Tenant Services Authority: Government Procurement
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood of 17 May 2011, Official Report, column 149W, on the Tenant Services Authority: Government Procurement Card, what (a) the venue was and (b) suppliers were procured by the Tenants Services Authority through the Government Procurement Card for the Manchester away day team building event in December 2009. [59214]
Andrew Stunell: The venue for the Tenant Services Authority away day in December 2009 was the organisation's offices in Manchester. The only item procured using the Government Procurement Card on this occasion was refreshments, which were supplied by the City Inn Manchester.
The Government have now put in place spending protocols which will prevent unnecessary expenditure of this nature in the future. The Tenant Services Authority is being abolished as a result of the arm’s length bodies review.
Trade Unions
Mr Raab:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff of (a) his Department, (b) the Fire Service College, (c) Ordnance Survey, (d) the Planning Inspectorate and (e) the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre are entitled to work (i) full-time as trade union representatives and (ii) part-time on trade union
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activities; how many such staff are paid more than £25,900 annually; and what the cost to the public purse of employing such staff on such duties was in the latest period for which figures are available. [56436]
Robert Neill:
Neither my Department nor any of the other bodies for which information has been requested specify the number of full-time or part-time trade union representative roles within the organisation. Rather, DCLG, Ordnance Survey and the Planning Inspectorate each set a maximum level of facility time which is available for trade union activities and a maximum number of full-time and part-time roles which are permitted within that maximum allocation. Neither the Fire Service
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College nor the QEII Conference Centre set a formal facility time allowance, and currently the QEII Conference Centre has no official union representatives.
The Department and its agencies do not pay any money directly to the trade unions representing staff. The Department pays the salary and related costs (travel and subsistence etc.) for a number of DCLG staff undertaking trade unions activities in this Department on a full and part-time basis.
These are arrangements the current Government have inherited from the last Administration.
Against that backdrop, the position for each of the bodies is set out in the following table.
|
|
Department for Communities and Local Government | Fire Service College | Ordnance Survey | Planning Inspectorate | QEII Conference Centre |
| (1 )No official limit in place | |||||
In compiling this information:
We have defined 'part-time' as individuals who spend at least one dedicated day per week on union activities as part of their normal role. On that basis, we have excluded all staff who undertake union activities on an ad hoc basis within the overall facility time allowance; and
The total cost figures are full year figures for 2010-11. For DCLG, the costs are what the full year costs would have been if the same post holders had been in place for the full year (ie not allowing for vacancies and changes in post holder during the year).
Youth Services: Manpower
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the number of detached youth workers in local authorities who have been made redundant since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [61039]
Robert Neill: The Department has made no such estimate. Detailed local government pay and work force issues—including staff efficiencies—are rightly matters for individual councils as local employers. Policy on youth services is not a matter for the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people in Bexley who live in areas with low-speed broadband. [60458]
Mr Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) is assessing current broadband provision at community level across the UK in its work to deliver the coalition Government's objective to facilitate universal broadband access of at least 2 Mbps and achieve the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015.
BDUK does not hold data on the number of people with low-speed broadband by constituency. However, BDUK estimates that the number of premises in the London borough of Bexley with a connection speed of less than 2 Mbps is 2,200, out of a total number of approximately 98,500 premises.
Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people in North East Hertfordshire constituency who live in areas with low-speed broadband. [60516]
Mr Vaizey: The North East Hertfordshire constituency has 42,451 premises. Of these premises, approximately 8% receive less than 2 Mbps and 4% receive less than 0.5 Mbps.
Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) defines a premise with less than 2 Mbps as a “slowspot” (the figure above includes those premises with less than 0.5 Mbps). BDUK defines a premise with less than 0.5 Mbps as a “notspot”.
Conditions of Employment
Julian Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with (a) officials in his Department, (b) the Secretary of State for Business,
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Innovation and Skills and
(c)
outside organisations on the potential effects of changes arising from the review of employment law on matters within his Department's responsibilities. [60706]
John Penrose: The Secretary of State For Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has not held discussions with officials, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills or outside organisations on the effects of the potential implementation of changes arising from the review of employment law.
Contracts: Businesses
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of contracts let by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to companies in (i) Wales and (ii) Aberavon constituency in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [60508]
John Penrose: During the accounting period 2010-11, the Department and its agency awarded no contracts in Wales or the Aberavon constituency, but all contracts were made available for companies and organisations to bid for where services and goods were not secured through framework agreements. The Department does however have an on-going contract in Newport.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in (a) May 2010 and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [61329]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: The information requested is not held by this Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of our public bodies.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executives of each public body to write directly to the hon. Member.
Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many officials his Department employs. [61332]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: As at 20 June 2011, my Department employed 461.3 full-time equivalents.
Departmental Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what progress his Department has made in encouraging small businesses to bid for Government contracts. [60192]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has adopted the following initiatives to encourage small and medium businesses to bid for Government contracts:
No pre-qualification questionnaires in order to ensure the procurement and tendering process is easier for smaller organisations;
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Advertise all procurements over £10,000 on the website Contracts Finder;
The external website clearly shows procurement contacts and telephone numbers if small and medium enterprises wish to contact procurement direct;
DCMS have also agreed to provide a mentoring and advice service to other central Departments and its own non-departmental public bodies, drawing on its experience of working with small and medium enterprises and processes used to increase the level of small and medium enterprises participation in its business.
Early indications are that the progress made by the Department will exceed the Government's aspiration of 25% during the last financial year.
Departmental Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what regulations his Department introduced between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011; and what the estimated costs of implementation for those affected were in each case. [60339]
John Penrose: Between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport introduced through statutory instrument a package of three regulatory measures to implement the revised EU electronic communications framework.
