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12 Jan 2011 : Column 341W—continued
Foster Care: Finance
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support for foster carers between placements; and if he will make a statement; [31615]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support for foster carers; and if he will make a statement. [31617]
Tim Loughton: The Government set a national minimum allowance for foster carers, which in 2010-11 ranges from £106 a week for babies outside London and the south-east to £191 per week for 16 to17-year-olds in London.
It is for fostering service providers to decide whether to pay their foster carers allowances above the national minimum and whether, in addition to the allowance, to pay their carers a fee in recognition of the skills and experience they bring to their role. It is also for providers to decide whether to make payments between placements. They should make these decisions in the light of local circumstances.
It is important that foster carers know what payments will be made to them by their fostering service. We recently consulted on draft revised National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services (NMS) that make clear that fostering services should have a clear and transparent written policy on payments to foster carers, and that this should include their policy on payments during a break in placement. The revised NMS will come into force in April 2011.
The Department is also working with the sector on developing a Charter for Foster Care that sets out what foster carers can expect from their fostering service and local authority and what is expected of them in return. The draft charter is clear that fostering service providers should make sure that their foster carers understand what financial support they will receive, including during gaps in placements.
Further Education Colleges
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which (a) further education colleges and (b) sixth form colleges (i) he, (ii) the Minister of State for Schools and (iii) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools have visited since May 2010. [27293]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 3 December 2010]: The following table shows the further education colleges and sixth form colleges visited by the Minister of State for Schools and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools since May 2010. The Secretary of State has made no such visits since this date. He and other Ministers have, however, visited a number of schools with sixth forms.
| Date | College visited |
In addition the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, as a joint Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Department for Education (DfE) Minister, has visited six further education colleges and one sixth form college.
Ofsted Children's Services Assessment in 2010
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which 12 local authorities were identified as performing poorly in the Ofsted Children's Services Assessment in 2010; and if he will make a statement. [31061]
Tim Loughton: Twelve councils-Birmingham, Calderdale, Doncaster, Essex, Kent, Leeds, Nottinghamshire, Peterborough, Salford, Sandwell, Torbay, and Worcestershire, have been assessed as performing poorly in their annual children's services rating . In each case, the principal reason was that they were judged inadequate following their three yearly inspection of safeguarding arrangements. Improvement activity is already under way in these local authorities and the councils are prioritising this important work.
On 9 December I announced the Government's intention to end the requirement for an annual rating of each local authorities' children's services. This was on the basis that the annual rating adds little over and above the individual inspections that underlie it.
Schools: Sports
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he made of the proportion of school children who undertook two hours of sport or physical activity at school in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [27411]
Tim Loughton: Since 2003/04, the date that the Department started collecting the data, the percentage of pupils taking part in at least two hours high quality PE and sport each week, was as follows:
| Percentage | |||||
| 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | |
|
5 to 16-year-olds taking part in at least two hours high quality PE and sport each week | |||||
In 2008/09 and 2009/10, the survey collected data on the percentage of pupils taking part in at least three hours high quality PE and sport each week, as follows:
| Percentage | ||
| 2008/09 | 2009/10 | |
|
5 to 16-year-olds taking part in at least three hours high quality PE and sport each week | ||
In addition, the 2009/10 survey collected data relating to the percentage of pupils involved in regular competitive sport, within and between schools, as follows:
| Percentage | ||
| Regular intra-school sport | Regular inter-school sport | |
|
Percentage of pupils in years 3-13 taking part in regular competitive sport | ||
High quality PE and sport was defined by the previous Government, as
"High quality PE and school sport produces young people with the skills, understanding, desire and commitment to continue to improve and achieve in a range of PE, sport and health-enhancing physical activities in line with their abilities".
