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Departmental Pay
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional pay he plans to provide to officials in his Department in the period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013 to reflect (a) seniority, (b) promotion and (c) performance. [55414]
Mr Simon Burns: For the period in question, the only officials in the Department eligible for base pay increases are those earning under £21,000. The Department's pay systems are performance-related and do not reward staff for seniority.
The provision of pay for promotion will depend on the number of promotions which take place in the period in question, which is difficult to predict. Staff would normally receive a 10% pay uplift following promotion to the next grade. The Department usually operates promotion gateways or boards, but these are currently suspended while the Department works through the implications of its transition programme.
These promotions will be strictly controlled and are likely to be few in number in the current climate. Numbers of promotions cannot be predicted in advance as they are dependent on contingent business needs. The arrangements for non-consolidated performance-related pay for non-senior civil service staff are subject to the Treasury's annual civil service pay guidance. The overall ‘pot’ of money set aside for this will not increase in 2011-12 nor in 2012-13. Non-consolidated performance-related pay for senior civil service (SCS) staff is determined within a framework set by the Cabinet Office. The overall ‘pot’ for such awards will decrease in 2011-12.
The two-year pay freeze for the SCS started in April 2010 and for the rest of the Department's civil servants (the integrated structure, i.e. grades administrative officer to grade 6) this freeze will start in August 2011.
Diseases: Health Services
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his proposed NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for commissioning services for rare diseases. [55935]
Mr Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill sets out the intention for the NHS Commissioning Board to take responsibility for the commissioning of specialised services for very rare conditions. These specialised services are currently commissioned at both a national and regional level.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of the treatment of rare diseases in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [55936]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally by the Department.
Diseases: Research
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made changes to the methodology for assessing disease-specific research and development spending in the last five years. [55436]
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Mr Simon Burns: Recent figures for disease-specific research and development (R and D) spend reflect a more transparent and accurate method for assessing this expenditure.
Prior to the establishment of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in April 2006, the main part of the Department's total health expenditure was devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. From April 2006 to March 2009, transitional research funding was allocated to these organisations at reducing levels. At the same time, an increasing amount of NHS research funding was awarded competitively through new NIHR programmes and schemes. The NHS organisations reported on their use of these allocations in annual R and D reports, and each report included figures for research spend in a range of disease areas. These figures have been included in any estimates made by the Department of total annual research spend in these disease areas up to 2008-09.
The Department is increasing its routine monitoring of NIHR expenditure across all therapeutic areas.
e-Cigarettes
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the use of e-cigarettes. [55636]
Anne Milton: In March 2011, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published the Government's response to the consultation on the regulation of nicotine-containing products, which includes e-cigarettes. The MHRA also announced that it will co-ordinate a period of further scientific and market research to inform decisions about the regulation of nicotine-containing products.
Fluoride: Drinking Water
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities require the fluoridation of their local water supply. [55762]
Anne Milton: Although the Health and Social Care Bill proposes that responsibility for consultations on proposals for fluoridation schemes should transfer to local authorities, currently strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for contracting with water companies to fluoridate water supplies. Therefore, the information held centrally on which areas are fluoridated is by SHA/primary care trust (PCT) as in the following table:
| SHA/PCT | Percentage of population with fluoridated water supply |
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| (1) Variable low. (2) Virtually. | |
General Practitioners
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of geographical boundaries determining eligibility for GP registration following the implementation of his plans for GP commissioning. [55766]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government’s health reforms aim to put patients at the heart of the national health service by giving them more choice and control over their health care, including the ability to choose their general practitioner (GP) practice.
The current system of geographical boundaries can restrict patients’ ability to register with a GP practice which meets their needs and aspirations. The White Paper “Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS” committed to give every patient a clear right to choose to register with any GP practice they want with an open list, without being restricted by where they live. A national consultation showed overwhelming support from the public for this flexibility, with over 70% of the public who commented in favour. We are currently considering issues raised in the consultation and will discuss with the profession in the normal way any proposed changes to existing arrangements.
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Health Services: Prisoners
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on the provision of health services to prisoners of the implementation of proposed reforms to commissioning in the NHS. [55512]
Paul Burstow: The Government are currently pausing, listening and reflecting to improve plans regarding the Health and Social Care Bill. The Bill proposes that the NHS Commissioning Board will bring about considerable reform to the national health service and have a direct impact as to how services for the offender population may be delivered and received in future.
Offenders are entitled to expect, and receive, the same quality of treatments and services from the NHS as anyone else. The NHS is—and must remain—about equitable service provision for all citizens, not least offenders.
We need robust offender health and criminal justice programmes in place. The public expects this and improved health and well-being outcomes for offenders will come from reducing health inequalities and reoffending through prevention, early intervention and having effective diversion from custody services.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisoners have been granted access to private health care services paid from (a) private means and (b) the public purse in each of the last five years. [55547]
Paul Burstow: The Department does not collect this information.
The commissioning of prison health care transferred from the Prison Service to the national health service in 2006. It is the responsibility of local NHS primary care trusts to commission and provide services for their offender population.
