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31 Jan 2011 : Column 547W—continued
Transport: Snow and Ice
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he has had discussions with international counterparts on appropriate measures for dealing with ice and snow; [34063]
(2) what discussions he has had with the (a) Scottish Executive and (b) Welsh Assembly Government on travel issues resulting from the recent severe weather conditions; and if he will make a statement. [34065]
Norman Baker:
My right hon. Friend, the Transport Secretary, spoke to Scotland's Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and to the Deputy First Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government during the recent period of severe weather. He also had frequent discussions with Ministers and officials from the devolved Administrations-as well as other Government Departments-as part of the many Winter Resilience Network Meetings. These meetings took place at ministerial
and official level, to monitor preparedness for severe weather, review actions taken to date, share information and assess contingency plans.
He has had no discussions on winter resilience issues with international counterparts during this period but has been kept informed by officials of the impact of the severe weather on transport networks on the European mainland.
Trust Ports: Finance
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much trust ports have borrowed in the last three fiscal years. [35341]
Mike Penning: In the Department for Transport's capital departmental expenditure limit, the relevant items that score each financial year are the sum total of new borrowings by the major trust ports in England and Wales offset against any capital repayments they made during the same year. The net borrowing levels of the major trust ports for the last three financial years were:
| £ million | |
| (1) A net repayment | |
Prime Minister
Departmental Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many (a) women and (b) men he has appointed to public duties since May 2010; [35409]
(2) what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled. [35431]
The Prime Minister: Information on the public appointments I have made since taking office is published in individual press notices. These can be found on the No. 10 website at:
Information on the gender of those serving on the boards of public bodies is published annually. Information for 2010-11 will be published in due course.
Local Government: Visits
Jon Trickett: To ask the Prime Minister which local authority (a) leaders and (b) councillors have been invited to 10 Downing street since May 2010. [37344]
The Prime Minister: A wide range of organisations and individuals are invited to No. 10 Downing street. A list of official meetings by Ministers with external organisations is published quarterly. Information on official and charity receptions held at No. 10 Downing street is published by means of an annual list as soon as it is ready at the end of the financial year.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure Ministers respond to correspondence on official matters from hon. Members within four weeks or less. [37274]
The Prime Minister: In November 2010, the Deputy Prime Minister and I wrote to all members of the Cabinet asking them to ensure that correspondence is responded to in a timely fashion. Our offices deal with all correspondence as efficiently as possible.
Deputy Prime Minister
Administration
Mr Offord: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether consideration of the memorandum of understanding between the Government and the devolved Administrations will form a part of his work on the West Lothian question. [37035]
Mr Harper: Careful consideration is ongoing as to the timing, composition, scope and remit of the Commission to consider the West Lothian question. Its work will need to take account of our proposals to reform the House of Lords to create a wholly or mainly elected second chamber, the changes being made to the way this House does business and amendments to the devolution regimes, for example in the Scotland Bill presently before the House. We will make an announcement later this year.
Elections: Operating Costs
Philip Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the (a) initial and (b) operating costs associated with machine counting in elections; and if he will make a statement. [36451]
Mr Harper: The Government have made no assessment of the costs of machine counting in elections.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Experiments: Cosmetics
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on (a) Directive 86/609/ECC and (b) the use of animal-testing for cosmetic products. [36472]
Mr Paice: DEFRA has had no such recent discussions. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has responsibility for animal testing for cosmetic products.
Forestry Commission: Land
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the legal protection of rights of way over permissive or concessional paths and tracks on land leased or managed by the Forestry Commission which may be sold over the comprehensive spending review period. [35479]
Mr Paice: The Government's policy is to protect the public benefits that are currently provided by the public forest estate. Our consultation on the future ownership and management of the public forest estate sets out and invites views on our proposals for protecting public benefits. The case for creating legal protection for permissive or concessional paths and tracks will be considered as part of the consultation. For sales that are completed before the consultation is concluded, the protection of public benefits will be a key factor in both the criteria for site selection and there will be an opportunity for the voluntary sector or public bodies to identify areas of land in which they have a particular interest in order to safeguard or enhance public benefits.
Education
Adoption
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on trends in the number of potential adoptive parents over the last (a) 12 months, (b) 10 years and (c) 20 years. [34369]
Tim Loughton: The Department does not collect the data requested.