Electronic Communications: The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive)(Amendment) Regulation 2011
Electronic Communications: The Electronic Communications (Universal Service)(Amendment) Order 2011
Electronic Communications: The Electronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy Regulations 2011
The annual equivalent cost of these measures on business is approximately £8 million.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the name is of each regulatory measure revoked by his Department between 1 March and 31 May 2011; and what estimate he has made of the potential annual saving to those affected by each revocation. [60499]
Mr Vaizey: Between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport introduced The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) (Revocation) Order 2011.
There has been no impact on business or the civil society.
FIFA
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will hold discussions with members of the FIFA Executive Committee on reform of the governance structure of FIFA. [60464]
Hugh Robertson: Recent events have shown that FIFA must become much more transparent and accountable for the good of the worldwide game. Sepp Blatter has said that the ‘football family' will get FIFA's house in order and I am sure our FA will play a key part in that. I will support them in whatever way they feel is most helpful. In the meantime I will also continue to press for change in partnership with other European Sports Ministers.
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Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the reform of FIFA. [61336]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: I have begun working to ensure that the governance of football, and specifically FIFA, is considered at the next EU Sports Ministers meeting under the Polish presidency.
Internet: Pornography
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his policy is on a requirement for the use of blocking software by internet users to prevent the viewing of pornography. [60960]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 20 June 2011]: Both I and the Government are committed to ensuring children can use the internet safely. I have already had a number of roundtables with the ISPs to look at creating a voluntary code to protect children from viewing potentially harmful websites.
The Government chairs the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which is responsible for ensuring children are protected from harmful and inappropriate content when online.
Through UKCCIS, we are working with industry to ensure that all consumers are able to make an active choice at point of sale, or when they first switch on their internet-enabled technologies, if they want parental control filters to be activated. This approach was also recommended in the recently published Bailey Review.
Olympic Games 2012
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games has received on the suitability of Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire as a location on the route for the London 2012 Olympics torch. [60010]
Hugh Robertson: On 18 May 2011 the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) announced the torch relay's 66 evening celebrations and six of the island visits. LOCOG is now proceeding with the detailed planning of the route for the morning and afternoons of each day, to ensure that the torch comes within an hour's journey of 95% of the UK population.
This is being done in consultation with stakeholders across the UK in every region. The route for the west midlands will be agreed following engagement with stakeholders across the region, including local authorities. The route will be finalised and announced later this year.
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games on the proportion of tickets for the London 2012 Olympics that were available in the UK ballot. [60457]
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Hugh Robertson: The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is a private company independent of Government, but it has kept me informed of their ticketing strategy as it has developed. LOCOG's aims have been to raise the revenues it requires to stage the Games; to provide affordable and accessible tickets; and to deliver full venues. Of the 8.8 million tickets available for the Olympic Games, 75% are being made available through the UK application process to the public. Of these, 2.5 million will be £20 or under.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to prevent disruption to residents over the course of the London 2012 Olympics. [60721]
Hugh Robertson: Following the good work of the Olympic Delivery Authority during the build phase, all 2012 delivery partners are clear that they wish to continue to minimise inconvenience to local residents. However, given the scale of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, some disruption is inevitable.
It will be ‘business as unusual' in the summer of 2012. Transport for London are currently engaging with businesses to explain the transport challenges that the capital will face with the increase of spectators next summer. There will be a public information campaign next year. There has been public consultation on the Olympic and Paralympic route networks which affect just 0.1% of London roads. Extensive consultation and engagement with people who may be affected by the Olympic Transport Plan has been under way since the first version was published in 2007, with the most recent version being published on 1 June. Minimising the impact on business as usual is at the heart of the transport operations being delivered for the games.
Games venues that require planning consent have been put forward for pre-consultation setting out potential disruptions, and measures to mitigate them. Plans have then been adapted based on feedback from the local community.
Olympic Games 2012: Tickets
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many tickets for the London 2012 Olympics have been allocated to sponsors at no charge. [60719]
Hugh Robertson: There are no free tickets. As part of its contract with LOCOG, each commercial partner has the right to purchase at face-value a small number of tickets to attend the Games. Some 8% of tickets are available to sponsors and stakeholders, but these do not come from the 75% of tickets available through the UK application process to the public.
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is a private company independent of Government, and must raise the revenues it requires to stage the Games. Revenues raised through sponsorship are an essential component of this funding, providing around £700 million of LOCOG's £2 billion budget.
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Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps are being taken to prevent the illegal reselling of tickets for the London 2012 Olympics. [60726]
Hugh Robertson: We are committed to ensuring that illegal touting of tickets does not spoil the Games. The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Amendment) Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes increasing the maximum penalty for illegal reselling of Games tickets from £5,000 to £20,000.
In addition, the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and the Metropolitan Police Service's dedicated unit to respond to serious and organised crime networks targeting the Games economy—Operation Podium—are working to deal with organised ticket crime, counterfeiting and Olympic-related fraud.
Through the UK application process, LOCOG's ticketing system will help to make sure that tickets get into the hands of fans who will want to attend. For a variety of reasons, some people will however want to sell their tickets. LOCOG's resale platform, the official London 2012 ticket exchange website, will be available early next year for anyone wishing to sell or exchange the tickets that they purchased. This will be the only legal selling mechanism and will provide a safe and secure gateway without resort to touting.
LOCOG is urging people to beware of unauthorised websites which claim to sell tickets to London 2012, and to use their website checker on:
http://www.tickets.london2012.com
to confirm whether a website is genuine or not.
Paralympic Games 2012
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of disabled access for (a) athletes and (b) the public to venues for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if he will make a statement. [60536]
Hugh Robertson: Inclusive design has been incorporated from the start of the Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) design process, so that the Olympic Park, Olympic Village, and new transport services, will be accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities both during and after the games.
The ODA has adopted a Built Environment Access Panel (BEAP) and Access and Inclusion Forum (AIF), who have worked closely with designers to build accessible solutions into the designs. All planning applications have included ‘Access Statements’—bringing accessibility and inclusive design into the planning process.