Heart Diseases: Children
George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the Safe and Sustainable review issued by the NHS Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts. [55759]
Mr Simon Burns: The Safe and Sustainable review of children’s heart services in England is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. The Department has therefore made no estimate of the cost of the review.
The programme is ongoing so costs are still being incurred, and will be incurred up to the decision later this year. The intention is to publish the final costs once the process is complete.
Heart Diseases: Rehabilitation
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability in the NHS of cardiac rehabilitation for people after they have had a heart attack; and if he will make a statement. [55469]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not made an assessment of the availability in the national health service of cardiac rehabilitation for people after they have had a heart attack. It is a matter for NHS organisations to plan and develop services based on their specific local knowledge and expertise.
Information on cardiac rehabilitation services is available in the latest National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation's (NACR) annual report which can be found on NACR's website:
www.cardiacrehabilitation.org.uk/nacr/docs/2010.pdf
There is also a range of information publicly available to assist NHS commissioners, including a commissioning pack which can be found at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/Browsable/DH_117504
Hepatitis: Scotland
Mr Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Scottish Executive on the Scottish public inquiry into hepatitis C/HIV acquired infections from NHS treatment in Scotland involving contaminated blood and blood products. [55415]
Anne Milton: We have had no discussions about the inquiry with Scottish Ministers. The Department is co-operating with the inquiry team and has responded to a number of requests from the inquiry for copies of relevant official documents.
National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse: Public Appointments
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who he plans to appoint to conduct the peer review of the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse and the National Addiction Centre; and who will be responsible for the selection of the peer review panel reports on addiction to prescribed over-the-counter medicines. [55603]
Anne Milton: Departmental officials appointed three independent experts with international reputations in the fields of pain management, addiction and pharmacy to peer review the draft reports on addiction to medicine that were commissioned by. the Department. In order to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of the peer review process, the identity of peer reviewers is not disclosed.
The peer-reviewed reports were published on 11 May. Copies have already been placed in the Library.
NHS: Drugs
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his planned system of value-based pricing for medicines will include medicines for the treatment of rare diseases; and if he will make a statement. [55934]
Mr Simon Burns: We set out our proposals for a new value-based approach to the pricing of medicines in the consultation document, “A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines”. The consultation which closed on 17 March 2011, stated in Paragraph 4.4,
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“As we develop and refine the value-based pricing model, we will pay particular, careful attention to the potential impact on special groups of medicines. It may be appropriate to apply slightly different arrangements to some medicines, as is the case now. For example, some drugs that treat very rare conditions are currently funded through the arrangements for the national commissioning of specialised services. However, the presumption will be towards designing the system in a way that minimises the need for parallel mechanisms.”
Through the consultation we sought views on whether there are types or groups of medicines, for example, those that treat very rare conditions, which should be better dealt with through separate arrangements outside value-based pricing.
We are considering the consultation responses and will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
Organs: Donors
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report of the arm’s-length bodies review, what plans his Department has for the regulation of live donor organ transplants currently regulated by the Human Tissue Authority. [55563]
Anne Milton: One of the principal aims of the arm's length bodies review is to streamline and simplify regulation. To help achieve this, our preferred option is to transfer all of the functions of the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) to the Care Quality Commission apart from any research-related functions, which the proposed Health Research Authority may take on. The Government will be consulting in the late summer on this and other options as to where functions currently carried out by the HTA would best sit in the future.
Patients: Transport
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent misuse of hospital transport by those who do not have a valid medical reason to use the service. [55794]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has issued clear eligibility guidance for the use of non-emergency patient transport services (PTS) that makes clear that PTS should only be awarded to those patients with a medical need for transportation. It is for the national health service to determine locally a patient’s eligibility for PTS either by a health care professional or by non-clinically qualified staff who are both:
clinically supervised and/or working within locally agreed protocols or guidelines; and
employed by the NHS or working under contract for the NHS.
Primary Care Trusts: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has prepared a risk assessment for the proposed reorganisation of the NHS in the Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust area. [55541]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Department conducted an impact assessment alongside the Health and Social Care Bill. This estimates the effects of the modernisation at national level, and includes discussion of the risks
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and how they can be mitigated. We do not have a regional breakdown of these predicted effects. The impact assessment is available on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
and a copy has already been placed in the Library.
Smoking
Mr Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the smoking prevalence rate is in Crewe and Nantwich constituency. [55511]
Anne Milton: Information is not available in the format requested. The Department does not hold information on smoking prevalence at constituency or primary care trust level.
Information on prevalence of cigarette smoking by sex, country, and Government office region of England in 1998 to 2009 is contained within Table 1.11 of the General Lifestyle Survey ‘Smoking and Drinking among adults, 2009’, published by the Office for National Statistics. This publication is available on the Office for National Statistics website at:
www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/GLF09/GeneralLifestyleSurvey2009.pdf
A copy of this publication has already been placed in the Library.
Table 3.1a of ‘Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2009’ shows smoking behaviour among young people aged 11 to 15 by sex for the period 1982 to 2000. Table 3.1b shows the same information for the period 2001-09. These data are available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sdd09fullreport
A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library.