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children aged between one year and five years old were adopted in (a) 2010, (b) 2000 and (c) 1996; [34409]
(2) how many infants under 12 months were adopted in (a) 2010, (b) 2000 and (c) 1996. [34411]
Tim Loughton: The number of infants under 12 months and the number of children aged between one year and five years old who were adopted in (a) 2010, (b) 2000 and (c) 1996, is shown in the following table.
| Looked after children who were adopted during the year ending 31 March, by age( 1, 2, 3, 4) Years endi ng 31 March 1996, 2000 and 2010, Coverage: England | |||
| Number | |||
| Age at adoption (years) | 1996 | 2000 | 2010 |
| (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, and to the nearest 10, otherwise. (2) Only the last occasion on which a child ceased to be looked after in the year has been counted. (3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (4) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. Source: SSDA903 | |||
CAFCASS: Manpower
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many individuals the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service employs in offices in Wales. [34147]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 18 January 2011]: This Department does not hold the information which has been requested; the Welsh Assembly Government are responsible for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Wales.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2011, Official Report, column 80W, on the education maintenance allowance, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the students sampled for the National Foundation for Education Research Study was representative of the population of students in receipt of education maintenance allowance. [34170]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 17 January 2011]: The research, undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, focused on the barriers to participation in post-16 education and training faced by young people.
The research was based on a sample of 2,029 young people, who were chosen to be representative of young people aged 16 and 17, in terms of their gender and
attainment, incidence of learning difficulty and/or disability (LDD) and destination in the September after leaving year 11. The research was undertaken across six local authorities, which were selected to be broadly representative (in terms of type, urban and rural and levels of deprivation). The survey was also supplemented with interviews with booster samples of: 303 young people with LDD; 102 parents of young people with LDD; 65 young people in a job without training (JWT) aged 16 or 17; 75 young people who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) aged 16 or 17; and 76 teenage parents aged 16-18.
Free School Meals: Suffolk
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in receipt of free school meals (a) attend schools in Suffolk Coastal constituency and (b) are resident in that constituency. [33004]
Mr Gibb: Information on free school meal eligibility is shown in the table.
The answer includes full-time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part-time pupils aged five to 15 known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals.
| Maintained nursery, primary( 1) , state-funded secondary( 1,2) and special schools( 3) : school meal arrangements( 4,5) , Suffolk Coastal-January 2010 | |||
| Number on roll( 4,5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals( 4,5) | Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools. (4) Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. (5) Includes pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (6) No schools of this type. (7) Based on pupils' postcode as reported in School Census. Source: School Census | |||
Pupils: Disadvantaged
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in Redditch constituency he expects will receive the pupil premium in 2011-12. [32245]
Mr Gibb: The pupil premium for 2011-12 will be allocated to local authorities and schools with pupils that are known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) as recorded on the January 2011 school census. Each pupil known to be eligible for free school meals will attract £430 of funding which will go to the school or academy if the pupil is in a mainstream setting or will be managed by the responsible local authority if the pupil is in a non-mainstream setting.
The January 2010 school census allows an estimate of the number of pupils known to be eligible for FSM to be made. In the Redditch constituency in January 2010 there were approximately 1,760 pupils in Redditch schools known to be eligible (rounded to the nearest 10), which would give rise to a pupil premium of £756,800. However, these are estimates only and are not necessarily indicative of how the pupil premium will be distributed. The number of eligible pupils in 2011 could be higher or lower. The figures do not include the pupil premium for service children, which is paid at the lower rate of £200 per pupil, or for looked after children who attract their own premium, again set at £430 for 2011-12.
Religion: Education
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for religious education in the proposed English Baccalaureate. [35493]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 21 January 2011]: For the purposes of the 2010 performance tables the humanities element of the English Baccalaureate measure was either history or geography. We have not included religious education (RE) as fulfilling the humanity requirement of the English Baccalaureate because it is already a compulsory subject. One of the intentions of the English Baccalaureate is to encourage wider take up of geography and history in addition to, rather than instead of, compulsory RE. However we recognise, as many schools do, the benefits that religious education can bring to pupils. This is why the teaching of RE remains compulsory throughout a pupil's schooling. Success in all subjects studied at GCSE will also continue to be recognised by other performance table measures, as it has in the past. We are open to arguments about how we can further improve the measures in the performance tables and will review the precise definition of the English Baccalaureate for the 2011 tables.
