5 May 2011 : Column 893W
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the (a) number and (b) total value of applications for (i) budgeting loans and (ii) crisis loans that were (A) received and (B) awarded was in each branch of Jobcentre Plus in the last three years for which figures are available; [53305]
(2) what the (a) number and (b) total monetary value of applications for (i) Social Fund discretionary payments and (ii) community care grants (A) received and (B) awarded was in each branch of Jobcentre Plus in the last three years for which figures are available. [53304]
Steve Webb: We are unable to provide information at local Jobcentre Plus office level; data by social fund budget areas are available and have been placed in the Library.
Disability Living Allowance: Children
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate the average (a) rise for those better off and (b) fall for those worse off in income for households with a disabled child and a household income of (i) £10,000 to £15,000, (ii) £15,000 to £20,000, (iii) £20,000 to £25,000, (iv) £25,000 to £30,000, (v) £30,000 to £35,000, (vi) £35,000 to £40,000, (vii) £40,000 to £45,000, (viii) £45,000 to £50,000 and (ix) above £50,000 attributable to the withdrawal of the disability element of child tax credit and its replacement by provision under universal credit in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16; [53249]
(2) how many households with a disabled child and a household income of (a) £10,000 to £15,000, (b) £15,000 to £20,000, (c) £20,000 to £25,000, (d) £25,000 to £30,000, (e) £30,000 to £35,000, (f) £35,000 to £40,000, (g) £40,000 to £45,000, (h) £45,000 to £50,000 and (i) above £50,000 will experience a (i) rise and (ii) fall in income attributable to the abolition of the disability element of child tax credit and its replacement by provision under universal credit in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16. [53250]
Chris Grayling: Departmental modelling estimates that, once fully implemented, approximately 200,000 households with a disabled child will experience a rise in benefit entitlement of, on average, £23 per week as a result of universal credit and the integrated reform of disability benefits. Approximately 100,000 households with a disabled child will experience a reduction in entitlement of, on average, £28 per week, but these households will receive full cash protection against this change to ensure that there are no cash losers at the point of transition. Estimates on a year-by-year basis during the transition period are not available and sample sizes are too small to yield estimates by income bands.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households with a disabled child will experience a (a) fall and (b) rise in income attributable to the withdrawal of the disability element of child tax credit and its replacement by provision under universal credit in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16. [53251]
Chris Grayling:
Departmental modelling estimates that, once fully implemented, approximately 200,000 households with a disabled child will experience a rise in benefit entitlement of, on average, £23 per week, as a
5 May 2011 : Column 894W
result of universal credit and the integrated reform of disability benefits. Approximately 100,000 households with a disabled child will experience a reduction in entitlement of, on average, £28 per week, but these households will receive full cash protection against this change to ensure that there are no cash losers at the point of transition. Estimates on a year-by-year basis during the transition period are not available.
Housing Benefit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed reductions in housing benefit for social tenants underoccupying their homes on overcrowding as measured by the space standards set out in the Housing Act 1985 if children aged under 16 years are required to share unsuitable bedrooms. [53718]
Steve Webb: The Department does not expect any household to have to move to nor to be offered accommodation, as a result of this measure, that would result in the space standards set out in section 326 of the Housing Act 1985 being breached.
The movement of underoccupying households in the social rented sector to more appropriately-sized accommodation should improve the availability of larger properties. These vacated properties could then be used to help alleviate overcrowding in the social rented sector.
Housing Benefit: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single people aged between 25 and 34 are claiming the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit in the Newcastle upon Tyne local authority area. [52980]
Steve Webb: The Department published the ‘Two Year Review of the Local Housing Allowance’ in February 2011, which includes estimates of the current caseload proportions claiming the shared accommodation rate, in Figure 2.11. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
The Department plans to publish an equality impact assessment for the shared accommodation rate changes within the next month, to accompany the draft regulations. This will contain estimates of the numbers of single housing benefit claimants between the ages of 25 and 34 who will be affected by these changes and of the number of claimants over 25 who are claiming the shared accommodation rate.
Institutional Investors
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the fiduciary obligations of institutional investors. [52248]
Steve Webb: Although DWP Ministers have not held any discussions with ministerial colleagues on institutional investors' fiduciary obligations, the Government believe it important that these obligations are fully understood. Officials from my Department have met officials from other Government Departments to discuss these issues and are considering a range of options.
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Jobseeker’s Allowance
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department provides to jobcentres on informing jobseekers (a) that there is a prescribed list of good reasons for failing to attend or be on time for jobseeker interviews and (b) that jobseekers are required to have regard to this list; and if he will make a statement. [52865]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what guidance is provided to Jobcentres on informing jobseekers (a) that there is a prescribed list of good reasons for failing to attend or be on time for jobseeker interviews and (b) that jobseekers are required to have regard to this list. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
When advising customers of the requirement to attend jobseeker interviews, guidance to Jobcentre Plus staff is to issue a formal notification, which among other things:
confirms the date, time, place and purpose of the interview;
asks the customer to tell us as soon as possible if they cannot attend; and
informs the customer their benefit may be stopped if they do not have good reason for failing to attend as required.