South London Healthcare NHS Trust: Restructure
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 842W, on South London Healthcare NHS Trust: restructure, what representations he has received on the potential restructuring of South London Healthcare NHS Trust since January 2011. [55479]
Mr Simon Burns: Further to my written answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 842W, a search has been made of the Department of Health correspondence database between 1 January 2011 to 13 May 2011 which has found five items of correspondence.
One letter has been received from the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (James Brokenshire), three letters from my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr Evennett), and one from a constituent of his.
Tattooing
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the merits of establishing a nationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for the tattooing and piercing industries; and if he will make a statement. [55477]
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Anne Milton: We have no plans to establish a national training and accreditation scheme for the tattooing and cosmetic piercing industries. Practitioners, their professional organisations, industry bodies, training bodies and enforcement authorities are best placed to work together to agree on suitable standards of good practice and competency.
Energy and Climate Change
Coal Gasification
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on coal gasification as an alternative fuel source. [56167]
Charles Hendry: The potential of underground coal gasification (UGC) is recognised and it could make an important contribution in future, but the technology for UGC is still in its early stages.
As the freehold owner of the coal resource, our non-departmental public body, the Coal Authority, has lead responsibility with respect to the licensing of potential UGC projects. Along with the authority we continue to monitor developments in the sector.
Energy: Housing
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the use of data matching for the purposes of targeting energy efficiency measures at priority households other than pensioners. [56151]
Gregory Barker: DECC and DWP Ministers and officials are working closely together on data matching as an important part of the policy development and planning for the Core Group of the Warm Home Discount Scheme. The scheme will involve data matching DWP pension credit data with energy suppliers' customer data to give recipients a rebate on their energy bills. This follows the successful delivery of the pilot 2010 Energy Rebate Scheme (ERS), which led to over 200,000 older poorer pensioners receiving a discount of £80 off their electricity bill.
Data matching for the Core Group of Warm Home Discount will involve a significantly larger client group than that used for ERS. This will lead to significant technical, security, operational and policy challenges. To seek to expand the scope of data matching before evaluating this wider use of existing powers would constitute a significant delivery risk.
In addition, the Government are currently developing proposals for a fundamental reform of the working age benefits regime. The additional groups proposed for data marching by respondents to the Warm Home Discount consultation are likely to change significantly. We need to ensure that any further data matching powers would be durable and deliverable.
The Government are not considering widening data matching powers at this stage.
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Cabinet Office
Businesses: Transition Fund
Mr Timpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many organisations in Crewe and Nantwich constituency have applied for an allocation from the Transition Fund. [55509]
Mr Hurd: There were no applications to the Transition Fund from organisations in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency.
Charities
Mr Gyimah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office by what date he expects his review of the Charities Act 2006 to be completed. [56126]
Mr Hurd: A person must be appointed before 8 November 2011 to undertake an independent review of the Charities Act 2006, as required under section 73 of that Act. The timetable for the review itself has not been finalised, but the review is likely to take between six and nine months, concluding in 2012. Once completed, the report of the review must be laid before Parliament.
Charities: Higher Education
Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the potential changes to charity law in connection with the ability of public schools to sponsor off-quota places at universities. [55789]
Mr Hurd: The forthcoming Higher Education White Paper will consult on options for introducing off-quota recruitment. Following the consultation there will be discussions between ministerial colleagues on taking forward any proposed options, including any changes to the law that are considered necessary.
Citizenship: Young People
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which National Citizen Service pilot projects charge participants to take part; and how much each such project charges per participant. [54974]
Mr Hurd: 12 providers are running National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots in 2011. The NCS pilot programme aims to test a range of different approaches to the delivery of the core NCS programme. One of the dimensions we are seeking to test is the impact of levying a small charge on participants. Half of the 2011 pilot providers are levying a charge for participation while the other half are not. Those providers levying a charge offer a range of discounts and bursaries, and are required to ensure that financial cost is not a barrier to participation for any young person who wishes to take part. The maximum charges by NCS provider are shown in the following table.
| Pilot provider | Charge? | Maximum charge (£) |
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Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the average amount that a young person will pay to participate in a National Citizen Service pilot. [54975]
Mr Hurd: Over 4,400 National Citizen Service pilot places in 2011 will be offered by providers levying no charge for participants. The remainder of places will be offered according to each provider's fee scale, which in all cases allow for discounts and bursaries according to participants' ability to pay. Since so many participants will not pay a fee to participate, it is not appropriate to estimate the average amount payable per participant, but the range of maximum fees levied by those pilots charging a fee is between £20 and £99. Those providers levying a charge offer a range of discounts and bursaries, and are required to ensure that financial cost is not a barrier to participation for any young person who wishes to take part.
In all cases the fee charged for participation is a small proportion of the total cost of providing a National Citizen Service place.
Graduates: Unemployment
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rate of graduate unemployment is in (a) England, (b) Liverpool and (c) Liverpool West, Derby constituency. [55590]
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 May 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the rate of graduate unemployment is in (a) England, (b) Liverpool and (c) Liverpool West, Derby constituency. (55590)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Unfortunately the sample size does not support analyses of graduate unemployment for Liverpool and Liverpool West, Derby constituency.