School Food Trust
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the future of the School Food Trust since 14 October 2010. [23570]
Sarah Teather: Representations in the form of parliamentary questions and correspondence from an MP have been received concerning issues such as future funding and duties, and the future relationship between the Department and the School Food Trust.
I refer the hon. Member to the replies given on 3 December 2010, Official Report, column 1063W and 8 December 2010, Official Report, columns 354-55W.
In our responses to these representations, the government has set out the important role that the School Food Trust will play, as it continues to support schools in ensuring that all pupils benefit from a healthy and affordable school lunch.
Vocational Education: Hexham
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the Wolf Review of vocational education, what definition of vocational education he uses in respect of Hexham. [30042]
Mr Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out a broad review of vocational education in England, including its organisation, funding and target audience and the principles which should underpin its content, structure and teaching methods.
The scope of the review includes all education leading to vocational and vocationally-related qualifications for 14 to 19-year-olds; it does not include the national curriculum, GCSEs or A levels.
Justice
Administration of Estates: Banks
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to (a) limit the amount charged by banks for the administration of estates and (b) ensure that those seeking to appoint a bank as an executor receive independent professional advice as to the likely costs of such actions. [35066]
Mr Djanogly: Under the law of England and Wales anyone may make a will without professional advice. The person making the will (the testator) usually specifies the people he or she wants to administer his or her estate (the executors). It is for the testator to choose his or her executors. Banks appointed as executors cannot charge for their services unless and to the extent that they are authorised to do so by the testator in the will, by the court or by statute. There are no plans to change the law in this area.
Nonetheless, the Government acknowledge that making a will is an important act with significant consequences, which should be properly understood by the testator. To help individuals understand the effects of making a will, the Government provide information on a number of websites. Information may also be obtained from other sources. For example, last year, the Office of Fair Trading published advice for consumers on making wills and appointing executors. This advice, available on the Consumer Direct website, helps consumers understand the options available to them and enables them to make an informed choice.
Appeals
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is for future funding from the public purse for (a) initial appearance, (b) appeals to employment tribunals and (c) subsequent appeals to (i) the Court of Appeal, (ii) the Supreme Court and (iii) European courts. [36682]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice consultation "Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales", which was published on 15 November, proposes that all employment cases which do not arise from allegations of unlawful discrimination should be removed from the scope of the legal aid scheme. Unlawful discrimination claims in employment cases that are currently within scope would remain within scope.
Compensation Orders
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals convicted of a crime did not adhere to the terms of a compensation order in each region in each of the last five years. [36693]
Mr Djanogly: It is not possible to supply information as to the number of offenders who did not adhere to the terms of their compensation order, without it being at a disproportionate cost. This is because the statistics held on payment and collection of financial penalties does not differentiate compensation from other financial penalties on court systems.
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many victims of crime in each region were awarded compensation by the courts and have not received the payments stipulated in the terms of the compensation order in each of the last five years. [36694]
Mr Djanogly:
It is not possible to supply information as to the number of victims of crime that have not received the payments stipulated in the terms of the compensation order without it being done so at a disproportionate cost. This is because the statistics held on payment and collection of financial penalties does
not differentiate compensation payments made from other financial penalties on court systems.
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many victims of crime were awarded compensation by the courts in each region in each of the last five years. [36696]
Mr Djanogly: Information is not held as to the exact number of victims of crime that were awarded compensation by the courts. However, the number of offenders ordered by the courts to pay compensation in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Offenders ordered to pay compensation, by region 2005-09 | |||||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Note: The figures are taken from sentencing statistics which are based on police force regions, which have been approximated into HMCS regions. | |||||
Convictions: Drugs
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those convicted of drug-related offences in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 had a previous conviction for a non-drug-related offence. [36395]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the proportion of those offenders convicted of drug offences in 2007-09 who had previously been convicted for a non-drug offence.
| Table 1: Percentage of offenders convicted for drug offences who had previous convictions for non-drug offences in 2007-09 | |
| Year of sentence | Percentage |
These figures have been derived from the data used for table 6.1 of "Sentencing Statistics" which was published by the Ministry of Justice on 21 October 2010. The figures are based on offences of drug possession, supply, production or import/export of drugs. Previous criminal history counts are based on all non-drug offences. The Ministry of Justice is unable to identify offences which may be drug-related but are not specifically drug offences.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those convicted of drug-related crimes in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006 had previous convictions for drug-related offences. [36397]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the proportion of those offenders convicted of drug offences in 2004-06 who had previously been convicted for drug offences.
