Employment Schemes: Public Expenditure
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department expects to spend on the Work programme in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [59919]
Chris Grayling: Work programme spend will depend on performance as payments to providers are primarily for results. We expect total spend of between £3 billion and £5 billion over the life of contracts.
EU Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [60703]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently responsible for the transposition of the following directives:
2010/41/EU (dated 7 July 2010). This directive deals with the application of. the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self employed capacity and repeals council directive 86/613/EEC.
2009/161/EU (dated 17 December 2009). This health and safety directive establishes a third list of indicative occupational exposure limit values for the protection of workers from chemical risks.
2010/32/EU (dated 10 May 2010). This health and safety directive implements the framework agreement on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector concluded by HOSPEEM and EPSU (the social partners in the sector).
Foreign Workers: EU Nationals
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the likely take-up of benefits by migrant workers from EU Accession states after the cessation of the transitional arrangements; [60049]
(2) what representations he has received on extension of the transitional arrangements for payment of benefits to migrant workers from EU Accession states. [60050]
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Chris Grayling: No assessment has been made on the likely take-up of benefits from migrant workers from the current EU accession states after the cessation of the transitional arrangements.
The lead responsibility for the transitional arrangements for migrants from the current EU accession states lies with the Home Office. I am aware that representations and correspondence on this issue have been received by the Home Office.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of overpayment of benefits to EU migrant workers in the UK; and whether he has put in place any arrangements to recover such overpayments. [60051]
Chris Grayling: Data to enable an estimation of the level of overpayment of benefits to EU migrant workers in the UK are not available.
Recovery of a benefit overpayment from an EU migrant who resides in the UK would follow the normal departmental debt recovery processes. Where an EU migrant moves to another country within the EU, recovery can be made by that country under EU legislation. This legislation provides for one member state to recover overpayments on behalf of another member state either from arrears of benefit, by deduction from ongoing payments of benefit or by instalments if benefit is not in payment. The legislation also allows for enforcement action to be taken through the courts of the country in which the person is now residing where that action is appropriate.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to publish on its website information on the cost to the public purse of benefits claimed by nationals of other EU member states working in the UK. [60054]
Chris Grayling: The information referred to is not available. The UK's benefit and tax credit payment systems do not record the nationality of people receiving such benefits. I have therefore commissioned my officials to look at alternative ways of making this information available.
EU nationals who have worked and paid sufficient national insurance contributions, and meet the other conditions of entitlement, may be entitled to contributory benefits such as jobseeker's allowance.
Those who have not paid sufficient contributions may claim income-related benefits(1) providing they satisfy the habitual residence test.
(1) Income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment support allowance, pension credit, housing benefit, and council tax benefit
Habitual Residence
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to bring forward proposals on the definition of habitual residence. [60053]
Chris Grayling: There are no plans to bring forward such proposals.
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To be eligible for an income-related benefit such as income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit, a claimant must have a right to reside and be habitually resident in the common travel area(1). This is known as the habitual residence test. A person who fails either or both parts of the test is treated as a person from abroad and does not have access to such benefits.
The term ‘habitual residence’ is not defined in social security legislation. This means that each case is considered on its own merits, in the light of the person's individual circumstances. In deciding whether a person is actually habitually resident, decision-makers, who decide entitlement to benefit, consider a wide variety of factors. These include reasons for coming to the United Kingdom, the length of their stay, future intentions, previous links with the country and, in the case of people returning to the United Kingdom, the reasons for their absence.
(1) The United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland
Health and Safety
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review and respond to the recommendations of the British Chamber of Commerce report entitled ‘Health and Safety: a risky business’, published in May 2011. [60042]
Chris Grayling: There are no plans to respond to the British Chamber of Commerce report ‘Health and Safety: a risky business’ but we will consider the report's recommendations in taking forward the reforms of the health and safety system in Great Britain announced in ‘Good health and safety, good for everyone’ on 21 March 2011.
Housing Benefit: Offenders
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects of his proposed housing benefit changes on the resettlement of ex-offenders; and whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on this issue. [59941]
Steve Webb: We published an impact assessment on 30 November 2010 that considered the effect of the changes to local housing allowance rates. The assessment is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-impact-nov10.pdf
This includes an assessment of the justice impacts of these measures, including offender management impacts, which was undertaken following discussions with the Ministry of Justice.