Unemployment rates are normally based on the proportion of economically active aged 16 and over who are unemployed. However, questions on qualifications are not asked of all people above state pension age. Therefore the analysis has been restricted to those aged between 16 and 64 years.
According to APS figures, the rate of graduate unemployment for people aged 16 to 64 years, in England for the 12 month period January to December 2009 was 4.3%.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.
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Public Sector: Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether outsourced services solely funded by the public purse will be subject to the public sector pay differential proposals. [36960]
Mr Maude: Even where outsourced services are funded solely by the public purse, the organisations providing these contracted services are mostly private sector entities and they are not funded entirely from the public purse. Therefore, while the contract terms for service provision fall within the scope of the Government’s procurement activity, the structure and remuneration of the private sector staff does not and is a matter for individual companies.
Voluntary Organisations
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress the ministerial working group on the big society has made; and if he will make a statement. [51767]
Mr Hurd: The informal ministerial group on big society and localism shares ideas and supports progress across government on cross-cutting issues such as the role of the voluntary sector in service delivery, the progress of the big society in vanguard areas, community budgets, and the compact between the voluntary sector and the state.
Progress on the big society is already taking shape, with 21 mutual pathfinders across public services, 12 organisations already appointed to run the 2011 National Citizen Service pilots, and new ideas on giving and volunteering in the Giving Green Paper.
Justice
Criminal Justice System
18. Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to increase the efficiency of the criminal justice system. [55686]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I am working closely with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Attorney-General to develop proposals to tackle inefficiency, so that we can have a more productive criminal justice system. Examples of these include streamlining the administration of cases; making greater use of video-links; and extending digital working. I will bring detailed plans to the House later this year.
Legal Aid Reform
19. Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the response to his Department's consultation on the reform of legal aid. [55687]
Mr Djanogly: We intend to publish the response to consultation as soon as possible after Whitsun recess.
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Legal Aid: Funding
20. Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in the legal aid budget on the availability of legal advice for those on low incomes in Newcastle upon Tyne. [55688]
Mr Djanogly: We published impact assessments alongside the consultation paper. However, these do not contain analysis of any specific geographies.
Restorative Justice
21. Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the use of restorative justice to reduce the level of offending; and if he will make a statement. [55689]
Mr Blunt: We are committed to increasing use of restorative justice. It makes offenders face up to the consequences of their crime, and provides victims the opportunity to seek reparation and move on from the crime they have suffered. There is growing evidence of its potential to cut reoffending and crime.
Sentencing: Crime Rates
22. Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effects on crime rates of (a) community sentences and (b) custodial sentences. [55690]
Mr Blunt: We published on 10 May 2011 a report comparing adult reoffending rates for different types of sentence. This showed that offenders who received sentences of less than 12 months had higher reoffending rates than similar offenders who received community orders. When specifically comparing different lengths of custodial sentence for similar offenders, longer sentences had lower reoffending rates.
Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU)
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government was represented at the Fourth Meeting of the Fundamental Rights Platform held by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights in April 2011. [55534]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Fundamental Rights Platform of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights is a network of civil society and non-governmental organisations active in the field of fundamental rights. Government representatives do not normally attend meetings of the platform and therefore the Government were not represented at the meeting.
Custody: Death
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to reduce the waiting time for inquests into deaths in custody. [55722]
Mr Djanogly:
The coroner’s inquest into a death in custody is the hearing which fulfils our obligations under article 2 of the European convention on human
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rights. Few such inquests take place until all other investigations have been completed. From 2012, we will be publishing data on the number of deaths in each category of custody in the annual statistics on deaths reported to coroners which will provide greater transparency about these inquests. The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody and the Coroners’ Society of England and Wales are also working together to develop a series of recommendations to address inquest delays. We are also committed to improving the coroner system and intend to achieve this through implementation of key provisions within part 1 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. Subject to parliamentary agreement, this will include removing rigid geographical boundary restrictions so that inquests can be transferred between coroners more easily to tackle and avoid delays.
Departmental Billing
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanism his Department has established to ensure its payments are passed through the supply chain to each tier in accordance with the last date for payment defined in the Government's Fair Payment guidance. [55885]
Mr Blunt: In line with the Government’s fair payment guidance the Ministry of Justice has included a clause within its terms and conditions of contract requiring contractors to enter a clause in any subcontracts to ensure that the prompt payment provisions are passed through the supply chain. The clause is reproduced as follows.
1.1. Where the Contractor enters into a sub-contract with a supplier or contractor for the purpose of performing its obligations under the Contract, it shall ensure that a provision is included in such a sub-contract which requires payment to be made of all sums due by the Contractor to the sub-contractor within a specified period not exceeding 30 days from the receipt of a valid invoice provided always that the Contractor has been paid by the Authority.
Compliance with this requirement is monitored in the course of routine contract management.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the name is of each contractor or supplier of (a) mobile telephone and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [56067]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: There are several suppliers:
Her Majesty's Prison Service: (a) HP provides services using Orange, Vodafone, and O2 for mobile telephony, (b) HP provides services using O2 and Vodafone to provide mobile data as the network suppliers.