The formal notification is usually issued in writing, but can be given verbally or by other means. Where the notification is issued in writing and this is handed to the customer, the appointment details and potential consequences of not attending as required are also explained verbally.
I hope this information is helpful.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what allowance jobcentres make for genuine oversights in respect of non-attendance at jobseeker interviews; whether good character and previous history are taken into account; and if he will make a statement; [52866]
(2) what entitlement to benefit claimants have who fail to attend an interview due to an oversight but contact the jobcentre to rectify this within five working days; and if he will make a statement. [52867]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your questions asking what allowance Jobcentres make for genuine oversights in respect of non-attendance at jobseeker interviews; whether good character and previous history are taken into account; and what entitlement to benefit claimants have who fail to attend an interview due to an oversight but contact the jobcentre to rectify this within five working days. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus is responsible for ensuring customers remain eligible to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Under section 8 of the Jobseekers Act (1995) and Regulation 27A of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (1996), customers who fail to attend an interview will be asked to explain in writing the reason for the failure. Where it is immediately clear that there was good cause for not attending their interview (for example the customer was at
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a job interview, or was attending a hospital appointment) then payment of Jobseekers Allowance continues unaffected. An oversight, in itself, would not normally be considered to be good cause.
More complex cases are referred to a specialist Decision Maker who considers whether or not the customer had good cause for failing to attend. Jobcentre Plus Decision Makers act on behalf of the Secretary of State to make decisions on entitlement to benefit, using Social Security Legislation and established case law. They consider all the individual circumstances of the case on their merits when determining whether or not there was good cause for failure to attend and whether a sanction is applicable.
Where the Decision Maker determines that the customer did not have good cause then a benefit reduction is imposed. If a person in a vulnerable group has been sanctioned access to a hardship payment is immediately available.
An individual’s previous failure to attend history is taken into account when determining the length of the benefit reduction. The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations provide that failure to attend an interview attracts a fixed period sanction of 1 week on the first occasion, rising to 2 weeks for the second, and each subsequent occasion during the same jobseeking period.
National Insurance
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued to nationals of (a) other EU member states and (b) non-EU states in each month since January 1997. [53514]
Chris Grayling: The figures are not available monthly or prior to 2002. The information available is detailed in the following table:
| National insurance numbers issued to adult non-UK EU nationals and adult non-EU nationals entering the UK : Time Series— January 2002 to 2010- 11 (1) | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Financial year of registration date | European Union | Non-EU | Total |
| (1) September 2010. Notes: 1. Time Series—Reporting periods are based on the financial year of registration (1 April to 31 March). Figures for the period 2010-11 are up to 30 September 2010 (latest figures available) 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and displayed in thousands. Some additional control has been applied. 3. Registration date is derived from the date at which the NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System. 4. World Area of Origin Based on a client's nationality. The mapping for ‘world areas’ are based on the present day. 5. The EU includes the A8 accession states which joined the EU in 2004 and the A2 accession states which joined the EU in 2007. 6. This information is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/ Source: 100% extract from National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System. | |||
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Pensions
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has on the transfer of pre-1997 state earnings related pension schemes from a deceased pensioner to the surviving spouse. [49933]
Steve Webb: Following publication of ‘A state pension for the 21st century’ which launches a consultation on the future of the state pensions system, the Government are consulting on options for simplifying the state pension. Any reforms resulting from these proposals would apply to future pensioners only. The Government will be considering how supporting rules, such as inheritance rights to additional pension under the current scheme could be simplified in a way that ensures they are fairly recognised during the transition to a different system.
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent assessment his Department has made of the understanding by pension fund trustees of the long-term effects of environmental, social and governance issues on returns to their beneficiaries; [52249]
(2) whether he has considered the merits of bringing forward legislation to clarify the extent to which pension fund trustees may take ethical considerations into account in their investment decision-making; [52250]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effects on pension savers of changes in the rate of portfolio turnover. [52251]
Steve Webb: The Government take an active interest in fiduciary duty and ethical issues. My Department hosts a Trustee Panel which I regularly attend and which includes a representative from FairPensions which recently published a report on fiduciary obligation. Their representative attends in their capacity as a scheme trustee and is able to use the forum to highlight environmental, social and governance issues.
In addition, following the call for evidence, ‘A Long-Term Focus for Corporate Britain’ the Government are considering a wide range of measures and will publish the next steps in the summer.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of using the US H.R. 798 Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act 2011 as the basis for (a) pension indexing and (b) the calculation of (i) pension credit and (ii) other benefits; and if he will make a statement. [53786]
Steve Webb: We are aware of this proposal currently being considered by the United States Congress. However, we take the view that using a single index for benefit and pension uprating is the fairest approach, and gives people clarity and consistency.
