need for beak trimming and will consider the outcome of industry study tours to those European countries where they do not beak trim. As the impact of feather pecking is greatest in systems of management which do not house birds in cages, the risk to the welfare of laying hens from injurious pecking is likely to increase after the ban on conventional cages comes into force on 1 January 2012. A review in 2015 will allow producers time to increase their experience of managing flocks in alternative systems.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the findings of her Department's visit to countries that do not have beak trimming of laying hens; and if she will make a statement. [25523]
Mr Paice: The UK laying hen industry will be responsible for conducting visits to those European countries who do not beak trim. The findings of the study tours will be presented to the Beak Trimming Action Group, which comprises representatives from industry, welfare groups, DEFRA, scientific and veterinary professions, which will be reconvened at the start of next year to establish an action plan to work towards a ban of routine beak trimming of laying hens in 2016. The industry experiences and results of on-going research will be fed in to the review in 2015.
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in each police authority area in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [26105]
James Brokenshire: The latest available data on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, cover the period 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2008. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in each criminal justice system (CJS) area in each year between 2004 and 2008 is shown in the following table. CJS areas are coterminous with police force/police authority areas.
Crime: Young People
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were reported to have been committed by (a) people under the age of criminal responsibility, (b) people with a mental health disorder and (c) members of the armed forces in each of the last three years. [24390]
James Brokenshire: The requested information is not available centrally. The recorded crime data collected by the Home Office concentrate solely on the numbers of offences recorded and detected by the police and no details on the offender are included.
Offensive Weapons: Crime
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences involving offensive weapons were recorded in each police authority area in each year between 2005 and 2009. [26106]
James Brokenshire: Available data relate only to (a) offences where firearms have been fired, used as a blunt instrument against a person or used as a threat and (b) offences that involved knives and sharp instruments. From the information collected on recorded crime it is not possible to identify those offences where other offensive weapons were used, since details of the individual circumstances of offences are not recorded.
The available information for firearm offences relates to offences recorded between 2004-05 and 2008-09 and is provided in table A. Data for 2009-10 will be published in January 2011.
The Home Office has collected additional data on selected offences involving knives and sharp instruments since April 2007. Thus, there are no data available prior to 2007-08. Please note that the 2007-08 figures are not comparable to 2008-09 and 2009-10 due to the expanded offence coverage in those years. The available information is provided in tables B1 and B2.
UK Border Agency: Personnel
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff she expects to be employed by the UK Border Agency in each of the four years of the comprehensive spending review period. [24003]
Mrs May [holding answer 15 November 2010]: The priority of the agency remains to secure the border and to control migration while we play our part in reducing the public deficit. The agency's overall commitment is to cut its budget by up to 20% in real terms over the next four years and reduce headcount by around 5,200. Detailed budgets have not yet been finalised and so I cannot provide a four-year profile.
Vetting
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2010, Official Report, column 316, on voluntary organisations, what progress she has made in reviewing the criminal records vetting regime. [25822]
Lynne Featherstone: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the Home Secretary on 22 October 2010, Official Report, columns 77-78WS. This statement announced terms of reference for the review of the Criminal Records Regime and the Vetting and Barring Scheme. The initial findings will be announced early in the new year.
Scotland
Daylight Saving Bill
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what (a) formal and (b) informal consultation his Department has undertaken on the provisions of the Daylight Saving Bill; and if he will make a statement. [25762]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland has written to, and remains in contact with, a number of organisations representing groups most likely to be affected by any change to British summer time, to seek their views. As the Prime Minister has already made clear, there can be no change to existing policy without the agreement of all parts of the United Kingdom, including Scotland. That agreement is not in place.
Post Office
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network. [25764]
David Mundell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis) to question 24941 on 22 November 2010, Official Report, column 2W.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the monetary value was of contracts between his Department and (a) Post Office Ltd and (b) Royal Mail in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) each year since 2004-05. [25765]
David Mundell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis) to question 24940 on 22 November 2010, Official Report, column 2W.
Summer Time
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State for Scotland of 16 November 2010, Official Report, column 865, on summer time (Scotland), what evidence his Department evaluated in determining that public opinion in Scotland on double summer time is changing. [25707]
David Mundell: The evidence mentioned above was introduced to the debate by my hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Rebecca Harris).