Probation Services: Steria provide services through Vodafone.
Outside of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Vodafone and Orange provide both mobile telephony and mobile data for MOJ's Disc Infrastructure Renewal Programme. This includes the arm’s length bodies (ALBs), (although ALBs will probably have their own legacy mobile contracts).
Domestic Violence
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many independent domestic violence adviser posts funded in whole or in part by his Department are based in voluntary organisations. [55922]
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Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice is funding 33 voluntary organisations which between them will provide 44 dedicated court-based independent domestic violence advisers to support victims of domestic abuse. This funding stems from the Victim and Witness General Fund, announced in January 2011 and will last for three years.
In addition to this, 28 services providing 30 advisers for victims in specialist domestic violence court systems will be funded during 2011-2012. This funding stems from the Victim Surcharge. Most of these grants are paid to local authorities employing voluntary services to provide the adviser post.
Driving Offences
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of motorists involved in an incident leading to the (a) death and (b) serious injury of a cyclist received (i) a custodial sentence, (ii) a fine, (iii) a community service order and (iv) another sentence in each of the last three years. [55779]
Mr Blunt: It is not possible to identify from prosecutions for motoring offences involving the death or injury of a person, those cases where the victim was a cyclist. Data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice do not include information about the circumstances of each case other than those which may be identified from a statute
Legal Advice and Assistance: Mental Health
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether family law matter starts will be redistributed among providers who are running out of matter starts and may not be in a position to represent patients who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and who ask for their services. [55848]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales.
The LSC regularly reviews provider capacity and matter start allocations. In the event of gaps in access being identified in any category of law, including mental health, the LSC will take appropriate action to address these, taking into account the specific circumstances of the geographic area.
Matter starts for family work cannot be used for mental health cases. Therefore there will be no redistribution of matter starts from family to mental health.
Legal Aid
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received legal aid services in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) South Yorkshire in 2010. [55589]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales.
The LSC does not record the number of people who receive legal aid, but instead records the number of ‘acts of assistance’. One individual may receive a
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number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
The following table shows the number of acts of assistance delivered by legal aid providers with postcodes falling within Barnsley Central constituency during 2009-10. All acts of assistance are based on the solicitor’s location, which may not reflect where the client is based. The figures do not include legal aid received via telephone, the housing possession court duty scheme, or family mediation, as these figures are not available on a constituency level.
| Assistance type | Number |
The LSC is currently collating data relating to South Yorkshire. I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been verified and place a copy in the Library of the House.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many civil legal aid acts of assistance there were in Warrington North constituency for each type of case in the last year for which figures are available. [56036]
Mr Djanogly: There were no civil acts of assistance delivered by legal aid providers with postcodes falling within Warrington North constituency during 2009-10. All acts of assistance are based on the provider's location, which may not reflect where the client is based. Figures for legal aid received via telephone, the Housing Possession Court Duty scheme, or family mediation, are not available on a constituency level.
Legal Aid: Mental Health
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which mental health providers of legal aid contracts have failed their key performance indicator review; and what the outcome was of those reviews; [55849]
(2) whether key performance indicator reviews have been carried out in respect of those mental health providers of legal aid contracts which are unlikely to use 80% of their family law matters starts in the current contract period. [55850]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales.
The LSC does not hold the information requested. Review of performance as measured by key performance indicators in the relevant contract is continuous rather than at set stages. The current round of contracts commenced in November 2010 and therefore performance under those contracts is still at a relatively early stage.
The LSC works collaboratively with providers in the event of any concerns, taking into account individual circumstances, and with an emphasis on improving performance rather than sanctions.
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Prison Sentences
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's 2011 compendium of re-offending statistics and analysis, page 16, if he will draw to the attention of the Sentencing Council the finding in respect of re-offending of (a) offenders given immediate custodial sentences of two years or more but less than four years and (b) offenders who received immediate custodial sentences of one year or more but less than two years. [55757]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice already makes available a wide range of data on sentencing and offender management to the Sentencing Council. This covers both published statistics, including the compendium of re-offending statistics, and data to support the council's statutory duty to have regard to the cost of different sentences and their relative effectiveness in preventing reoffending.
Prisoners’ Release
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to review the Parole Board’s process for determining when individuals serving an indeterminate public protection sentence should be released. [55426]
Mr Blunt: On 7 December 2010 we published proposals in the Green Paper, “Breaking the Cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and sentencing of offenders”, for public consultation. These proposals included the reform of sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPPs).
As now, offenders who have completed their minimum term will still have to undergo a risk assessment before being considered for release and the Parole Board will consider whether each individual case is suitable for release on licence. We are, however, exploring whether a new test for those who have served their punishment would focus indefinite imprisonment on those who clearly pose a very serious risk of future harm. These proposals have been published on the Ministry of Justice website at:
www.justice.gov.uk
Consultation ended on 4 March 2011; the Government’s response will be published shortly.