Social Fund
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence received by his Department from local authorities, local government associations and professional associations on the proposed devolution of the Social Fund to local councils. [54147]
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Steve Webb: The Social Fund is not being devolved to local councils. The Welfare Reform Bill includes proposals to abolish the discretionary Social Fund. It will be replaced with a combination of locally designed and targeted assistance for the most vulnerable people in the community and a modernised and simplified national system of payments on account accessed through the benefit system.
We recently held a call for evidence on how the local assistance might be designed and delivered in England. We will publish a summary and response document shortly. The contributions received were from a number of local authorities, the Local Government Association, other organisations and individuals. The contributions will be made available as part of this process.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the change was in the proportion of (a) applications and (b) awards of (i) community care grants and (ii) crisis loans in each Jobcentre Plus area between (A) 2003 and 2007 and (B) 2007 and 2010. [54149]
Steve Webb: It is not possible to report back to 2003 on Jobcentre Plus region, budget area or region as subsequent boundary changes mean the data would not be comparable. Information for 2010 is not available until the Secretary of State's annual report on the Social Fund is published later this year. For this reason the figures for all of Great Britain have been provided for the information available:
| Table 1: Social Fund applications received by year for Great Britain | ||
|
|
2003-04 | 2007-08 |
| Table 2: Social Fund initial awards received by year for Great Britain | ||
|
|
2003-04 | 2007-08 |
| Table 3: Proportion of applications to awards each year in Great Britain | ||
|
|
2003-04 | 2007-08 |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award.) 3. If an applicant receives an initial award and this award is increased on first review in the same month as the initial award was made, then the Policy, Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS) does not count the initial award and the review award separately, but counts one award on the one application. However, if a first review award is made in a later month than the initial award, then PBMIS counts two awards on the one application. Similarly, if an initial or first review award is increased by the Independent Review Service, then all awards made in the same month on one application count as one award. However, if an initial award or any review award(s) on one application are made in different months, then PBMIS will count one award for each month in which an initial or review award was made. Because of this counting method, only the numbers of initial awards have been given. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System | ||
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Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on advertising in respect of benefit fraud in each year since 2007. [53365]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is shown in the following table:
| Expenditure on advertising in respect of benefit fraud | |
|
|
£ million |
| Note: Includes media costs, PR, production and research costs. It excludes VAT. | |
The 2010-11 spend reflects the freeze on all new Government advertising and marketing spend which came into effect on 24 May 2010 as part of the Government’s plans to reduce expenditure to achieve £6.2 billion of net savings.
Social Security Benefits: York Outer
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in York Outer constituency received one or more out-of-work benefit payment in the last three years. [53626]
Chris Grayling: The constituency of York Outer was only formed for the May 2010 Westminster parliamentary elections. The only data available are for May and August 2010, with those for August being the latest available.
|
|
Number of claimants on out-of-work benefits |
JSA—claimants of jobseekers allowance
ESA and incapacity benefits—claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance/employment and support allowance
IS/PC—claimants of income support (and males age 60-64 claiming pension credit) that are not also claiming IB/SDA.
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk
State Retirement Pensions: Age
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department gave to the potential effects on women aged 56 in 2011 of implementation of proposals to increase the state pension age; and what steps he is taking to assist those who are in this age group. [53727]
Steve Webb: The state pension age for around three-quarters of the women reaching 56 in 2011 will increase by 12 months, with an increase of up to a year and three months for the remaining quarter.
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An assessment of the effect of the proposed changes on women born in 1955 is included in the impact assessment which accompanied the Government's White Paper ‘A sustainable State Pension: when the State Pension age will increase to 66’.
We estimate that around 75% of women born in 1955 are currently still in employment. We are taking steps to ensure those who want to continue to work can do so and are able to save for retirement. For those not able to continue working, we will provide support through working age benefits.
As social security is a devolved matter, decisions in relation to future pension and welfare reform in Northern Ireland are matters for the Executive and the Assembly. Accordingly, some of the data referred to above relate only to Great Britain.
Tattoos: Plastic Surgery
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the provision of funding from the public purse for the removal of tattoos from benefit claimants. [53479]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what representations he has received on the provision of funding from the public purse for the removal of tattoos from benefit claimants. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Specific details about this type of use of funding are not collated at a national level. Our Management Information would capture such a payment under the broad category of “other payments to remove barriers” but would not show the low level detail of tattoo removal.
However, I am aware of a case in 2002, where a customer was allocated financial support to have tattoos removed. This was made possible as District Managers have the discretion to make funds available to provide additional support to help customers overcome things standing directly in the way of securing employment. This can be used where there are no alternative sources of funding. There is no automatic entitlement, but where an Adviser deems the removal of tattoos as necessary to facilitate the take-up of a specific job offer and the cost represents good value for taxpayer’s money, an award could be made. I envisage this only being in exceptional circumstances.
