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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 21 March 2011
Women and Equalities
Civil Partnerships
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether the Government's legislative proposals for the registration of civil partnerships in religious settings will include protection in law against suits brought against a minister of religion under human rights legislation for refusing to conduct a civil partnership ceremony in a place of worship. [45667]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 10 March 2011]: Civil partnerships are conducted by civil registrars designated by local authorities.
When commenced, section 202 of the Equality Act 2010 would insert a sub-section in the Civil Partnership Act 2004 which states:
“For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Act places an obligation on religious organisations to host civil partnership registrations if they do not wish to do so.”
We have been very clear that we will not force religious organisations to host registrations on their premises and that ministers of religion could lawfully refuse to if they do not wish to do so.
Equal Opportunities: Nationality
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what guidance (a) the Government Equalities Office and (b) the Equality and Human Rights Commission issues on the practice of businesses offering discounts to persons based on their nationality. [47854] [Official Report, 5 April 2011, Vol. 526, c. 13MC.]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has not issued any specific guidance relevant to the practice of business offering discounts to persons based on their nationality. The European Court of Human Rights has published non-statutory guidance on the Equality Act 2010 for service providers.
It would not normally be lawful for a business to offer discounts based on the protected characteristic of race, which includes nationality and ethnic or national origins.
Culture, Media and Sport
Audio Equipment: Regulation
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which private sector organisations (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom consulted to determine the areas which contain critical levels of wireless microphone usage; and if he will make a statement. [48127]
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Mr Vaizey: The matter raised is an operational one for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who advised that Ofcom holds a regularly updated database which shows all licensed PMSE spectrum use since 2000. This enables them to identify which locations in the UK-have significant historic peak PMSE spectrum demand. Furthermore, Ofcom consults regularly with its contracted PMSE spectrum licensing body, JFMG, to understand which future events are likely to require significant quantities of spectrum for PMSE.
BBC: Radio
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the proposed changes to the structure of local BBC radio stations; and if he will make a statement. [47295]
Mr Vaizey: We have received no formal representations on the proposed changes to the structure of local BBC radio stations. However, we understand the proposals to be part of a wider review of BBC activities and that no decisions have been made at this time.
Communications Bill
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will bring forward his proposed Communications Bill in the next Parliamentary session. [47577]
Mr Jeremy Hunt [holding answer 18 March 2011]: We will publish a Green Paper by the end of 2011. The public consultation that follows will inform a draft Communications Bill to be produced by mid-2013. Our aim is to complete the legislative process by the end of this Parliament. The timetable is designed to ensure that there is sufficient time to have a full and open dialogue about the complex issues involved and reflects the importance of this sector to the UK.
Departmental Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) have been and (b) are to be closed, merged or reorganised following his appointment; and how many (i) women and (ii) men who are public appointees at each body will no longer hold such an appointment in consequence. [47109]
John Penrose: The coalition Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies, and this involves reducing their number and their cost to the taxpayer. The proposals for the majority of bodies across all Departments was announced and published on 14 October 2010. An updated list reflecting changes since October 2010 has been published on the Cabinet Office website and can be found at the following link:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/public-bodies-reform-proposals-change
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Summary information on public appointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office. This includes data on gender. Copies of the most recent report can be downloaded from:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
National Lottery: Young People
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people aged 16 and 17 who played National Lottery games and (b) the amount they spent in the 12 months for which figures are available. [47317]
John Penrose: The National Lottery Commission has advised that it does not hold this information. The age of national lottery players and their expenditure is not recorded at the point of purchase.
The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 contains data on the percentage of 16 to 24-year-olds who have participated in national lottery draws and scratchcards in the past year. It shows that 42% have played national lottery draw games in the past year, and 34% have purchased scratchcards:
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/British%20Gambling%20Prevalence%20Survey%202010.pdf
Ofcom: Finance
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer on 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1087W, on Ofcom: finance, with reference to note 30 to the accounts on page 103 of the Ofcom Annual Report for 2009-10, for what reasons Ofcom owes £29.3 million to central Government bodies; what plans there are to recover those funds; and for what reasons such liabilities arose. [47658]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 18 March 2011]: As I said in my answer to the hon. Member's previous question about this on 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1087W, this is grant in aid paid in line with agreed procedures with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is appropriately classified within Ofcom's statutory accounts under International Financial Reporting Standards conventions.
In addition, BIS has provided a loan of £2,036,000 to Ofcom to enable them to undertake work to meet their obligations under the Digital Economy Act 2010. Those costs will fall to industry, but will not be recouped until the code of practice comes into force, at which time Ofcom will repay the loan to BIS.
Ofcom's 2009-10 Annual Report lists £29.238 million grant in aid paid by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in respect of the following Ofcom activities for the months of April, May, June and July 2010:
|
|
£ million |
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|
Other—online copyright infringement, local media, digital participation and postal integration |
Rugby
Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will meet representatives of the Rugby Football Union, Network Rail and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to consider changes to Twickenham railway station ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. [47669]
Hugh Robertson: I regularly meet representatives of the Rugby Football Union and have discussed the matter with them. I am content to meet representatives of Network Rail, Richmond council and the Rugby Football Union. However, changes to Twickenham rail station are a matter for the Department for Transport.
Sky News
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will put in place arrangements for guarantees in respect of the independent ownership of Sky News beyond the current proposed 10 year period. [47624]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: I am currently consulting on the undertakings offered by News Corporation, which includes the 10-year arrangements for Sky News, and will consider this issue in the light of the responses.
Video Games: Age
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what research his Department has carried out on levels of use of 18-rated computer games among children. [47232]
Mr Vaizey: My Department has carried out no research into the use of 18 rated computer games among children. However, 18+ rated games make up only 5% of all games made and account for between 6% and 8% of all games sold in the UK. It is an offence punishable by up to six months in prison to supply any British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) rated game to someone who does not meet the age requirement. All 18 rated games are currently classified by the BBFC.
Video Games: Violence
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his policy is on measures to restrict the (a) promotion of and (b) condoning of violence and misogyny in (i) computer games and (ii) marketing of computer games. [47234]
Mr Vaizey:
Games are classified according to guidelines set out by either the British Board of Film Classification or the Pan European Games Information (PEGI) system. These take into account the content, and games that contain violence or misogyny would be classified
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accordingly. We are working with the video game industry to ensure it does all it can to increase parents' understanding of age ratings and of improved parental controls on equipment.
