Land Registry
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he next expects to meet staff representatives to discuss the future of the Land Registry. [51323]
Mr Djanogly: The Minister of State, my noble Friend (Lord McNally), has agreed to meet with staff representatives of the Land Registry once consideration of the recent Feasibility Study into the opportunities presented by private sector involvement in the Land Registry has concluded, and before any public announcement has been made. A date has not yet been set for those meetings.
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Law: Repealed
Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many laws have been repealed since May 2010. [51332]
Mr Djanogly: Given the limited time available it has not been possible to collate the information that has been requested.
However, I would like to assure the hon. Member that the Government are committed to the repeal of legislation which is no longer necessary. The Ministry of Justice is working with departments across Government to prepare a Repeals Bill with a view to taking forward legislation when parliamentary time allows.
The Bill aims to repeal legislative provisions in all areas of law that do not work as intended because they are unnecessary, obsolete or unworkable. This will reduce burdens on people and businesses and result in better law.
The Bill is one of a number of measures to take forward the Government's commitment to removing unnecessary laws from the statute book and rolling back state intrusion in people's lives. Other related measures include the abolition of ID cards; the Protection of Freedoms Bill currently before Parliament; and the Your Freedom public engagement exercise which took place over the summer.
Legal Aid Scheme: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for legal aid from residents in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley were granted in each of the last three years. [50848]
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 applications granted to individual people who apply for legal aid, whether successful or not, but instead 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 the geographical areas requested and I will write separately with this information.
Prisons: Private Finance Initiative
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons have been operating under the private finance initiative since 1997. [51450]
Mr Blunt: Nine prisons have been built and operated under the private finance initiative since 1997. Further details are available on the HM Prison Service website
http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/privateprison/
Prisons: Standards
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what comparative analysis he has undertaken of the reports on standards in (a) private sector and (b) public sector prisons undertaken by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [51456]
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Mr Blunt: No comparative analysis of the reports of HM chief inspector of prisons has been undertaken specifically on standards in private and public sector prisons. Since 2009-10, the prison rating system (PRS) has been the single framework for assessing the performance of both public and contracted prisons in England and Wales; the results from HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ healthy prisons tests form part of the framework. Once the ratings have been finalised, they are published on the Ministry’s website.
Probation: Voluntary Organisations
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration has been given to means of ensuring that probation trusts increase the involvement of the voluntary sector in managing offenders as part of his Department’s review of sentencing policy. [51159]
Mr Blunt: The Green Paper “Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders” explores ways in which we can further develop the role of the voluntary and community sector, for example in relation to integrated offender management and access to accommodation for ex-offenders. The payment-by-results approach we are adopting will bring out the diverse skills from all sectors, including the small and specialist voluntary providers and social enterprises.
We are considering the responses we have received to the consultation on the Green Paper and intend to publish our response in May.
Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted under section 1 of the Protection From Harassment Act 1997 in relation to public protests. [51304]
Mr Blunt: Section 1(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 provides that a person must not pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment of another, and which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of the other. Section 1(1A) states that a person must not pursue a course of conduct involving the ‘harassment of two or more persons, which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment, and which’ is intended to persuade them (or somebody else) not to do something that they are entitled or required to do or to do something that they are not under any obligation to do.
A defendant who pursues a course of conduct in breach of section 1(1) or section 1(1A) is guilty of an offence under section 2 of the Act.
The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Other than where specified in a statute, statistical information available centrally does not include the circumstances of each case. It is therefore not possible to separately identify those proceedings under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 which specifically occurred in relation to public protests.
Charging data are not available centrally.
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Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for injunction were made under section 3 of the Protection From Harassment Act 1997 in each of the last five years; on what grounds the injunctions were sought; and in how many cases the injunction was granted. [51305]
Mr Blunt: There were 361 applications for injunctions and 283 injunctions granted under section 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 between April 2009 and December 2009 and 457 and 375 respectively in 2010. Comparable data for previous periods are not available.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally according to the ground on which the injunctions were sought under section 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. This information could be obtained only through the examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Attorney-General
Human Trafficking
Nia Griffith: To ask the Attorney-General when he expects the Crown Prosecution Service to publish its public policy statement on the prosecution of cases involving human trafficking. [50797]
The Attorney-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the oral question from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Jack Dromey) today.
Cabinet Office
Land Registry
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the proposed Public Data Corporation is to take over the work of the Land Registry. [51322]
Mr Maude: One of the aims the Government have set themselves on Public Data Corporation is to create a centre of excellence for collecting, holding and managing public data, driving further efficiencies and improving productivity across the public sector.
The Government are considering whether machinery of government changes to bring some organisations under the sponsorship of one Department could assist in furthering this aim and whether the merits of change would outweigh the costs.
Until decisions are taken it would be premature to announce which bodies may be involved. Further details will be announced if the Government decide to proceed with these changes.
Prostate Cancer
Mr Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men in each age group were diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of the last five years; and what proportion (a) died and (b) recovered in each such year. [50311]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many men in each age group were diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of the last five years; and what proportion (a) died and (b) recovered in each such year. [50311]
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer (incidence) are for the year 2008. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
The numbers of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer in England by age group, in each year from 2004 to 2008, are presented in Table 1.
ONS does not publish figures on what proportion of people diagnosed with a cancer (a) died or (b) recovered. Instead, ONS publishes figures on one-year and five-year relative survival for adults diagnosed with cancer, by age group and sex.
Relative survival is an estimate of the probability of survival from cancer alone. This takes into account the fact that some cancer patients will die from other causes other than their cancer during the period in question.
For some cancers, five-year survival figures are interpreted as ‘cure’ rates. However, some prostate cancer tumours progress very slowly and may not cause symptoms or death. Patients diagnosed with these types of tumours are monitored in the first instance, rather than being treated with a view to being ‘cured’. For these reasons, five-year survival from prostate cancer is not the same as ‘recovery’ or ‘cure’.
The latest one-year and five-year survival rates available for adults diagnosed with prostate cancer are for men diagnosed in 2003-2007 and followed up to 2008. These figures are presented by age group in Table 2.
ONS does not publish site-specific cancer survival figures by single year of diagnosis. For statistical reliability, figures are published for three- to five-year periods, to avoid over-interpretation of random year on year fluctuations.
The latest published figures on the incidence of prostate cancer in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/mb1-39/mb1-no39-2008.pdf
The latest one-year survival figures available for England, for 21 common cancers, for patients diagnosed in 2003-2007 and followed up to the end of 2008, are available on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14007
Comparable survival rates for England for each preceding five year period back to 1998-2001 and followed up to 2003 can also be downloaded from this link.
| Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer by age group, males, England, 2004-08 (1, 2) | |||||
| Age group | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| (1) Prostate cancer is coded as C61 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. | |||||
| Table 2: One and five-year relative survival with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for males (15-99 years) diagnosed with prostate cancer during 2003-07, England, by age group (1, 2, 3) | ||||||
| One-year survival | Five-year survival | |||||
| Age group | % | 95% | CI | % | 95% | CI |
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| (1) Prostate cancer is coded as C61 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Adult patients aged 15-99. (3) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. | ||||||
Third Sector
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of (a) residents, (b) groups and (c) organisations who have participated in each of the Big Society vanguard areas. [46541]
Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply.