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what factors he took into account in making his decision to reduce funding to the Schools Sports Partnerships scheme; and if he will make a statement. [28050]
Tim Loughton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education took into account a range of factors before deciding how best to support school sport in the future. This included the findings of the PE and sport survey, which showed that, despite £2.4 billion of funding and seven years of work, the proportion of pupils taking part in regular competitive sport has remained disappointingly low. The survey showed that only around two in every five pupils play competitive sport regularly within their own school, and only one in five plays regularly against other schools.
The coalition Government have recently reiterated their aim to give schools greater freedom and flexibility including choosing what PE and sport is offered to their pupils and what staff they will need to meet those needs. In order to allow a smooth transition to the new approach, the Department announced on 20 December a package of support to encourage wider take up of competitive sport. This includes further funding of £47 million to support the work of school sport partnerships in August 2011; and new funding of £65 million which will be available to secondary schools until 2013 to increase opportunities in sport for pupils in primary, secondary and special schools.
Secondary Educations: Yorkshire East
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) local authority maintained secondary schools and (b) secondary schools in East Yorkshire constituency are in special measures. [28542]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 7 December 2010]: As at 9 December 2010, one local authority maintained secondary school in the East Yorkshire constituency is in special measures. There are no other secondary schools in the East Yorkshire constituency in this category.
Special Educational Needs
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the (a) provision of special support services for deaf children and (b) the number of teachers with a mandatory qualification in teaching deaf children required to provide such services; and if he will make a statement. [25506]
Sarah Teather: The Department does not require local authorities to provide specific information on deaf children. However, the Special Educational Needs (Provision of Information by local Education Authorities) Regulations 2001 and the School Information Regulations 2008 require local authorities to publish their arrangements and policies on the provision available for children with special educational needs, which will include deaf children.
We do not routinely collect data regarding the number of teachers of the hearing impaired by region. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that teachers of the hearing impaired possess the appropriate mandatory qualification to undertake the role. It is a matter for local authorities to ensure that they have enough qualified teachers to meet their statutory commitments.
The school work force census should from November 2011 collect data on what additional qualifications teachers have and this will allow us, for the first time, to ascertain the numbers of teachers who possess the mandatory qualification for teaching children with sensory impairments.
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to encourage local authority special support services for deaf children to collaborate with other local authority services for the purpose of providing comprehensive support to deaf children. [25783]
Sarah Teather: A wide range of issues are under consideration as part of the forthcoming Green Paper on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This includes how local authorities can best make use of specialist resources to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, including those with hearing impairments, in their area.
Voluntary Organisations: Finance
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated to voluntary sector organisations for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and how much such funding he plans to provide in 2011-12. [19274]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 25 October 2010]: The voluntary sector receives money from DFE through a number of routes including: direct funding, funding through arm's length bodies, through the money we give to local authorities and from services commissioned by schools. We have recently published information about all DFE payments above £25,000 made between 12 May and 30 September 2010, including payments to voluntary sector organisations. This information can be found at
Ministers will continue to publish details of departmental expenditure on a monthly basis as part of the Government's commitment to transparency.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to provide a substantive answer to question 29329 on Classwatch, tabled on 2 December 2010 for named day answer on 7 December 2010. [30949]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 15 December 2010]: A response to PQ29329 was issued on 14 December 2010, Official Report, columns 734-35W.
Young People: Drugs
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether a decision has been made on the funding allocation from his Department to the FRANK drugs campaign in respect of each year of the spending review period. [32058]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 20 December 2010]: Government are committed to continuing the FRANK service, which has established good levels of awareness and trust amongst young people. While final allocations of funding are yet to be decided this commitment is set out publicly in the new Government Drug Strategy published on 8 December.
Transport
Departmental NDPBs
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on employing staff on fixed-term contracts in each month since April 2010; [31017]
(2) what expenditure each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department has incurred on staff on fixed-term contracts in each month since April 2010. [31018]
Norman Baker [holding answer 16 December 2010]: The cost of staff employed on fixed-term contracts for each non-departmental public body sponsored by this Department in each month since April 2010 is as follows:
| Cost of staff employed on fixed-term contracts-2010 | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| RFA | BTPA | DOR Ltd | Northern Lighthouse Board | Passenger Focus | Trinity Lighthouse | |
There were no costs incurred by DPTAC and TCs/DTCs.