Prisoners
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many unauthorised items were confiscated from prisoners in each prison in each of the last five years; [55558]
(2) how many (a) mobile phones, (b) knives and other unauthorised sharp instruments, (c) items containing alcohol, (d) pornographic materials and (e) drugs have been confiscated from prisoners in each of the last five years. [55559]
Mr Blunt: Items confiscated from prisoners are recorded on the Prison Service Incident Reporting System but in a format that cannot readily be interrogated electronically. To provide the information requested would involve the manual inspection of more than 79,000 incident records for the five financial years concerned which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
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Prisons: Film
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the cost to the public purse was of providing licences from (a) the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation and (b) Filmbank for the public performance of films in prison establishments in each of the last 10 years; [55531]
(2) what the cost to the public purse was of providing audio and visual entertainment to prisoners in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public was of purchasing (a) DVDs, (b) CDs, (c) televisions, (d) audio playback equipment and (e) other entertainment equipment for use by prisoners in each of the last 10 years; [55532]
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(3) what the cost to the public purse was of the purchase of television licences for the prison establishment in each of the last 10 years. [55533]
Mr Blunt: The current National Offender Management Service (NOMS) accounting system was introduced in the fiscal year 2005-06; to interrogate records before this time would be at disproportionate cost.
NOMS has purchased a single national licence from Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) since 2006-07 and from Filmbank since 2007-08. Prior to those dates, only limited local licences were purchased.
Establishment licence costs from the public purse for MPLC and Filmbank are as follows:
| £ | ||||||
| Fiscal year | ||||||
|
|
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
Costs for these licences are being phased out and are restricted to those establishments still awaiting digital switchover. The switchover will be completed during 2012 and is being financed from prisoner in-cell television payments.
Costs from the public purse for providing audio and visual entertainment to prisoners, specifically, DVDs, CDs, televisions, audio playback equipment and other entertainment equipment are not separately identifiable within the NOMS accounting system, as there is not a specific account code for this type of purchase. The cost of providing televisions in cells is met from the weekly payments made by prisoners who are eligible for this privilege and choose to have a television in their cells.
In-cell television is exempt from the TV licence. Some establishments have televisions in public and/or staff areas for which a single licence per establishment is required. No central record is held of how many establishments have a licence.
Restraint Techniques
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to revise the national control and restraint guidelines for the prison service following the recommendations by the coroner in the Godfrey Moyo inquest. [55723]
Mr Blunt: The coroner in the inquest of Mr Godfrey Moyo made a report to the Ministry of Justice under Coroner's Rule 43 asking for consideration to be given by the National Offender Management Service to reviewing the medical arrangements for prisoners with epilepsy and the response of discipline staff to prisoners who have suffered an epileptic seizure.
National Control and Restraint (C&R) policy and training provides extensive guidance on how to identify warning signs during C&R which might indicate that a prisoner is experiencing a medical emergency. Work is under way with medical advisers and organisations such as Epilepsy Action to make this guidance and training even more comprehensive.
C&R is used in all prison and young offender institutions. It is an important tool in maintaining control and order and for the protection of prisoners, staff and visitors. There were in excess of 16,000 incidents requiring the use of C&R in 2010. Despite the death of Mr Moyo in 2005, it has proved to be a very safe system for enabling violent and dangerous prisoners to be restrained while minimising the risk of injury to staff or prisoners.
Tribunal Service
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time for a hearing in each part of the Tribunal Service was (a) on the latest date for which information is available and (b) in May 2010. [56035]
Mr Djanogly: There are, including the Upper Tribunal Chambers, 31 tribunal jurisdictions within Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). To provide the average waiting time for each of these could be done only at disproportionate cost. The three largest jurisdictions within HMCTS, social security and child support (SSCS), immigration and asylum, and employment tribunals accounted for 92% of receipts for the business year 2009-10. The following table shows the average waiting for these jurisdictions. The latest date for which information is available is December 2010.
| Average waiting time for social security and child support, immigration and asylum, and employment tribunals, May 2010 and December 2010 | ||
| Average time in weeks | ||
|
|
May 2010 (1) | December 2010 (1) |
| (1) In month. (2) Average time from date of receipt in HMCTS to date of first hearing. Not all cases heard. (3) Average time from date of receipt in HMCTS to date of first substantive hearing. (4) Average taken from date of receipt of claim in HMCTS to date of first hearing. These data refer to both single claims (involving only one claimant) and multiple cases where two or more people bring cases involving one or more jurisdictions usually against a single employer. | ||
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Waiting times within the SSCS jurisdiction have been increasing due to recent changes in the welfare benefit system. This explains why the average waiting time from receipt of the appeal at the SSCS to the first hearing has increased from 16.8 weeks in May 2010 to 19.0 weeks in December 2010. The SSCS Tribunal has continued to respond strongly to the significant increase in appeals. As the volumes of receipts have increased, so has the capacity of the tribunal to deal with them. It is increasing its capacity through the recruitment of additional staff, judicial medical tribunal members as well as a range of business improvements.
