Public Bodies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 838W, if he will publish the departmental estimates that were collated to arrive at the stated estimates of savings. [Official Report, 5 May 2011, Vol. 527, c. 3MC.] [50289]
Mr Maude [holding answer 31 March 2011]: On the 16 March 2011, I announced that we estimate that cumulative administrative savings of £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
The departmental estimates that were collated to arrive at that figure are:
1 Apr 2011 : Column 541W
| Department | Estimated overall administrative savings from public bodies over SR period (£ million) |
I also announced that when reductions in programme and capital spend are taken into account, we estimate that total spending through public bodies will be reduced by at least £11 billion per year by 2014-15, a cumulative amount of £30 billion over the spending review period. The breakdown of these figures by Department was announced as part of the spending review settlements.
Unemployment: Pendle
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of workless households in Pendle constituency. [50963]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what recent estimate has been made of the number of workless households in Pendle constituency. (50963).
Estimates of the number of workless households are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. However, due to the specific nature of your request it is not possible to provide reliable estimates because the sample sizes for this survey are not sufficiently large enough for the Pendle constituency.
Education
Academies: Complaints
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the development of an alternative parental complaints mechanism following the abolition of the Young Persons Learning Agency so as to ensure that academies are not required to use their resources defending litigation claims for want of an effective statutory complaints process. [49579]
Mr Gibb:
Academies are regulated through a funding agreement with the Secretary of State that sets out the obligations placed upon them in return for the funding
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they are granted. Those obligations include requirements covering a number of areas such as curriculum and assessment, admissions and exclusions. The Secretary of State is responsible for ensuring that the terms of an academy's funding agreement are met. That includes considering complaints from parents about matters covered within the funding agreement to decide whether there has been a breach of the funding agreement by the academy. At the moment, the YPLA considers those complaints on behalf of the Secretary of State. When the YPLA is abolished, the responsibility for handling complaints will return to the Department for Education, either within the relevant policy directorate or a future executive agency.
Academies: Finance
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when he expects his Department's review of academy funding for 2011-12 to begin; and what the objectives of that review will be; [25507]
(2) whether he expects consideration of funding provision for children with low incidence special educational needs undertaken as part of the review of academy funding for 2011-12 to be completed before the School Finance (England) Regulations 2011 come into force. [25508]
Mr Gibb: On academy funding in 2011/12, the Department consulted interested parties via the Academy Funding Sub-Group of the School Funding Implementation Group. The aim of the review was to consider the methodology for the future funding of academies for academic year 2011/12 and to identify any issues that needed to be considered for the academic year 2012/13 and beyond. The consultation was intended to inform Ministers and was reflected in the School Funding Settlement announced in December 2010.
The group considered whether funding for children with special educational needs (SEN) should still be part of the local authority central spend equivalent grant. Furthermore, the Government have listened to the concerns expressed by groups which support children with SEN. Therefore we will not be recovering funding for SEN support services in relation to academies from local authorities in the 2011-12 financial year. We wrote to local authorities on 9 February 2011 to confirm that they do not need to reduce funding for these services as a result of schools converting to academy status. Funding for the individually assigned resources specified in a child's statement will continue to be paid directly from local authorities to academies.
The School Finance (England) Regulations 2011 came into force on 15 March 2011 and can be viewed at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/371/introduction/made
Brook Advisory Centres
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) Brook Advisory Centres and (ii) the Family Planning Association since May 2010; what issues were discussed; whether a note was made of each meeting; and if he will make a statement. [48873]
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Sarah Teather: There have been no individual meetings between the Secretary of State for Education, or other DfE Ministers, and officials from either Brook or FPA.
I have, however, met both Simon Blake (Chief Executive of Brook) and Julie Bentley (Chief Executive of FPA) on a number of occasions:
First, at meetings of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG)—which both were members of—in September and December 2010; and
Secondly, when they attended a briefing event I hosted in July 2010, with a number of other stakeholders that support young people on issues related to sexual health and substance misuse.
There was no note of the July briefing event, but its purpose was to hear the views of key stakeholders on how best to help young people to avoid: unplanned pregnancies and STIs; and the harms resulting from drugs, smoking and alcohol.