The information on the number of groups and residents is not held centrally.
Church Commissioners
Clergy/Laity
3. Mr Bradshaw: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate the Church Commissioners have made of the number of (a) clergy and (b) laity who joined the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in the last 10 years. [50780]
Tony Baldry: As I said on 1 March 2011, Official Report, columns 162-63, in response to a question from the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell), figures held by the Archbishops’ Council show that in the past five years 14 former Roman Catholic priests have sought to be received into ordained ministry within the Church of England. As there is also discretion at diocesan level for acceptance into the ministry, not all candidates are centrally recorded, so the national figure is likely to be higher. I do not have statistics for the past 10 years and it would be difficult to make a meaningful estimate.
Similarly, in relation to laity the Church does not keep central figures for the movements from one denomination to another, so meaningful estimates are not possible. But the history of the Church of England over the past 500 years illustrates that traffic between denominations is never simply one-way.
The Church of England is happy to welcome people of all denominations, faiths and none to services and events within its churches.
Zurbarán Paintings
8. Sir Alan Beith: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what consultation the Church Commissioners have undertaken on the future of the Zurbarán paintings in Auckland castle. [50785]
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Tony Baldry: I know the right hon. Member has taken a close interest in this, and I am delighted to have another opportunity to tell the House that the paintings by Zurbarán will be staying at Auckland castle, not least as a result of an extremely generous gesture from Mr Jonathan Ruffer, who has donated the funds necessary to create a Trust, which will buy and maintain the paintings in the castle.
I would like to repeat my thanks to all concerned in putting together this deal, and especially to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Helen Goodman).
Social Cohesion
10. Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential contribution of Church of England schools to social cohesion between faith communities and between ethnic groups. [50787]
Tony Baldry: In 2009 an independent academic study was undertaken of Ofsted data, which assessed schools’ progress on the duty to promote community cohesion and tackle inequality. This study revealed that faith based schools—and church secondary schools in particular—contribute more highly to community cohesion and tackling inequality than community schools.
The findings of this study were then published in a report by the Church of England’s Education division.
I will place a copy of the report in the Library for hon. Members to peruse at their leisure.
Deputy Prime Minister
Prisoners: Enfranchisement
3. Stephen Pound: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to bring forward legislation on the enfranchisement of prisoners. [50760]
Mr Harper: In light of the strong views expressed in Parliament, the Government have asked that the most recent European Court of Human Rights case against the UK, “Greens and MT”, be referred to the Grand Chamber—the higher tier of the Court.
We await the outcome of that referral request.
Electoral Register
8. Andrew Selous: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to increase the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register. [50765]
Mr Harper: Maintaining a complete and accurate electoral register is the responsibility of electoral registration officers (EROs). It is clear that more can be done to support completeness and accuracy. So we have announced plans to speed up the implementation of individual electoral registration in 2014, which will ensure that only those entitled to vote will get on the register. And we are also trialling data matching this year to help identify people missing from the register. If successful, we will consider rolling this out across the country.
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Alternative Vote
9. Tom Brake: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on preparations for the referendum on the use of the alternative vote system for elections to the House of Commons. [50766]
Mr Harper: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 received Royal Assent on 16 February, providing the legislative framework for a referendum on 5 May. The Electoral Commission has responsibility for running referendums and is working with electoral administrators to prepare for the poll.
Elected Representatives: Recall
10. Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his proposals for the recall of elected representatives will apply to local councillors. [50767]
Mr Harper: The Government are committed to bringing forward legislation to introduce a power to recall Members of Parliament where they have engaged in serious wrongdoing.
Once a recall system is introduced for MPs, consideration will need to be given as to whether other elected offices in the UK should be subject to the same system.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Feed: Prices
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make an assessment of the factors underlying trends in farmgate prices for feed wheat in the last 12 months. [51069]
Mr Paice: UK cereal prices largely reflect the supply and demand situation on the world market. The increase in farmgate prices for feed wheat over the last 12 months is a reaction to the lower wheat production in Russia and other Black Sea countries, and the subsequent implementation of grain export restrictions by Russia and Ukraine. An additional factor is higher energy prices, which have pushed up farm input costs such as fuel and fertiliser.
Animal Welfare
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on animal welfare standards in countries from which the UK imports food; and if she will make a statement. [50395]
Mr Paice: The Government view animal welfare as a matter of high priority. As well as promoting high animal welfare standards in this country, we are keen to encourage high animal welfare standards internationally, both in other European Union countries and in third countries.
On an EU level, discussions were held at the EU Agriculture Council on 21 February, where the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs refused to accept an attempt by some EU member
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states to delay a ban on battery cages for laying hens, due to be implemented in 2012. Although there have been no other recent discussions at ministerial level, the UK Government continue to make it clear that we will not support requests for derogations from or delays to the introduction of higher welfare standards in the EU.
In terms of animal welfare standards in countries outside the EU from which the UK imports food, we are working with countries within the World Organisation for Animal Health to develop and progress internationally recognised standards of animal welfare. Bilateral agreements between the EU and its main current and prospective trading partners provide an opportunity to promote high welfare standards, although the EU cannot refuse on welfare grounds to honour market access rights conferred under World Trade Organisation rules.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) statutory and (b) parliamentary processes required to be satisfied before any cull of badgers in England can be implemented; what assessment she has made of the minimum time within which such requirements can be completed; and if she will make a statement. [50528]
Mr Paice: The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 provides for licences to be granted to kill or take badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of disease.
No decision on badger control has yet been taken. We received a large number of responses to the public consultation on “Bovine Tuberculosis: The Government’s approach to tackling the disease and consultation on a badger control policy”, which closed on 8 December 2010. We are carefully considering the responses and we will announce our decision as soon as possible, as part of a comprehensive and balanced TB eradication programme for England.
Farmers: Supermarkets
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of supermarket codes of practice on the prices paid to farmers; and if she will make a statement. [50396]
Mr Paice: The purpose of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) is not to oversee the price paid to farmers and as such no assessment of its impact on the prices paid to farmers has been made.
When the Competition Commission investigated the groceries market it found that large retailers with buyer power could transfer excessive risks and unexpected costs to their direct suppliers, which was likely to reduce suppliers’ incentives to invest in new capacity, products and production processes. If unchecked these practices would ultimately have a detrimental effect on consumers. In response the Commission introduced the GSCOP.
The Government will be introducing a Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) to monitor and enforce the GSCOP. The Commission found that very few farmers supplied retailers direct. However, the Government have decided to allow direct and indirect suppliers of groceries
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to complain to the GCA, on an anonymous basis, when they believe that they may have suffered from an alleged breach of the GSCOP.