We have commissioned a consortium of leading research organisations to evaluate the effects of recent local housing allowance changes. They are undertaking an independent review which will run for two years. The research will include a longitudinal survey and in-depth interviews with landlords and tenants and work with advisers and local authority officers over the period of the review in different types of housing markets.
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The Social Security Advisory Committee is currently consulting on the change to the shared accommodation rate and we shall carefully consider their report and any recommendations they make. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice have had discussions on this change.
We have tripled the funding for discretionary housing payments to provide a safety net, and to allow local authorities to target extra help where it is most needed.
Incapacity Benefits
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Skipton and Ripon constituency have been in receipt of incapacity benefits for more than (a) six months, (b) 12 months, (c) 18 months, (d) two years, (e) three years and (f) five years. [60221]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is given as follows.
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants in Skipton and Ripon parliamentary constituency by duration: November 2010 | ||
|
|
IB/SDA | ESA |
| ‘—’ Denotes nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008. 4. Data includes claimants receiving credits only. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | ||
Industrial Health and Safety
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the long-term and short-term physical and psychological effects on workers of exposure to workplace temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. [60667]
Chris Grayling: In 2009 The Health and Safety Executive commissioned an independent review into workplace temperatures, which drew on the wide range of non-Government research available. Following this review HSE conducted a survey about temperatures in workplaces, to which 2933 completed responses were submitted. Evaluation of this and other data provided little evidence of significant numbers of illnesses, long or short term, physical or psychological, caused or exacerbated by exposure to high temperatures.
Industrial Health and Safety: Biofuels
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what health and safety guidance is available for domestic producers of biodiesel. [60379]
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Chris Grayling: The HSE issued a Health and Safety warning regarding the domestic production of biodiesel in 2009. This described the main hazards and advised it should only be carried out in controlled conditions by people with the proper training and experience. The information is available on the HSE website:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/biodiesel.htm
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Office: Closure
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department of the closure of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Office within Hartlepool Jobcentre Plus; [61326]
(2) how many staff will be affected by the closure of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Office within Hartlepool Jobcentre Plus; how many such staff live in Hartlepool constituency; and in what other locations such staff will be required to work. [61327]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking: what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department of the closure of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) Office within Hartlepool Jobcentre Plus; and how many staff will be affected by the closure, how many live within Hartlepool constituency and what other locations such staff will be required to work in. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
It is anticipated that the decision to close 22 Benefit and Contact Centres will save £14 million by 2015. It is not always possible to be specific about the savings that will be realised through the closure of individual sites. Hartlepool IIDB centre is a prime example as it is co-located with a Jobcentre that is not set to close. Under such circumstances Jobcentre Plus will negotiate with estate provider Telereal Trillium to achieve savings by handing back whole floors of a building or it will explore the inward co-location potential.
There are currently 55 staff working in the Hartlepool Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Office. The information requested on staff addresses by constituency is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
All of the staff in the Hartlepool Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Office will receive an offer of redeployment within Jobcentre Plus—either locally or further afield. There may also be additional opportunities for redeployment into other Civil Service posts, both within and outside our own Department.
Having examined the redeployment potential, we have identified that Stockton Benefit Centre, Middlesbrough Contact Centre and Sunderland Benefit Centre all offer some scope. However, the immediate priority of Jobcentre Plus is to understand the individual circumstances of the members of staff affected. Each member of staff will have an individual consultation meeting with their own manager to discuss the closure, their personal circumstances and preferences, and the options that are available to them.
It is worth emphasising that Hartlepool Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Office will close in 2012/2013 (the other
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closures that we announced on 13th May 2011 are set to close in the next 12 months). This grants us extra time to plan and arrange suitable redeployments for the staff at Hartlepool.
Mortgages
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Barnsley Central constituency who (a) have been affected by his Department's changes to entitlement to mortgage interest payments and (b) will be affected in the 12 months following the change. [60420]
Chris Grayling: The standard interest rate which is used to calculate support for mortgage interest was changed to 3.63% from 1 October 2010. This change affects the entire support for mortgage interest caseload.
(a) Number of JSA claimants receiving mortgage interest at Novembe r 2010
The number of JSA claimants receiving mortgage interest is based on 5% sample data; figures less than 500 are subject to a high degree of sample variation and should be used only as a guide. In Barnsley Central the number is "nil or negligible"—as sample data are rounded to the nearest 100 this means that the derived figure is "less than 50" and so subject to large sample variation.
(b) T he information is not available
DWP only forecasts claimant numbers for Great Britain, and not at devolved Administration or regional level.