At the TPIAG meeting in September 2010, the main topic of discussion was how services could better support boys and young men with regard to sex, relationships and sexual health. At its December meeting, TPIAG presented its final report to me, a copy of which is available at:
http://education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Past%20successes%20-%20future%20challenges.pdf
Class Sizes: Berkshire
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average class size of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Berkshire, (ii) Reading and (iii) Reading West constituency is. [49772]
Mr Gibb: The requested information is shown in the table. Berkshire was reorganised in 1998, so information has been provided for the six local authorities that Berkshire was divided into.
| Maintained primary and state-funded secondary schools (1,2) : Classes as taught (3) January 2010 | ||
| Average class size | ||
|
|
Maintained primary (1) | State-funded secondary (1,2) |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. Source: School Census | ||
Education Business Partnerships: Finance
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for funding education business partnership services in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [37905]
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Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 February 2011]: Funding for education business partnership services (EBPs) will not continue in financial year 2011-12.
We have made clear that priority for education expenditure would be on front line services in schools; funding for EBPs does not come within that category. In future, it will be for schools to decide whether or not to buy in services from education business partnership organisations (EBPOs) locally. EBPOs will need to ensure they are offering a high quality service if schools are going to be persuaded to buy their services, and having the Award for Education Business Excellence will signify that.
English Baccalaureate
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the English Baccalaureate; and if he will make a statement. [49694]
Mr Gibb: The inclusion of the English Baccalaureate measure in the 2010 performance tables has already had a positive impact on GCSE choices in schools. It forms a key part of our plans to raise aspirations and increase academic attainment in secondary schools.
Health Education: Sex
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings he has had to discuss sex and relationship education since May 2010; and which (a) individuals and (b) organisations attended each such meeting. [34068]
Mr Gibb: As my hon. Friend will recall, he met the Secretary of State for Education on 8 February 2011 with the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr Jackson), the hon. Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Greg Hands) and the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey) to discuss sex and relationships education. The Secretary of State has had no further meetings on this subject.
The Schools White Paper 2010, “The Importance of Teaching”, sets out the Government’s intention to work with teachers, parents, faith groups and campaign groups such as Stonewall to make sure sex and relationships education encompasses an understanding of the ways in which humans love each other and stresses the importance of respecting individual autonomy.
Schools: Drugs
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what educational materials, other than information produced by Frank, warning of the dangers attached to drug use his Department supplies to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement; [50031]
(2) what methods his Department is using to deliver classroom-based drug prevention programmes in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement. [50057]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 31 March 2011]: All schools should teach pupils about the effects of drugs (including alcohol, tobacco, volatile substances and medicines)
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through the non-statutory framework for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) and as part of the statutory National Curriculum for Science. The Department's guidance, ‘Drugs: Guidance for Schools (DfES 2004)’, makes clear that drug education should start in primary schools and outlines the issues that should be covered in all key stages, having regard to the age and maturity of the pupils concerned. As part of their drug education, pupils should learn how to make informed choices about their health, how to resist pressure to do wrong and to take more responsibility for their actions. The guidance is available at:
www.education.gov.uk/publications
We are committed to giving schools greater freedoms and flexibility, so we leave it to them to decide how they teach these basic requirements and what resources they use to support their teaching. For this reason, we do not promote, endorse or supply any educational materials to be used. We believe it is important that schools have the flexibility to use their professional judgment in such matters so that they can take account of the views of parents and the needs of pupils, as well as of the ethos of the school.
Science: Education
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to promote the teaching of science in schools. [49146]
Mr Gibb: The Schools White Paper, ‘The Importance of Teaching’, highlights the Government's commitment to promoting the teaching of science in schools by improving the skills of existing teachers and increasing the number of specialist subject teachers of science. The Government have taken steps to improve teacher supply and Initial Teacher Training designed to promote the teaching of science. These include expanding Teach First, and offering financial incentives to attract the very best graduates and talented career changers to become teachers in shortage subjects, like physics and chemistry. Inclusion of science in the new English Baccalaureate will help reinforce the importance of science education.
We plan to announce what further support will be made available to promote science teaching in schools in due course.