In 2008 the ODA published its Inclusive Design Strategy and Standards setting out the framework for how the Olympic Park will be designed and constructed to be inclusive to all. This can be found at the following link:
http://www.london2012.com/documents/oda-publications/inclusive-design-standards.pdf
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is responsible for staging both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will ensure that they will be as accessible and inclusive as possible. LOCOG's approach has been
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to adopt accessible solutions throughout, which minimises the need for any transition in athletes' facilities from an ‘Olympic' to a ‘Paralympic' mode. LOCOG works closely with the International Paralympic Committee which visits London every six months to run through all the plans in detail, including venues, accommodation and transport. In addition, LOCOG has its own Athletes' Committee to ensure athletes' interests are represented.
LOCOG's ambition is for disabled spectators to have a great games experience equivalent to non-disabled people. They have involved communities of disabled people as it has developed tailored services and products, and appointed an Accessibility Manager to lead on this area. Accessibility initiatives can be found on the London 2012 website at the following link:
http://www.london2012.com/accessibility
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of the London 2012 Paralympics on the participation of disabled people in sport; and if he will make a statement. [60537]
Hugh Robertson: I have asked Sport England to ensure that increasing disability participation is a key part of both the Places, People, Play legacy programme and in the development of their over-arching plan for the new strategy period of 2011-15. Through the School Games there will be increased opportunities for disabled pupils to compete on a local, regional and national level.
Paralympic Games 2012: Tourism
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics on the tourism industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [60538]
Hugh Robertson: Responsibility for tourism policy in Wales lies with the Welsh Government, they are working closely with VisitWales and VisitBritain to maximise the opportunities provided by London 2012. Through VisitBritain, DCMS has established a new £100 million overseas tourism marketing campaign which is aiming to deliver an additional 4 million visitors to the UK and £2 billion extra expenditure over the next four years. The whole of the UK will benefit from the campaign, including Wales.
PPL
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will introduce legislative proposals to remove the right of Phonographic Performance Ltd to charge fees for licences for the broadcast of music over the radio in offices not open to members of the public. [60087]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.
These licensing issues are within the remit of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). The UK is obliged under European and international level copyright law to give copyright holders the right to collect licence fees for public performance of their copyright works. Case law in the UK indicates
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that public performance includes performance in public spaces, including offices. The Government have no plans to alter this through legislation.
Departmental Contracts: Scotland
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [60195]
John Penrose: During the financial year 2010-11, the Department for Culture Media and Sport did not award any contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland over this accounting period. It does however have two ongoing contracts with SMEs in Scotland from the Glasgow area which were awarded at an earlier date.
The Departments agency, The Royal Parks, has not awarded any contracts to SME's during the financial year 2010-11.
Sport England
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what financial assistance Sport England has provided to community sports clubs and projects in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency since 2010. [60898]
Hugh Robertson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1088W.
Television: Alcoholic Drinks
Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether guidance issued to broadcasters by Ofcom prohibits provision of alcohol to participants aged under 18 years in programmes filmed for television. [60517]
Mr Vaizey: The matter raised is an operational one for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who advised:
Ofcom does not issue specific guidance to broadcasters on this issue. However, under Ofcom's Broadcasting Code due care must be taken over the physical and emotional welfare and the dignity of people under 18 who take part or are otherwise involved in programmes. This is irrespective of any consent given by the participant or by a parent, guardian or other person over the age of 18 in loco parentis. As well as this, programmes must not include material (whether in individual programmes or in programmes taken together) which, taking into account the context, condones or glamorises violent, dangerous or seriously antisocial behaviour and is likely to encourage others to copy such behaviour.
Tourism: Yorkshire and the Humber
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department allocated to the promotion of tourism in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) England in 2010-11. [60260]
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John Penrose: The Department sponsors VisitBritain, which is charged with promoting Britain overseas, and VisitEngland, which is responsible for promoting England within the UK and to selected overseas markets. Total grant in aid in 2010-11 was £38.92 million, with £2937 million allocated to VisitBritain and £9.55 million allocated to VisitEngland. Funding is not apportioned by VisitBritain on a national or regional basis and it is not possible to disaggregate a specific England spend. Funding is not apportioned by VisitEngland on a regional or area-specific basis and it is not possible to disaggregate a specific Yorkshire and Humber spend, but the area is an important asset in the overall England offer and receives significant coverage in VisitEngland's marketing campaigns.
Justice
Approved Premises
Mr Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what process he has set for designating a bail hostel as an approved premises. [60970]
Mr Blunt: Under section 13 of the Offender Management Act 2007, any premises can be approved for the provision of accommodation for people granted bail in criminal proceedings, or for or in connection with the supervision or rehabilitation of offenders. An application for planning permission would be needed as well.
No new Approved Premises have been developed since the commencement of the Offender Management Act 2007. A new detailed Specification and Manual for Approved Premises services have been issued this year and will form the basis for the commissioning of any new Approved Premises in future. The Specification codifies existing instructions and practice; it also covers security, public protection, risk management, and interventions and purposeful activity. A process for approving any new premises in accordance with the Specification will be developed to support the introduction of commissioning.
Employment Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with (a) officials in his Department, (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and (c) outside organisations on the potential effects of changes arising from the review of employment law on matters within his Department's responsibilities. [60716]
Mr Djanogly: The review of employment-related laws being co-ordinated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is a cross-Government initiative.
All Departments with a responsibility for employment-related law are engaged in the process, and relevant Ministers and officials are in contact with BIS on a regular basis in taking forward the review.
The Ministry of Justice does not have responsibility for employment-related legislation. However, given our responsibility for administering employment tribunals, and the wider courts system, we have been consulted throughout on the proposals for the review. In particular, we have worked closely with BIS on proposals contained in the Resolving Workplace Disputes consultation, which was a joint exercise with my Department.