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State for Scotland of 16 November 2010, Official Report, column 863, on summertime (Scotland), what methodology he used to determine that the majority of inhabitants of Scotland are opposed to the implementation of double summer time. [25804]
David Mundell: The implementation of single double summer time in the UK has remained a perennial debate since the last experiment to alter British summer time was abandoned four decades ago. As I said recently in the House, it remains the case that those who support the campaign to adopt single double summer time in the United Kingdom have to win the argument with the public in Scotland, with the body politic and with civic society.
Transport
Office of Traffic Commissioners
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to amend the (a) role and (b) responsibilities of the Office of Traffic Commissioners. [23279]
Mike Penning: We will be completing implementation of the Local Transport Act 2008 provisions that will create a 'pool' of Traffic Commissioners that are able to act in all traffic areas and amend the grounds on which an individual Commissioner can be removed from office.
Roads: Accidents
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many dogs were reported to have been killed or injured in a road traffic incident in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [26519]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport collates information on animals identified as carriageway hazards in reported personal injury road accidents. However, information on the types of animals involved in accidents and whether they are killed or injured, is not collected.
The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving animals in the carriageway, in England and Wales, 2005-09, is shown in the following table.
| Reported personal injury road accidents involving an animal( 1) in the carriageway: England and Wales 2005-09 | |
| Accidents | |
| (1) Excludes ridden horses. | |
Roads: Safety
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to update the 10-year Road Safety Strategy; and if he will make a statement. [21250]
Mike Penning: The UK already has some of the safest roads in the world, but the coalition is considering how to make them even safer. We will produce a new strategic framework for road safety that sets out the Government's vision for road safety, national measures, and how we will work with others to achieve this. We will be discussing this with stakeholders and intend to publish a strategy early next year.
Transport: Aberdeenshire
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many major transport infrastructure projects have been completed in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire local authority areas since 1980. [26025]
Norman Baker: The provision of such infrastructure projects is devolved to the Scottish Government. This is therefore a matter for Scottish Ministers.
Attorney-General
Football: South Africa
Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how much his Department spent on attendance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [26152]
The Solicitor-General: Nothing.
The Crown Prosecution service sent a senior Crown Prosecutor to the World Cup with the English police delegation. Their role was to liaise with South African authorities on tackling violent disorder offences involving English nationals. The Home Office funded the prosecutor's travel, accommodation and expense costs.
Communities and Local Government
Departmental Grants
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated in grants for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and how much such funding he plans to allocate for 2011-12. [25816]
Robert Neill: The total maximum amounts payable by the Department for Communities and Local Government for grants above £1 million are:
| £ million | |
The totals for formula grant paid by my Department (which comprises revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates) for 2011-12 onwards were published in table 2.8 of the spending review 2010 document. The other grants for 2011-12 and 2012-13 which have so far been confirmed to local authorities were outlined in table 2 of my reply to the hon. Member of 23 November 2010, Official Report, columns 198-200W. Details of other grant programmes will be released in due course.
Departmental Lobbying
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent from the public purse on influencing public policy through (a) employing external (i) public affairs companies, (ii) strategic consultancies and (iii) corporate communications firms, (b) external marketing and (c) other activities in each of the last 10 years. [23756]
Robert Neill: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, as part of the new Government's transparency agenda, all spending over £500 can be found online on the departmental website for 2008-09 onwards. I also refer my hon. Friend to the Secretary of State's press release of 5 August 2010 which highlighted the unacceptable spending by Government arms' length bodies on lobbying Government and HM Opposition. We have instructed these bodies to cancel their lobbying contracts.
Departmental Regulation
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months; [24378]
(2) what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through (a) primary legislation and (b) statutory instrument in the last six months. [24493]
Robert Neill: We are committed to removing needless bureaucracy and unnecessary burdens contained within existing secondary legislation and other forms of regulation. We have already announced various changes including the suspension and impending abolition of Home Information Packs, the abolition of Comprehensive Area Assessment and the intended consolidation of planning (development control) procedures and building regulations. The forthcoming Localism Bill will contain additional measures to free local government from central and regional control so that it can deliver services according to local needs. These measures will include radical reform of the planning system to give neighbourhoods greater ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live.
New regulatory burdens on businesses are given full consideration through the new One-In-One-Out process, which ensures that the costs imposed by new regulations are offset by reductions elsewhere.