The Government believe that the setting of prices is a commercial matter to be resolved by private negotiation, which should take place within the parameters set by competition law. The market should determine prices.
Food
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps her Department plans to take in response to the recommendation from the Sustainable Development Commission that it should produce a strategy to increase fruit production; [49718]
(2) what plans she has to respond to the recommendation from the Sustainable Development Commission that her Department should produce a strategy for sustainable food production; [49760]
(3) what plans she has to respond to the recommendation from the Sustainable Development Commission that her Department should produce a strategy to reduce the levels of grain foodstuffs used in the meat and dairy industry; [49761]
(4) what plans she has to respond to the recommendation from the Sustainable Development Commission that her Department should work to create local food partnerships to meet local sustainability targets. [49762]
Mr Paice: The Sustainable Development Commission ceased its activities on 31 March 2011 prior to its formal closure. We are working with the food industry and across Government to ensure that we have a sustainable food industry capable of dealing with a growing population and changing climate while protecting biodiversity. The Foresight report on Global Food and Farming Futures has given us a roadmap for how to go forward with this in conjunction with governments around the world.
The taskforce on barriers to increasing fruit and vegetable production and consumption reported in August 2010 and agreed an action plan in October 2010. The Taskforce consisted of industry leaders including growers, retailers, researchers, and health advisers. They propose continuing the upward trend of UK production of indigenous fruit over five years to meet 50% of consumption. Consumption had grown from 33% in 1998 to 38% 10 years later. Both the SDC and the taskforce acknowledge that the UK will never be totally self sufficient in fruit, especially fruits such as bananas and citrus.
Although swill feeding is banned, EU legislation permits the use in feed of certain low-risk foodstuffs, such as surplus bread, cakes, confectionary (not containing ruminant gelatine), vegetables and fruit, which are no longer intended for human consumption, provided they are only sourced from food manufacturing sources or retail establishments and procedures for adequate separation can be established preventing any contact with meat, fish and other animal by-products.
A significant amount of local food activity already exists, working to address local concerns about health, sustainability, social cohesion and the economy. Such activity ranges from very small scale, such as community gardens, to larger scale producer networks, food hubs and small businesses, such as box schemes. I recently
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met with the English Food and Drink Alliance, which consists of regional food groups and initiatives working across the food chain, to understand how they are working. I also urge Local Enterprise Partnerships, where appropriate, to encourage local food hubs, which bring growers, processors and small food businesses together in sustainable operations. In addition, the Plunkett Foundation will soon be launching the findings of Social Enterprise Action Research funded by Government to explore the role of social enterprise in food policy in England.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to implement the terms of the Food 2030 plan since May 2010. [49898]
Mr Paice: This Government are taking practical action to support British farming, encourage sustainable food production and help to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the whole food chain. This will ensure a secure, environmentally sustainable and healthy supply of food with improved standards of animal welfare. To meet these objectives, since May 2010, we have taken the following actions:
Government Buying Standards will be published in the next few weeks which will, for the first time, set out what constitutes healthier and more sustainable food and catering services for the public sector.
Established the industry-led Task Force on Farming Regulation which will identify ways to reduce the regulatory burden for all farm sectors.
Invested £13.6 million of Government funding for collaborative research, with matching contributions from industry, through the Technology Strategy Board’s first call for research under the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform (co-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and DEFRA).
A taskforce on barriers to increasing fruit and vegetable production and consumption reported in August and agreed an action plan in October 2010.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator will be established very soon, which will help to strike a balance between farmers and food producers getting a fair deal, and supermarkets ensuring their customers are getting the high-quality food they want at a price they can afford.
Encouraged Local Enterprise Partnerships and local development hubs as vehicles to encourage local food hubs which bring growers, processors and small food businesses together.
Continued engagement with consumers (e.g. via Love Food Hate Waste) and work with industry (e.g. via the Courtauld Commitment) to prevent food waste arising wherever possible.
Reviewed all the farming and food advisory groups across DEFRA and reduced down to one group focused on the issues facing farming, food and rural communities.
Funded research to support sustainable food production by developing options to reduce negative impacts on the environment and support biodiversity. Also research to develop the evidence base on sustainable, healthy diets.
Produced an Aquaculture Plan for England setting out how the industry will develop itself, including a review of relevant regulations as part of this process.
Launched ‘Fishing for the Markets’ which looks to encourage consumption of under-utilised, sustainable species that are often discarded.
Made commitments on uplands including a guarantee that 100% of hill farmers eligible to enter Uplands Entry Level Stewardship—the key environmental management scheme—will be able to do so, which would be worth up to an extra £6 million a year from within the Rural Development Programme for England
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(RDPE). Also, creation of an “Uplands Theme” in the new delivery arrangements for the socio-economic elements of RDPE to target support to hill farmers, details of which will be announced later in the year.
Set out actions for Government after publication of the recent Foresight Report ‘The Future of Food and Farming: Challenges and Choices for Global Sustainability’ including an international workshop on food waste.
Provided £2.9 billion towards tackling issues related to land use and food production abroad, with a significant amount of this money to be used for addressing illegal logging, deforestation and ensuring forestry contributes to climate change mitigation.
Commissioned an evidence study to map the UK’s palm oil consumption to understand how far the commitments that businesses have already made to sustainable sourcing will take us, and to consider whether further action is needed. Also convened (jointly with the Netherlands Government) a meeting with business leaders to discuss how to mainstream sustainable palm oil.
In the ongoing EU negotiations on new food labelling rules, we have successfully extended the current text to include compulsory origin labelling to fresh and frozen meat with the possibility of further extension to other foods.
Forestry Commission
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has held meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister to discuss her Department's policy on the future of (a) the Forestry Commission and (b) Forestry Commission land. [44021]
Mr Paice: I have had meetings with a number of ministerial colleagues on the future of the Forestry Commission and the public forest estate.
Forests
Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the number of woodlands and forest areas in the ownership of the Forestry Commission which do not have public access rights. [47775]
Mr Paice: The public forest is owned by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commissioners under section 3(1) of the Forestry Act 1967.
Statutory access on foot to the land in freehold ownership is protected under the provisions of the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000 and in the New Forest under the Law of Property Act 1923. The freehold area that does not currently have statutory access protected amounts to less than 10,600 hectares. This comprises around 120 separate deeds.
Of the land in leasehold ownership 55,168 hectares have no legally protected access rights. This comprises around a further 570 separate deeds.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of UK listed companies which have reported on their greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with her Department’s guidance in 2009-10. [51330]
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Mr Paice: The report that I submitted to Parliament on 30 November 2010 on “The contribution that reporting of greenhouse gas emissions makes to the UK meeting its climate change objectives” refers to the recent Environment Agency report “Environmental Disclosures: The third major review of environmental reporting in the annual report and accounts of the FTSE All-Share companies”.