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Coroners: Reform
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which officials in his Department are involved in the reform of the coroner system. [61011]
Mr Djanogly: Officials within the Ministry's Coroner Change Team are responsible for the implementation of reform of the coroner system. Officials working in other areas of policy that are impacted by coroner reform may also be involved from time to time.
Courts
Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in plans to handle in Stevenage county court cases originating with parties resident in North East Hertfordshire constituency; and if he will make a statement. [60753]
Mr Djanogly:
The Government undertook a full consultation exercise last year on their proposals to close a number of court houses, including Hitchin county court. As a result of the responses to the consultation exercise funding has been allocated and invested to upgrade an existing courtroom in Stevenage magistrates court to make it suitable for county court work. Following the closure of Hitchin its work will be shared between Bedford, Luton, Cambridge and Stevenage. It is expected
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that cases such as repossession will typically be heard in Stevenage, sitting as Luton county court, thereby improving the service provided to court users.
The Lord Chancellor's Direction which sets out how Hitchin county court's district will be divided among other county courts can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/bills-and-acts/directions.htm
Courts: Fines
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what proportion of financial penalties issued by the courts were collected in each year since 1995; [59915]
(2) how many fines were issued by the courts in each year since 1995; and what the monetary value of such fines was in each such year. [60107]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested on the proportion of financial penalties collected is available from centrally held information since 2003-04. This includes monetary value of fines paid and the amount owed, which is set out in the following table.
Prior to 2003-04, different local methods of collecting data for the magistrates courts existed across England and Wales. These data are therefore not directly comparable to those given in the table. For this reason, the table shows the figures from 2003-04 only.
| Enforcement of financial penalties 2003-04 to 2010-11 | ||||
| Financial year | New amount owed (1) (£) | Paid (2) (£) | Payment rate (3) (%) | Payment rate excludi ng administrative cancellations (4) (%) |
| (1) New amount owed is the sum of amounts imposed in the courts plus net transferred amounts (2) The amount paid is monies received by the courts against any outstanding fine irrespective of age and will not necessarily be for fine amounts imposed in the same period. (3) The payment rate is calculated by dividing the amount paid to HMCTS over a financial year by the new amount owed less the value of fines legally and net administratively cancelled for the same period. (4) The payment rate excluding administratively cancelled is only available from 2005 only. Prior to that the data are not comparable due to changes in the way the payment rate was calculated. The payment rate excluding administratively cancelled is calculated by dividing the amount paid to HMCTS over a financial year by the new amount owed less the value of fines legally cancelled for the same period. (5) April to December only. Notes: 1. Financial penalties include amounts for fines, costs, prosecution costs, legal aid, victim surcharge, and compensation, unpaid fixed penalties, penalty notices for disorder that are transferred to HMCTS for enforcement. 2. Statistics on the amount paid are published by the Ministry of Justice in the statistical bulletins ‘Court Statistics Quarterly’ and ‘Judicial and Court Statistics’. The most recent published data relate to Q4 (October to December) 2010 and were published in Court Statistics Quarterly in March. The figures for Q1 (January to March) 2011 statistics will be published in Court Statistics Quarterly and revised statistics for 2010 (which are currently provisional) will be published on the 30 June 2011. Source: HMCTS Performance Database as at 14 June 2011 | ||||
The information on fines issued, for criminal cases, form part of sentencing information published by the Ministry of Justice in ‘Criminal Justice Statistics’, covering England and Wales. Information available on fines issued for the period 1995 to 2010 (latest available) is as follows:
|
|
Total number of fines imposed | Fines imposed in magistrates courts | Fines imposed in the Crown court | Proportion of all sentences (all courts) (%) |
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| (1) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008. (2) Amendments made due to the late receipt of a small number of court records . Notes: 1. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Source: These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. | ||||
Departmental Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what regulations his Department introduced between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011; and what the estimated costs of implementation were for those affected in each case; [60329]
(2) what the name is of each regulatory measure revoked by his Department between 1 March and 31 May 2011; and what estimate he has made of the potential annual saving to those affected by each revocation. [60489]
Mr Djanogly: Between 1 March and 31 May 2011, the Ministry of Justice has neither made nor revoked statutory instruments which have regulatory impact.
Drugs: Sentencing
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received a custodial sentence for drugs offences in each of the last five years; and what proportion of the prison population this represents. [60846]
Mr Blunt: Defendants sentenced to immediate custody for drug offences, England and Wales, 2006 to 2010, from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database, can be seen in table 1.
Population in prison under immediate custodial sentence and proportion serving a sentence for drug offences as at 30 June, England and Wales, 2006-10 from the Ministry of Justice Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Brief publication, can be seen in table 2.
It is not possible to link defendants sentenced from the court proceedings database to those from the prison population database.
| Table 1: Defendants sentenced to immediate custody for drugs offences, England and Wales, 2006-10 (1,2) | |||||
|
|
2006 | 2007 | 2008 (3) | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence 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. | |||||
| Table 2: Population in prison under immediate custodial sentence and proportion serving a sentence for drugs offences as at 30 June, England and Wales, 2006-10 | ||||||
|
|
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2009 (1) | 2010 |
| (1) Due to the introduction of a new prison IT system the 2010 prison population data is taken from a different source. The 2009 figures from both the old and new system have been presented to aid comparison Note: These figures have been drawn from large administrative data systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||||||
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EU Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what European directives in force on 1 April 2010 his Department is responsible; and what European directives for which his Department is responsible have come into force since 1 April 2010. [60697]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The following European directives, for which the Ministry of Justice is responsible, were in force on 1 April 2010:
Council Directive 77/249/EEC of 22 March 1977 to facilitate the effective exercise by lawyers of freedom to provide services.
Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
Directive 98/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 1998 to facilitate practice of the profession of lawyer on a permanent basis in a Member State other than that in which the qualification was obtained.