| Table 1: Percentage of offenders convicted for drug offences who h ad previous convictions for d rug offences in 2004 -0 6 | |
| Year of sentence | Percentage |
These figures have been derived from the data used for table 6.1 of "Sentencing Statistics" which was published by the Ministry of Justice on 21 October 2010. The figures are based on offences of drug possession, supply, production or import/export of drugs. The Ministry of Justice is unable to identify offences which may be drug-related but are not specifically drug offences.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
County Court Possession Duty Scheme
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the future of the county court possession duty scheme. [36522]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has recently undergone a tender process to award three year contracts for housing possession court duty schemes across England and Wales. As a result of this tender process the LSC now funds housing possession court duty schemes in 133 courts. The Government are currently consulting on legal aid reforms, but the consultation proposes that housing repossession cases will remain within scope.
Courts
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011, Official Report, columns 679-80W, on courts, what the cost of the virtual court in each category of expenditure has been to date. [36542]
Mr Djanogly: The cost of the virtual courts from March 2009 to date in respect of pilot and trial operation is £5.290 million which is categorised as follows: Set up costs £1.8 million; technology running costs £1.896 million; non-technology running costs £1.587 million and legal aid costs £7,000. Additionally operational staff assigned to the processing of virtual court cases equates to a cost of £0.735 million
Custodial Treatment
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders serving custodial sentences have previously (a) been found guilty of at least one criminal offence and (b) served at least one custodial sentence. [36549]
Mr Blunt: Of the offenders serving an immediate custodial sentence at 30 June 2009 84% had previously been convicted of at least one offence and 61% had previously served at least one custodial sentence. These figures are a further breakdown of table 7.32 in "Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2009" which was published on 22 July 2010.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
Custodial Treatment: Expenditure
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of providing a prison place for a custodial offender for 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [36482]
Mr Blunt: For 2008-09 (latest period available) the overall average resource cost per prisoner and per prison place is as follows:
Average Resource cost per prisoner-£41,000
Average Resource cost per prison place-£45,000
Note:
Figures rounded to nearest £1,000.
The overall average cost comprises the direct local establishment costs of public and private prisons (as recorded in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Agency 2008-09 Annual Report and Accounts), increased by an apportionment of relevant costs borne centrally and in the regions by NOMS. This involves some estimation. The figures do not include the cost of prisoners held in police or court cells under Operation
Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (e.g. Health and Education). The prisoner escort service costs are included. Expenditure recharged to the Youth Justice Board in respect of young people is included.
Cost per prison place is expressed in terms of the Baseline Certified Normal Accommodation number of places; this gives a higher unit cost than the cost per prisoner.
Departmental Public Consultation
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce its carbon emissions to meet the target of reducing central Government carbon emissions by 10 per cent. by June 2011. [36606]
Mr Blunt: The steps the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is taking to meet its target of reducing carbon emissions from the office estate by 10% by May 2011 are published on the internet and can be seen at:
in the attachment titled: "10 percent reduction pack for online publication Nov update-pub Jan v3.pdf." page 15 refers.
MoJ is implementing a number of initiatives with relatively short pay back times e.g. installing timer switches, thermostatic controls, monitoring and targeting offices with high energy consumption. More capital-intensive measures include: putting in voltage optimisation kit, installing new energy efficient boilers and chillers and ensuring that plant is kept in optimum working condition.
Dogs: Animal Breeding
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) males and (b) females (i) of each age group and (ii) in each police authority area have been (A) prosecuted and (B) convicted under each offence created by the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 in each year since its enactment; [36703]
(2) what the average (a) fine and (b) period of imprisonment is in respect of each offence created by the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999. [36704]
Mr Blunt: The number of males and females proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts by age group in England and Wales for offences under the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 since commencement are shown in the following table.