DFT non-departmental public bodies are:
RFA: Renewable Fuels Agency
BTPA: British Transport Police Authority
Cycling England
DPTAC: Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee
DOR Ltd: Directly Operated Railways Ltd
NLBL Northern Lighthouse Board
Passenger Focus
TCs and DTCs: Traffic Commissioners and Deputy Traffic Commissioners
TLS: Trinity Lighthouse Service
Cycling England does not exist as its own legal entity-it is essentially part of Department for Transport. It ceases to exist after March 2011.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what savings he expects to accrue from reductions in expenditure in each agency sponsored by his Department in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [19850]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 27 October 2010]: The Department for Transport sponsors four executive agencies and three trading funds. The four executive agencies are: Highways Agency (HA), Maritime and Coastguards Agency (MCA), Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). The three trading funds are: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driving Standards Agency, and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
The savings to accrue from the HA and MCA have not been individually finalised during the spending review. They will be determined through the production of a financial plan for each agency during the remainder of 2010-11.
The reductions in expenditure from each area of the Department's budget over the spending review period, are set out in the spending review press notice at:
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/clientmicrosite/Content/Detail.aspx?Clientld=202&;NewsAreald=2&ReleaselD =416118&Subiectld=36
The press notice gives details of the savings measures that are being made within the HA and MCA, and Annex G sets out budgets for the spending review period for the Department's major programme areas, including the 2010-11 baseline and spending review budgets for HA National Roads.
For VCA, GCDA and the trading funds, their spend is offset by income from fees. Any savings are reflected in lower fees to customers and do not accrue to the Department.
Driving: Eyesight
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on changes to the requirements for sight tests for drivers. [32980]
Mike Penning: I met representatives of the Eye Health Alliance at the end of November and confirmed our willingness to work with them to increase awareness among drivers of the importance of good eyesight for driving.
The Department for Transport recently reviewed the arrangements for ensuring driving licences are issued only to those who meet the appropriate vision standards. This review was undertaken in conjunction with the experts of the Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Panel on Visual Disorders and Driving and concluded that the number plate test remains an effective, straightforward means of testing a driver's vision.
Electric Vehicles
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for the design of a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. [33126]
Norman Baker: As part of the Department for Transport's structural reform plan, we plan to publish a strategy for promoting the installation of electric vehicle infrastructure by the end of June 2011. This will include details of subsequent actions that we plan to take regarding a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Film: Finance
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on (a) the production of films and (b) filming speeches for use at events since May 2010. [30800]
Norman Baker [holding answer 15 December 2010]: Since May 2010 the Department for Transport has spent £6,794.34 on the production of films and £3,636.70 on filming speeches for use at events. These costs are external and do not include internal staff costs.
These costs should be considered alongside the considerable savings made through not travelling to these events, many of which would have required overnight accommodation for Ministers and officials.
The practice of filming speeches is also a demonstration of the Government's commitment to alternatives to travel, which reduces carbon emissions and makes more efficient use of the time of Ministers and officials.
Motorways: Closures
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which sections of motorways in England were closed more than once in either direction between 15 November and 21 December 2010. [32617]
Mike Penning [holding answer 10 January 2011]: There were 23 motorways in England that had more than one planned or unplanned main carriageway closures or blockages between 15 November and 21 December, these were M1, M11, M18, M20, M23, M25, M26, M27, M271, M3, M4, M40, M42, M5, M50, M53, M54, M6, M60, M602, M61, M62 and M621.