Following the guidance issued by the previous Government, this report found that 99 out of 458 FTSE All-Share companies (22%) reported quantitative information on climate change and energy use in line with that guidance.
Horse Passports
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether officials of her Department have discussed with the European Commission the possibility of a UK derogation in respect of horse passport regulations. [49374]
Mr Paice: Commission Regulation (EC) No 504/2008 allows member states to apply derogations concerning the identification of certain equidae living under wild or semi-wild conditions. In the UK this has been exercised in a number of areas in Wales, and in the New Forest and on Exmoor and Dartmoor in England.
Horses
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider the merits of measures to prohibit the long-term tethering of horses. [50660]
Mr Paice: I consider that the existing law already protects horses and other equidae against long-term tethering. Long-term tethering could constitute an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 because it restricts a horse’s ability to exercise, to find food and water or to escape from attacks by dogs or extremities of the weather.
In addition to the 2006 Act, DEFRA introduced a Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and their Hybrids which includes advice on tethering, and it is one of the priority issues for secondary legislation under the 2006 Act. The code does not contain any offences but it could be used in court as evidence to support a case of poor horse welfare. A copy of the code can be downloaded from the DEFRA website at:
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/cruelty/documents/cop-horse.pdf
Oak
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on measures to combat acute oak decline; and whether she has made an assessment of the likely effects of the condition on woodland in England in the next 10 years. [50126]
Mr Paice: The Forestry Commission is leading an ongoing research programme into acute oak decline. Scientists from Forest Research have discovered a number of previously unknown bacteria which they believe are playing a key role. Further work, to obtain a better understanding of the disease, how it spreads, and what other factors might be involved, is continuing.
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The Forestry Commission is monitoring the effect of the disease on oak to ascertain the impact that it may have over the next 10 years. Early indications are that on average 25% of trees on susceptible sites show symptoms of acute oak decline. From 2006 to 2010 the number of confirmed incidences rose from eight to 44. Current studies by Forest Research suggest that after one year 1% of the trees showing symptoms had died. Most reports of symptomatic oaks are from the midlands, however reports from south-east England and Wales have also been received.
Rural Development Programme: Finance
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward proposals to simplify the applications process for claiming funding under the Rural Development programme; and if she will make a statement. [49554]
Mr Paice: I announced in my written ministerial statement on 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 6-7WS, that responsibility for delivery of the socio-economic elements of the Rural Development programme for England will transfer from the eight existing Regional Development Agencies to DEFRA. As part of these transitional plans we shall be implementing a more nationally consistent approach to programme delivery including the introduction of application processes which are simplified but also continue to ensure that programme delivery continues to comply with the EU regulations governing the programme. Work to deliver this outcome is currently in progress with the intention of being implemented at the earliest opportunity over the forthcoming year.
Wild Animals
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of snares on wild animals. [50677]
Mr Paice: DEFRA has commissioned a project to look into the extent of use and humaneness of snares. The report has not yet been finalised but is expected later this year.
Home Department
Asylum: Housing
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2011, Official Report, column 429W, on asylum: housing, how many of the homes provided to people seeking asylum by local authority consortia under contracts with the UK Border Agency were (a) in the private rented sector, (b) in accommodation owned or managed by local authorities and (c) in accommodation owned or managed by registered social landlords in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [50740]
Damian Green: The accommodation contracts do not stipulate that details relating to the category of property ownership needs to be provided to the UK Border Agency. However, we are able to estimate that the current situation is as follows:
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| Percentage of properties | |||
| LA provider | In private rented sector | Owned or managed by local authorities | Owned or managed by registered social landlords |
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2011, Official Report, column 429W, on asylum: housing, what contingency plans are in place to house people seeking asylum in circumstances where all accommodation provided by local authorities or local authority consortia under contracts with the UK Border Agency is already taken up; and if she will make a statement. [50741]
Damian Green: In the unlikely event that a local authority provider is unable to provide a sufficient amount of accommodation as per the terms and conditions of their contract, the UK Border Agency would utilise capacity available to us through contracts with alternate providers in the same region.
We are satisfied that the capacity available to us across all contracts provides sufficient amounts of accommodation in every region.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011, Official Report, column 647W, on asylum: housing, what discussions her Department has held to date with providers of accommodation to people seeking asylum in order to establish (a) the number of families likely to be subject to a physical move, (b) the extent to which this could involve disruption for school age children and (c) the mitigating measures that can be put in place; whether any further discussions are planned; and whether the outcomes of such discussions will be made public. [50742]
Damian Green: We are encouraging providers to transfer management of properties thereby allowing the asylum seeker(s) to remain in situ. However, if this is not achievable there are ongoing, daily discussions with all accommodation providers to decide when it becomes necessary to move asylum seeking people as the contracts expire. There are no plans to release the details of these discussions.
We estimate that there are likely to be up to 310 families with children who will be required to move to an alternative property. We are hopeful that children will remain within their current school but can not guarantee this.
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As a result of this, UK Border Agency regional directors are personally reviewing cases where there is potential for a move which could disrupt schooling.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011, Official Report, column 647W, on asylum: housing, what related services and other duties the providers of accommodation to people seeking asylum through contracts with the UK Border Agency provide to those they house; what procedures and guidelines are in place to ensure that such duties are met; and if she will make a statement. [50743]
Damian Green: Details of all the services required under our accommodation and related services contracts are contained within the Statement of Requirements, which is available in the Members' Library and can be accessed from the Home Office public website.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average number of times a person or family seeking asylum and housed in accommodation provided through contracts with the UK Border Agency was obliged to move home during the period that such accommodation was provided in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [50744]
Damian Green: Moves to alternative asylum support accommodation may be instigated by supported persons, by the UK Border Agency or by accommodation providers themselves. Internal management information suggests that between these three categories, approximately 9,400 households were approved for a move during 2010. This would equate to each household being moved once every two to three years.
British Nationality
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints against British citizens alleged to have been active Wachmänner guards during the Second World War her Department has received in the last five years. [51449] [Official Report, 13 October 2011, Vol. 533, c. 7-8MC.]
Nick Herbert: We have no record of any such complaints being received.
The investigation of criminal offences, including those under the War Crimes Act 1991, is an operational matter. Arrangements are in place within the Metropolitan police service for investigating allegations of war crimes in liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and other agencies as appropriate. All agencies take the investigation of war crimes seriously and these arrangements remain under review to ensure that they continue to be effective.
Departmental Contracts
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contracts her 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. [50699]
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Damian Green: The Home Department and its associated public bodies has or has had contractual relationships with Lockheed Martin, which concern operational matters or matters relating to national security. It is the established policy of successive Governments not to comment on these matters.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public sector job reduction targets have been set for her Department and its non-departmental public bodies for each of the next 24 months; and what steps she plans to take to meet such targets. [51522]
Damian Green: The Home Office is planning to reduce its total work force by 6,500 (full-time equivalents) over the next four years. Work force plans have been agreed that will support the Department to meet that commitment including reductions over the next 24 months to 28,839 FTE by 31 March 2012 and to 27,237 FTE by 31 March 2013(1).