Taxation
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a tax benefit model for 2011-12, including new assumptions on rent levels and council tax bills for each family type. [52698]
Steve Webb: On 17 November 2010, the April 2010 tax benefit model was published. Alongside this, a consultation paper was published which asked for views on stopping publication and instead publishing a one-off interactive version of the model which can be updated by users themselves.
The consultation response document will be published in the summer.
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Telephone Calls
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) average speed of response to calls and (b) proportion of failed calls was in respect of each helpline operated by or on behalf of his Department and its predecessor in each year since 1997. [53449]
Chris Grayling: It is not possible to provide the data for all of the Department’s lines back to 1997. The Department’s previous telephony platform was not able to capture the information that the hon. Gentleman has requested. The Department has since moved to Internet Protocol Contact Centres (IPCC), which means that the data are now recorded. The different agencies within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rolled out to IPCC at different times, which is why some hold information for a longer period of time than others.
The Department operates several service lines and help lines and these are spread across the agencies. The information is placed in the Library and is displayed by agency.
Unemployment: Young People
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of underlying trends in youth unemployment; and if he will make a statement. [54074]
Chris Grayling: The number of ILO unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds has risen by 39,000 over the last year, to 963,000. This largely reflects a rise in ILO unemployed young people in full-time education who are looking for work to fit around their studies or because their course is about to finish. The number not in full-time education and unemployed is 666,000, an increase of 2,000 on the year.
Tackling the legacy of high unemployment left by the previous Government is a key priority for the coalition Government. Young people will benefit from the radical reform of the welfare system which will create a more flexible, personalised package of support to find work, including the Work programme. In addition, the 2011 Budget invested £200 million in support specifically targeted at young people which will include work experience; skills training; guaranteed interviews and progression into apprenticeships.
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change of the level of youth unemployment in the three months to February 2011; and if he will make a statement. [54075]
Chris Grayling: The number of ILO unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds in December to February 2011 rose by 12,000 compared to the previous quarter. This was made up of a 27,000 rise in the number of ILO unemployed full-time students, to 297,000, and a 15,000 fall in the number unemployed and not in full-time education to 666,000.
Tackling the legacy of high unemployment left by the previous Government is a key priority for the coalition Government. Young people will benefit from the radical
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reform of the welfare system which will create a more flexible, personalised package of support to find work, including the Work programme. In addition, the 2011 Budget invested £200 million in support specifically targeted at young people which will include work experience; skills training; guaranteed interviews and progression into apprenticeships.
Universal Credit
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 750W, on universal credit, if he will estimate the cost to his Department of the transitional payments to families with annual incomes between (a) £16,000 and £20,000 and (b) £20,000 and £24,000, which will have a lower entitlement in each of the four years following the introduction of universal credit; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of such transitional payments if they are uprated by the consumer prices index. [53156]
Chris Grayling: The Government have made a commitment that there will be no cash losers purely as a result of the move to universal credit. At the point of change a comparison will be made between current amount received in tax credits and/or benefits and the household entitlement under universal credit. If the universal credit entitlement is less, and no other circumstances have changed, a cash amount will be paid in order to make up the difference.
Details of this protection have yet to be fully worked out but we would expect future increases in universal credit entitlement to reduce the need for transitional protection. Estimates on a year-by-year basis during the transition period are not available.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what tenders he has issued for IT support for implementation of universal credit; what the date was of each such tender; what the deadline was for receipt of bids; and how many bids his Department received for each tender. [53345]
Chris Grayling: DWP has framework agreements in place with service providers for the provision of IT. Individual programmes are not tendered as to do so would cost an inordinate amount and add considerable time to the implementation of major change programmes. The existing frameworks for the provision of IT services have undergone a re-bid over the last 18 months through Official Journal of the European Union process and the outcome of that competition will be known imminently.
Universal Credit: Fylde
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider the merits of basing the administrative offices for the universal credit scheme in the Fylde Coast area. [52937]
Chris Grayling: We are currently examining the options for the delivery of universal credit and are looking carefully at how to deliver excellent customer service on a national level while delivering best value for money. This will take into account whether, how and where any central administration offices are developed.
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Welfare State: Reform
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what appeal mechanisms he proposes in respect of the sanctions arrangements proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill. [46408]
Chris Grayling: After a sanction has been imposed, claimants will continue to have the ability to appeal to an independent First-tier Tribunal. A First-tier Tribunal may consist of between one and three members depending on the issues raised by the appeal. It is likely that an appeal against a sanction decision would be heard by a Tribunal Judge sitting alone who will review the evidence, make findings of fact and apply the law to those facts when deciding the appeal.