Deputy Prime Minister
Absent Voting
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many postal ballots were issued for elections held on 5 May 2011 in (a) England, (b) Cheshire West and Chester council and (c) City of Chester constituency. [55569]
Mr Harper: Returning officers in England have a statutory duty to send to the Electoral Commission a statement which includes the total number of postal ballot papers issued. This must happen in the period between 10 and 15 working days after the close of the poll. I understand that the Commission plans to publish both local and national statistics on the issue of postal ballot packs at the 5 May polls in its report on the administration of the polls, due for publication in October.
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what grounds returning officers were allowed to disqualify postal ballots at the verification stage; and how many ballot papers were disqualified at the verification stage on each such ground in all elections held on 5 May 2011 in (a) England, (b) Cheshire West and Chester council and (c) City of Chester constituency. [55570]
Mr Harper: Returning officers must reject a postal ballot paper if they are not satisfied that a postal voting statement is duly completed. When a statement is selected for verification the returning officer must compare the date of birth and signature on the postal voting statement with those held by the electoral registration officer. The returning officer should reject the postal vote if the records do not match. These measures are important to ensure the integrity of the election process.
Returning officers in England have a statutory duty to send to the Electoral Commission a statement which includes the total number of postal ballot papers issued and returned. This statement must include the number of ballot papers subject to the verification procedure which have been rejected as not completed, and the number rejected because the personal identifiers do not match. The statement must be returned in the period between 10 and 15 working days after the close of the poll. I understand that the Commission plans to publish both local and national statistics on the issue and return of postal ballot packs at the 5 May polls in its report on the administration of the polls, due for publication in October.
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Absent Voting: Fraud
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what estimate he has made of the incidence of (a) postal and (b) proxy vote fraud in the May 2011 elections; [55593]
(2) what steps he is taking to reduce the level of electoral fraud; if he will bring forward proposals to restrict postal and proxy votes; and if he will make a statement. [55597]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made an estimate of the incidence of postal and proxy vote fraud at the polls held on 5 May 2011. The Electoral Commission in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) collected data on allegations of electoral malpractice reported to the police at those polls and the Commission and ACPO will publish their findings on the data collected in due course.
The Electoral Commission has led work with police forces, political parties and returning officers to raise awareness of integrity issues and strengthen systems to ensure that fraud is detected and prosecuted and to draw attention to existing good practice. There is evidence of effective working between returning officers and local police at recent elections with the police engaged on election issues and committed to the detection of electoral fraud which is reflected in the findings of the joint report by ACPO and Electoral Commission on the May 2010 elections, “Analysis of cases of alleged electoral malpractice in 2010”. This approach was continued for the polls that took place on 5 May 2011.
The Government are committed to reducing electoral fraud and have announced that they will legislate to bring individual electoral registration into force in 2014, ahead of the next general election. This will make the electoral register more accurate and secure, and this should give greater protection to the integrity of the voting process at elections.
The Government will wish to consider carefully the planned reports by the Electoral Commission on the polls on 5 May 2011, and any recommendations made by the Electoral Commission, and will continue to keep procedures under review to ensure that the electoral process is secure.
Elections
David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average number of disallowed ballot papers was in each electoral area in the May 2011 elections; and what the five most frequent reasons were for disallowing ballots. [55950]
Mr Harper: After the declaration of an election result, returning officers are required to produce a statement of the total number of ballot papers which were rejected where:
(v) the official mark was missing;
(vi) an individual has voted for more than one candidate;
(vii) the ballot paper is blank or there is a void for uncertainty;
(viii) there is anything written on the ballot paper which could identify the voter.
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Information about the number of rejected ballot papers at the recent elections is not yet available. However, the Electoral Commission will undertake an analysis of these statements from each area, which it plans to make available on its website in due course.
The powers given to returning officers in this respect help to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the final result as well as the secrecy of the ballot. Decisions on individual ballot papers are made at the returning officer's discretion, although their decisions in individual cases are subject to legal challenge.
David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he received any reports of suspension of voting at polling stations in the May 2011 local elections. [55951]
Mr Harper: The Electoral Commission has received one report of the temporary suspension of voting at a polling place during the local elections which took place on May 5 2011. It was reported that voting was suspended for around 45 minutes at a polling place in Portadown due to the death of a voter. No other reports of suspended voting have been received.
European Court of Human Rights: Prisoner Voting
Chris Kelly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of not implementing the European Court of Human Rights ruling on prisoner voting. [55678]
Mr Harper: As the Attorney-General made clear during the Commons debate on this issue on 10 February, it is very difficult to make an accurate estimate of the cost to the public purse, since we cannot know the number of prisoners that may bring a claim, nor can we be certain exactly how much compensation each prisoner might be awarded.
However, if the entire UK sentenced population in the prison system (over 70,000 prisoners) were to bring claims, and on the basis that about £1,000 to £1,500 of compensation and costs might have to be paid in each case, clearly the matter has the potential to be very costly.