The precise timing of these planned reductions over the next 24 months will be dependent on the business needs of the department's agencies and the implementation of organisational change.
The Home Office is currently in consultation with its arm’s length bodies to establish similar plans for their work force. These are not yet finalised and therefore numbers can not be provided.
The Home Office has implemented two voluntary exit schemes to enable staff to leave the Department. We have a recruitment freeze in place and will continue to reduce substantially numbers of agency workers and contractors throughout the next 24 months. We have introduced a new restructuring, redeployment and redundancy policy which sets out a fair and consistent approach, helping staff to find redeployment opportunities and using redundancy as a last resort.
(1) Note that these figures are total work force, which include permanent civil servants, contractors, agency workers and secondees.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much her Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available. [51423]
Damian Green: The Home Office including its Executive Agencies provides 13,644 mobile communications devices to its officials, comprising of mobile phones, BlackBerrys and mobile Broadband devices for laptops. Expenditure by the Department on mobile telephones and related data services to mid-January of the FY 2010-11 was £2.1 million.
Departmental Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 777W, on departmental public appointments, how many (a) women and (b) men no longer serve on public bodies
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sponsored by her Department because of decisions to close, merge or reorganise such bodies taken since her appointment. [51437]
Damian Green: Pursuant to my answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 777W, more detailed information on the number of departmental public appointments affected, or likely to be affected, by decisions to close, merge or reorganise public bodies sponsored by the Department is set out in the following table.
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The Security Industry Authority will no longer be an NDPB and the National Policing Improvement Agency is currently being phased out so appointments to these bodies will be dissolved in due course along with the organisations. The Women's National Commission was abolished on 31 December 2010. The three remaining bodies are subject to mergers and a reorganisation and at this stage it is too early to say what the impact on the public appointments to these bodies will be.
Departmental Public Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her 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 her Department for use while travelling on Government business. [50174]
Damian Green: No oyster cards, monthly or annual travel cards have been issued by the Home Office to any member of the ministerial team.
Departmental Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the staff vacancy rate in her Department was in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in her Department's budget for 2011-12. [51385]
Damian Green: The Home Office does not capture the number of vacancies held and therefore cannot provide vacancy rates. The business plans for 2011-12 assume minimal external recruitment.
Deportation: Eastern Europe
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) women and (b) children were deported to eastern European countries outside the EU in each year since 2000; and how many of those deported were victims of human trafficking. [51198]
Damian Green: The following table shows the number of women and children who were removed or departed voluntarily to eastern European countries outside the EU in each year from 2004 to 2010. The EU expanded during this period; footnotes in the table indicate when accession countries are included or excluded, according to their accession date.
| Removals and voluntary departures (1, 2, 3) of women and children from the United Kingdom to eastern European countries outside the EU (4, 5, 6) , 2004- 10 | ||
| Number of departures | ||
|
|
Women (7) | Children (8) |
| (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. (2) Includes enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily after notifying the UK Border Agency of their intention to leave prior to their departure, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. | ||
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| (4) Figures for all years include: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. (5) The figure for 2004 includes those removed or departed voluntarily to: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia during January—April 2004, but excludes those removed to these countries from May 2004 onwards following their accession to the EU. (6) Figures prior to 2007 include removals and voluntary departures to Bulgaria and Romania; figures from 2007 onwards exclude those removed to Bulgaria and Romania following their accession to the EU. (7) Those aged 18 or over at the time of their departure from the UK; excludes cases where age or gender is unknown. (8) Those aged under 18 at the time of their departure from the UK; excludes cases where age is unknown. (9) Provisional figures. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. |
Destination data have only been collated since 2004; data for earlier years are not available.
The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research
Since l April 2009, decisions about who is a victim of trafficking have been made by trained specialists in designated ‘Competent Authorities’. Separate management information indicates that there have been no enforced returns of individuals conclusively found to be victims of trafficking by Competent Authorities returned to any of the eastern European countries outside the EU since 1 April 2009.
New case types were implemented on the UK Border Agency Case Information Database (CID) from 1 April 2009 following the UK's implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The UK Border Agency did not capture data regarding victims of trafficking before this date.
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) victims of human trafficking were deported to eastern European countries outside the EU in each year from 2000 to 2005. [51199]
Damian Green: 6,295 asylum applicants (including dependants) were removed or departed voluntarily to eastern European countries outside the EU in 2004; and 4,580 in 2005. These figures are rounded to the nearest five.
Destination data have only been collated since 2004; data for earlier years are not available.
Figures for 2004 and 2005 include those removed or departed to the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Additionally, the figure for 2004 includes those removed or departed voluntarily to: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, during January-April 2004, but excludes those removed to these countries from May 2004 onwards following their accession to the EU.
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The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office’s Research, Development and Statistics website at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/
Since 1 April 2009, decisions about who is a victim of trafficking have been made by trained specialists in designated ‘Competent Authorities’. New case types were implemented on the UK Border Agency Case Information Database (CID) from 1 April 2009 following the UK's implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The UK Border Agency did not capture data regarding victims of trafficking before this date.
Disturbances: Greater London
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 28 March 2011, Official Report, columns 25-32, on disturbances (London), how many people have been charged to date in relation to the protest at Fortnum and Mason on 26 March 2011. [50727]
Nick Herbert: The Metropolitan police inform us that 138 individuals have so far been charged with offences arising out of the occupation of Fortnum and Mason’s on 26 March.
Drugs: Misuse
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2011, Official Report, column 686W, on drugs: misuse, whether her Department plans to undertake research into the effects of the criminalisation of drugs. [50474]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office has no plans to undertake research into the effects of the criminalisation of drugs.
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) measures and (b) indicators she intends to use to assess the effectiveness of the Government's drugs strategy. [50529]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 1 April 2011]: The 2010 Drug Strategy has two overarching aims: to ‘Reduce illicit and other harmful drug use’ and to ‘Increase the numbers recovering from their dependence’. Relevant data are publicly available that will allow the public to assess how the Government are performing against the strategy’s aims. Home Office data on drug use and supply are available on the transparency page of the Home Office website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/non-personal-data/
Data from other Government Departments are available from:
http://data.gov.uk/
With regard to assessing the effectiveness of the 2010 Drug Strategy, the Government are developing plans to evaluate the impact of interventions to reduce demand for drugs, restrict their supply, and support and achieve recovery from drug dependence.
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Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the decriminalisation and regulation of drugs which are currently prohibited. [50532]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 1 April 2011]: The Home Office has not commissioned or evaluated any research on the decriminalisation and regulation of drugs which are currently prohibited.