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Justice
Driving Offences
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many drivers were fined for an offence of not having valid motor insurance in each of the last 10 years. [53695]
Mr Blunt: The number of persons fined at all courts for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, in England and Wales, from 2000 to 2009 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication on 26 May 2011.
| Number of persons fined at all courts for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, England and Wales, 2000 to 2009 (1,2) | ||||||||||
|
|
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 (3) | 2009 |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||||||||||
European Court of Human Rights
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the outcome was of the Izmir Conference on the future of the European Court of Human Rights; if he will place in the Library a copy of each contribution he made at the conference on the future of the Court; what was agreed at the conference; and when he next expects to discuss the future of the Court with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) his Council of Europe counterparts; [53843]
(2) what representations he made at the Izmir Conference on the future of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of restrictions on prisoner voting. [53844]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The conference adopted the Izmir Declaration, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. The Government welcome the declaration which, among other things:
calls for a stricter approach by the European Court of Human Rights to its use of interim measures under rule 39 of the convention, with the Court intervening only exceptionally if cases have been considered by fair and effective national procedures;
reinforces the importance of subsidiarity, the principle that the convention should be implemented primarily at national level;
calls for further consideration of the Court's admissibility criteria; and
calls also for continued reflection on the selection procedures for candidates for judges of the Court.
In my statement to the conference, a copy of which I have also placed in the Library, I stressed particularly the importance of subsidiarity, and warned that the Strasbourg Court should not be too ready to substitute its own judgment for that of national parliaments and courts. I also drew attention in this context to the strength of feeling in the United Kingdom on implementing the Court's judgment on prisoners' voting rights, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament; I reiterated this point in bilateral meetings with key figures from the Council of Europe including the Secretary General, the President of the Court and the Commissioner for Human Rights.
Since returning, I have updated my ministerial colleagues on the outcome of the conference, and the Foreign Secretary and I shall continue to consult colleagues as we approach the start this November of the United Kingdom's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. My ministerial colleagues and I shall also continue to discuss the reform of the Strasbourg Court with counterparts from other Council of Europe countries when opportunities arise, also particularly with a view to our forthcoming chairmanship.
Legal Advice and Assistance: Members
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will issue guidance to hon. Members on advising constituents seeking legal advice from their constituency Members; and if he will make a statement; [53603]
(2) if he will make arrangements for staff in his Department to assist hon. Members with casework arising from reductions in the legal aid budget; and if he will make a statement. [53605]
Mr Djanogly: I do not intend to issue any guidance, or make the arrangements suggested. Nor would I consider it appropriate to interfere with hon. Members' dealings with their constituency members.
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Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effects on the number of people seeking assistance and advice from hon. Members of recent reductions in the legal aid budget; and if he will make a statement. [53607]
Mr Djanogly: Both Impact Assessments (IAs) and Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) were published alongside the consultation paper, and these outline the anticipated impacts of the reforms in the consultation paper. We will publish revised IAs and EIAs alongside the Government’s response to the consultation.
Legal Aid: Families
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding has been provided to (a) mothers and (b) fathers in legal aid for cases (i) in the family courts and (ii) involving the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service in each of the last five years. [53865]
Mr Djanogly: Information is not available in the form requested.
The Legal Services Commission (LSC), which administers legal aid, is able to provide the costs paid in relation to care certificates issued for the period 2005-06 to 2009-10, and this is provided in the following table.
Until October 2007 the LSC was unable to distinguish between costs incurred in care proceedings by parents from those with parental responsibility. The table reflects this change.
| Spend on care certificates issued to parents and those with parental responsibility | ||
| £ million | ||
|
|
Male | Female |
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on legal aid in cases relating to child access arrangements in each of the last five years. [53866]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission is able to provide figures in cases that relate exclusively to contact in private law family proceedings, and these are included in the following table. Cases involving contact issues with other family matters have not been included as it is not possible to apportion costs in those cases between contact or other issues.
| Spend on child contact cases including VAT | |
| Financial year | Closed case spend (£) |
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Prisoners
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average population of each prison was in each of the last 10 years. [53882]
Mr Blunt: Comparisons of the prison population over time are typically made using the figures for 30 June in each year, as the June figures are a good representation of the year, and reasonably unaffected by seasonal effects (such as bank holidays). The tables which have been placed in the Library show the population in each prison establishment in England and Wales as at 30 June in each of the last 10 years. Information on the prison population by establishment is published quarterly in the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin on the Ministry of Justice website.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisons: Closures
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has taken any decisions on which prison establishments are to be closed in the future. [53705]
Mr Blunt: The prison population is under review following the announcements made earlier in the year about Lancaster Castle, Ashwell and Morton Hall prisons. No decisions have been taken about the need for further reductions in capacity.
Prisons: Expenditure
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the direct resource expenditure in each (a) public sector and (b) private sector prison was in each of the last 10 years. [53885]
Mr Blunt: The following table provides direct resource expenditure in each public and private sector prison for the years 2007-08 to 2009-10.