New burdens on local government are also fully taken into account through our New Burdens Assessments.
Later this year we will publish our Regulatory Forward Programme which will provide details of all forthcoming regulatory and deregulatory measures.
With this in mind, in the last six months 40 statutory instruments (orders and regulations) have been revoked in full and seven partially revoked. A list of all revocations has been placed in the Library of the House.
No new primary legislation has been introduced and 21 new statutory instruments have been introduced, many of which are deregulatory. A table with details of the statutory instruments that have been introduced has been placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Written Questions
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available. [25959]
Robert Neill: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
In the period 25 May to 12 November 2010, my Department received 374 written questions for answer on a named day of which 325 (87%) were answered on the due date. All 374 questions have now been answered.
My Department does not estimate the cost of answering written questions. For information on the annual indexation exercise of the cost of parliamentary questions conducted by HM Treasury, I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the then Exchequer Secretary (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 15WS.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for ordinary written answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available. [25960]
Robert Neill: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
In the period 25 May to 12 November 2010, my Department received 1,016 ordinary written questions of which 948 (94%) were answered within five sitting days. Five of the 1,016 questions remain unanswered. Information on the number of ordinary written questions answered within seven and 14 days could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
My Department does not estimate the cost of answering written questions. For information on the annual indexation exercise of the cost of parliamentary questions conducted by HM Treasury, I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the then Exchequer Secretary (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 15WS.
Fire Services: Working Hours
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will maintain the exemption for full-time and retained duty system firefighters from the European Union Working Time Directive; and if he will make a statement. [26538]
Robert Neill: This Government committed in the coalition agreement to limit the application of the Working Time Directive in the United Kingdom. Whole-time and retained duty system firefighters do not have an exemption from the Directive apart from in specified circumstances, but like other UK workers have the flexibility to opt out of the 48-hour limit to the working week set by the Directive. The Government recognise that losing the opt-out could have a major impact on fire and rescue services and will continue to stand firm on its retention.
Housing: Construction
Julie Hilling:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals for alternative measures to replace
regional housing grants for the purpose of supporting regional housing; and what recent representations he has received on the use of funds from existing regional housing grants. [25595]
Grant Shapps: In the spending review we announced investment of over £6.5 billion in housing. This includes over £2 billion to make existing social homes decent and almost £4.5 billion investment in new affordable housing to deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes. We are giving housing associations much more flexibility on rents and use of assets, so our aspiration is to deliver as many as homes as possible through our investment and reforms. We will be publishing details on the new delivery model in the new year.
On 11 November we announced that councils and their arm's length management organisations that have a significant backlog of decent homes work will be eligible for funding from a new single decent homes funding stream. The Homes and Communities Agency are consulting on proposals for allocating this funding.
Funding for private sector renewal, formerly part of the regional housing pot, is now a matter for local authorities. We have given them significantly greater freedom and control over budgets. They can continue to provide this support where it fits with local priorities.
We have also launched a consultation on the New Homes Bonus which will commence in April 2011 and will match fund the additional council tax on new homes and properties brought back into use for each of the following six years with an additional amount for affordable homes. The consultation is available at:
This will be a powerful, simple, transparent and permanent incentive for local authorities to increase their aspirations for housing growth. We have set aside £1 billion of funding and further funding will come from formula grant.
Some representations in the form of ministerial correspondence have been received in relation to private sector renewal funding.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy that any funding awarded to county councils under the New Homes Bonus Scheme is spent on projects approved by the district council in whose area the new homes will be built; and if he will make a statement. [25884]
Grant Shapps: The Government do not propose to tell local authorities how and when to spend the funding received from the New Homes Bonus. The Government expect local authorities to work closely with their communities-and in particular the neighbourhoods most affected by growth-to understand their priorities for investment and to communicate how the money will be spent and the benefits it will bring.
We are currently consulting on the New Homes Bonus scheme design:
Peterborough City Council: Grants and Non-domestic Rates
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much Peterborough city council unitary authority received in revenue support grant in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [25921]
(2) how much Peterborough city council collected in national non-domestic rates in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [26021]
Robert Neill: The following table shows both (a) the amount national non-domestic rates collected by, and (b) the amount of revenue support grant received by Peterborough between 2005-06 and 2009-10. The data are shown in £ million.
| NNDR collected | Revenue support grant (£ million) | |
The data are as reported by local authorities. The national non-domestic rates figures are the net yield figures taken from the national non-domestic rates (NNDR3) outturn forms submitted annually by all billing authorities in England. The net yield is the amount of national non-domestic rates collected by an authority before the deduction of collection costs i.e. losses in collection, repayments in respect of previous years and the allowance for the cost of collection.