Entry Clearances: Students
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 22 March 2011, Official Report, columns 855-872, on student visas, what assessment she has made of the cost to the economy of reducing the number of international student visas by 80,000. [50630]
Damian Green: An announcement on reforms was made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 22 March 2011, Official Report, columns 855-872. An impact assessment will be published in due course.
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 22 March 2011, Official Report, columns 855-72, what definition of (a) low-risk countries and (b) high-risk students her Department uses. [50800]
Damian Green: For the purposes of enabling a streamlined Tier 4 application process, a low-risk country is defined as one where the UK Border Agency has compiled significant evidence of high levels of compliance and low risk of abuse for students. A list of countries that meet the criteria is contained in the published policy document “Student Visas: Statement of Intent and Transition Measures”. A copy is available in the House Library.
For Tier 4 application process purposes we do not hold a list of countries categorised as high risk.
From summer 2011 we will introduce a streamlined application process for certain low-risk students, in general waiving the requirements to provide documentary evidence of maintenance and qualifications at the time of application. The substantive requirements will remain the same, including the 28 day rules for maintenance funds, and students must be able to provide the appropriate documents if subsequently requested.
Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many university students who entered the UK on study visas in each of the last three years were enrolled on (a) science and (b) humanities courses. [51333]
Damian Green: Information about the type of course enrolled on by those who have entered the UK on student visas is not held centrally. This information could be obtained only by checking individual visa records at disproportionate cost.
Human Trafficking
Justin Tomlinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals for a free multilingual national hotline for
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the use of
(a)
victims of human trafficking and
(b)
individuals reporting possible instances of human trafficking. [50433]
Damian Green: We have no plans to introduce a human trafficking hotline.
Individuals wishing to report suspicions of trafficking can use the widely advertised Crimestoppers helpline or contact the local police force.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what definition of human trafficking her Department uses. [50434]
Damian Green: The UK uses the definition of trafficking set out in the United Nations Protocol to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons, which we ratified on 9 February 2006.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to assess the performance of each police force in (a) tackling and (b) investigating offences of human trafficking; and if she will make a statement. [50435]
Damian Green: Combating human trafficking is a key priority for the Government, who are committed to tackling organised crime groups who profit from this human misery, and to protecting victims.
Our policy on performance is that police leaders should performance manage policing with minimal central interference or prescriptive targets.
However, as an important check within the new accountability structures Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) will continue its vital work. HMIC are close to finalising their new monitoring and risk-based inspection arrangements for 2011-12 and their risk assessment work will allow the Inspectorate to examine any human trafficking risks identified by forces and assess how effectively they respond.
Human Trafficking: Females
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what factors were taken into account in assessing whether a woman had been trafficked into the UK in the period from 2000 to 2005; [51200]
(2) how many staff of her Department were trained to identify victims of trafficking in the period from 2000 to 2005. [51201]
Damian Green: The identification of victims of trafficking is a matter for front-line staff. From 2003 a trafficking toolkit was available to all law enforcement and immigration officers, which contained indicators that assisted practitioners in identifying whether someone was a victim of trafficking. This toolkit is no longer available, but was replaced in 2009.
Human Trafficking: South West England
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police (a) investigations and (b) raids there were in relation to human trafficking offences in each local authority area in the South West in each of the last five years. [50983]
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Damian Green: Information on human trafficking is not held by local authority area.
Immigrants: English Language
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2011, Official Report, column 233W, on immigrants: English language, (1) when verification of the mapping of prospective providers of secure English language tests in relation to conference with the Common European Framework of Reference will (a) begin and (b) conclude; who has been appointed as the independent expert; and if she will publish the terms of employment of that expert; [50802]
(2) whether her Department has any plans to investigate the historical adherence of the secure English language test providers to the Common European Framework Reference; and if she will make a statement. [50803]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) does not plan to investigate historical adherence of providers of secure English language tests to the Common European Framework of Reference. It will continue to investigate providers believed to be in breach of its published criteria on the provision of secure English language testing.
As part of its current exercise to revise its list of secure English language test providers, the UK Border Agency conducted a verification exercise of the mapping of prospective providers of secure English language tests to the CEFR. Dr North (one of the CEFR co-authors) was invited to play the role of an independent expert on 10 December 2010 and the consultation took place during the second week of March 2011. Dr North was not employed or paid by UKBA and terms of employment did not apply.
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence she has received from Secure English Language Test providers on their adherence to the Common European Framework. [50980]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency has recently conducted an exercise to revise its list of approved test providers. Organisations bidding to be included in the revised list were required to provide evidence to demonstrate how their testing arrangements mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference. This evidence was assessed by the UK Border Agency, together with an independent expert. The list of successful providers will be announced shortly.
A variety of evidence sources have been received as part of the recent exercise to replace the existing list of test providers. It is not possible to list all of the information received and some of the information is commercially sensitive.
National Public Order Intelligence Unit: Finance
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the level of funding of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit since October 2010; [50929]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 818W
(2) what arrangements are in place to scrutinise the accounts of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit; [50930]
(3) how much funding the National Public Order Intelligence Unit received from (a) police forces and (b) her Department in each year since 1999. [50932]
Nick Herbert: The Government assessed funding for all elements of policing as a part of the comprehensive spending review in 2010. Figures provided by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) to the Home Office on previous funding are set out in the following table. The accounts of NPOIU are subject to the receiving authority’s audit processes, Government audit and the National Audit Office.
| £ | |||
|
|
Police forces | Home Office CT Grant | Total budget |
Passports: Biometrics
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidance she provides to police forces on the length of time data obtained through the use of facial recognition technology should be held before being destroyed; [50405]
(2) Home Department what guidance her Department issues to police forces on the use of facial recognition technology during incidents of civil unrest; [50584]
(3) how much her Department has spent on facial recognition technology for police forces in each of the last five years; [50585]
(4) whether the Metropolitan police used facial recognition technology during the civil unrest in London on 26 March 2011. [50586]
Nick Herbert: The acquisition and deployment of equipment or technology is an operational matter for individual police forces. The Home Office has neither provided specific funding to forces for facial recognition technology nor issued guidance to forces on the use of facial recognition technology in civil unrest incidents, nor on data retention periods.
Police: Accountability
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish proposals for the administration of the election of police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. [50798]
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Nick Herbert: These will be set out in secondary legislation. The Government are working closely with the Electoral Commission, representatives of local government and others to draw up these regulations. Subject to the will of Parliament, they will be issued following Royal Assent to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of electing a police and crime commissioner for the (a) South Wales, (b) Gwent, (c) Dyfed Powys and (d) North Wales police authority. [50806]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 4 April 2011]: As stated in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill's impact assessment, elections for Police and Crime Commissioners England and Wales will cost £50 million in 2012. These estimates are based on the costs of other national elections, and costings are therefore not available for each force area. This sum is being made available separately; it will not come from force budgets.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to bring forward proposals to regulate the funding of election campaigns for police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. [50807]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 4 April 2011]: Yes. These will be set out in secondary legislation. The Government are working closely with the Electoral Commission, representatives of local government and others to draw up these regulations. Subject to the will of Parliament, they will be issued following Royal Assent to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to (a) launch and (b) fund public information campaigns in (i) England and (ii) Wales on the proposed supplementary voting system to be used where an election of a police and crime commissioner has three or more candidates. [50808]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 4 April 2011]: The Police Reform and Social Responsibility gives the Electoral Commission a statutory duty to raise awareness of these elections, and how to vote in them, as it currently does for all UK elections.