Council Directive 2002/8/EC of 27 January 2003 to improve access to justice in cross-border disputes by establishing minimum common rules relating to legal aid for such disputes.
Council Directive 2004/80/EC of 29 April 2004 relating to compensation to crime victims.
Directive 2008/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on certain aspects of mediation in civil and commercial matters.
One European directive, for which the Ministry of Justice has responsibility, has entered into force since 1 April 2010. That is:
Directive 2010/64/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.
Human Trafficking: Prosecutions
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions of members of criminal gangs involved in (a) trafficking and (b) smuggling illegal immigrants into the UK took place in each of the last five years; and what the nationalities of the individuals were in each case. [60506]
Mr Blunt: Data held centrally on the court proceedings database do not include information about the circumstances behind each case, other than that which may be identified from a statute. It is therefore not possible to identify offences where the accused was a member of a criminal gang or identify a defendant's nationality.
Injunctions: Northern Ireland
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive on super-injunctions. [60632]
Mr Djanogly: No discussions have taken place with representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive on this issue.
Insurance: Fees and Charges
Jonathan Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the payment of referral fees by lawyers and insurance
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companies to obtain the names and contact details of those involved in accidents; and what representations he has received on the potential effects of such practices on the overall cost of insurance claims. [60427]
Mr Djanogly: The Department has received a number of representations on the payment of referral fees in personal injury cases. The Transport Select Committee and the Legal Services Board have, separately, called for a more transparent regime around referral fees. The Association of British Insurers, among others, has urged the Government to ban referral fees.
Legal Aid
Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many acts of assistance were funded by the Legal Services Commission in respect of solicitors in North East Hertfordshire constituency in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010; and if he will make a statement. [60748]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
The following table shows the numbers of acts of assistance delivered by legal aid providers with postcodes falling within North East Hertfordshire. All acts of assistance are based on the solicitor's location, which may not reflect where the client is based. The data are only available by financial and not calendar year.
| North East Hertfordshire constituency | ||||
|
|
Crime lower claims | Legal help new matter starts | Civil rep. certificates issues | Crime higher cases |
Legal Aid: Essex
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legal aid matter starts in (a) social welfare law, (b) family law and (c) clinical negligence there were in (i) Harlow constituency and (ii) the west Essex procurement area in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures following implementation of his proposals for the reform of legal aid in England and Wales. [60571]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. The following table shows the numbers of acts of assistance delivered by legal aid providers with postcodes falling within the Harlow constituency in the last three years. Further breakdown by category of law per constituency is not available. All acts of assistance are based on the solicitor's location, which may not reflect where the client is based.
The LSC is currently collating data relating to procurement areas, which will include west Essex. I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been verified and place a copy in the Library of the House.
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| Harlow constituency | ||||
|
|
Crime lower claims | Legal help new matter starts | Civil rep. certificates issues | Crime higher cases |
Initial impact assessments were published alongside the legal aid reforms consultation paper in November 2010 and updated versions will be published alongside the Government's response.
Legal Aid: Expenditure
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the net cost to his Department was of civil legal aid after income recouped from statutory charges and recovery of any funds on account in each of the last three years; [60572]
(2) what change in real terms there has been in his Department's funding for civil legal aid in the last 10 years. [60573]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is given in the following table, which shows the real terms net cost of civil legal aid over the last 10 years at 2009-10 prices.
| Civil legal aid | |
|
|
£ million cash (1) |
| (1) At 2009-10 prices. | |
Legal Aid: Iraq
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what legal aid funding has been provided to Iraqi citizens for cases relating to alleged abuse by the UK armed forces in each of the last three years. [60385]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) do not record the nationality of claimants, and so cannot provide comprehensive costs incurred on these cases. Nor are cases specifically recorded or traceable as ‘abuse by the UK armed forces’.
Legal Complaints Service
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints originally made to the Legal Complaints Service are awaiting resolution; and how many staff of the Legal Services Ombudsman have been allocated to work on complaints which were made before the abolition of the Legal Complaints Service. [61131]
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Mr Djanogly: The latest statistics from the Legal Services Ombudsman show that there 365 cases awaiting resolution. Of these approximately 80% relate to complaints that have been referred to the Legal Services Ombudsman following a determination by the Law Society's Legal Complaints Service.
Some 15.5 (full-time equivalent) members of staff from the Office for Legal Complaints have been seconded to the office of the Legal Services Ombudsman to complete complaint cases during the closure of this latter function.
Mental Health Secure Units
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions mental health secure units have requested permission from his Department to hold unescorted visits for patients in the latest period for which figures are available; and on how many such occasions the request was (a) accepted and (b) rejected. [60937]
Mr Blunt: The Public Protection and Mental Health Group (PPMHG) in the National Offender Management Service received 1,765 requests for unescorted community leave, for restricted patients, between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010. Of those, PPMHG, on behalf of the Secretary of State, authorised leave in 1,581, with the remaining 184 being refused. Any decision to allow a restricted patient leave into the community is taken only after a full risk assessment based on up to date medical evidence.
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.
Offences against Children
Mr Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what process was used to impose a Ministerial restriction on admissions to Bunbury House in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire that excludes the residence of offenders who have committed any sexual offence against a child under 16 years of age. [60967]
Mr Blunt: In response to public concern about the proximity of some Approved Premises to schools, Ministers decided in 2006 that child sex offenders should be excluded from Approved Premises which are directly adjacent to a school or a nursery. The exclusion applies to those offenders who have committed sex offences against children under 16 and includes offenders convicted of child-related internet offences.
Bunbury House is directly adjacent to a primary school and, therefore, the ministerial decision in 2006 confirmed a pre-existing local policy to exclude child sex offenders there.