Direct resource expenditure is the expenditure accounted for locally at each prison. It does not include expenditure met at regional or national level.
Due to changes in accounting treatment over this period, the figures are not necessarily directly comparable. In particular, figures for public sector prisons for 2008-09 and 2009-10 are net of income from other Government Departments (mostly regarding health and education) whereas for 2007-08 they are gross.
The accounts for 2010-11 are not yet finalised and therefore not available.
Expenditure details for all public sector prisons for financial year 2001-02 to 2006-07 are in the public domain and are published in the Prison Service annual reports and accounts which are available in the House Library.
5 May 2011 : Column 907W
| £ | |||
| Establishment | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
5 May 2011 : Column 908W
5 May 2011 : Column 909W
| n/a: Not applicable. (1) Privately run prisons. Notes: 1. Financial data for Elmley, Standford Hill and Swaleside are reported under the Isle of Sheppey cluster. Similarly, data for Parkhurst, Camphill and Albany are reported under the Isle of Wight cluster. 2. For 2007-08 financial data for Hewell cluster is reported for Brockhill and Hewell Grange. For 2008-09 and 2009-10, Hewell cluster includes Brockhill, Hewell Grange and Blakenhurst. 3. Dover and Haslar are now Immigration Removal Centres operating under Detention Centre Rules 2001. 4. Lindholme is a split site, part Category C Training Prison and part Immigration Detention Centre. 5. Bure Prison: New Prison. | |||
Prisons: Manpower
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) principal officers, (b) senior officers, (c) prison officers and (d) operational support grades were employed in each prison on 31 March in each of the last 10 years; [53883]
(2) how many (a) senior operational managers, (b) operational managers and (c) administrators were employed in each prison on 31 March in each of the last 10 years. [53884]
Mr Blunt: Information on the number of principal officers, senior officers, prison officers, operational support grades, senior operational managers, operational managers and administrators employed at prison establishments within the National Offender Management Service on 31 March in each year since 2001 have been placed in the House Library. There are other staff working in establishments who do not fall into any of these categories.
Information in respect of contracted establishments is provided by individual contractors. Grading structures may vary.
Probate Law
Katy Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend probate law to allow annuities on
5 May 2011 : Column 910W
policies written in joint names to automatically continue making payments to the surviving recipient following the death of one of the named policyholders. [53139]
Mr Djanogly: When an annuity policy is taken out in joint names, the terms of the policy will govern whether the annuity will continue to be paid following the death of the one of the joint policyholders. We have no plans to change the law to restrict this flexibility.
Treasury
Bank Services
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he plans to take to enable customers to change current accounts; and if he will make a statement; [54072]
(2) what plans he has to promote competition in the banking sector; and if he will make a statement; [54073]
(3) what assessment he has made of the capacity of the market for personal current accounts to sustain new entrants; and if he will make a statement. [54076]
Mr Hoban: The Government established an Independent Commission on Banking to examine a range of issues, including competition in the retail banking and personal current account markets. The Government welcome the progress that the commission has made and look forward to receiving its final report in September 2011.
Banks
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the anticipated yield would be for the Exchequer if the bank levy allowance of non-chargeable equity and liabilities were set at £10 billion with a threshold triggering the application of the levy remaining at £20 billion. [54131]
Mr Hoban: The impact on bank levy yield of such a change would be dependent upon the behavioural response of the levy payers, so it is not possible to assess the total yield.
If the bank levy allowance of non-chargeable equity and liabilities was set at £10 billion with a threshold triggering the application of the levy remaining at £20 billion, a bank crossing the threshold would face an immediate tax charge of between £3.75 million and £7.5 million on the current rates of the bank levy. However, the exact charge on an individual institution would depend on the proportion of their taxable liabilities that were subject to the full and half rates for the levy.
As part of the consultation on the design of the levy, respondents were generally of the view that a threshold would create potent incentives for banks around the margin to structure their business in certain ways, or disincentives to grow, in order to avoid crossing the threshold. Indeed some argued that a threshold would probably not achieve any higher yield than an allowance because of these effects with consequent impact on both economic activity and other tax receipts, such as corporation tax.
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The Government's decision to set an allowance of £20 billion instead of a £20 billion threshold did not alter the overall expected levy yield, as the levy rates were determined after such design details were finalised.
Banks: Iceland
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his Icelandic counterparts on banking since 8 May 2010. [54129]
Mr Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations, overseas governments and ministries as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Banks: Loans
Mr Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total monetary value of loans written off by British banks in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011. [54038]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not held by HM Treasury.