The data for revenue support grant are taken from the Budget Requirement (BR1) forms submitted annually by all billing authorities in England. The revenue support grant figure for 2005-06 contains an element of funding for schools which was removed in subsequent years and paid as the dedicated schools grant.
Private Rented Housing
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in (a) England, (b) Hyndburn and (c) Haslingden are let by private landlords. [26188]
Grant Shapps: The latest data available, as set out in the English Housing Survey (EHS) Housing Stock Report 2008, published on 27 October 2010, show that approximately 3,300,000 properties are privately rented in England. The figures are not broken down to individual local authority level.
The full survey report is available on the DCLG website at:
Radioactive Waste
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the granting of planning permission for new low-level nuclear waste disposal sites. [26063]
Robert Neill: Current planning policy on waste is set out in Planning Policy Statement 10: "Sustainable Waste Management". A planning application for a new low level nuclear waste disposal site will be determined in accordance with the statutory development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
DECC will shortly publish for consultation a new strategy for the management of low level radioactive waste from the non-nuclear industry.
Justice
Civil Litigation
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the recommendations made by the review of civil litigation costs conducted by Lord Justice Jackson. [25997]
Mr Djanogly: As the Secretary of State for Justice informed the House on 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 659, the Government have now published the consultation paper, 'Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs: Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations'. The Government accept Lord Justice Jackson's assessment that the costs of civil litigation are too high and that the current arrangements impact disproportionately on defendants. Preliminary impact assessments were published alongside the consultation paper, available at:
A final impact assessment will be published alongside the Government response next spring.
Departmental Food
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has guidelines on ensuring that food used for his Department's official functions is of domestic origin. [25550]
Mr Djanogly: Where catering requirements have been approved, food must be purchased from an approved MOJ food contractor. All products supplied to the MOJ must comply with all current and subsequent relevant UK and EU legislation, regulations and directives.
The legal framework governing public procurement is designed to ensure that public procurement is fair, transparent and not used to discriminate by setting up barriers to free trade.
However, where United Kingdom supplies can meet the specifications set by the Ministry of Justice will avail of these products wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs.
Departmental Written Questions
Sir Paul Beresford:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010;
and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available; [25939]
(2) how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for ordinary written answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available. [25940]
Mr Djanogly: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
In the current Session since May 2010 MOJ has answered 185 named day questions, of those 183 (98.92%) were answered on the day named for answer. Eight of the 185 were answered by either giving an undertaking to write or stating the answer would partially or fully breach the disproportionate cost threshold. There were no outstanding named day questions on 18 November 2010. During the same session MOJ has also answered 1,123 questions for ordinary written answer, of those 1,086 (96.71%) were answered within five sitting days and 29 (2.58%) were answered within 10 sitting days. There were two questions unanswered on 18 November 2010.
The figures have been drawn from MOJ's parliamentary questions database, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
The average cost for answering ordinary written and named day questions in MOJ is not held. However, Her Majesty's Treasury conducts an annual indexation exercise of the cost of written and oral parliamentary questions so as to ensure that these average costs are increased in line with increases in underlying costs. The estimated cost for written questions that have applied since 20 January 2010 is £154.
Domestic Violence
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what average period elapsed between the issue of a community order with a condition of a domestic violence programme and the commencement of that programme in each probation area in the latest period for which figures are available. [26098]
Mr Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant) on 22 October 2010, Official Report, column 905W.
Waiting times for programmes are managed locally by each probation trust and prison. This information is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by obtaining information held on
offender files or on local data systems, validating it, and then collating it in a common format in order to provide a response.
Prisons: Drugs
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders serving a prison sentence (a) are receiving and (b) have received treatment for drug addiction. [26695]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not record data in the form requested. However prison and health records show that in 2009-10:
health services delivered 60,067 clinical interventions for drug addiction in prisons;
CARAT (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare) services performed 66,459 initial assessment for adult prisoners;
10,206 prisoners commenced accredited drug treatment programmes; and
6,586 young people were assessed by the Young People's Substance Misuse Service (YPSMS).