Secondary Education: Work Experience
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to increase the number of students in secondary schools participating in high-quality work experience. [40678]
Mr Gibb:
Professor Wolf concluded in her recent report on the “Review of Vocational Education” that providing 16 to 18-year-olds with work opportunities was a priority, and she questioned the value of much of the work experience that young people at Key Stage 4 undertake. We therefore have no plans to increase the number of students at Key Stage 4 in secondary schools participating in high quality work experience. This is consistent with our Schools White Paper, “The Importance of Teaching”, where we set out our aim to trust frontline professionals in schools, rather than constrain them by
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central plans. Secondary schools are best placed to work with local employers to determine how to provide high quality work experience for their Key Stage 4 pupils.
Sixth Form Education
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 889W, on sixth form education, what assessments he undertook prior to his decision to reduce the funding for entitlement to 30 funded learning hours. [47302]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 17 March 2011]: We considered a range of options in order to secure our commitment to full participation among 16 and 17-year-olds by 2015 and to deliver the unit costs savings announced as part of the 16-19 spending review settlement.
Our priority has been to protect the core education programmes offered by schools and colleges that equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to progress and succeed. We have also increased the funding available to target disadvantage by more than one third (in 2011/12 the total funding will be £770 million) to help support those students who face the greatest barriers to participation in 16-19 education. We also recognise that tutorial provision for all is important and that is why we have protected that within the entitlement reduction so that all full time students can have access to a tutorial programme.
In light of these priorities and the state of the public finances inherited from the previous Government, the entitlement was reduced because the evidence to support the claim that the enrichment activity within the entitlement provided value for money was weak.
That is not to say that the Government regard the other activities that might be funded from the public purse as additional enrichment activities as unimportant. However, at a time when we are experiencing a welcome increase in participation, alongside a need to respond to extremely difficult economic circumstances, providing an entitlement to those activities to all full-time students cannot be a priority.
Truancy: Berkshire
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the rate of truancy is for secondary schools in (a) Berkshire, (b) Reading and (c) Reading West constituency; and what steps he is taking to reduce levels of truancy. [49771]
Mr Gibb: Information on pupil absence in 2009/10 is shown in the table. Berkshire was reorganised in 1998, information has been provided for the six local authorities that Berkshire was divided into.
The closest measure we have to truancy is unauthorised absence. However, this includes family holidays not agreed, late arrival, “other unauthorised circumstances”, and “no reason given”, not all of which is truancy.
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| Pupil absence in state-funded secondary schools (1,2) : 2009/10 | |||||
| Percentage of half days missed (3) | |||||
|
|
Pupil enrolments in schools during 2009/10 (4) | Authorised absence | Unauthorised absence | Overall absence | Percentage of persistent absentees (5,6) |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes city technology colleges and academies. (3) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (4) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year until 21 May 2010. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15. Excludes boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (5) Number of persistent absentees expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments. (6) Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, around 20% overall absence rate. Source: School Census | |||||
Home Department
Arrest Warrants
Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has made to her counterpart in Poland on the number of European arrest warrants issued by that country. [49704]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 29 March 2011]: The Minister of State for Security and Counter-terrorism (Baroness Neville-Jones) discussed the operation of the European Arrest Warrant with the Polish Justice Minister, Mr Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, on 10 March 2011. The Minister underlined the UK’s view that proportionality should be carefully considered by requesting member states before they issue a European Arrest Warrant. The issue of proportionality and the European arrest warrant has also been discussed by officials during bi-lateral discussions in October 2008 and September 2010. Further official-led discussions are envisaged for later in 2011.
Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely future change in the number of European arrest warrants received by the UK as a result of proposals to implement the Schengen Information System II during 2012. [49706]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 29 March 2011]: The UK’s connection date to the Schengen Information System II (SIS II) has been revised following the announcement last June of the Commission’s revised operational timetable, giving a new entry into operation date for the central EU system of early 2013. The UK’s SIS II Programme has also been the subject of a major project review conducted by HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce. This assessed that the programme is in a good position to deliver its objectives but in the light of the announcement of the delay to the central system, it recommended that the UK’s connection date be moved back until 2015. In reality a UK go-live date of 2015 means that we will need to connect for testing purposes in 2014, shortly after the central system is due to be ready and the member states migrating from SIS I have bedded down their new systems. Further assessments of the number of European arrest warrants on the SIS II system and their likely impact on the United Kingdom will be made nearer the UK go-live date.