The advertising of computer games is controlled through the UK Advertising Codes, which are robustly administered by the independent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The codes require that all video games advertising should be socially responsible and that ads for games carrying a PEGI rating of 15+ are not targeted at audiences below the age of 16. Should the ASA find that an advertiser has breached the advertising codes, they will not hesitate to take action.
White Space Devices
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of white space devices on the programme making and special events sector; and if he will make a statement; [48128]
(2) whether he has made an assessment of the provisional parameters set by (a) Ofcom and (b) the programme making and special events spectrum band manager to prevent spectrum interference from white space devices; and if he will make a statement. [48129]
Mr Vaizey: The matter raised is an operational one for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who said that Ofcom has made clear it will only authorise licence-exempt use of spectrum by white-space devices if they protect licensed users, including programme-making and special events, against harmful interference.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what advice his Department has received from Ofcom on the testing of white space devices before they are granted licence-exempt access to the spectrum; and if he will make a statement; [48130]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Ofcom on the testing of the recommended operational parameters for unlicensed white space devices set out in Ofcom’s Implementing Geolocation consultation; and if he will make a statement. [48133]
Mr Vaizey: The matter raised is an operational one for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who said that Ofcom is still considering responses to its consultation and will refine its plans for future work in the coming months.
Health
Caffeine: Young People
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to introduce an age limit for the purchase of energy drinks containing high levels of caffeine. [47554]
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Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has no plans to recommend the introduction of an age limit for the purchase of energy drinks containing high levels of caffeine. FSA is not aware of any evidence of a direct, long term link between caffeine consumption and altered behaviour to support legislation in this area.
FSA will continue to monitor any new emerging scientific evidence in this area.
In the United Kingdom many high caffeine drink manufacturers already voluntarily include advice about their unsuitability for children and pregnant women because of their high caffeine content. Additionally, new European legislation under negotiation on food labelling may require such statements as mandatory.
Contraceptives
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which areas his Department is undertaking pilot studies on the distribution through pharmacies of the morning after pill to girls aged 13 and over. [47974]
Anne Milton: The Department is not undertaking any pilot studies on the distribution through pharmacies of emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), also known as the morning after pill to girls aged 13 and over.
Health professionals such as pharmacists can legally provide EHC to under-16s, under local national health service arrangements, if they are satisfied that the young person is competent to understand fully the implications of any treatment and after encouraging them to talk to a parent. The decision to develop arrangements for pharmacists to supply emergency contraception is taken by the local NHS.
RDAs: Assets
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether receipts from the sale of assets owned by regional development agencies are reflected in the spending plans of his Department for (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14. [47413]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has no funding link to the regional development agencies and hence cannot use receipts from the sales of any of their assets in its spending plans.
Departmental Procurement
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts with private sector organisations his Department has entered into in each month since May 2010; and what the (a) monetary value of the contract, (b) contracted company, (c) scope of the contract, (d) date of the contract, (e) length of the contract and (f) name of the previous contract holder is in each case. [44427]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department’s business management system contracts database comprises centrally held information on contracts, and this information has been placed in the Library. Until 7 March 2011, however, procurement in the Department was primarily devolved to individual directorates and as such, a comprehensive record of all contracts entered into by the Department for the dates requested is not held centrally.
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Departmental Public Bodies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10W, on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from (a) the abolition of 30 public bodies within his Department’s area of responsibility and (b) the change in function of one such body. [48140]
Mr Simon Burns: The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, (Mr Maude) issued a written ministerial statement on 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, updating Parliament on progress with the public bodies reform. That statement announced that Departments’ estimate that cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
The 40 health bodies listed in the Public Bodies Reform—Proposals for Change document are a mixture of advisory non-departmental public bodies (31, of which, 23 will be abolished or be reconstituted as a Department of Health or Public Health Service expert committee) and executive non-departmental public bodies (nine, of which, seven are to be abolished).
In terms of the Department’s advisory non-departmental public bodies, the current costs are small and the opportunities for savings are corresponding in size.
For the group of executive non-departmental public bodies, savings will accrue not just from the seven bodies that are leaving the sector, but also through efficiency savings from those remaining. An analysis of all nine executive organisations listed in the Cabinet Office document (Alcohol Education and Research Council, Appointments Commission, Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence, General Social Care Council, Health Protection Agency, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), Human Tissue Authority (HTA), Care Quality Commission and Monitor—for HFEA and HTA the plan is for them to leave the sector at the end of the parliamentary session) indicates that £67 million could be saved in grant in aid in 2011-12.
Epilepsy: Drugs
Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the availability of stiripentol; whether he has received the draft guidance from (NICE) on the availability of stiripentol for the treatment of epilepsy; if he will direct (NICE) to develop separate guidelines on the availability of stiripentol; and if he will make a statement. [48014]
Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently reviewing its clinical guideline on epilepsy in children and adults and issued a draft for consultation in January 2011. The draft guideline includes a recommendation on the use of stiripentol for the treatment of Dravet syndrome in children and young people in whom first-line treatment has proved ineffective or has not been tolerated.
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We have had no discussions with NICE on stiripentol, and have no plans to ask NICE to develop specific guidance on this drug. There are no national restrictions on the availability of stiripentol on the national health service within its licensed indication and advice to clinicians on its use is included in the British National Formulary for Children which is made available free of charge to NHS prescribes.
Flu: Vaccination
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he had with the Scottish Government in relation to the availability of flu vaccine in 2010-11; and what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the availability of the vaccine in 2011-12; [47571]
(2) what assessment he made of the potential to obtain supplies of influenza vaccine from the Scottish Government in 2010-11. [47593]
Anne Milton: Departmental officials approached Government officials in Scotland about whether they had any surplus vaccine for use in England. Officials in Scotland said that they may be able to provide some vaccine once they have met local needs but this would only be a nominal amount and wouldn't be available straight away.
Officials have also had an initial exchange of views on planning for the seasonal flu vaccination programme for 2011-12.
Registrars: Certificate of Completion of Training
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialty registrars (a) failed to achieve a Certificate of Completion of Training and (b) left the medical profession as a result in each of the last three years. [47672]
Anne Milton: This information is not held by the Department.