Police: Demonstrations
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of work undertaken by HM inspectorate of constabulary on the policing of protests; and whether she has assessed the effectiveness of the scrutiny of police actions conducted by that body. [50928]
Nick Herbert:
The reports published by HM inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) on the policing of protest, which evolved after the policing of the G20 protests in 2009, recognised that the police service successfully manage thousands of peaceful demonstrations every year, but also identified areas where lessons could be learned. The Government support HMIC's reviews which
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include recommendations on improving communication with demonstrators, police officers wearing ID at all times during demonstrations and updated guidance and training particularly around containment and use of force. In February 2011, HMIC published a follow-up report which set out the good progress against its earlier recommendations and areas for further development.
Police: Finance
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she last met the Deputy Prime Minister to discuss funding for police services. [50761]
Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department meets regularly with ministerial colleagues, including the Deputy Prime Minister, and others, in order to discuss matters of policy.
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) the (i) pay, (ii) expenses and (iii) contributions made to environmental protest groups by Mark Kennedy and (b) the (i) pay and (ii) expenses of police officers assigned to protect him; and what arrangements were made to account for such costs. [51247]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information. The deployment of undercover resources is an operational matter for the police.
Police: Pensions
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to the implications for police pensions of the recent report of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission; and if she will make a statement. [50754]
Nick Herbert: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his Budget statement on 23 March 2011, Official Report, columns 951-66, the Government accepts Lord Hutton’s recommendations as a basis for consultation. The Government recognises that the position of the uniformed services, including the police, will require particularly careful consideration. The Government will set out proposals in the autumn that are affordable, sustainable, and fair to both the public sector workforce and the taxpayer. Any changes to police pensions would be subject to the usual consultation processes with the Police Negotiating Board.
Police: Recruitment
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she issues to police forces on the time period for which the assessment results of potential police recruits are valid during a period when police recruitment is suspended. [51261]
Nick Herbert: Police forces should aim to appoint candidates who have been successful at the assessment centre within 12 months of attendance. In some circumstances, this can be extended for a further 12 months.
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Police: Surveillance
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) to what extent the findings of the review of Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary into the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in law will be made public; and whether a report with recommendations will be published; [50738]
(2) whether those conducting the review of Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary into the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in law have had any direct involvement in the deployment of undercover police officers within protest groups under the auspices of (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, (c) each police force which provided the undercover officers whose authorities are under investigation and (d) any other police force or police organisation; [50739]
(3) what the terms of reference are of the review by Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary into the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity authorised in law will (a) include and (b) exclude; and when the full terms of reference will be announced; [50745]
(4) whether the terms of reference of the review of Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary into the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) and how intelligence activity is authorised in law will consider (a) undercover officers acting as agent provocateurs, (b) undercover officers engaging in sexual misconduct, (c) potential breaches of international and European rules on policing, (d) the relationship between the NPOIU and the corporate sector and (e) the role of UK undercover police officers abroad; [50746]
(5) to whom the review of Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary into the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in law will report; and if she will make a statement to the House at the conclusion of the review. [50747]
Nick Herbert: Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) will publish a report of their findings following the review. Any findings which could include operational detail leading to the identification of an undercover officer or to the compromise of covert operations or tactics will be reported separately in a confidential report.
I understand from HMIC that the HMIC review team do not have any team members that have had direct involvement in the deployment of undercover officers by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit. Some members of the team do have experience in the deployment of undercover officers and covert policing. This knowledge is essential in order to fully examine the operational accountability of undercover work and covert policing.
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HMIC has included independent oversight into their review in the form of an external reference group comprising representatives from the judiciary, Parliament, academia, the London Assembly, the Home Office, and Liberty. Full details of the membership of this group have already been announced on the HMIC website.
The full terms of reference for the review are to review how intelligence that supports the policing of protest involving criminal activity is prioritised, gathered, assessed and managed by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit by considering:
1. the existing remit of these units and whether they are appropriate for the future;
2. the effectiveness of operational oversight and governance arrangements for these units;
3. the adequacy and resilience of structures, funding, staffing and resourcing of these units and the future requirements;
4. how intelligence activity associated with these units is authorised in accordance with the law including (a) consideration of how the ‘proportionality’ of covert tactics is determined, in particular the use of undercover officers for collecting intelligence; (b) the process by which covert methods to collect intelligence are tasked and co-ordinated; (c) the process by which covert intelligence is translated into operational activity and, where appropriate, tested through a judicial process; and (d) the training, experience and accreditation of all staff involved in the process;
5. how covert intelligence gathering associated with these units is managed, including the use of undercover police officers;
6. whether existing legislation, and the guidance provided by ACPO, is sufficient to maintain public confidence in managing intelligence about protest activity.
HMIC will be considering within the terms of reference, how covert intelligence gathering associated with these units is managed, including the use of undercover police officers. This will include undercover officers both in this country and when working abroad.
HMIC inspect policing in the public interest and will publish a report with recommendations at the conclusion of the review.
Police: Working Hours
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the budget of police authorities in England and Wales was allocated to remuneration for shift work in antisocial hours in 2010-11. [47366]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 17 March 2011]: This information is not held centrally.
The Government allocates funding to police authorities as a whole and does not stipulate how these resources should be used. The chief constable and the police authority are better placed to judge local need and prioritise resources accordingly. It is only right that decisions about the use of resources are made locally.
Public Order Offences: Prosecutions
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted under section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in relation to public protests. [51303]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
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Section 1(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 provides that a person must not pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment of another, and which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of the other. Section 1(1A) states that a person must not pursue a course of conduct involving the ‘harassment of two or more persons, which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment, and which’ is intended to persuade them (or somebody else) not to do something that they are entitled or required to do or to do something that they are not under any obligation to do.
A defendant who pursues a course of conduct in breach of section 1(1) or section 1(1 A) is guilty of an offence under section 2 of the Act.
The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Other than where specified in a statute, statistical information available centrally does not include the circumstances of each case. It is therefore not possible to separately identify those proceedings under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 which specifically occurred in relation to public protests.
Charging data are not available centrally.
Quilliam Foundation: Finance
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans she has for future funding of the Quilliam Foundation by her Department; and if she will make a statement; [45344]
(2) what steps she is taking to prevent the closure of the Quilliam Foundation. [45343]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 10 March 2011]: Quilliam has received six-figure funding from the Government for this financial year. Quilliam is welcome to submit a bid for project funding for the next financial year.
This Government will only fund organisations for work that contributes to the delivery of its public policy objectives. As with other areas of public spending, this funding is subject to value for money and effectiveness assessments.
Work Permits
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many out-of-country applications for intra-company transfer work permits her Department approved in each year since 2007. [50290]
Damian Green [holding answer 31 March 2011]: Tier 2 of the points based system was launched on 27 November 2008. Prior to this date, the entry route for intra-company transfers was the work permit arrangements.
| Work permit intra company transfer out of country applications approved in 2007 and 2008. | |
|
|
Applications approved |
| The 2007 and 2008 figures are rounded, are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or leave to enter. | |
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| Intra company transfer visas issued under tier 2 of the points based system from December 2008 to December 2010 | |
|
|
Visas issued |
| The 2009 and 2010 figures are not rounded, are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. | |
Health
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health organisations invited to subscribe to his proposed public health responsibility deal on alcohol in England have not yet done so; what assessment he has made of the reasons why each has not subscribed to the agreement; what assessment he has made of the implications of his assessment for future such agreements; and if he will make a statement. [50726]
Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley) launched the public health responsibility deal on 15 March and to date 182 organisations have signed up to it.
The only organisations who declined to do so because of stated concerns with the alcohol pledges were Alcohol Concern, The British Liver Trust, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and the British Medical Association.
Three others said they hoped to be able to sign up in future. They were Diabetes UK, the Royal College of Physicians and the British Heart Foundation.
The Responsibility Deal is a voluntary agreement and it is up to each organisation to decide for itself whether to sign up.
It is essential that we find new ways to work in partnership with industry and other external organisations to tackle the major public health challenges we face. The Responsibility Deal is one part of our strategy for tackling alcohol misuse and improving public health as set out in the White Paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People” published in November 2010. We will publish an alcohol strategy later this year.
Bone Cancer: Drugs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received on the time taken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to conclude its final appraisal determination announcement for the Mepact treatment for osteosarcoma; and when he expects NICE to announce the outcome of the appraisal. [50588]
Mr Simon Burns: As a stakeholder in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal on the use of Mepact (mifamurtide) for the treatment of osteosarcoma, the Department is routinely kept up-to-date on progress as part of the appraisal process.
NICE has not yet confirmed when it expects to issue final guidance to the national health service.
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Care Homes
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and what proportion of deaths in care homes were attributable to (a) MRSA, (b) clostridium difficile infections, (c) malnutrition and (d) dehydration in each of the last 13 years; [49797]
(2) how many (a) cases of and (b) deaths where the death certificate referred to healthcare acquired infections there were in care homes for each type of (i) infection and (ii) care home in each of the last 13 years. [49828]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, Questions asking:
1. How many and what proportion of deaths in care homes were attributable to (a) MRSA, (b) Clostridium difficile infections, (c) malnutrition and (d) dehydration in each of the last 13 years. (49797)
2. How many (a) cases of and (b) deaths where the death certificate refers to healthcare acquired infections there were in care homes for each type of (i) infection and (ii) care home in each of the last 13 years. (49828)
Tables 1 to 4 provide the number and percentage of deaths in care homes where (a) Meticillin-resistant “Staphylococcus aureus” (MRSA) (Table 1), (b) “Clostridium difficile” (C. difficile) (Table 2), (c) Malnutrition or effects of hunger (Table 3), and (d) Dehydration (volume depletion or lack of water) or effects of thirst (Table 4) were (i) the underlying cause of death and (ii) mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor, in England and Wales, for 1997 to 2009 (the latest year available).
There is no official definition of a Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI). Tables 5 and 6 provide the number of deaths where (a) Meticillin-resistant “Staphylococcus aureus” (MRSA) (Table 5) and (b) “Clostridium difficile” (C. difficile) (Table 6), two specific types of HCAIs, were (i) the underlying cause of death and (ii) mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor, for local authority care homes and non-local authority care homes in England and Wales, for 1997 to 2009 (the latest year available).
Copies of the tables will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Death certificates record the place where a person died, but not where any infections may have been acquired. It is not possible from the information on a death certificate to know whether an infection was acquired in the care home where a person died. People are often transferred between hospitals, care homes and other establishments, and may acquire infections in a different place from where they died.
The number of cases of healthcare associated infections in care homes is not available. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) publish regular reports about anti-microbial surveillance, HCAIs and their consequences for human health in the UK. These are available on the HPA website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/InfectiousDiseases/AntimicrobialAndHealthcareAssociatedInfections/
Those who die with the conditions specified above are usually already very ill, and it is often their existing illness which is designated as the underlying cause of death. For example, someone with malnutrition or effects of hunger mentioned on their death certificate may have cancer of the digestive tract, which means they cannot eat properly or cannot absorb nutrients; they may have suffered from a stroke or have advanced dementia which can
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cause difficulties chewing and swallowing; or they may abuse alcohol and so not eat properly. Therefore two sets of figures have been provided: the first showing deaths where one of these conditions was the underlying cause of death, and the second where the condition was either the underlying cause or a contributory factor.
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause and place of death are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15096
In addition, the number of deaths involving MRSA and C. difficile in England and Wales by sex and age are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
MRSA:
www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13571
C. difficile:
www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14782
Clostridium
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of clostridium difficile infection was among patients in each NHS organisation in the latest period for which figures are available. [50558]
Mr Simon Burns: “Clostridium difficile” infection (CDI) rates for the year 2009-10, the latest full year for which data are published, are shown in tables which have been placed in the Library. Rates are provided at both national health service acute trust and primary care organisation (PCO) level. The tables provide relevant trust apportioned rates (per 10,000 bed days) for all 167 NHS acute trusts and relevant total rates (per 100,000 population) for all 152 PCOs.
There have been significant reductions in CDIs in the first 10 months of 2010-11. The impact that this has had in lowering rates further within the majority of organisations in comparison to 2009-10 will be available for review when the full year’s data for 2010-11 are available in May this year.
Notes:
1. The trust level rates provided are based upon trust apportioned CDI cases only (i.e. all those cases detected four or more days following admission to the acute Trust) rather than all cases. We are thus able to suggest that included cases were acquired during that particular admission.
2. PCO data are however based upon all cases and thus does not identify where the case was acquired.
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what objectives on clostridium difficile have been set for each NHS organisation. [50559]
Mr Simon Burns: The “Clostridium difficile” Objectives 2011-12 aim to reduce the variation in infection rates that currently exists in the national health service, bringing the performance of everyone up to the level of the best. Tables of the Objectives set for each NHS organisation for reductions in “Clostridium difficile” infection in 2011-12 have been placed in the Library and will also shortly be made available on the Health Protection Agency website.
When reviewing these tables, it should be noted that the number of infections, both in terms of the baseline number and 2011-12 Objectives set for primary care trusts, incorporate all “Clostridium difficile” infections
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within the population for which they are responsible, including those infections that have been separately apportioned to the acute trusts within their area.