Arrest Warrants: Costs
Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to the UK was of the European arrest warrant system in each year since 2004. [49705]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 29 March 2011]: An exercise is under way to estimate the average cost of executing a European arrest warrant and an extradition request in England and Wales, and the results will be available in due course.
Arrest Warrants: Human Rights
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to respond to the statement by the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe on “Overuse of the European Arrest Warrant: a threat to human rights”. [48391]
Nick Herbert: The Government are aware that concerns as to the proportionate use of the European arrest warrant (‘EAW’) have been expressed by a number of people. This is why the operation of the EAW is one of the areas being examined by the independent panel appointed by the Government to review the UK’s extradition arrangements.
It would, however, be inappropriate to comment on the statement ahead of the completion of the review, which is due to be published by the end of the summer, 2011. A copy of the statement has however been passed to the extradition review panel.
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Assaults on Police
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults on a police constable in England and Wales were reported in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010. [49436]
Nick Herbert: Available data are provided in the following table:
| Assaults (1) on police constables on duty, England and Wales, 2005-06 to 2009-10 | |
|
|
Assaults |
| (1) These data are provisional. (2) Cambridgeshire, Cleveland and Devon and Cornwall police forces were not able to provide data for 2005-06. (3) Data not available. A significant number of police forces were unable to provide their figures for 2006-07. 4. Cumbria, Greater Manchester, South Wales, North Yorkshire and Wiltshire were unable to provide data for 2007-08. 5. Cheshire, Cumbria, Essex and North Yorkshire were not able to provide data for 2008-09. 6. Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire and North Yorkshire were not able to provide data for 2009-10. | |
Border Agency
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she last met the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency; and what issues they discussed. [50633]
Damian Green: The Secretary of State met with the independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency on 24 March 2011 to discuss his Inspection Plan for 2011-12. The plan was published on 31 March 2011 on the Chief Inspector's website.
Crimes of Violence: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of violent crime in the west midlands in each of the last three years. [47376]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 21 March 2011]: Data supplied in Table A are for police recorded violence against the person offences. Data are provided for west midlands alongside the total figures for England and Wales for each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10.
| Recorded violence against the person offences in west midlands and England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2009-10 | |||
| Area | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
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Cybercrime
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with their EU counterparts on establishing international law in the area of cyber-attack. [45339]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 10 March 2011]: The UK Government continues to work closely with European Union counterparts and the representatives of European member states to increase our collective response to cyber-attacks. This includes ongoing discussions regarding the potential application of international law in the area of cyber-attack.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department discussed cyber-issues with her counterparts at the G6 meeting in Krakow of 3-4 February, as she reported in her written ministerial statement to Parliament of 11 February 2011, Official Report, column 23WS.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, my noble Friend (Lord McNally), participated in a discussion on the draft directive on attacks against information systems at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 25 February, as reported in the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s written ministerial statement of 3 March 2011, Official Report, column 37WS.
The UK Government will continue to work multilaterally and bilaterally to support work to protect the UK’s interests in cyberspace.
Demonstrations
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will request the Metropolitan police to publish the report of its internal investigation into the use of CS gas at the protest at the Boots store on Oxford street, London on 30 January 2011. [49957]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 30 March 2011]: A decision on the publication of a Metropolitan police internal investigation report into the use of CS gas is a matter for the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police.
Public Bodies Reform Programme
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of the Serious Organised Crime Agency into the new National Crime Agency; [48806]
(2) what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the National Policing Improvement Agency; [48680]
(3) what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Security Industry Authority. [48679]
Nick Herbert:
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement on 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, updating Parliament on progress on public
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bodies reform. That statement also 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 Home Office is not yet in a position to estimate net overall administrative savings from specific structural reforms such as the creation of the National Crime Agency in December 2013, the phasing out of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), and the transition from the Security Industry Authority to a new self-regulatory regime by the end of 2013.
