Communities and Local Government
Local Authority Pay
11. David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking in respect of levels of pay of senior staff in local authorities. [50350]
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Mr Pickles: Representations have been received from Members of Parliament, leaders of local authorities, trade union branches and the members of the public. Although a matter for individual councils, we expect restraint and leadership to be shown locally when setting senior pay. We have introduced measures in the Localism Bill to increase local democratic accountability for decisions on senior pay. We have also been consulting on proposed new transparency arrangements for local government, including how public money is used in relations to senior pay.
Business: Pendle
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Pendle constituency received business rate hardship relief in 2010. [50965]
Robert Neill: The information requested is not held centrally.
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Pendle constituency were (a) eligible for and (b) received small business rate relief in the last year for which figures are available. [50966]
Robert Neill: Pendle reported on their national non-domestic rates (NNDR1) budget form that 1,158 hereditaments received a discount from the small business rate relief scheme as at 31 December 2009. A further 55 hereditaments paid only the small business rate multiplier without being granted a discount. Information on numbers of businesses eligible for the relief is not held centrally.
Compulsory Purchase
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to establish and promulgate guidance on the planning status of land acquired under compulsory purchase orders in order to assess land value for compensation purposes. [50723]
Robert Neill: Guidance on the current system is contained in Appendix P (“Land Compensation Act 1961—Certificates of appropriate alternative development”) to Part 1 of the Memorandum to ODPM Circular 06/2004 “Compulsory Purchase and the Crichel Down Rules”.
Council Tax
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on local authorities which have different levels of council tax within their areas for those in the same council tax band. [50383]
Robert Neill [holding answer 1 April 2011]: Taxpayers in the same local authority and council tax band will pay different levels of council tax where the town or parish where they live charges a differing amount of precept from another town or parish in that local authority. The Department has published local authority level information for 2010-11 on local precepting authorities. This can be found at the following address:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1765849.xls
4 Apr 2011 : Column 628W
Information on the levels of precepts set by individual parishes is not held centrally.
Some taxpayers in the same council tax band in the unitary authorities of central Bedfordshire and Shropshire pay different levels of tax as these authorities have decided to continue to set their basic amount of council tax under Part 4 of the Local Government (Structural Changes) (Finance) Regulations 2008, so as to equalise its council tax for all predecessor areas over more than two years. Information on these predecessor areas can be found in table 6 of the statistical release ‘Council tax levels set by local authorities in England—2011-12’, at this address:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1870241.xls
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to assist residents of local authority areas in meeting the cost of council tax bills. [50542]
Robert Neill: The Government’s council tax freeze for 2011-12 has been a success with 100% take-up of the scheme among eligible authorities across England.
In addition, council tax benefit is available to those on low incomes who are having difficulty paying their council tax bills.
Departmental Contracts
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let. [50693]
Robert Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government was formed in May 2002 (as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) and since that time has let no contracts with Lockheed Martin.
Information on contracts awarded by the Department's associated public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Spending by my Department's arm’s length bodies over £500 since 2008-09 is available online as part of our broader transparency agenda.
Departmental Flowers
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on cut flowers through its integrated facilities management contract with MITIE between the date of initiation of the contract and 30 April 2010. [50667]
Robert Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 1 February 2011, Official Report, columns 743-44W.
Environment Protection: Planning Permission
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to coordinate environmental planning between communities in cases where protected woodland covers more than one county and district area. [50468]
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Robert Neill: Local planning authorities already work together on environmental issues both informally and formally, for example on preparing joint local plans.
We are introducing a duty to co-operate in the Localism Bill that will require local planning authorities and public bodies to engage constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis in preparing local plans. The duty will maximise effective working on development planning in relation to issues that cross administrative boundaries. The issues will depend on the circumstances that authorities and their neighbours face but is likely to include environmental matters.
Authorities have the option of developing joint strategic planning documents with statutory status. These documents can address one or more strategic issues, for example climate change, energy, transport, infrastructure, that are particularly relevant to a group of authorities who may want to develop a strategy to address them together.
Fire Services: Pensions
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effects on fire service pension schemes of the recommendations of the Independent Public Sector Pensions Commission. [50277]
Robert Neill: The final report of the Independent Public Service Pension Commission was published by Lord Hutton on 10 March 2011. The report set out 27 recommendations to reform public service pensions so that public service employees can have access to good quality, sustainable and affordable pensions, which are fair to both public sector workers and the taxpayer.