These data are drawn from administrative IT systems and are subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale assessment and recording system.
Probation Service
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in expenditure on the Probation Service on the provision of (a) probation programmes, (b) unpaid work and (c) approved premises places; [26096]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in expenditure on the Probation Service on the length of time between the issue of a community order and a visit by an appropriately-trained probation officer to the subject of the order. [26097]
Mr Blunt: Internal resource allocations for the spending review 2010 period have not yet been decided, but we have made it clear that we expect savings to be achieved in large part through improvements in efficiency and by streamlining administration. We will publish a Green Paper before the end of the year, setting out our plans to reform sentencing and rehabilitate offenders more effectively.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Colombia: Homicide
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of journalists killed in Colombia in 2010. [26082]
Mr Bellingham:
Official figures from the Colombian Government show that between January and October 2010 one journalist was killed in Colombia. These figures arc supported by the Colombian Foundation for Freedom of the Press (FLIP). Our embassy in Bogota
has received reports of the killing of two further journalists, although these reportedly had no connection with the victims' work.
We are concerned about the safety of human rights defenders in Colombia, including journalists. We regularly raise our concerns with the Colombian Government, including at a recent meeting between our ambassador and the head of the Vice President's Unit for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
Departmental Written Questions
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available. [25949]
Mr Lidington: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) records on answering questions are calculated on the basis of sitting days, not calendar days, in accordance with the convention that questions should be answered within a working week.
Since 25 May 2010, the FCO has received 185 questions tabled for written answer on a named day, of which 167 (90%) were answered substantively on time.
All such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010.
Answering questions tabled for written answer on a named day with short deadlines is challenging for the FCO, as officials in London often have to consult colleagues in other time zones around the world. However, the FCO has made no estimate of the average cost of answering questions.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for ordinary written answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available. [25950]
Mr Lidington:
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to
written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s records on answering questions are calculated on the basis of sitting days, not calendar days, in accordance with the convention that questions should be answered within a working week.
In the current Session up to 12 November 2010, the FCO received 789 questions for ordinary written answer of which 605 (77%) were answered within five sitting days, and 735 (93%) were answered within 10 sitting days. 12 questions remained unanswered.
We have made no estimate of the average cost of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling.
EU Institutions: Audit
Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the effectiveness of auditing practices in EU institutions; and what recent discussions he has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) his EU counterparts in the Council of Ministers on that matter. [24893]
Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
The Government are disappointed that the European Court of Auditors has been unable to grant a positive Statement of Assurance on the financial management of EU funds for the 16(th) year in succession. Although the Government recognise that the European Court of Auditors' recent report on the 2009 EU Budget shows some improvements compared to last year, we remain concerned that the pace of reform is too slow.
The Government believe that more needs to be done by all concerned to improve EU financial management and achieve a positive Statement of Assurance. The Chancellor of the Exchequer made these points at the meeting of EU member states' Finance Ministers on 17 November.
The Government will continue to champion reform through engagement with European institutions and other member states. The Economic Secretary met with the European Commissioner responsible for financial management, Commissioner Semeta, during a visit to Brussels on 14 October, and highlighted the Government's determination to have increased transparency and accountability in EU spending.
Israel: OECD
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2010, Official Report, columns 494-5W, on Israel: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which OECD documents citing Israeli data include (a) the full footnote and (b) each truncated version of that footnote. [25639]
Alistair Burt: The footnote is used in every Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development document or paper using (Israeli) data on the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
International Development
Africa: Debts
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the level of debt relief that (a) Sudan and (b) Zimbabwe will receive in each of the next four years. [24452]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
The Government have made provision in the 2010 spending review for debt relief for both Sudan and Zimbabwe. A judgment was made that there is a realistic probability that these countries will meet the conditions required for debt relief during SR10.
Overseas Aid
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects on decision-making and oversight of his Department's country programmes of co-location of his Department's posts and those of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [25609]
Mr Duncan: No specific assessment has been undertaken of the effects of co-location with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on decision-making and oversight of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) country programmes. Co-location is the preferred option for both DFID and the FCO. Each co-location proposal is assessed against financial and non-financial criteria with a focus on achieving maximum value for money
DFID is currently working with other Government Departments with an overseas presence to look at ways the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate services can be improved by merging functions such as transport, security and facilities management.
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