DNA: Databases
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA samples police forces submitted to the National DNA Database in each of the last three years. [50015]
James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of subject sample profiles and the number of crime scene sample profiles loaded onto the National DNA Database (NDNAD) in each of the last three years. The figures are for profiles submitted on behalf of all UK forces.
The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
| Number of subject sample and crime scene sample profiles loaded onto the NDNAD in each year 2007-08 to 2009-10 from all forces in the UK | ||
|
|
Number of sample profiles loaded | Number of crime scene sample profiles loaded |
Human Trafficking
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will press all airlines using UK airports to introduce measures to enable them to determine whether they are free of trafficked persons. [50686]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency’s Risk and Liaison Overseas Network (RALON) officers work closely with airlines and provide training and support overseas on trafficking and related immigration issues to help carriers identify potential traffickers and their victims.
The e-Borders programme is enabling us to collect and analyse information from carriers about passengers intending to travel to or from the UK. This record of passenger movements informs us in advance who plans to cross our border so that we can check travellers against lists of people known to pose a threat such as traffickers.
The Government’s forthcoming strategy on human trafficking will reflect plans for further engagement with the airline industry and to enhance knowledge of trafficking in this sector.
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Illegal Immigrants
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on steps to combat illegal migration. [50402]
Damian Green: The matter is discussed on an ongoing basis as part of regular meetings between UK Border Agency officials and officials from the Scottish Government and the Scottish police service. It has not been the subject of recent discussions at ministerial level.
Immigration Controls
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what economic impact assessment her Department undertook on the decision to implement a visa cap. [50385]
Damian Green: An impact assessment in respect of the Government’s policy to apply limits to tiers 1 and 2 of the points-based system was published, and placed in the Library of the House, on 16 March 2011.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the decision to implement a visa cap; on what dates such meetings occurred; and who was present at each such meeting. [50386]
Damian Green: The Secretary of State and I regularly meet our ministerial colleagues at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss matters relating to migration, including the limit on non-EU economic migration.
Marriage of Convenience
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps she is taking to tackle sham marriages; and if she will make a statement; [50404]
(2) how many people have been arrested for offences related to sham marriages in each of the last five years. [50676]
Damian Green: Since January 2010 the UK Border Agency has been working to develop effective strategies for tackling sham marriage. The UK Border Agency is working with the civil registration services and the relevant authorities within the Anglican Church in England and Wales, who are all committed to helping us to tackle the problem of sham marriage.
The UK Border Agency is offering training and awareness sessions at local level as well as assisting in the development of effective guidance. The UK Border Agency is working to develop closer links with register offices and dioceses at a local level to provide support to those who can identify potentially suspicious marriages and to facilitate early detection and appropriate action against foreign nationals seeking to gain an immigration advantage from a sham marriage. Since January 2010 two periods of targeted enforcement actions have been
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conducted against those involved in sham marriages, which resulted in 155 arrests.
The UK Border Agency records data relating to offenders arrested on the National Operations Database (NOD). Data are available from 2007-08 and record the following numbers of arrests for offences specifically related to marriage abuse.
|
|
Number |
(The NOD is a management information tool and data from it are not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. Figures provided from the NOD do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional).
As well as offences specifically related to marriage abuse, persons were also arrested for general immigration offences such as illegal entry or overstaying a period of lawful entry.
The UK Border Agency, in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service, has brought successful prosecutions against a number of persons involved in sham marriages for offences under the Immigration Acts, Perjury Act, ID Cards Act and Fraud Act.
Migrant Workers
Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas in the category of (a) temporary worker (creative and sporting), (b) temporary worker (charity worker), (c) temporary worker (religious worker), (d) temporary worker (government authorised
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exchange),
(e)
temporary worker (international agreement) and
(f)
Youth Mobility scheme Tier 5 were issued in 2010. [50484]
Damian Green: The following table gives the requested figures.
| Category | Issued |
These figures are published by the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics and are available online at:
http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs11/control-immigration-q4-2010-tabs.xls
Police
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio of police to public was in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [47794]
Nick Herbert: The latest available data are provided in the following table which shows the number of officers per 100,000 population as at 31 March 1997 to 2010 by police force area (full-time equivalent). These figures have been published in the Police Service Strength in England and Wales bulletin for each year.
| N umber of officers per 100,000 population as at 31 March 1997 to 2010 by police force area (1) —England and Wales | ||||||||||||||
| Total officers per 100,000 population (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Police force | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
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| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan Police are combined apart from in 2009-10. | ||||||||||||||
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for future numbers of front-line police officers in England. [47848]
Nick Herbert: It is for chief constables and their police authorities to make decisions on the number of police officers within their available resource. The Government believe that forces can make savings while maintaining or improving the service they provide to the public.