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practice registrars (a) failed to achieve a Certificate of Completion of Training and (b) left the medical profession as a result in each of the last three years. [47673]
Anne Milton: This information is not held by the Department
Health Services: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the provision of (a) cancer services and (b) mental health services in the West Midlands. [47287]
Paul Burstow:
‘Improving Outcomes—A Strategy for Cancer’, published on 12 January 2011, sets out a range of measures to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services in England. Backed by more than £750 million over the next four years, the strategy sets out the Department's plans to improve earlier diagnosis,
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access to screening and treatment and improve patients' experience of care, putting patients and the public at the heart of cancer services.
The strategy sets out actions to tackle preventable cancer incidence, improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services; improve patients' experience of care; improve quality of life for cancer survivors; and deliver outcomes that are comparable with the best in Europe.
The impact assessment published alongside the strategy shows how we can save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through early diagnosis and improved access to screening and radiotherapy.
To support the national health service to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer alongside efficiency savings, the strategy is backed by over £450 million investment over the spending review period. The earlier diagnosis money will:
give general practitioners (GPs) increased access to key diagnostic tests;
allow for the increased testing and treatment costs in secondary care associated with more people being diagnosed;
support campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and getting symptomatic patients to present earlier; and
support GPs to diagnose cancer earlier, including support on when to commission and how to interpret diagnostic tests.
This funding is part of over £750 million additional funding for cancer over the spending review period to support delivery of ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’. This includes funding for screening (flexible sigmoidoscopy) and radiotherapy (proton beam therapy) announced earlier in the autumn.
The Department published the national ‘No Health Without Mental Health’ strategy on 2 February 2011. It has the twin aims of promoting and sustaining good mental health and well-being in the wider population, and improving the quality of existing services for people across the full range of mental health problems. It looks at prevalence of problems and effective approaches at different stages in life, stressing the importance of prevention and early intervention.
Although a national strategy, it illustrates how local health organisations could make real improvements in quality of life for people with mental health problems.
The Department's work with partners, including the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, has made it clear that the context for this strategy is one of great financial pressure; so it has focused on priority areas of improvement while leaving plans and actions to local decision making. So this strategy should inform local planning, but not constrain it.
The approach to quality and outcomes is about shifting responsibility to the local level; there are no national performance management and no targets. Our focus will be on ensuring local areas have access to information that supports their individual approaches and enables individuals, neighbourhoods and communities to make appropriate change happen in a reformed system. This is not about central Government enacting change from the centre.
The Government expect clinicians in all areas to follow the guidance in both documents.
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NHS: Disciplinary Proceedings
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical staff in (a) NHS foundation trusts and (b) each such trust were suspended on the most recent date for which figures are available. [47906]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not held by Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) or the Department.
The National Clinical Assessment Service collects data relating to the suspension of doctors and dentists. This does not specifically identify exclusions from foundation trusts.
NHS: Manpower
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultants and (b) other medical staff the NHS employed in each year since 2008. [47813]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table gives the number of consultants and other medical staff employed by the national health service in 2008 and 2009. Details of staff employed in 2010 will be available after publication of the annual NHS Workforce Census on the 22 March 2011.
| Hospital and community health services: medical and dental staff as at 30 September each year | ||
| numbers (headcount) | ||
| 2008 | 2009 | |
| Note: Data quality The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census. | ||
Nurses: Sick Leave
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) nurses and (b) doctors in the NHS were on (i) sick leave for a period of seven days or more and (ii) maternity or paternity leave in the latest period for which figures are available. [47811]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Information Centre currently only provides sickness absence rates for the English national health service.
Work is under way to develop additional statistics to cover other causes of absence and to provide figures in terms of days lost. However, currently no figures are published in the format requested.
The published sickness absence statistics for the English NHS are available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/sickness-absence
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Potassium Iodide
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what stocks of potassium iodide tablets his Department holds for the purposes of protection of the public in the event of a nuclear accident. [47379]
Anne Milton: The United Kingdom Government have established an extensive stockpile of medical countermeasures to be used to protect and treat the public in the event of a wide range of possible incidents or attacks—one of which might be a nuclear incident. Potassium iodate tablets are included in the stockpile, but for obvious reasons of security, it would be inappropriate to specify further what particular countermeasures are held, the quantity in which they are held and where they are located.
The UK Government constantly review their requirements in line with the assessed threat of a particular incident occurring.
Queen's Hospital, Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports he has received on the adequacy of staffing at Queen’s Hospital, Romford; and if he will make a statement. [47443]
Mr Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England. Providers of regulated activities must be registered with CQC, and comply with registration requirements regulations that set out essential levels of safety and quality. CQC assesses how trusts comply with these legal requirements and it has the power to impose a range of sanctions where breaches are found. CQC issued warning notices to Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust on 3 March 2011 highlighting concerns about staffing in the maternity unit at Queen’s hospital.
Previously, on 21 December 2010, the CQC published compliance reports on both King George hospital and Queen’s hospital. There was a compliance action relating to staffing.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect on Queen's Hospital, Romford of the closure of the maternity ward at King George Hospital; what provision has been made to receive maternity patients at Queen's Hospital; and if he will make a statement. [47444]
Mr Simon Burns: It is for the local national health service to assess and provide adequate services to meet the needs of its local population.
Screening: Babies
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration was given to including lungs in the NHS newborn and infant physical screening programme. [47540]
Anne Milton:
All parents of newborn babies are offered the opportunity to have their child examined shortly after birth and between six and eight weeks of age. The screening component includes an examination of the baby's eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. This is
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part of a general physical examination, which would include an examination of the lungs. The lungs were not considered for specific inclusion in the screening component because of the variable symptoms and the lack of evidence to meet the criteria of a safe and effective screening programme.
Surgery
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgical procedures were cancelled or postponed on the day that they were scheduled to take place in the latest period for which figures are available. [47818]
Mr Simon Burns: 16,785 elective operations were cancelled on or after the day of admission for non-clinical reasons between October and December 2010. As a percentage of total elective activity, cancelled operations remain low, at 1%.