Mr Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's policy is on assessing whether offenders who have committed a sexual offence against a child who is under 16 years of age may be excluded from admission to an approved premises. [60968]
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Mr Blunt: The decision to admit any offender to a particular Approved Premises is based upon an individual assessment of the risk of serious harm posed by the offender to the public, to any previous victim(s) and to other residents or staff. The decision will also include an assessment on whether the offender's risk of harm may be more effectively managed in approved premises than in alternative accommodation in the community, having regard to the specific risk management measures which a approved premises provide.
Mr Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to review the guidelines that govern the placing of sexual offenders in approved premises in respect of the proximity of a given approved premises to a nursery, primary or secondary school. [60969]
Mr Blunt: There is no evidence to suggest that the proximity of approved premises to schools or other children's facilities increases the likelihood of further sexual offences being committed against the children in those schools and facilities. There are, therefore, no plans to extend the criteria by which child sex offenders are excluded from approved premises. The placement of individual offenders to particular approved premises will continue to be decided on the individual circumstances of each case.
Approved premises provide the most effective means to manage certain high risk of harm offenders in the community, particularly during the critical period of release from custody. All are equipped to provide a range of controls and offender management measures not available in other community facilities; these include curfew, 24 hour staffing, CCTV, monitoring of residents' movements and behaviour, room searching and drug testing. Many of the offenders supervised in approved premises are managed within the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements. There are robust enforcement arrangements in place, including immediate recall to prison where residents are in breach of their licence conditions or the rules of residence.
Prisoners' Release
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what guidance his Department provides on the diversity issues to be considered when setting licence conditions; [60889]
(2) on how many occasions (a) curfews and (b) other licence conditions have been amended in order to aid compliance among offenders on licence in each of the last three years; [60938]
(3) on how many occasions breaches in licence conditions (a) have and (b) have not led to a recall to prison in each of the last three years. [60989]
Mr Blunt: The information is as follows:
(1) The Probation Instruction 07/2011 provides probation staff with guidance on what to include on a licence.
The Instruction can be located on:
www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/guidance/prison-probation-and-rehabilitation/psipso/pi_07-2011_licence_conditions_final.doc
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The overriding aims of licence conditions are to protect the public, prevent re-offending and secure the successful re-integration of the offender into the community.
There are standard conditions to which any offender on licence is subject. Any additional conditions placed on an offender's licence must be necessary to manage the level of risk in the community and proportionate in that there is no less intrusive method of addressing that particular risk.
There is no specific guidance in respect of diversity issues, but offender managers and prison governors are expected to take into account all relevant issues, including any relevant diversity considerations. All prison and probation instructions are reviewed by the National Offender Management Service Race and Equality Action Group, prior to publication, which ensures that diversity issues are properly considered.
(2) Many additional licence conditions, including those that require an offender to comply with a curfew, are worded in such a way that they can be amended or adapted at the discretion of an offender manager. The reasons for amending a condition locally can vary, for example, gradually reducing a curfew in response to appropriate compliance as an offender approaches the end of the sentence, or adjusting requirements to address offending behaviour according to the availability and suitability of offending behaviour programmes.
Information on the number of occasions on which offender managers have varied or amended an offender's licence condition is not held centrally; to obtain such information would involve a manual exercise of looking at individual records and as such, would incur disproportionate cost.
In addition, offender managers may seek to have licence conditions varied by requesting that additional conditions are inserted or removed. Requests for seeking additional conditions or the removal of conditions are normally based on the fact that an offender's circumstances have changed since being released or new areas of risk have been identified and need to be appropriately managed.
The variation of licence conditions is undertaken either by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) on behalf of the Secretary of State or, where the Parole Board is responsible for determining licence conditions, the request for licence variation is referred to the Parole Board.
NOMS does not hold centrally data on the number of requests it receives for licence variation. To provide this information would involve a manual exercise looking at individual case records and this would incur disproportionate cost.
In January this year, the Parole Board introduced a report enabling it to extract data on the number of requests it receives to vary licence conditions. Between January and May it received 370 such requests. The Parole Board does not hold comprehensive data before this point.
(3) The number of offenders on licence and who have been recalled to prison for breaching their licence conditions for the period April 2007 until December 2010 is:
|
|
Number |
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| (1) The data for the whole of 2010-11 will be published on 28 July 2011 | |
This information was published in the Ministry of Justice Quarterly Publication on licence recalls and returns to custody:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/licence-recalls-and-returns-to-custody.htm
Information on the number of occasions offenders have breached their licence conditions and have not resulted in recall is not held centrally. To provide such information would incur disproportionate cost.
Prisoners' Release
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of times police forces have not been informed of the release of an offender from prison in each of the last three years. [60888]
Mr Blunt: There are no central records held for the number of times police forces have not been informed of the release of an offender from prison.
There are however a number of mechanisms through which police forces are informed of the release of offenders from prison.
Systems are in place to share release data of all prisoners with all police forces on a daily basis. Prisoner details remain on the list until such time as the prisoner is released.
Specific arrangements are in place for more serious and persistent offenders, which will include release data on:
1. Prisoners subject to Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) levels 2 and 3; and
2. Prolific and Priority Offenders (PPO).
Prisoners: Sexual Offences
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has recorded any incidents in which (a) offenders and (b) offenders convicted of sexual offences have had contact with children in prisons. [61198]
Mr Blunt: Information about contact with children by offenders in prison, including sexual offenders, is held locally at each prison and is not collated centrally.
However, offenders in prison with a charge or conviction of an offence against a child, or who are considered a risk to children, will not be granted permission for contact with any child by the prison governor or his representative unless it is assessed that they do not pose a risk to the child and it is also in the best interest of the child.
Prisoners: Thanet
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) offenders in prison who gave residential addresses in North and South Thanet and (b) ex-offenders resettled at addresses in North and South Thanet there were in the latest period for which figures are available. [60454]
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Mr Blunt: Information on a prisoner's residence is provided by prisoners on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses include a prisoner's home address, an address to which they intend to return on discharge and next of kin
As at 27 May 2011 there were 186 prisoners in England and Wales who had a centrally recorded address in the North and South Thanet constituencies. This figure includes male and female prisoners, adults, young offenders and juveniles and those who are sentenced and on remand.