BCCI
Mr Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish Part 2 of Lord Bingham's findings into the collapse of BCCI having redacted those parts which would identify individuals who submitted evidence in confidence. [46704]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 15 March 2011]: Consideration is currently being given to the case for publishing those parts of the Bingham report that were not published in 1992. Full account will be given to the public interest in disclosure and the period of time that has elapsed since the report was compiled as well as the other relevant principles including the effect on international relations, commercial interests and the disclosure of personal data. An announcement will be made to Parliament shortly.
Business: Government Assistance
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates the Exchequer has received as a result of the two per cent. premium charged to companies awarded supported lending via the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in each year since its introduction. [53361]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
Premium income of £68.9 million is forecast to be received over the lifetime of loans guaranteed between January 2009 and March 2011.
In 2010-11 the forecast for cash received was £17.7 million.
In 2009-10 the forecast for cash received was £8.1 million.
In 2008-09 the forecast for cash received was £0.2 million.
This forecast takes account of the 25% discount for all premiums collected in 2009.
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Charitable Donations: Inheritance Tax
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the likely change in the level of charitable donations as a result of the reduction in the level of inheritance tax on donations in each year from 2012-13 to 2015-16; [51537]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the reduction in the inheritance tax rate for charitable donations in each year to 2016. [51546]
Justine Greening: The likely change in the level of charitable donations as a result of the reduced rate of inheritance tax where 10% or more of the net estate is donated to charity is estimated to be:
|
|
Change in the level of charitable donations (£ million) |
The cost to the Exchequer of the reduced rate of inheritance tax where 10% or more of the net estate is donated to charity in each year to 2016 is published in Table 2.1 of the Budget 2011 document. This is available from the HMT website at:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_complete.pdf
Excise Duties: Fuel
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent to which the reduction in fuel duty announced in the 2011 Budget has been passed on to consumers. [54210]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 May 2011, Official Report, column 680W, to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith).
Financial services: Business
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his proposals concerning new domestic regulation affecting small businesses apply to rules introduced by the Financial Services Authority. [50388]
Mr Hoban: The Government have announced a moratorium exempting micro-businesses and start-ups from new domestic regulation. The moratorium will apply for three years from April 2011. The intention of the moratorium is that it will apply to new initiatives in primary and secondary legislation made by Government. The Government will be publishing guidance on the application of the moratorium in due course.
The Financial Services Authority is an independent rule-making regulator with existing powers to make rules under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and therefore the moratorium will not automatically apply to rules it makes under these powers. Therefore it will be for the FSA to decide whether to apply new regulation to micro-businesses.
5 May 2011 : Column 913W
The FSA is clear that it has an obligation to assess the impact of its rules on business, including small businesses, and seek to make its rules proportionate. The FSA has announced in its 2011-12 business plan that, recognising the difficult economic circumstances for many firms, it is not planning any new initiatives under its Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 powers beyond those which were already under way.
Fuel Poverty
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of changes to the carbon price floor on the number of households in fuel poverty in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [51565]
Justine Greening [holding answer 26 April 2011]: The December 2010 consultation document “Carbon price floor: support and certainty for low-carbon investment”, included an impact assessment which set out the increase to the Government's fuel poverty baseline resulting from a £30 per tonne of carbon dioxide price floor in 2020. This can be accessed online at:
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consult_carbon_price_support_condoc.pdf
The Government are committed to supporting vulnerable consumers and tackling fuel poverty. They are putting in place a range of policies in parallel to the carbon price floor to contribute towards these aims. These include introducing the Warm Home Discount to assist more of the most vulnerable households with their energy bills and introducing the Green Deal from 2012 so that households and businesses can improve their energy efficiency at no upfront cost, repaying through their savings on energy bills.
International Monetary Fund
Mr Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value is of the Government's shareholding in the International Monetary Fund; and what the value is of the shareholdings of the 30 largest shareholders. [54040]
Mr Hoban: The United Kingdom's quota share at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is currently 4.52%. This makes the UK the joint fourth highest shareholder at the fund. The monetary value of this share is 10.7385 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which is equivalent to around £10.5 billion under current exchange rates.
The total monetary value of all countries' quota shareholdings at the IMF is 237.3557 billion SDR. The values of countries' individual shareholdings are available on the IMF's website at:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/memdir/members.aspx#1
Public Expenditure
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the comparative effects of reductions in public expenditure on each devolved Administration and the total level of public expenditure in England during the comprehensive spending review period. [53962]
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Danny Alexander: The Government's public expenditure plans for the devolved Administrations and for UK Government Departments were set out in the 2010 Spending Review (Cm 7942). The effects of reductions in public expenditure will depend on decisions by the devolved Administrations on how to allocate their block budgets.
Taxation: Solar Power
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of revenue accruing to the Exchequer from the solar power sector in the next five years. [52928]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the the Exechequer Secretary on 29 March 2011, Official Report, column 266W.
VAT: Imports
Anna Soubry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to provide information for the public to ensure that people sending gifts to the UK from non-EU countries are aware of value added tax payable by the recipient in the UK. [53918]
Justine Greening: Information on import procedures including details of when import charges become payable on imported gifts is available on the HMRC and Business Link websites.