These data are published on a quarterly basis on the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/Cancelledoperations/index.htm
Surgery: Admissions
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of same day admissions for surgical treatment were treated on the day of admission in the latest period for which figures are available. [47810]
Mr Simon Burns: The proportion of same day admissions for surgical treatment treated on the day of admission, in 2009-10, are shown in the following table:
| All elective surgeries | Elective surgeries with main operation on the day of admission | Percentage treated on same day | |
| Notes: 1. These figures represent a count of episodes and not the number of patients, as a patient may have been admitted on more than one occasion. 2. Activity in English NHS hospitals and English national health service commissioned activity in the independent sector. 3. These data include admissions for all elective surgery, including day case admissions. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. | |||
Tobacco: Sales
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he had with the Reducing Regulation Committee prior to announcing his decision to implement the tobacco display ban; and what steps he has taken to ensure the arrangements for implementing the ban comply with the Government's one-in, one-out policy on regulation. [47264]
Anne Milton: The Government's decision to implement the legislation ending the display of tobacco products in shops in England was reached after due consideration by the appropriate Government Ministers. The arrangements for implementing the legislation will comply with the Government's one-in, one-out policy on regulation.
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Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which authorities will be responsible for (a) supporting and (b) enforcing compliance by small businesses with the proposed tobacco display ban. [47265]
Anne Milton: Local authority trading standards officers will be responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of the legislation ending the display of tobacco products in shops in England.
Departmental officials will work with the Local Government Group and with representatives of retailers to develop guidance for retailers and local trading standards officers. The guidance will aim to build compliance by making sure all parties have clear information about the regulations.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to make the proxy purchasing of tobacco products for minors a criminal offence. [47266]
Anne Milton: We have no proposals to bring this forward at present. The Department has however commissioned a review of the evidence about the sources of tobacco for children, which will report back later this year. In addition, the Department has in recent months been working closely with local government regulation and local council trading standards officers who have been collecting information on the level of proxy purchase of tobacco products in a number of local authority areas. Future policy options will be considered in the light of the evidence gained from these sources and in line with the Tobacco Control Plan for England, published on 9 March 2011.
A copy of the plan has already been placed in the Library.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to lay before the House regulations for the implementation of the proposed tobacco display ban. [47268]
Anne Milton: We will bring forward amending regulations as soon as practicable, after they have been considered under the European technical standards directive. The regulations need to be submitted in draft to the European Commission, followed by a three-month "standstill" period. Should any party lodge a detailed opinion on the regulations, the "standstill" period will be extended by a further three months. Regulations cannot be made and laid in Parliament during this period.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legal advice she has received on the introduction of (a) a voluntary and (b) a mandatory minimum price for alcohol. [46924]
James Brokenshire:
The Secretary of State for the Home Department has received legal advice on alternative forms of alcohol pricing. This included advice about the risk of minimum unit pricing being found to be
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unlawful under EU Law and advice on a prohibition on below cost sales including if the floor price is set at duty plus VAT. However, the content of legal advice is subject to legal professional privilege and it is not appropriate to set it out at this stage other than in terms of the areas to which it relates.
Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued by (a) police forces and (b) local authorities for offences of (i) fly-tipping, (ii) graffiti, (iii) dog fouling, (iv) dropping of litter and (v) parking in each year since 2006. [46938]
James Brokenshire: Offences of dog fouling, the dropping of litter and parking offences are summary offences and do not feature in the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. The Home Office does collect penalty notice for disorder (PND) data on recorded offences of criminal damage, which includes graffiti-related offences, although these are part of an aggregate count and therefore cannot be separately identified.
Within the Home Office classification of “Public Health offences”, there are two sub-classifications which would cover the offence of fly-tipping although the actual term ‘fly-tipping’ is not specified. These sub-classifications cannot be separately identified from the police recorded crime statistics and in practice, it is more likely that offences of fly-tipping would be reported to and recorded by the relevant local authority.
Information on fixed penalties for motoring offences (FPNs) reported to the Home Office shows that there were 496,000 FPNs issued for ‘obstruction, waiting and parking offences’ in 2006, 447,000 in 2007 and 332,000 in 2008. Data for 2009 are scheduled to be published in April 2011.
In addition to the FPNs for motoring offences as collected by the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) collects data on fixed penalty notices for disorder offences such as ‘depositing and leaving litter’, which can be accessed via the following link to the MoJ website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/chapter2-penalty-notices-for-disorder.xls
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) publishes data on fixed penalty notices for environmental offences. The most recent published information can be found on the DEFRA website which can be viewed at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/local/legislation/fpn/
Criminal Records
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to increase sharing of criminal records files with other EU member states. [48089]
Lynne Featherstone:
Criminal record exchange within the European Union takes place within the framework of Council Decision 2005/876/JHA on the exchange of
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information extracted from the criminal record. Between 2007-08 and 2009-10 the amount of criminal convictions exchanged has increased:
Notifications received of UK nationals convicted in the EU increased from 3,120 to 6,298.
The number of notifications from the UK to other member states about the convictions of one of their nationals here has increased from 12,736 in 2007-08 (when only the first conviction of an EU national was sent) to 33,583 in 2009-10 (when all convictions were sent).
The number of requests received for the criminal record of UK citizens subject to criminal proceedings in other member states has increased from 190 to 341 in the same time period.
The number of requests made by the UK police and law enforcement agencies in relation to EU nationals subject to criminal proceedings here increased from 2,372 to 6,513.
As a result we now know a significant amount about the offending of UK nationals abroad and the previous offending history of EU nationals being prosecuted here. A new Framework Decision (2009/315/JHA) will make exchange mandatory from April 2012 and so we expect to see further increases in exchange.
The UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records is leading a project to look at how the exchange of fingerprints can confirm the identity of individuals being prosecuted in the UK so that the correct previous convictions can be obtained from the country of nationality. Significant results have already been obtained through finding out the true identity of individuals being prosecuted here.
The UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records has also begun to exchange criminal convictions electronically with other member states through the Network of Judicial Registers Project. Electronic exchange is quicker and cheaper than existing methods and should ensure that there is a continued increase in the number of criminal record files exchanged with other EU countries.
Departmental Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) have been and (b) are to be closed, merged or reorganised following her appointment; and how many (i) women and (ii) men who are public appointees at each body will no longer hold such an appointment in consequence. [47113]
Damian Green: The coalition Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies, and this involves reducing their number and their cost to the taxpayer. The proposals for the majority of bodies across all Departments, including the Home Office, were announced and published on 14 October 2010. An updated list reflecting changes since October 2010 was published on the Cabinet Office website on 16 March 2011.