There were no cases in which an immediate custodial sentence was given following a conviction for these offences. The fine amount has been provided in each of the two sentenced cases.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
| Number of males and females proceeded against at magistrates' courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences under the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999, England and Wales 2004, 2008 and 2009( 1,2,3) | |||||||||
| 2004 | 2008 | 2009 | Sentence outcome | ||||||
| Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Sentenced | Fine | Fine amount (£) | |
| (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. (4) Includes following offences: Licensed dog breeder selling dog otherwise than at a licensed breeding establishment/pet shop Licensed dog breeder selling dog other than to licensed pet shop knowing/believing buyer intending to resale Licensed dog breeder selling dog not born at licensed breeding establishment to keeper of licensed pet shop Keeper of licensed breeding establishment sold dog to keeper of licensed pet shop dog not wearing collar with ID Keeper of licensed breeding establishment sold dog under eight weeks old other than to keeper of licensed pet shop (5) Includes following offences: Having custody of a dog in contravention of an order made under section 9(2)(c) Failed to comply with a requirement imposed under Section 9(4) and (5) Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Note: Only those years are shown where data have been reported. Rows with nil data have been excluded from the table. | |||||||||
Driving Offences: West Yorkshire
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people resident in West Yorkshire have been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving in each year since 2007; [36557]
(2) how many people resident in West Yorkshire have been convicted of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol over the last five years. [36558]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for causing death by dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs in the West Yorkshire police force area, from 2005 to 2009 (latest available). Data available centrally do not identify the place of residence of those convicted of an offence.
Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level. Thus data are given in the table for the West Yorkshire police force area in which the West Yorkshire constituency is situated.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
Insurance
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to bringing forward proposals to prohibit insurers from recommending or referring those involved in accidents to lawyers with whom the insurers have a commercial arrangement, including the payment by the lawyer to the insurer of a panel membership or referral fee; and what assessment he has made of the steps which would be required to make such activity an offence in law. [37012]
Mr Djanogly: Lord Justice Jackson recommended that the payment of referral fees should be banned in personal injury cases in his "Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Final Report", published in January 2010. The Government are currently awaiting the response of the Legal Services Board to their recent consultation 'Referral fees, referral arrangements and fee sharing' before reaching a conclusion on the matter.
Interpretation and Translation Services
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 September 2010, Official Report, columns 46-47WS, on interpretation and translation services (justice sector), (1) what steps he plans to take to maintain the quality of translation and interpretation services for defendants under his proposals; [36560]
(2) what progress has been made on the procurement of translation and interpretation services for defendants under his proposals; [36561]
(3) what estimate he has made of the likely cost saving to his Department of implementation of the proposed changes in each of the next three years; [36562]
(4) whether he has consulted (a) the National Register of Public Service Interpreters and (b) the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people on the proposed changes to procurement of translation and interpretation services for defendants; [36563]
(5) what qualifications translators and interpreters for defendants will be required to hold under his proposals; [36565]
(6) whether he consulted (a) police forces, (b) HM Courts Service, (c) the National Offender Management Service and (d) the Crown Prosecution Service on his proposed changes to procurement of translation and interpretation services for defendants. [36670]
Mr Blunt: The project to review the provision of interpretation and translation services was begun under the previous administration which, like the present Government, recognised that there was room for improvement in the existing arrangements.
My officials are now in the final stages of a competitive dialogue procurement process with shortlisted bidders. When the process is at an end Ministers will make a decision whether or not to let a framework arrangement.
We have made it clear throughout that quality must be maintained. Any framework arrangement would specify quality standards. Key performance indicators would be used to ensure that a supplier met their contractual obligations. The qualifications to be required of interpreters and translators are currently being finalised.
Annual spend on interpretation and translation services across the criminal and civil justice sectors is estimated to be around £60million. If we were to let a framework arrangement we would hope to see savings of at least 10%.
Last summer my officials wrote to a wide range of stakeholders including the National Register of Public Service Interpreters and also Signature (who administer the National Register of Communication Professionals working with deaf and deafblind people) to inform them of our plans and to seek their comments.
This work is being taken forward by a project board which includes representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers, the National Policing Improvement Agency, HM Court Service, the Tribunal Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Offender Management Service.
Judges: Public Appointments
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to ensure that the judicial appointments process is (a) cost-effective and (b) efficient. [36462]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice has completed an end-to-end review of the judicial appointments process, conducted in close consultation with the Lord Chief Justice. I shared the outcomes of the review in a letter to the House of Lords Constitution Committee on 4 January 2011. The review concluded that the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) should seek to reduce costs by making organisational changes and streamlining its processes.