Treasury
Building Societies: Regulation
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2011 to the hon. Member for Carlisle, Official Report, column 188W, on building and mutual societies, what progress he has made in his consideration of how to modify building society legislation; and if he will make a statement. [55945]
Mr Hoban: The Government have consulted on amending the Building Societies Act 1986 to enable societies to grant floating charges to payment and settlement systems. The Treasury is taking this forward as part of the wider reform of financial regulation. The Government are also seeking to achieve an appropriate outcome on capital requirements for mutuals in the capital requirements directive. The Government continue to work closely with building societies and will consider further legislative changes where there is a robust case for making them.
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Civil Society Organisations: Taxation
Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he plans to take to enable collaboration between civil society organisations to take place tax efficiently; [55607]
(2) whether he has any plans to implement in UK law Article 132(1)(f) of the Principal VAT Directive 2006/112/EC to exempt from VAT the supply of shared services between civil society organisations. [55608]
Mr Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget that the Government would continue to consult on the options for incorporating the exemption directly into UK legislation.
Corporation Tax: Businesses
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses (a) nationally, (b) in each region, (c) in each local authority and (d) in each parliamentary constituency he expects to be affected by his decision to reduce the main rate of corporation tax to 26% with effect from April 2011. [54610]
Mr Gauke: Around 45,000 companies that pay tax at the main rate, and around 40,000 that are taxed at the main rate but benefit from marginal relief will have lower tax bills as a result of the reductions in the main rate of corporation tax announced in the last two Budgets.
HMRC does not routinely estimate the number of companies affected or fiscal impact of business tax changes at regional or constituency level.
Departmental Pay
Mr Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional pay he plans to provide to officials in (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs in the period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013 to reflect (i) seniority, (ii) promotion and (iii) performance. [55410]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury has yet to open discussions with its trades unions and HM Revenue and Customs is currently in discussions with its trade unions. Neither Department is yet in a position to disclose details of its awards, but awards will be in line with the pay freeze announced in the Government's June 2010 emergency Budget. Neither Department has any plans to make payments based on seniority, or to change its existing rules for pay on promotion.
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects compensation to be paid to eligible Equitable Life policyholders. [56191]
Mr Hoban: It is intended that £1 billion will be paid out by the scheme over the first three years of the spending review period. First payments will be made by the end of June this year.
17 May 2011 : Column 191W
Financial Institutions: Directors
Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior executives of UK financial institutions in which the Government has a shareholding have been dismissed on grounds of (a) capability and (b) conduct since July 2007. [55760]
Mr Hoban: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) manages the Government's shareholding in financial institutions at arm's length and on a commercial basis. UKFI's overarching objective is to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder, with due regard to financial stability and acting in a way that promotes competition.
Details on employee issues are a matter for the individual banks.
Financial Services Authority
Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been paid (a) in total and (b) to each individual in redundancy or other severance compensation to senior executives and directors of the Financial Services Authority since July 2007; [55481]
(2) what the monetary value is of fines imposed by the Financial Services Authority on senior executives and directors of UK-based financial institutions for misconduct associated with the financial crisis since July 2007; [55482]
(3) whether any senior executives of the Financial Services Authority have been dismissed on grounds of (a) capability and (b) conduct since July 2007. [55495]
Mr Hoban: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent of Government. I have asked the FSA to write to the hon. Member on the issue he raises. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.
Independent Commission on Banking
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he plans to give to the monetary value of shares held by UK Financial Investments Ltd in his determination on the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking report he plans to adopt. [55799]
Mr Hoban:
The Independent Commission on Banking’s final report will be delivered to the Government by the end of September 2011. The Government will then decide on the right course of action. The Government do not seek to pre-judge the Commission's final
17 May 2011 : Column 192W
recommendations that are due in September. This includes both the Commission's recommendations and the Government's response.
Public Sector: Pensions
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings his Department has had with outside organisations in order to meet its objective that proposed reforms to public sector pensions are sustainable and progressive. [55724]
Danny Alexander: The Chancellor announced in the Budget that the Government accept Lord Hutton's recommendations as a basis for consultation with public sector workers, trades unions and others.
In response to a request from the TUC, the Government have set up a series of formal discussions with unions for work forces represented by member organisations of the TUC. For those work forces not represented in that forum, the relevant Secretary of State will engage with their work force as appropriate.
This issue is also being discussed in the course of other regular meetings between Ministers and external bodies, and in correspondence. The Government will listen to the views of all interested parties. In addition the Government are conducting a formal consultation on Fair Deal, which ends on 15 June.
Taxation: Bingo
Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the bingo industry on the relationship between bingo gross profits tax and overall tax revenues from the bingo sector. [55978]
Justine Greening: The Government have received a report commissioned by the Bingo Association on the impact of taxation on the bingo industry. The report discusses the relationship between the rate of bingo duty and tax revenues.
Taxation: Company Cars
Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the geographical distribution at (a) regional, (b) county and (c) local authority level of revenue generated from (i) fuel duty, (ii) vehicle excise duty, (iii) value added tax on fuel and (iv) tax charges on company cars and car fuel benefit. [55997]
Justine Greening: The Treasury does not have regionalised information on tax receipts from transport taxes. VAT registered traders are not required to record in their VAT return the type of goods or services on which VAT has been collected.