These recommendations included a move to career average pension schemes, the protection of accrued rights, greater transparency and oversight, and the linking of scheme retirement ages to the state pension age. For the uniformed services, including firefighters, Lord Hutton recommended that a retirement age of 60 would be more appropriate, inline with the current New Firefighters Pension Scheme (2006) rules.
At the Budget the Chancellor accepted Lord Hutton's recommendations as a basis for consultation with public sector workers, trades unions and others, recognising that the position of the uniformed services will require particularly careful consideration. The Government will then set out proposals in the autumn that are affordable, sustainable and fair to both the public sector work force and the taxpayer.
Flood Control
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the findings from Exercise Watermark national emergency flooding exercise that affect fire and rescue services. [50323]
Robert Neill: Exercise Watermark took place from 4 to 10 March. It tested the country's preparedness for a national flood emergency. It is too soon to draw, or discuss, any findings.
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Debriefs are currently taking place. Feedback from exercise participants, who came from many diverse organisations, is being collated. A final exercise report and implementation plan is expected by the end of September 2011. My Department will take forward any findings relating to the fire and rescue service, working with the sector as appropriate.
Flood Control: Finance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the implications of the local levy for flood defences for the holding of referendums under the provisions of the Localism Bill. [51017]
Robert Neill: We have received certain representations about flood defence levies. We are currently considering what might be possible in terms of allowing communities to come together and make it clear they are happy to raise such a levy, while ensuring this does not amount to a green light for excessive council tax increases.
Housing Revenue Accounts
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the retention of receipts from the sale of council house sales in order to deliver services locally through the housing revenue account business plan. [50322]
Andrew Stunell: Receipts derived from the sale of tenanted homes to registered social landlords may be spent on any capital purpose (once outstanding liabilities have been met). All other receipts may be retained provided they are spent on affordable housing or regeneration projects, except right to buy (and similar) sales of existing council homes where 75% of the receipt must be surrendered to central Government.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what mechanisms are in place to ensure environmental concerns are taken into account in the development of local enterprise partnerships; [50719]
(2) what mechanisms are in place to ensure social issues are taken into account in the development of local enterprise partnerships. [50720]
Robert Neill: Local enterprise partnerships are locally led partnerships of business and civic leaders, coming together to provide clear vision and strategic leadership to drive sustainable economic growth and job creation in their area, as set out in the White Paper “Local growth: realising every places potential”. We continue to take a non-prescriptive approach in order to give local areas the flexibility to fully reflect their economic needs. As such it is for local areas to decide how environmental concerns will be taken into account in setting the priorities and continued work of their local enterprise partnership.
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Local Enterprise Partnerships: Cost-effectiveness
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria he plans to use to assess value for money in the new local enterprise partnership arrangements. [50230]
Robert Neill: Local enterprise partnerships are not government bodies, and do not receive central Government funding in respect to their administrative costs. As locally led partnerships of business and civic leaders, they will not be subject to burdensome performance monitoring regimes imposed by Whitehall. It will be for partnerships to determine how best to assess value for money as part of any monitoring activities they undertake. Where partnerships receive support from Government in relation to specific economic activities, there will be a requirement to assess value for money in respect to the public purse.
Local Enterprise Partnerships: North East England
Mr Nicholas Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public
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consultation his Department conducted prior to the creation of the North East Economic Partnership. [50228]
Robert Neill: The North East Economic Partnership is not a government body and Central Government has therefore not been consulted on its creation.
Local Government Finance: Kent
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Medway council and (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council in each of the last five years. [50046]
Robert Neill: The total grant funding allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government to Medway unitary authority and Tonbridge and Malling borough council is as follows:
| £ thousand | |||||
|
|
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of:
formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates);
specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services) (only includes grants from this Department);
specific grants outside Aggregate External Finance (only includes grants from this Department);
Area Based Grant (from 2008-09); and
‘other grants’ provided by all Government Departments.
These figures are taken from revenue outturn forms provided by authorities after the end of a financial year. Figures for formula grant, Area Based Grant and other grants are aggregated grants for all Government Departments.
Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and changes to funding methodology. For example, the large apparent reduction in Medway's funding between 2005-06 and 2006-07 is due principally to the transfer of Dedicated School Grant (£153.092 million in 2006-07) from formula grant to specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (from another Department).
Local Government: Pay
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking in respect of levels of pay to senior officials in local authorities. [50661]
Robert Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr Offord) on 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 7W.
Local Government: Public Participation
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of times people have been removed by police from public galleries in meetings of local authorities in England in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010. [50375]
Robert Neill: My Department does not bold the requested information.
I have, however, noted reports in the media and social media recently of incidents where people had been ejected from council meetings for blogging, tweeting or filming, and given the importance of transparency and accountability in council decision-making, I wrote to principal local authorities on 23 February to encourage councils to open up their meetings to members of the public and to citizen journalists.
Non-domestic Rates: Rochdale
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many businesses in Rochdale received business rate hardship relief in 2010; [49999]
(2) how many businesses in each region of England received business rate hardship relief in 2010. [50001]
Robert Neill: The information requested is not held centrally.
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Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Rochdale were (a) eligible for and (b) received small business rate relief in the latest period for which figures are available. [50000]
Robert Neill: Rochdale metropolitan borough council reported on their national non-domestic rates (NNDR1) budget form that 1,864 hereditaments received a discount from the small business rate relief scheme as at 31 December 2009. A further 128 hereditaments paid only the small business rate multiplier without being granted a discount. Information on number of businesses eligible for the relief is not held centrally.
Planning Permission
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the provision of guidance and information on changes to the planning system to non-governmental organisations. [50666]
Robert Neill: The Localism Bill contains a number of changes to the planning system and this was published in December 2010 with explanatory notes.
The National Planning Policy Framework will set out the Government’s key economic, social and environmental objectives and the planning policies to deliver them. The framework will combine all national planning policies into one concise, easy to use document in a way that is much more accessible to business and communities.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to evaluate local authorities' adaptation to the new planning system [50721]
Robert Neill: The Government are decentralising decisions on planning and housing matters to local authorities who are perfectly capable of managing planning in their area.
However, all plans are subject to an independent examination to test their soundness and all planning decisions are subject to appeal if applicants are unhappy with the decision.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to ensure that local authorities are equipped with adequate resources to collect and collate data relevant to planning. [50722]
Robert Neill: Local plans should be based on sound evidence, but it is not the job of the Government to tell councils how to manage their responsibilities or prioritise their resources. Evidence should be proportionate and relevant to the local area.
Subject to the review and reduction of data reporting burdens on local government, the Department will continue to produce official statistics which can contribute to the evidence base used by local authorities to develop their plans; these statistics include house building, affordable housing supply, house prices, homelessness, household projections, planning applications and land use change.
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Prince William: Marriage
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to reduce the administrative requirements for street parties planned to mark the Royal Wedding. [50541]
Robert Neill: In August 2010 the Government published a simple checklist to help residents work with their local authorities to organise street parties and similar community events. The checklist replaced a plethora of confusing guidelines on food licences, road closures and insurance. I have placed a copy of the checklist in the Library of the House.
In February 2011, working in conjunction with my Department, the Department for Transport removed the national guidelines on “special event” traffic regulation orders, making clear these were matters to be dealt with locally and that central Government did not need to be involved.
Ministers have continued to encourage local authorities to be as helpful and flexible as possible in agreeing road closures and not to levy unnecessary charges.
Tenancy Agreements
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effect of flexible tenancies on older people and the disabled. [50361]
Andrew Stunell: We will protect the security and rights of existing social tenants. At the same time, our tenancy reforms will give greater flexibility to social landlords to support more vulnerable people who need help, for as long as they need it, and ensure that the system is fair.
West Sussex County Council: Pay
Mr Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the underlying local wage data used by the last administration as the basis of calculations of the area cost adjustment for West Sussex County Council, anonymising data where necessary to facilitate disclosure. [50644]
Robert Neill [holding answer 1 April 2011]: It is the view of Ministers that data should be released, provided that personally identifiable information would not be released and legal obligations were met. I believe that disclosure would be in keeping with the new Government’s transparency and free data agendas, and would be in the public interest by promoting greater scrutiny and accountability of the local government finance settlement.