33% of the closures were due to planned roadworks and 67% were due to unplanned factors such as incidents on the network or other factors such as bad weather, emergency roadworks, obstructions, spillages or animals on the network. Details regarding the duration of each of the closures could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Motorways: M1
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the M1 motorway was closed in both directions between 15 November and 21 December 2010; and if he will make a statement. [32614]
Mike Penning [holding answer 10 January 2011]: The main carriageway of the M1 was closed in both directions once between 15 November and 21 December 2010, at 08:13 until 11:54 on 27 November between Junctions 33 and 34 due to an incident.
Network Rail: Passengers
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with (a) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies the provision of warm waiting areas for passengers; and if he will make a statement. [32798]
Mrs Villiers: The provision of warm waiting areas for passengers is a matter for Network Rail at its managed stations and for the train operators at the stations they control. The Department for Transport does not specify any requirements in this area.
Railways: Construction
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on High Speed 2 since the project's inception. [31413]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 16 December 2010]: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 20 December 2010, Official Report, column 1003W.
Railways: Snow and Ice
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are in place to ensure effective collaboration between train operating companies and Network Rail when severe weather disrupts the rail network; and if he will make a statement. [32316]
Mrs Villiers: Train operators and Network Rail work together to plan for disruptive events, including bad weather. This includes pre-agreeing which key services to prioritise and setting emergency timetables to be deployed if required.
When such events occur, different elements of the rail industry need to keep in close touch, both at operating level and managerially. In some locations, train operators and Network Rail are located together which allows for immediate face-to-face dialogue and decision taking.
In addition, major incidents are normally reviewed after the event to ensure that any lessons learned from the disruption can be acted on.
As announced in his statement of 22 October 2010, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), commissioned David Quarmby CBE to conduct an audit of how ready our transport services were for winter conditions. The findings of this audit were published on 21 December 2010, and emphasised the more severe effect of the weather this winter compared with the previous two winters. The rail industry is being asked to formulate proposals on contingency timetables, improve information to passengers, and examine technological improvements. Network Rail and operators will be asked to focus on their post-winter review of operational performance, as recommended in the audit.
The Secretary of State has also asked the Government's chief scientific advisor to update what our planning assumption should be for future severe winter weather.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) the managing director of Southern Railways and (b) the chief executive of Network Rail on the treatment of passengers who spent the night on a train between Brighton and London on 1 to 2 December 2010; what assessment he has made of the steps taken by (i) Southern Railways and (ii) Network Rail to avoid such an occurrence; and if he will make a statement. [29346]
Mrs Villiers: Department for Transport officials have had regular contact with Network Rail and Southern Railway during the adverse weather. This dialogue has included how trains became stranded and what lessons are being learned. I have also discussed issues around stranded trains with senior representatives of the train operators and Network Rail, including the managing director of Southern Railways.
As announced in his statement of 22 October 2010, Official Report, columns 79-81WS, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), commissioned David Quarmby CBE to conduct an audit of how ready our transport services were for winter conditions. The findings of this audit were published on 21 December, and emphasised the more severe effect of the weather this winter compared with the previous two winters. The rail industry is being asked to formulate proposals on contingency timetables, improve information to passengers, and examine technological improvements. Network Rail and operators will be asked to focus on their post-winter review of operational performance, as recommended in the audit.
The Secretary of State has also asked the Government's chief scientific adviser to update what our planning assumption should be for future severe winter weather.
Railways: Suicide
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the joint campaign by Network Rail and the Samaritans to prevent suicides on the rail network. [30646]
Mrs Villiers: The aim of the joint campaign, which began this year and which I am happy to support, is to reduce the number of suicides on the railway by 20% by 2015. The programme is being fully evaluated by RSSB, an independent cross-industry body which is supported by Department for Transport funding.
Railways: Travel Information
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Network Rail real-time operation of the Train Service Information Database; and if he will make a statement. [32052]
Mrs Villiers: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Network Rail regarding real time operation of the Train Service Information Database. It is for the Office of Rail Regulation to regulate Network Rail, and its compliance with its licence conditions.