Pensions: Females
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on women's pensions; and if he will make a statement. [59544]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 487.
Departmental Contracts: Scotland
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [60200]
Chris Grayling: The Department has not routinely recorded information about the proportion of contracts issued by the Department and associated agencies that were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). I am not therefore able to provide you with the information in the format you have requested.
However we do record details on the number of SMEs and the level of spend, which is illustrated in the following table:
| DWP use of SMEs | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
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Social Security Benefits: Health
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on attendance at reassessments by claimants in receipt of employer's support allowance and disability living allowance due to a degenerative illness. [60662]
Chris Grayling: Everyone who claims employment and support allowance (ESA) will undergo periodic work capability assessments (WCA) to ascertain whether they still meet the conditions for the benefit. This is because entitlement to ESA is based on an individual's functional ability rather than the condition itself. Even individuals with lifetime impairments may be able to adapt to those conditions and take up some work. So it is important we can provide them with the right support to get back to work when it is appropriate.
Recipients of disability living allowance in receipt of a fixed term award are invited to reclaim the benefit towards the end of their existing entitlement period. The assessment of their new claim would be made on the basis of the evidence they provide in the claim form and any additional evidence they provide or the Department requires. This additional evidence can include an examination of the individual by a health care professional where required.
Universal Credit
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis is for his assessment that the costs of automating universal credit applications will be lower than processing them face-to-face. [59541]
Chris Grayling: The Department's current approach to processing benefit applications is for a member of staff to enter relevant details into our system during a phone call with the claimant. The advantages of allowing a customer to directly enter their details which are then processed automatically far outweigh the costs of maintaining such a system.
Information from the JSA Online project is that the cost to the Department of an online JSA claim is almost three time cheaper when compared with a claim taken over the telephone.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements he plans to put in place in the case of individuals needing to provide information about personal circumstances which cannot be provided through the automated system for delivering universal credit. [60021]
Chris Grayling: Universal credit will make use of claimant information already held where possible. Otherwise we will ask the claimant to provide information about their circumstances, predominantly by online self service.
Welfare to Work
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which welfare-to-work organisations operating in Tottenham constituency have a contract with his Department. [60570]
Chris Grayling: The welfare-to-work organisations operating in the Tottenham constituency and delivering the West London Work programme contract on behalf of the Department are Ingeus UK Ltd, Maximus Employment UK Ltd and Reed in Partnership.
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of UK official development assistance to Afghanistan was delivered through the armed forces in the latest period for which figures are available. [60737]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: No UK official development assistance is channelled through our armed forces in Afghanistan.
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what quick impact projects his Department funds in Afghanistan. [60740]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development does not fund any quick impact projects in Afghanistan.
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the security situation for humanitarian agencies operating in Afghanistan. [60742]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The United Nations (UN) and the Afghanistan Non-Governmental Organisation Safety Office (ANSO) make assessments of the security situation for humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan. The UK supports ANSO through our contributions to the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO).
The UN currently categorises more than 40% of the country as high-risk for international humanitarian organisations due to a steady increase in security incidents since early 2008. Humanitarian access is particularly limited in the southern region of Afghanistan due to the escalation in insurgency and counter-insurgency activities.
According to ANSO's assessment for 2010 there was a 27% fall in the total volume of attacks on NGO staff compared to 2009. This is partly as a result of humanitarian
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agencies reducing their presence in some of the most violent-prone areas of the country and adapting the way they work to minimise risk.
Departmental Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (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; [60330]
(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. [60484]
Mr O'Brien: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), has not introduced any regulations since 1 March 2011 and is not responsible for any regulations that are currently in force.
EU Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for which 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. [60696]
Mr O'Brien: There have not been any EU directives which have come into force either before or after 1 April 2010 for which the Department for International Development is responsible.
Kenya: Food
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take in relation to the food situation in Kenya. [60741]
Mr O'Brien: Since October my Department has provided £5.3 million of support through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations to meet and mitigate some of the worst effects of the drought—including the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition in over 40,000 children under five years and the provision of safe water and sanitation to over 328,000 people and 330,000 livestock.
DFID's Hunger Safety Net Programme also provides more than 60,000 of the most vulnerable households with regular cash payments.
Following the release of new assessment data last week, DFID is rapidly scaling up its nutrition and food security programmes in the most affected districts. We are also assessing the recent Government of Kenya budget to see what impact it will have on the situation.