Notwithstanding, the data referred to are the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics and any release is governed by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
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Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what constitutional powers he would adopt were the Prime Minister prevented from exercising his functions and duties. [51005]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the recent answer given by the Leader of the House of Commons on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1065.
Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) on what date he last travelled by ministerial car whilst on government business; and how many times he has travelled by ministerial car to his constituency since May 2010; [50094]
(2) on what date he last travelled by a public bus service whilst on government business; and how many times he has travelled by public bus services whilst on government business since his appointment; [50095]
(3) on what date he last travelled by London Underground services whilst on government business; and how many times he has travelled by London Underground services whilst on government business since his appointment; [50096]
Departmental Public Transport
(4) whether he has been issued at public expense with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travelcard valid on London Underground for use when travelling on government business. [50097]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements, including by public transport. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel as set out in the ministerial code.
Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on Ministerial travel by (a) Ministerial car, (b) train, (c) bus, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010. [50224]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Details of overseas travel are published quarterly and can be found at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Within the UK, I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements, including by public transport. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel as set out in the ministerial code.
Elections: Tower Hamlets
Mr Burley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reports he has received on the conduct of the recent election of the mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets. [50668]
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Mr Harper: No formal reports have been received by the Government on the conduct of the recent election of the mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.
General Election 2010
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of armed forces personnel who exercised their right to vote in the May 2010 general election (a) in person, (b) by post and (c) by proxy; and what proportion this represents of armed forces personnel on electoral rolls. [50107]
Mr Harper: No figures are kept on the number of armed forces personnel who choose to exercise their right to vote, whether in person, by post or by proxy. Armed forces personnel may register either as service voters or as ‘ordinary’ voters, and may change the nature of their registration over the course of their career. The Ministry of Defence conducts regular surveys to monitor the level of registration among armed forces personnel—in 2009, 76% of those who were registered to vote were registered as ‘ordinary’ voters, rather than service voters.
Electoral registers do not record whether someone who is not registered specifically as a service voter is a member of the armed forces, and so, even were numbers held centrally of votes cast by those registered as service voters, no calculation of the percentage of armed forces personnel who have voted would be possible.
General Elections: Costs
Mr Ward: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of a general election held in 2015 under (a) the first past the post system and (b) the alternative vote system. [50799]
Mr Harper: Based on the information set out in the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2010, the estimated cost of the conduct of the UK parliamentary election in Great Britain which was held under the first past the post system on 6 May 2010 is £82.1 million. This figure takes into account the reduced costs of holding the UK parliamentary election on the same day as local government elections. The estimated cost of the 2010 UK parliamentary election in Northern Ireland was £2.5 million. The overall figures will be finalised once all claims from acting returning officers in Great Britain and the chief electoral officer for Northern Ireland (who are statutorily responsible for running the poll) have been received and finalised. The estimated cost of holding a stand-alone UK parliamentary election across the whole of the UK under the first past the post system is £92.1 million.
The features of a general election using the alternative vote system would broadly be the same as under the existing system: for example, in terms of the provision of ballot papers and polling stations. However, it is not possible to quantify with certainty what the extra cost of counting votes under the alternative vote system would be: this will be dependent to a significant extent on the preferences expressed by voters.
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Lobbying
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made in his consideration of the Ministerial Code as it relates to commercial lobbying activities. [50464]
Mr Harper: The “Ministerial Code” published in May 2010 was strengthened to make clear that on leaving office, former Ministers will be prohibited from lobbying Government for two years. The code also makes clear that former Ministers must seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments or employment they wish to take up within two years of leaving office, and that they must abide by the Committee’s advice.
The Government are also committed to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists, and will publish a consultation paper on the form and content of a statutory register later this year.
Justice
Prosecutions: National Insurance Contributions
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) employers and (b) employees were prosecuted for evading national insurance contributions in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [50039]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given on 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 36W.
Bribery Act 2010
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what recent discussions he has had with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) stakeholders on the timetable for publication of guidance on implementation of the Bribery Act 2010; and if he will make a statement; [50267]
(2) what timetable he has set for implementation of the Bribery Act 2010; if he will make it his policy to bring the Act into force no later than May 2011; and if he will make a statement. [50268]
Mr Djanogly: In his written statement of 30 March 2011, Official Report, column 21WS, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), informed the House that he had that day published guidance under the Bribery Act about commercial organisations preventing bribery and would allow a period of three months for businesses to familiarise themselves with this guidance before the Act comes into force on 1 July 2011. It is not the constitutional practice to disclose details of ministerial discussions. The guidance itself was the subject of extensive consultation outside Government but the timetable did not form part of the consultation process.