Summary information on public appointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office. This includes data on gender. Copies of the most recent report can be downloaded from:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department are entitled to travel first class by rail within the UK. [47067]
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Damian Green: Staff at senior executive officer (SEO) grade and above are entitled, as part of their terms and conditions of employment, to travel first class for business. The need to travel and ticket cost must be given due consideration.
In spring 2010 the Permanent Secretary issued austerity instructions to senior managers to reduce all travel by using alternatives such as video and/or telephone conferencing and to avoid first class travel as far as possible. The Department has significantly reduced first class travel by removing this option completely from the online travel booking service.
In principle, we have 4,015 staff (14.5% of total staff employed), across the Home Office and its agencies (UK Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau ) with a contractual entitlement to travel first class; however, with booking accessibility severely restricted, first class travel is significantly reduced. For example, first class rail ticket costs accounted for less than 0.7% of total rail costs in January 2011 compared to 37.8% of total rail cost in January 2010.
Policy on all business travel is currently under review.
Family Returns
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether travel documentation has been obtained for all the families who have participated in the family return conferences to date, including the pilots. [47788]
Damian Green: Families will be invited to a family returns conference when they have exhausted all legal avenues open to them and where they either hold a valid travel document or where any documentation barriers can be resolved in parallel with the returns process.
The UK Border Agency will not need to obtain travel documentation for all families in the returns process. This could be because all family members are already in possession of genuine travel documents or where a family has submitted further submissions or legal applications which are being considered.
Information is not centrally held on whether travel documentation has been obtained for all the families who have participated in family returns conferences. This information could be supplied by examining each individual case record only at disproportionate cost.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used for awarding highly-trusted status to language schools; and what guidance her Department has provided to such schools on (a) highly-trusted status and (b) liaison with the UK Border Agency. [47300]
Damian Green: Full guidance on the criteria for awarding highly trusted sponsor (HTS) status to language schools is available on the UK Border Agency website.
In summary sponsors applying to be a highly trusted sponsor need to have held an A rated sponsor licence for at least six consecutive months prior to the date of application. They must also be able to demonstrate a good record of compliance with sponsor duties. These duties are outlined in the published guidance.
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Foreign Nationals
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what schemes her Department operates to assist foreign nationals who wish to cease to be resident in the UK to leave voluntarily. [47439]
Damian Green: Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programmes are available to assist those in the UK asylum system and those who are in the UK illegally who wish to return voluntarily and permanently to their country of origin (or, where permanently admissible, to a third country). There are currently three general AVR programmes which are co-funded with the European Return Fund:
Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP) is for those who have sought asylum and those with certain forms of related temporary status in the UK. Returnees receive support in acquiring travel documentation, flight to country of origin and onward domestic transport, airport assistance at departure and arrival airports and up to £1,500 worth of reintegration assistance per person including a £500 relocation grant on departure for immediate resettlement needs, additional luggage allowance and, once home, a range of reintegration options. The majority of returnees use their reintegration assistance in income generation activities.
Assisted Voluntary Return for Families and Children (AVRFC) is for families comprising of a maximum of two adult parents or legal guardians and at least one child (under 18) and from unaccompanied children (under 18) who have either sought asylum or who are in the UK illegally and wish to return home. Returnees receive support in acquiring travel documentation, flight to country of origin and onward domestic transport, airport assistance at departure and arrival airports and up to £2,000 worth of reintegration assistance per person, including a £500 relocation grant on departure for immediate resettlement needs, additional luggage allowance and, once home, a range of reintegration options. The scheme offers flexibility of reintegration for the whole family and increased emphasis is placed on the use of reintegration assistance for educational needs as well as income generation.
Assisted Voluntary Return for Irregular Migrants (AVRIM) is for those migrants who have not sought asylum, but who are in the UK illegally and wish to return home. Returnees receive support in acquiring travel documentation, flight to country of origin and onward domestic transport, and airport assistance at departure and arrival airports. There is generally no reintegration assistance for AVRIM applicants; however, there is discretionary reintegration assistance of up to £1,000, considered on a case by case basis, available for vulnerable applicants. In addition to the general AVR programmes, the Facilitated Return Scheme is designed to help non-EEA foreign national prisoners return and reintegrate back into their home country. The main aim of the scheme is to promote and assist the process of early removals by encouraging full compliance and cooperation of foreign national prisoners wishing to return voluntarily.
Applications for the scheme are accepted from non-EEA nationals who have been convicted and are serving or have served a custodial sentence in a UK prison. Those who apply for and are accepted for the Facilitated
21 Mar 2011 : Column 780W
Return Scheme will receive a cash payment of between £750 and £1,500 to help them build a new life on return to their home country.
Foreign Workers: EU Nationals
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many migrant workers entered the UK from the EU Accession countries in each year since 2004. [47258]
Damian Green: Nationals of countries that acceded to the EU in 2004 and 2007 are no longer subject to immigration control, so their entry to the UK is not recorded.
The following tables provide the number of nationals from the EU Accession countries who applied for permission to work under the restrictions imposed on the access of Accession state nationals to the labour market.
| Nationals of Czech republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (A8 nationals) | |
|
|
Total |
| Bulgaria and Romania (A2 nationals) | |
|
|
Total |
These figures are based on management information and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics. They are provisional and may be subject to change.
Human Trafficking
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to publish the scoping study on human trafficking for forced labour. [47128]
Damian Green: We are investigating the feasibility of publishing an executive summary of the scoping study on human trafficking for forced labour.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to publish the scoping study on human trafficking for domestic servitude. [47129]
Damian Green: We are investigating the feasibility of publishing an executive summary of the scoping study on human trafficking for domestic servitude.
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Illegal Immigrants
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notifications the UK Border Agency received relating to individuals detained by police who were found to be in the UK illegally in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many such notifications were acted upon; and how many such notifications resulted in the UK Border Agency taking into custody the individual in question for deportation or other enforcement action. [47422]
Damian Green: Where necessary, UK Border Agency officers will attend police stations with a view to establishing the identity and circumstances of the individual and serving them with the appropriate paperwork, such as a form notifying them that they have entered the UK unlawfully. Subsequent actions vary depending on the nature of the case, but can include the individual being transported to and detained in an immigration removal centre pending their removal, or being transported to the asylum screening unit if they advise that they wish to make an asylum application (this also may result in their detention as part of the asylum determination process).