Rolling Stock: Procurement
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many rail carriages he expects to be delivered in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2014-15; [28073]
(2) pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2010, Official Report, columns 52-56WS, on rail investment, how many of the 650 additional rail carriages will (a) be delivered and (b) be operational in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14. [28074]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 2 December 2010]: The Government are committed to delivering around 650 additional carriages by March 2014. Of this figure a total of 441 have already been contracted and their delivery into services is set out in the following table.
| Additional contracted vehicles | |
| Contracted and expected to be accepted into service | |
| (1) May 2010 to April 2011. | |
The Department for Transport is now in commercial negotiations with train operators for the remaining additional carriages and it is expected that these will enter service by the end of the control period in March 2014.
Taxis: Guide Dogs
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many taxi drivers are registered as exempt from an obligation to carry a guide dog in their vehicle on request. [33006]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's most recent survey of taxi licensing authorities shows that, as at the end of March 2009, 87(1)( )taxi drivers and 42(1) private hire vehicle drivers were exempt from the obligation to carry guide dogs in their vehicles.
(1) It should be noted that (i) 45 of the 343 licensing authorities did not respond; and (ii) there might be some double-counting as some drivers hold a dual taxi and PHV driver licence.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances his Department has recorded of incidents where guide dog owners and their dogs were refused access to taxis in the last five years. [33057]
Norman Baker: Although from time to time we receive correspondence highlighting specific experiences, the Department for Transport does not keep a record of instances where guide dog owners and their dogs were refused access to taxis.
Thameslink
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the extension by two years of the planned timetable for completion of the Thameslink scheme. [31027]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 16 December 2010]: We are currently forecasting that a 2018 completion of the Thameslink programme will be within the original project budget (based at a 2005-06 price base).
An earlier completion would not be deliverable within the original project budget.
Justice
Approved Premises
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) capacity of and (b) occupancy rate at each bail hostel in England and Wales was on the most recent date for which figures are available. [32940]
Mr Blunt: For the purposes of this reply, it is assumed that the question refers to Approved Premises (formerly known as probation or bail hostels).
Occupancy of Approved Premises is calculated as the proportion of available bed-days over a calendar month when beds are occupied. Where beds are temporarily unavailable, due, for example, to repair work, these are counted as occupied. Therefore, occupancy can exceed 100% where an Approved Premises takes in extra residents over its normal capacity and temporary additional beds are provided. This happens only as a short-term measure, to meet operational demands and subject to risk assessment.
The most recent month for which figures are available is November 2010. The following table gives the capacity and occupancy rate of each of the 101 Approved Premises in England and Wales for that month.
Approved Premises provide for enhanced supervision, particularly of high risk of harm offenders on release from custody. It would be much more difficult to provide that level of supervision, were such offenders to be dispersed into less suitable accommodation in the community on release from custody.
| Approved Premises | Town/city | Capacity | Occupancy (percentage) |
| (1) Kelley House is currently closed for refurbishment | |||
Drugs: Convictions
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for drug-related offences resulted in prison sentences in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 in (i) Sussex, (ii) Brighton and Hove and (iii) nationally. [32987]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for drug offences in the Sussex police force area, Sussex Central Local Justice Area (in which Brighton and Hove magistrates court is located) and England and Wales for the years 2007 to 2009 can be viewed in the table.
Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.
| Number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for drug offences in Sussex police force area, Sussex central local justice area (in which Brighton and Hove magistrates court is located), and England and Wales for the years 2007 to 2009( 1,2) | |||
| Found guilty/sentence/area | 2007 | 2008( 3) | 2009 |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice | |||
Ford Prison
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners formerly held in Category A, B or C prisons were held at HM Prison Ford on 31 December 2010. [33046]
Mr Blunt: On 31 December 2010 Ford prison held 487 prisoners. All of these prisoners will have been formerly held in one or more of categories A, B or C prisons during their current sentence. To provide details on precise numbers by category would involve the examination of each individual prisoner's file, many of whom are no longer at HMP Ford, and would involve disproportionate cost.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were being held at HM Prison Ford at the time of the disturbance in December 2010 and January 2011; and how many of these were prisoners with convictions for violent offences. [33047]
Mr Blunt:
On 31 December 2010 Ford prison held 487 prisoners. To establish whether these prisoners had convictions for violent offences would involve the examination of the files of each individual prisoner,
many of whom are no longer at HMP Ford, and would involve disproportionate cost.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison (a) officers and (b) wardens (i) were scheduled to be on duty and (ii) were on duty at HM Prison Ford on (A) 30 December 2010, (B) 31 December 2010 and (C) 1 January 2011. [33048]
Mr Blunt: The information is set out in the table. For 30 and 31 December 2010 the first figure in each box indicates the total number of officers and senior officers actually on duty. The second figure is the number of Operational Support Grades actually on duty. In all cases the number of staff on duty was the same number as the staff scheduled to be on duty. The figures in all cases are at or above the risk assessed minimum staffing level.
The figures for 1 January are planned staffing levels only. Once the disturbance at Ford took place a number of Ford staff were called in to the prison or arrived voluntarily. These figures are not available at present.
| Date | 7.30 am to 1 pm | 1 pm to 5 pm | 5 pm to 9 pm | 9 pm to 7.30 am |
Guide Dogs: Taxis
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many taxi drivers have been prosecuted for offences related to refusing access to a taxi to a guide dog owner and the dog in the last five years. [33005]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under S37a of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, England and Wales, 2005-09 (latest available), is shown in the following table.
Section 37 placed duties on the drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles respectively. The duties were (i) to carry a passenger's assistance dog and allow it to remain with the passenger; and (ii) not to make any additional charge for doing so.
Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring 2011.
Human Trafficking: Children
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress his Department has made on providing guardians ad litem for child victims of human trafficking; and if he will make a statement. [31073]
Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not believe that the introduction of a system of guardianship would be helpful here. Responsibility for the care, protection and accommodation of child trafficking victims rests with local authorities under their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. Separated and vulnerable children from abroad have the same entitlements as UK born or resident children.
Where a child becomes looked after by a local authority, a social worker will be responsible for putting in place an individualised care plan covering the full range of the child's needs. This will include any needs identified following an assessment which concludes that they may have been trafficked. The social worker will also make an assessment of the type of placement which best matches the needs of the child including, if necessary, the need to safeguard them from contact with traffickers.
The additional involvement of a guardian risks adding unhelpful complexity to existing arrangements; there is already a risk of confusion for children themselves if plans for their care are not effectively coordinated by the local authority.
Multi Agency Public Protection Panels
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were being monitored by multi agency public protection panels on the latest date for which figures are available. [33108]
Mr Blunt:
A total of 3,851 people were being monitored at Level 2 and 3 under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) on 31 March 2010, the latest date for which figures are available. Level 2 and 3 cases have been assessed as requiring active multi-agency management and resources. Level 1 MAPPA cases are
those cases where standard management by a single agency is sufficient to manage the risk posed by qualifying offenders.
This information is set out in table 1 of the Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin "Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2009/10", published on 27 October 2010. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
Offenders: Females
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of funding projects for the Diverting Women from Custody programme in preventing criminal behaviour. [32607]
Mr Blunt: Under the Diverting Women from Custody Programme, the Ministry of Justice is providing over £10 million in the period to March 2011 to established voluntary sector providers to develop women's community projects that tackle the complex and underlying causes of women's offending. The Ministry has been monitoring the extent to which projects have been effective in reducing women's offending; most notably we are undertaking analysis of the re-offending rates of a national sample of women participating in the projects. The Ministry will be using these analyses and evidence drawn from a range of other sources to inform our ongoing approach to diverting women from custody and associated decisions about future funding.