Information on ex-offenders resettled in North and South Thanet could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as it would involve contacting every probation trust who would then have to consult individual offender records.
Data on the prison population are drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisons: Televisions
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will increase the rental charge for in-cell televisions in prisons. [61192]
Mr Blunt: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to her on 14 June 2011, Official Report, column 691.
Public Order Offences
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) 10 to 12, (ii) 13 to 15, (iii) 16 to 17, (iv) 18 to 24, (v) 25 to 30, (vi) 31 to 40 and (vii) 40 and over were (A) prosecuted, (B) given a fixed penalty and (C) convicted of an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in each police force area in each of the last five years for which information is available; [60648]
(2) what the maximum (a) fine and (b) fixed penalty was for an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in each year since enactment. [60649]
Mr Blunt: The following tables have been placed in the House Library:
Number of males and females by age group who were proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 by police force area, England and Wales, 2006 to 2010.
Offenders issued with a reprimand, warning, or caution for offences under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 by gender, age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2006 to 2010.
Penalty notices for disorder issued to males, and females, by age group, for the offence of causing harassment, alarm or distress, in England and Wales 2006 to 2010.
The maximum fine amount for offences under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986(1) in England and Wales 1987 to 2010.
The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 allows a police officer to issue a penalty notice for disorder (PND) for the fixed amount of £80 for the offence of ‘Using words, conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress’ under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. PND's were made available to all 43 police forces in England and Wales from April 2004.
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Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring 2012.
Social Security Benefits: Appeals
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time between submission of an appeal against a decision on the award of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) disability living allowance and the date of the appeal hearing was in the latest period for which figures are available. [60840]
Mr Djanogly: The following table shows the average time taken from submission of an appeal to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until the date of the first appeal hearing at Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) for employment and support allowance and disability living allowance appeals.
The information covers April 2011, the latest period for which figures are available.
|
|
Average time in weeks from submission to DWP to receipt at HMCTS (1) | Average time in weeks from receipt at HMCTS to first hearing |
| (1) The data regarding the time from when an appeal is submitted to the DWP until it is received by HMCTS is taken from HMCTS’ database and relies on the date of submission provided by DWP. The tribunal does not measure the time from receipt at DWP to receipt at HMCTS and the averages have been calculated by subtracting the time from receipt at HMCTS to first hearing from the total average time. | ||
Waiting times for a hearing result from an unexpectedly high levels of appeals. In response, HMCTS has significantly increased its capacity and, nationally, published management information shows that 38% more SSCS appeals were cleared in April 2011 compared to April 2010 (and 65% when compared with April 2009). Further capacity increases are in hand.
Victims and Witnesses General Fund
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria were used to determine the outcome of applications to the Victims and Witnesses General Fund, 2011 to 2014. [60657]
Mr Blunt: Applications to the Victim and Witness General Fund were assessed against the following four criteria.
First, the applicant had to demonstrate that its proposal focused on delivering, or increasing the capacity to deliver, frontline services to the most serious, vulnerable and persistently targeted victims.
Second, the applicant had to demonstrate that it would provide a high quality service with positive outcomes for service users.
Third, the applicant's proposal had to have detailed, realistic and justifiable costings and mechanisms for monitoring performance.
Fourth, there had to be clear potential to build capacity and sustainability.
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Work and Pensions
Asbestos
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at which engagements he has discussed the classification of asbestos and related matters since his appointment. [60148]
Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not discussed the classification of asbestos and related matters at any engagements since his appointment.
However, the Secretary of State has held meetings on health and safety issues during which the classification of asbestos has been discussed.
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on (a) legislation relating to (i) the regulation of and (ii) the classification of white asbestos since his appointment. [60149]
Chris Grayling: Since May 2010, the Department for Work and Pensions has received representations from Asbestos Watchdog regarding the legislation relating to, and the classification of, white asbestos.
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) on what grounds he commissioned a report into the evidence on the present classification of asbestos; [60154]
(2) how much his Department spent on Sir John Beddington's review of the classification of asbestos. [60147]
Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions asked Sir John Beddington, as the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, for his view on whether there was any evidence that would justify a change to the international classification of asbestos following representations from Asbestos Watchdog and a number of parliamentary questions, in autumn 2010, regarding white asbestos and asbestos cement products.
No spending was undertaken by the Department for Work and Pensions in relation to Sir John Beddington's work.
Atos Healthcare: Contracts
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of his Department's contract awarded to Atos Healthcare in respect of the carrying out of medical assessments for benefits. [60664]
Chris Grayling: The value of the contract is approximately £100 million per annum over 10 years, and is subject to demand for the services. The scope of the services includes medical assessment, medical advice, IT support infrastructure and maintenance of facilities.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical assessments for benefits were carried out by Atos Healthcare in 2010. [60665]
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Chris Grayling: Atos Healthcare carried out 707,832 medical assessments between January 2010 to December 2010. The following table breaks this down by benefit type:
| Benefit type | Number of assessments (1) |
| (1) The above information was collated from Management Information provide by Atos Healthcare's Medical Services Information Team (MSIT). (2) Other Business Units includes medical assessments includes those for Veterans Agency. | |
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Departmental Manpower
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials at each grade his Department (a) employed in 2000, (b) employed in 2005, (c) employs and (d) plans to employ in each year of the comprehensive spending review period at its offices at (i) Norcross, (ii) Warbreck House and (iii) Peel Park. [59805]
Chris Grayling: The number of individual employees, in each grade, employed at Norcross, Peel Park, and Warbreck House are in the following tables.