For the period April 2010 to February 2011, the UK Border Agency received a total of 22,522 inquiries from the police about suspected immigration offenders. All inquiries received were considered for appropriate action but many were cleared by checking UK Border Agency records. 7,239 of these inquiries received from the police resulted in a visit by an immigration officer. The outcome from these visits was that in 3,497 instances at least one individual was arrested for an immigration offence.
It is not possible to provide the number of individuals who were taken into custody or to provide the number who were subsequently removed from the United Kingdom as this information is not recorded centrally. To establish these figures would require a manual examination of individual case records at a disproportionate cost.
The figures provided are sourced from management information tools and are not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. Figures provided do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.
Immigration
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on immigration to the UK. [47441]
Damian Green: Officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are routinely consulted on immigration policy proposals and changes both in London and overseas. Discussions between the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), take place regularly, as and when appropriate.
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Immigration Control
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the Government’s policy on (a) immigration and (b) border control; and if she will make a statement. [47445]
Damian Green: The Government are committed to reducing net migration and eliminating abuse of the immigration system, both in country and at the border. From July to September 2010 we consulted on how a limit on non-EU economic migration should work, while recognising the need to attract the brightest and the best migrants to the UK. Further details of representations received for the limits consultation can be found on the UK Border Agency website. We announced our response to this consultation in November 2010. In addition we held a public consultation on the student visa system, the results of which will be published in due course. Representations from a wide variety of organisations, other Government Departments and individuals have been received in response to both consultations.
Liberal Democrat Spring Conference
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of the provision of policing and security for the 2011 Liberal Democrat Spring Conference. [47374]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 18 March 2011]: The Home Office does not hold information on the costs of the security and policing operation for the 2011 Liberal Democrat spring conference.
Special grant funding is available to help meet costs where necessary additional expenditure incurred would otherwise create a serious threat to a police authority's financial stability and their capacity to deliver normal policing. We have not received an application from South Yorkshire police.
Police: Pensions
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that the duties and responsibilities of police officers are taken into account in the review of public sector pensions by Lord Hutton. [44547]
Nick Herbert: The police pension schemes are included in the scope of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, led by Lord Hutton. The commission's final report, which was published on 10 March, makes recommendations on how public service pensions can be made sustainable and affordable in the long-term and fair to both the public service work force and the taxpayer. The Government will consider the commission's findings, taking into account the duties and responsibilities of police officers, before proposing any changes to the police pension schemes. Any changes will be subject to the normal consultation processes with the Police Negotiating Board in line with statutory requirements.
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Police: Retirement
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2011, Official Report, column 44W, on police: retirement, if she will review the operation of Rule A19 following the report of Lord Hutton on public sector pensions. [46890]
Nick Herbert: The Government are considering the recommendations published by Lord Hutton in the final report of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission on 10 March and will respond in due course.
The Government are also considering the recommendations published by Tom Winsor in the Part 1 Report of the Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions on 8 March 2011 (Cm 8024). He has recommended that the criteria for the use of the powers in Regulation A19 should be amended, with service-critical skills and performance being explicit considerations.
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much money the Serious Organised Crime Agency has recovered in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in each year since its inception; [47251]
(2) what the estimated monetary value is of assets recovered by the Serious Organised Crime Agency in each year since its inception. [47252]
James Brokenshire: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) does not break down recovery of assets by country as SOCA is a UK-wide organisation. The figures for the whole of the UK for each year are available in their annual reports on their website:
http://www.soca.gov.uk/
Squatting
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many buildings on her Department’s estate were occupied by squatters in each year between 2006 and 2010; and on how many occasions her Department sought interim possession orders to remove squatters from such buildings in each of those years. [47613]
Damian Green: The Department obtained an interim possession order on one property briefly occupied by squatters in December 2009 prior to its sale in April 2010.
Visas
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many visas to enter and remain in the UK have been revoked in each of the last five years; [47448]
(2) how many people who had their visas revoked and were scheduled for removal in each of the last five years were not subsequently deported. [47449]
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Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not keep a central record of the number of individuals whose leave was curtailed or revoked for breaching their visa conditions. This information could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
Transport
Cycling England: Finance
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the budget for Cycling England (a) was in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 and (b) will be for (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13, (C) 2013-14 and (D) 2014-15. [46649]
Norman Baker: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Cycling England's budget in:
(i) 2009-10 was £60 million;
(ii) 2010-11 was £58 million.
(b) Cycling England will cease to exist on 31 March 2011 and therefore has no budget beyond this date.
Driving Tests
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of trends in driving test pass rates since the introduction of the approved driving instructor test. [48071]
Mike Penning: No assessment of trends in driving test pass rates has been made since the introduction of qualifying examinations for approved driving instructors over 40 years ago.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the pass rates for (a) Part 1, (b) Part 2 and (c) Part 3 of the approved driving instructor test. [48072]
Mike Penning: No such assessment of pass rates for approved driving instructor tests has been made.
HM Coastguard
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has assessed the merits of a five-year transition period between the current and proposed operating models of HM Coastguard. [47004]
Mike Penning: In developing the proposal outlined in the consultation document ‘Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century’ the Maritime and Coastguard Agency made a strategic assessment of what time might be required to achieve a transition from the current HM Coastguard structure to the proposed new operating model. This process concluded that a transition plan of five years or over was not necessary.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has conducted a risk assessment in respect of the transition period for the re-configuration of HM Coastguard. [47022]
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Mike Penning: No final decision has yet been taken regarding the re-configuration of HM Coastguard.
An assessment of the risks presented by any transition from the current structure to that which is agreed following the public consultation will be undertaken once this decision has been made. This will involve assessing the impacts and risks to public safety and HM Coastguard's international obligations and provide appropriate risk management strategies when implementing potentially significant change to staff, infrastructure and concept of operations.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken in respect of (a) staff and (b) administration of on-going operations in Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres that are due to be closed after the reconfiguration of HM Coastguard. [47040]
Mike Penning: No final decision has been undertaken on the reconfiguration of HM Coastguard. Any decision on whether a Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCC) remains open or closes will only be taken following the completion of the current public consultation.
As part of this consultation the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has asked for comments and supporting evidence on any factors relevant to such decisions. I have extended the period for written submissions to the consultation by six weeks until 5 May 2011 to ensure these factors are fully considered.