The websites are regularly monitored and updated.
Welfare Tax Credits: Domicile
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people domiciled outside the UK are claiming tax credits. [52910]
Justine Greening: The information requested is not available, as domicile is not relevant (and therefore not recorded) when deciding entitlement to child and working tax credits. Instead, eligibility for tax credits depends on the claimants being present and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. In addition, child tax credit claimants must also have a right to reside here.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question 46704, on Lord Bingham's findings, tabled on 10 March 2011 for answer on 15 March 2011. [54036]
Mr Hoban: I have responded to the right hon. Gentleman today.
Education
CAFCASS
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many cases Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has recommended mediation between parents in each of the last five years. [53863]
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Tim Loughton: Neither CAFCASS nor this Department holds this information.
Children: Deviance and Behaviour Disorders
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research on childhood delinquency his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated. [53692]
Mr Gibb: The Department is due to publish four research reports relating to childhood delinquency on 26 May 2011. The reports will be published on the Department's website at:
www.education.gov.uk
The first report is ‘Prevention and Reduction: A Review of Strategies for intervening Early to Prevent or Reduce Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour’ (by the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions). This report provides an overview of the key characteristics of ‘what works’ to prevent or reduce crime and antisocial behaviour among children from age eight. The report will help commissioners to identify more effective early interventions to support vulnerable young people.
The second report is ‘Monitoring and Evaluation of Intensive Intervention Projects for Young People’ (by the National Centre for Social Research). These projects were based on an intensive family support model and addressed the problematic behaviours of young people with particularly complex needs. This report presents the overall numbers of young people working with the projects, a baseline assessment of their needs and details of the progress made.
The third report also looks at the Intensive Intervention Projects and is a qualitative evaluation by Sheffield Hallam University. This report complements the National Centre report by providing longitudinal, in-depth case studies of 15 young people who worked with the projects, including the experiences of their parents and project workers. The report also provides a brief economic evaluation of the projects, which concludes that the intensive support model appears to represent good value for money.
The final report is ‘Understanding Vulnerable Young People: Analysis from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England’. The report identifies young people experiencing six particular vulnerabilities at age 16 to 17, including: low attainment; teen parenthood; not being in education, employment or training; emotional health concerns; criminal activity; and substance misuse. The report explores how these issues overlap, including the related risk factors and outcomes at age 19 to 20. This research helps to estimate the potential numbers of vulnerable young people who are in most need of targeted, supportive interventions.
In 2010 the Independent Commission for Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour reported their findings in ‘Time for a Fresh Start’. Background evidence for the Commission's work, including essays from a number of international experts, was published in the book ‘A New Response to Youth Crime’, edited by David J. Smith. These studies contribute to this wider evidence base.
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Children: First Aid
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to increase the number of children who are trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. [53640]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 May 2011]:The national framework for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education currently includes teaching primary school pupils about basic emergency procedures and where to get help; and secondary school pupils to develop the skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic first aid procedures, including, at ages 15-16, resuscitation techniques. These provide opportunities for children to learn how to act in an emergency to help others who are injured, ill, or otherwise in danger. External expert organisations such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance support schools in teaching about first aid and dealing with emergency situations.
Children: Mental Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of low emotional intelligence on levels of childhood delinquency. [53693]
Mr Gibb: The Department is due to publish a research report ‘Prevention and Reduction: A Review of Strategies for intervening Early to Prevent or Reduce Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour’ (by the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions) on 26 May 2011. The report will be published on the Department's website at:
www.education.gov.uk
The report provides an overview of the key characteristics of ‘what works’ to prevent or reduce crime and antisocial behaviour among children from age eight. It summarises the risk factors for involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour, which include factors relating to low emotional intelligence such low empathy and impulsivity. The report also identifies related protective factors, including resilience and self-efficacy (believing that one can perform tasks successfully).
The review concludes that counselling and skills training which aim to nurture a positive change in young people are likely to be effective. Among these, programmes employing behavioural or cognitive behavioural techniques were considered especially effective.
In 2010, the Independent Commission for Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour reported their findings in ‘Time for a Fresh Start’. Background evidence for the Commission's work, including essays from a number of international experts, was published in the book ‘A New Response to Youth Crime’, edited by David J. Smith. This study contributes to this wider evidence base.
Departmental Buildings
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building. [53817]
5 May 2011 : Column 917W
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education owns the following properties:
| Property name | Address | Value (£) |
Castle View House Runcorn, Mowden Hall Darlington and the Nursery in Sheffield are all freehold properties. The Department owns the property at 2 St. Paul's Place but not the land. This is held on a long-term ground lease which runs until September 2259. The Nursery is operated by the company Bright Horizons for use by the staff of Government Departments based in Sheffield.