Efficiency across the end-to-end process is to be achieved through closer working between all parties involved in the process (the Ministry of Justice, the JAC, the Judicial Office, the courts and tribunals) to remove administrative constraints and duplication.
Legal Aid
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on implementing those recommendations of the Review by Lord Carter of Coles on legal aid procurement which the Government has accepted. [36440]
Mr Djanogly: The previous Government implemented many of the recommendations made in Lord Carter's 2006 report, including new or revised fixed and graduated fee schemes across criminal and civil legal aid. The remaining family fee scheme changes, delayed following judicial review proceedings in 2010, will be introduced as soon as possible this year.
Lord Carter also recommended a move towards competitive tendering for legal aid contracts, and it is our intention to consult on detailed proposals for the competitive tendering of criminal legal aid contracts later this year. In the longer term, we also intend to introduce competition in civil and family legal aid services.
Legal Aid: Homelessness
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the provision of legal aid to appellants against local authority refusals of applications for housing of homeless persons. [36434]
Mr Djanogly: The legal aid scheme currently funds advice and assistance, and legal representation, for those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and are seeking accommodation from the local authority under their statutory obligations.
On 15 November, the Justice Secretary announced the publication of a consultation on a package of proposals for the reform of legal aid. Under the proposals, cases about actual homelessness or in which the home is at immediate risk will remain within the scope of the civil legal aid scheme. This includes applications for homelessness assistance where the claimant is seeking accommodation from the local authority under their statutory obligations under part VII of the Housing Act 1996, for a review of a decision under that part pursuant to section 202 of the Housing Act 1996, and appeals to the county court on a point of law under section 204, or under section 204A of that Act.
The consultation paper: "Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales" is available at the Ministry of Justice website at:
Legal Costs
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward proposals for (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation in respect of the reforms set out in his Department's Green Paper on (a) legal aid reform and (b) reform of civil litigation funding. [36444]
Mr Djanogly: We have already announced our intention to abolish the Legal Services Commission as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows. The proposals on legal aid reform and civil litigation funding reforms are currently subject to consultations that close on 14 February. Once these consultations have concluded and responses have been analysed, the Government will publish their finalised proposals for reform of legal aid and civil litigation funding, including details of any legislation that will be required.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he took account of recommendations of the Eleventh Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Session 2009-10, on human rights and the UK private sector in his review of civil litigation costs. [36460]
Mr Djanogly: In taking forward Lord Justice Jackson's recommendations from his "Review of Civil Litigation Costs", the Government considered a wide variety of issues, including the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. We are currently consulting on implementing a package of proposals for reforming civil litigation funding and costs put forward by Lord Justice Jackson. The consultation closes on Monday 14 February 2011, and the Government will publish a response setting out the next steps in due course.
Life Imprisonment
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the availability of indeterminate sentences for offenders who pose a serious threat to public safety. [36463]
Mr Blunt: We are conducting an assessment of sentencing to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting reoffending. On 7 December 2010 we published proposals in the Green Paper, "Breaking the Cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and sentencing of offenders", for public consultation. These proposals included the reform of sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection.
We propose to restrict these sentences to those who merit a minimum term of at least five years in prison. This will capture very serious sexual and violent offenders. It is proposed that violent and sexual offenders who do not meet the new threshold will be able to receive a long determinate sentence or in appropriate cases an extended sentence (where the offender remains under supervision for an extended period after release). These proposals have been published on the Ministry of Justice website at:
Offenders: Drugs
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people aged (a) under 18, (b) between 18 and 24, (c) between 24 and 30 and (d) 30 and above received custodial sentences for (i) possession and (ii) supply of cannabis in each of the last 10 years; [36218]
(2) how many people (a) under the age of 18, (b) between 18 and 24, (c) between 24 and 30 and (d) 30 and above were (i) reprimanded, (ii) warned and (iii) charged for possession or supply of cannabis in each of the last 10 years. [36222]
Mr Blunt: The number of offenders cautioned (which include reprimands and warnings) and the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for possession or supply of cannabis by age group in England and Wales, 2000 to 2009 (latest available) are in Tables 1 to 3 as follows.
Charging data are not held centrally, proceedings data have been provided in lieu.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
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