Therefore the ongoing administration of all MRCCs remains subject to the normal operational procedures of HM Coastguard. Since the consultation was launched on 16 December 2011 the senior management of the MCA has fully engaged with the staff covered by these proposals. This has involved staff meetings attended by senior managers to respond to questions. The MCA's chief executive will have visited all MRCCs to both talk to, and take questions from staff, by the end of the consultation period.
Southeastern Trains: Performance
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the rate of (a) punctuality and (b) cancellation of passenger rail services operated on routes on the Southeastern franchise other than over High Speed One was in the latest period for which figures are available. [43455]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 2 March 2011]: The Department for Transport does not hold performance data for southeastern at the level of detail requested. Network Rail is responsible for performance data for the rail industry. The hon. Gentleman may wish to contact Network Rail’s chief executive at the following address for such information:
David Higgins
Chief Executive
Network Rail
Kings Place
90 York Way
London N1 9AG
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Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he considered operating models in other countries when developing the proposed operating model for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency; and whether he had discussions with corresponding agencies in other countries. [46999]
Mike Penning: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) maintains close contact with international coastguard organisations both within the European Union and North Atlantic rim. It should be noted that these countries organise their coastguard functions very differently making it difficult to directly compare them to Her Majesty's Coastguard.
However, when considering the proposals the MCA did assess whether any element would be in contradiction to operational practice elsewhere in the world; no such contradiction was found. The Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) manual published by the International Maritime Organisation states:
“Every SRR [Search and Rescue Region] has unique transportation, climate, topography and physical characteristics. These factors create a different set of problems for SAR operation in each SRR. Such factors influence the choice and composition of the services, facilities, equipment and staffing required by each SAR service.”
Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to reduce the costs of motor insurance premiums for drivers who are between 17 and 25 years of age. [44468]
Mike Penning [holding answer 7 March 2011]: The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers and younger drivers pay more because they pose a higher risk to insurers. The Government are, however, taking a number of measures to help mitigate insurance costs, including steps to tackle uninsured driving and insurance fraud and to reduce the costs of litigation.
Continuous insurance enforcement will come into effect in the next few months to identify uninsured vehicles, which will make it harder to evade detection and penalties if vehicles are driven without the driver being insured. We are working with insurers to allow them access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency drivers’ database in order to tackle insurance fraud at the underwriting stage. The Ministry of Justice has consulted on measures for reducing litigation costs and working with enforcement agencies and insurers to tackle fraud. These steps will all help to reduce insurance premiums, including for young drivers.
We are also considering how the driver testing and training process can be improved to better prepare new drivers for the roads, and therefore reduce their risks and hence insurance premiums.
Rolling Stock
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse of not introducing an all-electric fleet of trains under the Intercity Express Programme. [45246]
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Mrs Villiers: Introducing the bi-mode option for the Intercity Express Programme is estimated to save around £200 million (net present value) as compared to introducing a fleet of all-electric trains to be coupled to a diesel locomotive beyond the electrified sections of the railway.
Sea Rescue: Falmouth
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were applied by his Department when taking the decision to place an HM Coastguard sub-centre at Falmouth rather than Brixham. [47062]
Mike Penning: The proposed locations of sub-centres are based on a range of operational and value for money factors. These are outlined on pages 22 and 23 of the consultation document ‘Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century’, which was published on 16 December 2010. Further detail is available in the supporting document ‘Location Impact Assessment and Sub-Centre Rationale’, which was published on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) website:
www.mcga.gov.uk
As part of this consultation the MCA has asked for comments and supporting evidence on any factors relevant to these choices. I have extended the period for written submissions to the consultation by six weeks until 5 May 2011 to ensure these factors are fully considered.
Tolls: EC Action
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of (a) the Eurovignette directive and (b) whether it will entail any cost to (i) the public purse and (ii) motorists; whether he has considered proposals for the introduction of further road tolls; and if he will make a statement. [46856]
Mike Penning: The Eurovignette directive sets out common rules for levying charges or tolls on heavy goods vehicles. It does not require such charging. As such the directive does not entail any cost to the public purse or to motorists.
The Government plan to introduce a charging scheme for heavy goods vehicles, compatible with the directive and compensating UK hauliers as far as possible for the new charge.
There will be no national road pricing scheme for cars in this Parliament, nor any preparation for one. Tolling new roads will be considered on a case by case basis.
Transport for London: Finance
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the revenue budget was for the general Transport for London grant as allocated (a) for 2010-11 by the previous administration and (b) in the March 2010 budget. [46643]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's 2010-11 general Transport for London grant was £2,872 million. This figure was agreed as part of the Spring Supplementary Estimate process under the previous Administration and was not revised in the March 2010 budget.
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Transport: Free Schools
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department plans to issue to free schools on the safety of children travelling to and from free schools. [44528]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport has developed educational resources covering the safety of children on all journeys. These are available to all schools, and to children and their parents.
Trust Ports
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responsibilities he has for trust ports. [47720]
Mike Penning: Each trust port is an independent statutory body, governed by its own local legislation without shareholders and controlled by an independent board. The Secretary of State for Transport is responsible for policy towards trust ports in England and Wales. Ports policy is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department first received notice that the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway was to cease operations. [44904]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 8 March 2011]: The Department for Transport was made aware that the company was about to cease operations on 25 January 2011.
Justice
Alcoholic Drinks: Convictions
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders were found guilty of (a) drunk and disorderly behaviour and (b) drunk and aggravated behaviour in each police force area in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available. [47675]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for selected offences under the Licensing Act 1872 and Criminal Justice Act 1967, by police force area, England and Wales in 2009 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
| Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for selected offences under the Licensing Act 1872 (1) and Criminal Justice Act 1967 (2) , by police force area, England and Wales, 2009 (3,4) | ||
| Found guilty | ||
| Police force area | Licensing Act 1872 | Criminal Justice Act 1967 |
21 Mar 2011 : Column 789W
| (1) Licensing Act 1872 S.12—Drunkenness, simple Being found drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises (2) Criminal Justice Act 1967 S.9—Drunkenness, with aggravations Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour (3) These statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence 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. (4) 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. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||
Bail
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department issues to magistrates on granting bail to a convicted defendant in circumstances where the case has been sent to the Crown Court for sentence. [47316]
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Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not issue guidance on the grant of bail in these matters, which is at the discretion of the court.