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had on the recent evaluation of the multi-agency one-stop-shop for women offenders co-ordinated by Brighter Futures Housing Association. [32628]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is currently evaluating the success of Brighter Futures in reducing women's offending, alongside other similar projects for which the Ministry has allocated funding of over £10 million in the period up to March 2011. In doing so, we will use the specific evaluation undertaken by Keele university as well as wider evidence.
Open Prisons
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what criteria are used to determine whether a prisoner is suitable for an open prison; and whether any change has been made to such criteria since May 2010; [33053]
(2) how many prisoners serving sentences in open prisons in England and Wales do not meet his Department's criteria for accommodation in such prisons. [33054]
Mr Blunt:
Prisoners are categorised and allocated to open prison (Category D) following an established risk assessment process set out in the National Security Framework as amended by Prison Service Instructions 16/2008 and 3/2009, which remain in force. Prisoners may be assessed as suitable for open conditions if they present a low risk of harm to the public, are considered to be trustworthy not to abscond from low security
conditions and, for those serving a lengthy prison sentence, in general, within two years of their earliest release date. Prisoners who do not meet these criteria are not moved to open conditions, and those who are later considered to have increased those risks while in open conditions would be moved back to closed conditions.
Prisons: Alcoholic Drinks
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) confiscations of alcohol and (b) other alcohol-related incidents have been recorded in prisons in England and Wales in the last six months. [32928]
Mr Blunt: Finds of alcohol within prisons are treated as a miscellaneous incident and recorded on the Prison Service Incident Reporting System. These incidents are in a format that cannot readily be interrogated electronically. To provide the information requested would involve the manual inspection of more than 5,507 miscellaneous incident records for the last six months which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
NOMS has in place a strategy to reduce both the supply and the demand for alcohol with a comprehensive range of security measures and searching techniques to detect items of contraband, including alcohol, and prevent smuggling into establishments. It is a criminal offence to convey alcohol into prison and prisoners caught in possession of alcohol within prison face disciplinary
action. Alcohol consumption is a cause of criminality in society and many prisons have programmes in place to assist prisoners to lessen their dependence on alcohol.
Prisons: Manpower
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers and wardens (a) were scheduled to be on duty and (b) were on duty at each open prison in England on (i) 30 December 2010, (ii) 31 December 2010 and (iii) 1 January 2011. [33049]
Mr Blunt: The number of senior officers (SO), prison officers and operational support grades (OSG) scheduled for duty (i) on 30 December 2010, (ii) on 31 December 2010 and (iii) on 1 December 2011 is summarised in tables 1 to 3.
The number of senior officers (SO), prison officers and operational support grades (OSG) actually on duty (i) on 30 December 2010, (ii) on 31 December 2010 and (iii) on duty on 1 January 2011 is summarised in tables 4 to 6.
Staffing levels at HMP Ford are addressed in the response to PQ 33048.
In the tables, where the figures are not broken down by am, pm and evening duty shifts, the number indicates the average number of staff of that grade across the three shifts.
| Table 1: Scheduled staffing on 30 December 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Scheduled staffing daytime 30 December 2010 | ||||||||||||
| SO | Officer | OSG | Total | |||||||||
| Prison | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED |
| Scheduled staffing night 30 December 2010 | ||||
| Prison | SO | Officer | OSG | Total |
| Table 2: Scheduled staffing on 31 December 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Scheduled staffing daytime 31 December 2010 | ||||||||||||
| SO | Officer | OSG | Total | |||||||||
| Prison | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED |
| Schedule d staffing night 31 December 2010 | ||||
| Prison | SO | Officer | OSG | Total |
| Table 3: Scheduled staffing on 1 January 2011 | ||||||||||||
| Scheduled staffing daytime 1 January 2011 | ||||||||||||
| SO | Officer | OSG | Total | |||||||||
| Prison | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED | AM | PM | ED |
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