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on arrangements to improve liaison between police services and other emergency responders; what assessment she has made of the preparedness for major incidents requiring close working between blue-light services and other responders; and if she will make a statement. [48150]
Nick Herbert: The strategic defence and security review records Ministers’ agreed intention to improve the ability of the emergency services to work together during emergencies. This includes implementation of procedures to enable the emergency services and other responders to make best use of communications during major incidents and the development and refinement of operational plans for dealing with a range of different types of incident. The Cabinet Office is leading work to maximise the multi-agency response to a wide range of scenarios.
Detailed resilience plans are developed locally, and in most cases the police service will co-ordinate the activities of the emergency services and other responding agencies at and around the scene of an emergency or major incident.
The response to any emergency or major incident needs to be managed flexibly as each incident is unique and the response needs to be co-ordinated in a manner to reflect local needs and circumstances.
Police: Diamond Jubilee 2012
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether serving police officers will be awarded a diamond jubilee medal; and if she will make a statement. [49577]
Nick Herbert: Commemoration of the diamond jubilee through the issuing of a medal is under consideration. Further details will be released in due course.
Police: Manpower
Mr Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has conducted (a) an equality impact assessment and (b) a risk assessment
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on the effects of proposed reductions in police numbers in England and Wales in the next two years. [47365]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 17 March 2011]: The Home Office published an equality screening of the Spending Review 2010 on 20 October 2010. Chief constables and police authorities will need to consider the local impact and risks of decisions they take when making decisions about how they allocate resources. Forces should be focusing on the middle and the back office when making savings in order to maintain frontline services.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CID officers there were in each police force in (a) each year since 2008 and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available. [48534]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 23 March 2011]: The requested information is provided in the following table.
| Police officers whose primary function is Criminal Investigation Department (CID) (1) , England and Wales, as at 31 March, 2008 - 10 (FTE) (2) by police force | |||
| Police force | 2008 (3) | 2009 (4) | 2010 (4,5) |
1 Apr 2011 : Column 558W
| (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3). Includes CID Aides/Trainee Investigators. (4) Includes CID Specialist Crime Units. (5) Data are correct as at 5 October 2010. | |||
Police: Olympic Games 2012
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the likely effects of reductions in her Department’s budget on frontline police staffing levels at the London 2012 Olympics. [43786]
Nick Herbert: By improving efficiency, driving out waste and increasing productivity, I believe that the service can make the savings required while protecting its frontline policing capacity, including in relation to the London 2012 Olympics.
The Government will make up to £600 million available, if required, for the Olympic safety and security programme. At this stage, with almost two years before the Games begin, we estimate that it should be possible to deliver the core cross-Government safety and security programme for about £475 million. We will continue to keep security planning and policing for the Games under review, but we are satisfied that sufficient funding has been made available to deliver the security programme in full.
Police: Overtime
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the level of overtime payments to full-time police officers at basic command unit level. [48215]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 22 March 2011]: The Home Office does not collect information on overtime at basic command unit level, and it could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
Police: Termination of Employment
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have left each police force in England and Wales during 2010-11 to date. [48024]
1 Apr 2011 : Column 559W
Nick Herbert: Available information relates to police officers leaving forces for the six-month period to 30 September 2010 and is given in the table.
Statistics for the whole of 2010-11 are scheduled for publication in July 2011.
| Police officer leavers (1, 2) England and Wales police forces at 30 September 2010 (3) | |
| Police force | Leavers |
| (1) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Includes normal retirements, medical retirements, resignations, dismissals and death but not transfers to other England and Wales forces and officers leaving after a period of secondment. (3) Leavers numbers are for the six-month period to 30 September 2010. | |