Chief Coroner
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the potential savings to his Department of removing the posts of (a) chief coroner, (b) deputy chief coroner, (c) medical adviser to the chief coroner and (d) deputy medical adviser to the chief coroner. [47725]
Mr Djanogly: None of the posts have yet been brought into operation, so abolition would not give rise to any savings for current expenditure. The financial impact of full implementation of Part One of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, which provides for each of these posts, has been estimated at £10.9 million in set-up costs, and £6.6 million in running costs.
Crime
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were arrested for an offence but then either charged with or prosecuted for a lesser offence (a) before and (b) after the matter reached court in the latest period for which figures are available. [47394]
Mr Blunt: It is not possible to derive how many people arrested for an offence were prosecuted for a lesser offence as arrests data collated by the Home Office are not linked to court proceedings data collated by the Ministry of Justice.
Charging data are not collected centrally.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hammersmith of 10 November 2010, Official Report, column 394W, on criminal injuries compensation, when he plans to complete the review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. [47299]
Mr Blunt: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is currently subject to review. We intend to bring forward proposals in due course.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the categories of people eligible for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; whether he plans to change the monetary value of awards made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; whether the Government has commissioned research into options for the reform of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; and what plans he has for the funding of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each of the next four years. [47236]
Mr Blunt: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is currently subject to review. We intend to bring forward proposals in due course.
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The budget for compensation payments for England and Wales will remain at its current level for the next financial year. The budget for future years has not yet been decided.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in respect of how many cases under consideration by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority the claimant had not been notified of a resolution on the latest date for which figures are available; how many of those cases had been filed more than (a) six, (b) 12, (c) 18 and (d) 24 months prior to that date; how many compensation awards to victims of crime are outstanding; and how many such people have been waiting for such awards for more than (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) nine months and (iv) one year. [47237]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is as follows:
|
|
Number |
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many award decisions made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months have been referred to a Criminal Injuries Compensation tribunal; and how many such tribunals have (i) overturned and (ii) amended the award. [47341]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is as follows:
|
|
In last six months | In last 12 months |
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Terrorism
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individual payments the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority made in respect of (a) terrorism-related and (b) non terrorism-related cases in each of the last five years; and what the mean average payment was in each category in each such year. [47235]
Mr Djanogly: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) pays awards based on the injuries people receive, not the crime they were a victim of, and therefore do not hold that information.
Domestic Violence
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what targets his Department has set for the progression of court cases related to domestic violence offences; and how his Department collects information to assist in monitoring progress towards such targets. [47318]
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Mr Djanogly: There is no separate target for the progression of domestic violence offences. There is a target for the progression of all adult charged cases in the magistrates courts to reduce the average time from charge to disposal to six weeks or less. Latest data from the Time Intervals Survey collected in December 2010 shows that there has been a significant national improvement from 8.8 weeks (baseline set in March 2007) to 6.4 weeks.
Family Breakdown
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to reduce the incidence of family breakdown since his appointment. [48123]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not have a direct role to play in reducing the incidence of family breakdown. However, we are committed to encouraging the public to resolve their issues out of court without recourse to public funds, using simpler, more informal remedies where they are appropriate. Therefore, we want to ensure that everyone involved in family proceedings, whether publicly funded or not, is aware of family mediation as an alternative means of resolving disputes to going to court.
On 23 February I announced that we will be increasing awareness and understanding of family mediation through a new Pre-Application Protocol for Family Mediation Information and Assessment meetings.
My Department is also working closely with the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions with the aim of joining up support to separating and separated parents so they receive the help they need to work together and make post-separation arrangements that are in their children’s best interests.
Interim Possession Orders
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions for breaching interim possession orders there were in each year since 2007. [47718]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences of failing to comply with requirements of an interim possession order from 2007-09 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in spring 2011.
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Juries
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the number of defendants who elect for jury trial at the Crown court each year for either way offences where magistrates have accepted jurisdiction and deem the cases to be suitable for summary trial in the latest period for which figures are available. [47392]
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Mr Blunt: The following table contains the latest available data for the first three quarters of 2010, showing the breakdown between the number of either-way cases that went to the Crown court:
(i) on the direction of the magistrates court, and
(ii) by the defendant’s election.
| Number of triable either-way cases committed to the Crown court for trial, by reason for committal, England and Wales, 2010 Q1 to 2010 Q3 (1, 2, 3) | |||||
| Reason for committal | |||||
|
|
Quarter | Total | Unrecorded | Defendant election (4) | Magistrate direction (5) |
| (1) The reporting period is based on the date the case was committed to the Crown court. (2) Only includes committals direct from the magistrates court. Excludes bench warrants executed and transferred cases. (3) Excludes voluntary bills and transfer certificates. (4) Includes defendants that elect for trial in the Crown court. (5) Includes defendants who are committed for trial to the Crown court ‘on direction of the magistrates’ and ‘on direction of the magistrates after a request from the prosecution’. Source: HM Courts Service CREST System. | |||||
Olympic Games 2012
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what specific guidance his Department plans to issue to (a) businesses and (b) ticketing agents on the sale of London 2012 Olympics hospitality packages. [47874]
Mr Blunt: We have no plans to issue guidance specifically in relation to corporate hospitality packages at the London 2012 Olympics.
The issue of corporate hospitality will be covered in the guidance I will be publishing under section 9 of the Bribery Act about commercial organisations preventing bribery. This will make clear that corporate hospitality which seeks to improve the image of a commercial organisation, better to present products and services, or establish cordial relations, is recognised as an established and important part of doing business, and it is not the intention of the Act to criminalise such behaviour.
Police: Sentencing
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1271W, on assaults on police: sentencing, for what types of indictable-only offence a caution was issued between 2007 and 2009. [47423]
Mr Blunt: The number of offenders cautioned for indictable only offences, by offence group and offence class, England and Wales 2007 to 2009 (latest available) are shown in the table.
The answer of 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1271W, presented 5,371 cautions for indictable only offences in 2007. Further investigation has revealed that cautions for two offences included in this figure had been incorrectly recorded on Ministry of Justice systems as indictable only. Once these offences are removed the number of cautions for indictable only offences in 2007 is 2,676. The table as follows includes a full offence breakdown.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
| Number of offenders cautioned (1,2) for indictable only offences, by offence group and offence c lass, England and Wales, 2007- 09 (3) | |||
| Offence group/offence class | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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| n/a = Not applicable. (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) 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 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. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | |||