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Save in respect of the 7 July 2005 bombings, it is not possible to show where in England and Wales offences recorded by the BTP were committed, and homicide data relating to Brighton and Hove could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Additionally, it is not possible to identify homicides that involved sexual assault or rape. Available data from the Homicide Index relate to the ‘sexual’ category—where it is judged that either a sexual assault or sexual gratification of some sort was considered to be the primary motivation.
Data are as at 28 September 2010 and subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.
The collection of homicide data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Council of Europe: Finance
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have received any request from any Council of Europe institution for funding additional to its subscription for (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and whether the Government plan to make any additional contribution to any additional institution of the Council of Europe in 2011-12. [51907]
Mr Lidington: The Government have not been approached by the Council of Europe for funding outside our usual subscription.
The UK has not paid any extra-budgetary contributions in 2011 and currently has no plans to do so in 2012.
Departmental Accountancy
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any ministerial directions have been issued to the accounting officer of his Department since his appointment. [51995]
Mr Lidington: There have been no ministerial directions issued since the appointment of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
EU Institutions
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the outcome of (a) EU careers month and his (b) Department’s initiative to communicate the benefits of a career in the EU to young UK professionals, graduates and undergraduates. [51822]
Mr Lidington:
The objective of EU careers month was to increase awareness of opportunities in the EU Civil Service and increase the number of applications from key target groups of UK nationals to the EU’s recruitment competitions. It was the start of what must be a multiannual campaign if we are to stand any chance of redressing the declining number of UK nationals entering the EU institutions. The campaign achieved some measure of success. In this year’s main graduate selection procedure, which closed on 14 April 2011, the
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UK saw the largest proportional increase in numbers of applicants of all the member states, through a rise from 1.5% in 2010 to 2.4%. In the last week of the registration period the EU careers month’s webpages were the third largest external referrers to the European Personnel Selection Office’s landing pages—behind only Google and Facebook. The next measure of success is whether we have succeeded in attracting the right applicants. Evidence for this will come later in the year when we hear how many have been successful in the first assessment phase. On that basis we will re-assess the campaign.
Libya: Politics and Government
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what non-lethal equipment his Department has provided to Libyan rebel forces. [52230]
Alistair Burt: On 8 April 2011 a Departmental Minute was laid before the House that provided full details of a gift of 120 pieces of communications equipment to the Libyan Interim National Council. On 15 April 2011 a Departmental Minute was laid before the House that provided full details of a gift of 1,000 pieces of body armour, also to the Libyan Interim National Council.
Cabinet Office
Transition Fund
12. Gavin Barwell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what payments have been made from the transition fund since its creation. [52594]
Mr Letwin: Transition fund payments totalling just under £16 million have been paid to 202 organisations to date. A further £89 million will be paid out this financial year, including £5 million being paid out today.
Efficiency and Reform Group
13. Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse achieved through the work of the efficiency and reform group in 2010-11. [52595]
Mr Maude: The efficiency and reform group has worked with Departments to drive much greater efficiency into Government operations, by renegotiating contracts, central control over advertising and consultancy spend, getting out of properties, controlling recruitment and ICT spend.
We are currently checking our figures carefully, however I expect to announce shortly total savings for the year of over £3 billion.
Public Bodies Reform Programme
14. Gavin Shuker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue from the reform of public bodies in the comprehensive spending review period. [52597]
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Mr Hurd: Departments are estimating cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
When reductions in programme and capital spend are taken into account, the total spending being channelled through public bodies will be reduced by at least £11 billion per year by 2014-15, a cumulative £30 billion over the spending review period.
Census: Voluntary Work
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Office for National Statistics considered the merits of including voluntary work in the section of the 2011 census on work and employment. [52981]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking whether he considered the merits of including voluntary work in the section of the 2011 Census on work and employment ( 52981).
The questions for the 2011 Census were developed during a four year programme of consultation, research and testing with central and local government, public and private bodies, charities, the academic sector and the public sector.
A question on voluntary work was one of many considered for inclusion, but during the consultation less demand was expressed for such information than for many of the other questions also under consideration. The demand for questions in the census is always greater than can be accommodated on a self-completion questionnaire and due to these space constraints, only those questions that have been shown to be most needed by the major users of census statistics, were included.
The questions for the 2011 Census were approved by Parliament in 2009.
Charter of Fundamental Rights: EU
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the European Ombudsman's survey finding that 72% of Europeans do not feel well-informed about the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; what his assessment is of the proportion of UK residents who do not feel well-informed about the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; and if he will take steps to ensure the UK is not affected by the Charter. [52473]
Mr Lidington: I have been asked to reply.
As the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU does not create any new justiciable rights or change the current status of EU fundamental rights as they already apply in EU law, the Government do not believe it would be a cost effective use of resources to assess the proportion of UK residents that do not feel well informed about the charter.
The charter and the Lisbon treaty have not changed the content or effect of EU fundamental rights as they apply in EU law. It has long been recognised that fundamental rights, as guaranteed by the European Court of Human Rights and as they result from the constitutional traditions common to the member states,
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constitute general principles of EU law (as confirmed by Article 6 (3) TEU). The charter and the Lisbon treaty do not give the European Court of Justice or national courts any new powers to strike down national laws and practices for breaching fundamental rights. Furthermore, the UK is required to comply with the fundamental rights restated in the Charter only when it is giving effect to EU law, reflecting the long-standing case law of the European Court of Justice. These limits on the effects of the charter are confirmed by both Protocol No 30 to the treaties and the terms of the charter and the treaties themselves.
Civil Servants: Pensions
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have had their early payment pension under the civil service pension scheme back-dated to the date of (a) ceasing work through ill health and (b) claiming the payment in the period 1 April 1987 to 1 October 2002. [52188]
Mr Maude: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Early Retirement
Mr Crausby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of his Department’s staff have taken early retirement in each of the last five years; and what the cost to his Department was in each such year. [50840]
Mr Maude: The following table details the cost to the Cabinet Office in each of the last five years for which the information is available of staff who have taken early retirement.
| Financial year | Cost to Cabinet Office (£) |
The information is taken from the Cabinet Office resource accounts, which does not include the number of staff who have taken early retirement in each year. This information is not held and providing it would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
Identity and Passport Service: Liverpool
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Civil Service Commission was first informed of a problem concerning the awarding of permanent employment status to employees of Liverpool passport office. [52140]
Mr Maude: On 27 April 2010 the Identity and Passport Office told the Commission's external auditors that the Liverpool regional office had made permanent appointments for candidates who were not recruited through fair and open competition. The IPS told the Commission's auditors that these permanent contracts were being withdrawn and replaced with fixed-term appointments under two years in duration.
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The Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles allow Departments to make short-term appointments up to a maximum of two years, as an exception to appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Any proposal to extend an appointment made under this exception beyond two years requires the approval of the Civil Service Commission.
Older Workers: Average Earnings
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average lifetime earnings of (a) a woman and (b) a man who retired in 2010. [40178]
Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
The information to answer this question is not available.
Public Sector: Pay
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the making of bonus payments to officials with responsibility for advising on or initiating the borrowing of funds by public authorities proportionate to the funds borrowed; and what guidance he has issued to (a) public authorities, (b) Government Departments, (c) local authorities and (d) other agencies on this matter. [51033]
Mr Maude: There is no specific policy for the civil service on the making of bonus payments to officials with responsibility for advising on or initiating the borrowing of funds by public authorities.
The Government support the principle of performance related pay and ensuring that those who are the most effective receive the highest rewards, but this must be balanced against the need to ensure that such payments are moderate and appropriate. For the senior civil service (SCS), which is managed centrally by the Cabinet Office, only the top 25% of performers will be able to be
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considered for any performance related pay award this year. Under the delegated arrangements for staff outside the senior civil service (SCS), eligibility criteria for such payments are determined by individual Departments and agencies.
The Cabinet Office does not have responsibility for reward arrangements in public authorities and local government.
Third Sector: Finance
Stella Creasy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether he has plans to use funding provided to the Office for Civil Society which has not yet been allocated to other purposes to fund strategic partners in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14; [51647]
(2) how much of the funding allocation proposed by the Office for Civil Society for strategic partners has now been allocated for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14; and what proportion remains unallocated in each such year. [51648]
Mr Hurd: £9 million was made available for the Office for Civil Society's strategic partners transition programme (£4 million in 2011-12; £3 million in 2012-13; and £2 million in 2013-14). After an intensive selection process, a very small proportion of the total £9 million available remains unallocated—around 8%. The unallocated amounts are: £324,161 in 2011-12; £243,121 in 2012-13; and £162,080 in 2013-14.
I do not intend to use these amounts to fund organisations selected to be strategic partners as part of the programme running until 2015. I am currently considering the best use of this unallocated funding and there are a number of pressing priorities. I am keen to work with some unsuccessful interviewees on what big society policies and programmes mean for some of the groups they represent. Any commissions to these groups would be carried out this year.