The current figures are as at the end of March 2011 this being the date of the latest Public Sector Employment Statistics published by Office for National Statistics.
| March 2002 | |||||||||
| Site | Band A AA- | Band B AO | Band C EO | Band D HEO | Band E SEO | Band F G7 | Band G G6 | SCS | Total |
| March 2005 | |||||||||
| Site | Band A AA | Band B AO | Band C EO | Band D HEO | Band E SEO | Band F G7 | Band G G6 | SCS | Total |
| March 2011 | |||||||||
| Site | Band A AA | Band B AO | Band C EO | Band D HEO | Band E SEO | Band F G7 | Band G G6 | SCS | Total |
| Notes: 1. Figures are staff in post i.e. individuals. 2. DWP formed in 2001—earliest available figures for these offices is March 2002. 3. March 2011 total does not sum—two cases where grade information not recorded at time of extraction. | |||||||||
The spending review settlement will result in the Department's core budget being reduced by 26% by 2014-15, with corporate overheads reduced by 40%. These reductions will be from a 1 April 2011 baseline. Not all this reduction will necessarily be achieved through headcount reductions.
Where we do need to reduce jobs we will do this through normal turnover where possible. If people become surplus we will seek to redeploy them within DWP or the wider civil service.
Work force plans for these sites are not yet available. It is too early to say what the impact on these offices will be, until detailed business planning is completed and the Departmental Corporate Centre Transformation Project is complete later this financial year.
Departmental Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made in encouraging small businesses to bid for Government contracts. [60185]
Chris Grayling: The DWP's Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Action Plan has been published and is available on ‘Supplying DWP' pages of the DWP website.
The engagement of SMEs is covered in commercial documents, tools and training for staff.
One of these tools is the Sustainable Procurement Risk Assessment Methodology (SPRAM), used by commercial staff to identify social, economic and environmental risks and opportunities in procurements including opportunities for SMEs.
The DWP use the Contracts Finder portal to advertise new opportunities and where appropriate, flag those which may be suitable for SMEs. The DWP's Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) document has been revised and the mandatory core questions (developed by Cabinet Office) adopted. This ensures consistency
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with other Government Departments and helps to streamline the pre qualification process for SMEs.
Commercial teams are encouraged to talk to first tier suppliers about how SMEs can potentially (where appropriate) play a part in their supply chains. The package of SME measures has been shared with DWP arm’s length bodies and they have been encouraged to also implement the measures.
During the procurement for the Work programme, prime providers were actively encouraged to engage SMEs when setting up their supply chains. All Work programme contracts also contain a contract performance condition that requires prime providers to report (on an annual basis) the number of SMEs they currently engage in their supply chains. This will be monitored and discussed as part of contract performance reviews.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what strategic framework his Department has developed for the delivery of its core functions during the comprehensive spending review period. [59723]
Chris Grayling: The Departmental Business Plan sets out the DWP's high level strategic objectives and how we intend to deliver them over the comprehensive spending review period. The plan is regularly refreshed and published here:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp-business-plan-may-2011.pdf
We also have a one-year business plan which provides more detail on the high level strategic objectives and is published here:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp-delivery-plan-2011-2012.pdf
Progress towards delivery is published on the Department's website through a monthly update on structural reform and, from July 2011, a Quarterly Data Summary.
In addition, the Government plan to introduce a universal credit which will fundamentally reform the delivery of much of the DWP's core services, The Department is working with colleagues across Whitehall, and with local government, to develop in detail how best to achieve this. This will include designing an operating model that will set the strategic framework to successfully deliver those core services.
Departmental Responsibilities
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the name is of each cross-departmental working group in which officials in his Department have participated (a) since May 2010 and (b) in the last three years; [45429]
(2) what the name is of each working group his Department has established (a) since May 2010 and (b) in the last three years. [45430]
Chris Grayling: The requested information on the name of each working group and each cross-departmental working group is not held centrally as they can be set up by either the Minister or officials. The scope of these working groups and the length of time they are in place can also vary significantly depending on the terms of reference.
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Departmental Telephone Services
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average cost to benefit claimants of using 0845 numbers to contact his Department and its agencies in the latest period for which figures are available. [59138]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses both 0800 and 0845 telephone numbers. DWP uses 0845 telephone numbers for calls that are typically short, for example when making an inquiry about benefits.
The Department is undertaking an internal review as to its use of 0845 numbers.
The Department provides “Customer Access Phones” (CAP) in a large number of our Jobcentre Plus offices where customers can make or inquire about benefit claims and they do not have to pay when using these facilities. The Department also encourages its customers to use online facilities as an alternative to calling its 0800 and 0845 services. Where a customer calling our 0800 or 0845 services asks us, or raises concerns over the cost of the call, we will offer to call them back.
It is difficult to gauge how much the average cost to access our 0845 services will be, as some customers may not pay anything to access our services throughout their claim. There is no way of identifying which of our customers pay to use our services and customers will be charged at different rates, depending on their landline or mobile operator.
At appendix 1 is the average speed of answer and average call duration figures, which will show how long customers were on the telephone. The costs shown are basic BT call prices, but a full list of telephone provider call charges have also been provided as follows:
| Appendix 1: Jobcentre Plus | ||||
|
|
Average speed of answer | Average call duration | Total c all time | Cost at 4p per min plus set up cost of 3p (£) |
In addition to these calls to Jobcentre Plus, calls to a customer's local jobcentre are handled via our outsourced provider, Balfour Beatty Workplace, using 0845 numbers. Limitations with the telephony system used mean that they are unable to provide the average cost to customers of making these calls.
| Pensions Disability and Carers Service | ||||
|
|
Average speed of answer | Average call duration | Total call time | Cost at 4p per min plus set up cost of 3p (£) |
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| Note : Call duration times for the Carers Allowance Unit Contact Centre and Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance Helpline are not available because these units do not record this information. We can, however, provide the Average Call Handling Time. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Operational Management Information System (OPMIS) | ||||
The full list of telephone provider call charges has been placed in the Library.