Community Orders: Shoplifting
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the use of restorative justice for shop theft offences. [50246]
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Mr Blunt: In the recent Green Paper “Breaking the Cycle”, we set out our intention to increase the range and availability of restorative justice approaches, and to give victims a greater change of seeking reparation for crime committed against them.
In total, we received approximately 1,200 responses and will be publishing our response to the consultation in May. This will include consideration of the representations we received on the use of restorative justice at different stages in the criminal justice system and for different disposal types, where appropriate.
Court Orders
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders have been issued by each court division which prohibit parties from mentioning the existence of proceedings to hon. Members in each year since 2000. [50105]
Mr Djanogly: In order to protect the interests of justice in an individual case, the courts have power to prohibit disclosure of specific information to anyone other than the defendant’s legal advisers. However, the defendant is always at liberty to apply for the order to be made in different terms (if he or she is represented at the hearing), or subsequently for the terms of the order to be amended (for example to permit disclosure to specific individuals or bodies or for specific purposes).
The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally on the number of court orders issued each year by court divisions which specifically prohibit parties from mentioning the existence of proceedings to hon. Members. The requested information could only be obtained through the examination of individual case files held at courts which would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Contracts
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let. [50700]
Mr Blunt: There have been no contracts awarded to Lockheed Martin since the Ministry of Justice was formed in 2007. Prior to this date there are no centralised historical data available.
Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on Government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on Government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement; [50083]
(2) how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business; [50180]
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(3) on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010; [50182]
(4) how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by (a) ministerial car, (b) train, (c) bus, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010. [50215]
Mr Djanogly:
Since changes to the Government Car Service in September 2010, only the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), had an allocated car, which other members of the ministerial team make use of where possible. No members of the ministerial team have been issued with an oyster card, monthly or annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by the Ministry of Justice.
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Information on the dates each Minister in MoJ last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity and how many times each other Minister travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010 is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, Ministers only have a ministerial car when they are travelling in an official capacity with their red box.
A breakdown of ministerial travel expenditure is as follows:
(a) Total cost of ministerial cars to date from May 2010 to 29 March 2011 is £212,991.
(b) Total cost of ministerial train fares from May 2010 to 29 March is £3,752.96.
(c) No cost has been incurred for ministerial travel by bus.
(d) Total cost of ministerial use of commercial aircraft from May 2010 to 29 March is £14,356.39.
(e) No cost has been incurred for ministerial travel by private aircraft.
| Table 1: Breakdown of travel by transport on Government business since May 2010 | ||||
| Date of travel by: | Times travelled on: | |||
|
|
London Underground | Public bus | London Underground | Public bus |
Incapacity Benefit: Tribunals
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals concerning incapacity benefit claims were awaiting listing by the Tribunals Service in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average time was from the admission of an appeal to the case being heard by a tribunal in the last year for which figures are available. [50854]
Mr Djanogly: There are always a number of ‘live’ appeals in the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support progressing through the stages of receipt, decision and promulgation. The number of incapacity appeals awaiting listing for a hearing as at 28 February 2011, the latest date for which statistics have been published, was 8,600. The average time taken by the tribunal from receipt of an incapacity benefit appeal to a hearing, over the period April 2010 to the end of February 2011, was 21.1 weeks.
The functions of the Tribunals Service have now transferred into Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service which was launched on 1 April 2011. This brings together Her Majesty’s Courts Service and the Tribunals Service into one agency supporting the administration of justice in both courts and tribunals.
Legal Aid: Poole
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in Poole constituency received legal aid in each of the last five years. [50515]
Mr Djanogly:
The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. The LSC does not record the number of people who receive legal aid, but instead
4 Apr 2011 : Column 641W
records the number of ‘acts of assistance’. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
We are re-examining the data in respect of all the Poole constituency and I will write separately with this information.
Marriage of Convenience
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for offences in relation to sham marriages in each of the last five years. [50675]
Mr Blunt: Defendants can be prosecuted under a variety of Acts for offences related to sham marriages, including the Perjury Act 1911, Immigration Act 1971, Identity Cards Act 2006, and the Fraud Act 2006. However it is not possible to identify from data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice proceedings specifically for sham marriages.
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding he plans to allocate for female offender rehabilitation centres in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [51003]
Mr Blunt: Funding for the Women’s Community Projects was a one-off grant and ends in April 2011. It has always been the aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of the projects in diverting women from custody who do not pose a risk to the community and embed them as part of local commissioning arrangements.
The National Offender Management Service has identified funding to sustain community projects that are critical to diverting women away from custody and crime and a further announcement will be made shortly. The Ministry of Justice will continue to encourage the development of services for women in the criminal justice system that address their complex problems.
Helen Goodman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the public purse was of
4 Apr 2011 : Column 642W
the accommodation of a
(a)
male offender,
(b)
female offender and
(c)
female offender in a women's rehabilitation centre in the last year for which figures are available. [51004]
Mr Blunt: The average overall annual cost per prisoner place in 2009- 10 was:
Male: £39,719
Female: £56,415
This includes prison related overheads met centrally by the National Offender Management Service. This is based on the cost of male and female prisons; where there is a prison holding both male and female prisoners, the data has been allocated to the major use as at 31 March 2010, so the figures do not provide the precise split between male and female prisoners.
The costs for women’s centres differ significantly across the country as the provision varies both in terms of size and scope. Women’s community services support community options for the courts that provide alternatives to a woman being remanded or given short sentences. These services cost less than prison; however these costs should be set alongside probation costs for managing community sentences and associated costs e.g. costs of approved premises, which has been estimated as £26,000 per bed place annually.
Prison Service: Finance
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hyndburn of 29 March 2011, Official Report, columns 155-6, on prison service (resources), how much was spent in each (a) prison service establishment and (b) region in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; and what the funding settlement is for 2011-12. [50906]
Mr Blunt: The following table provides the National Offender Management Service's resource spend classified as Direct Resource Expenditure which represents costs met by each public and private establishments by region (i) in 2009-10 and (ii) for 2010-11, the latest forecast spend for financial year ending 2010-11.
| NOMS prisons resource spend 2009-10 and 2010-11 | |||
| £ million | |||
| Forecast P 11 | |||
| Region | Establishment name | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
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| Notes: 1. Displayed figures are subject to rounding. 2. The term ‘Direct Resource Expenditure’ relates to the costs met locally by establishments. 3. YOI refers to Young Offender Institutions. 4. Data for Elmley, Standford Hill and Swaleside are reported under the Isle of Sheppey Cluster. Similarly, data for Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange are reported together as Hewell Cluster. Data for Parkhurst, Camphill and Albany are reported under the Isle of Wight cluster. 5. Dover, Haslar and Lindholme IND are not included as they are immigration removal centres operating under Detention Centre Rules 2001. 6. Private prisons and high security prisons are shown separately. 7. Prison service resources for 2010-11: The expenditure figures for financial year 2010-2011 are based on forecast as at end of February 2011. 8. Funding settlement for 2011-12: The NOMS total budget for financial year 2011-2012 for public Prisons is £1,870 million and private prisons £311 million. Budgets for individual establishments are still subject to adjustment before being issued. | |||
Prison Service: Manpower
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Graham Jones) of 29 March 2011, Official Report, columns 155-56, on prison service (resources), what the complemented staffing numbers were in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and what estimates his Department has made of the change in complemented staffing numbers in each (i) region and (ii) Prison Service establishment in 2011-12. [50907]
Mr Blunt: Information on the complemented staffing numbers are reported regularly by each establishment. The staffing requirements reported for 31 March 2009, 31 March 2010 and 31 December 2010 are shown in the following tables.
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| Staffing requirement by region , 2009 - 10 | |||
| Establishment staffing requirement | |||
| Region | 31 March 2009 | 31 March 2010 | 31 December 2010 |
| Staffing requirement by region and establishment , 2009 - 10 | ||||
| Establishment staffing requirement | ||||
| Region | Establishment | 31 March 2009 | 31 March 2010 | 31 December 2010 |
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