Overseas Aid
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions his Department has had with its G20 counterparts on increasing transparency in aid spending. [60567]
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Mr Andrew Mitchell: Most G20 members do not provide aid on traditional lines, but we are keen to encourage all development partners to be more transparent in their operations. Those members of the G20 who are also part of the G8 agreed at the Deauville summit to improve the transparency of aid information. In particular the G8 agreed to make further efforts on publishing information on allocations, expenditure and results and undertook to lead by example through increasing transparency in advance of the Fourth High Level Forum in Korea in November 2011.
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support emerging economies' compliance with the International Aid Transparency Initiative. [60568]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: We encourage all donors to make their aid more transparent. The International Aid Transparency Initiative is a voluntary coalition of 19 major aid providers and 20 developing countries aiming to implement greater transparency. We will continue to encourage broader membership, including among emerging economies. We will press for aid transparency to be a key element of agreements at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan where traditional and non-traditional donors will come together to discuss how to deliver better results for poor people from our collective aid efforts.
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps his Department plans to take to ensure value for money in aid given to fragile contexts; [60739]
(2) by what means he plans to assess value for money in aid given to fragile states. [60738]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: My Department has completed three root and branch reviews of the UK aid programme, including in fragile contexts. The results of these reviews have been used to ensure all UK aid expenditure represents value for money for the UK taxpayer while bringing real benefits to the world's poorest people. All new DFID programmes, including those in fragile contexts, are now developed using a business case model, which puts value for money, results, and evidence about what works at the heart of the planning and evaluation processes.
To ensure UK aid continues to offer good value for money all programmes are rigorously monitored to ensure the expected results are achieved cost-effectively. We are currently strengthening the existing processes in place for review of our programmes annually during implementation and at completion, which will place greater emphasis on results and value for money. The new approach will be introduced early in 2012 for all projects currently subject to annual review and for all projects newly-approved from January 2011.
As part of the UK Aid Transparency Guarantee, all business cases and reviews are published on DFID's website. This way we are ensuring UK aid expenditure is open to public scrutiny. In addition, I have set up an independent body, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), to evaluate the impact of UK aid. ICAI are able to review any part of the UK aid programme including aid spent in fragile contexts.
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Somalia: Food
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to respond to the food security situation in Somalia prior to the publication of the Bilateral Aid Review. [60735]
Mr O'Brien: My Department is already supporting ongoing activities in Somalia that are reaching more than 1.3 million vulnerable people this year with emergency relief assistance—including the treatment of starving children, access to health care, essential vaccinations, water, sanitation, food assistance, shelter and activities to protect the livelihoods of pastoralists and farmers.
Following the Bilateral Aid Review, the Department for International Development (DFID) has provisionally allocated funds to support humanitarian assistance efforts in Somalia over the next four years, subject to evidence that we are achieving results. We estimate that this assistance will reach at least 500,000 a year. My officials are currently identifying priority activities and partners who are best placed to respond given the deteriorating situation.
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to respond to the food security situation in the Horn of Africa. [60736]
Mr O'Brien: My Department is already supporting ongoing humanitarian programmes in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia and stands ready to do more, as recent assessments show the food security situation across the Horn of Africa is deteriorating.
In Somalia these programmes are reaching more than 1.3 million vulnerable people this year with emergency relief assistance. In Ethiopia, my Department is supporting agencies to provide safe water and sanitation for over 900,000 beneficiaries, nutrition support to 2.5 million people, livelihoods support for over 3 million, and farming tools and household items to 300,000. In Kenya, my Department is supporting agencies to provide treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition; provision of safe water or sanitation and livestock inputs. Following the release of the new assessment data last week, DFID is scaling up its nutrition and food security programmes in the most affected districts.
Home Department
Animal Experiments
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs of each breed were used for experimental purposes in the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [60453]
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Lynne Featherstone: Information on the numbers and species of animals used as part of scientific procedures, is reported annually in the publications ‘Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain’ (Home Office, Table 1a) and ‘Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Northern Ireland’ (Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Table 1a).
There were a total of 4,108 beagles, 40 other dogs (including cross-bred dogs) and no greyhounds, used in procedures started in 2009 in the UK.
Figures for 2010 for Great Britain will be published on 13 July 2011.
Copies of the latest annual publications are available via the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science and DHSSPS websites at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/science/research-testing-using-animals/
http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/healthprotection-animalscience
Antisocial Behaviour
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential use of mediation to resolve (a) antisocial behaviour and (b) disputes between neighbours. [60476]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 17 June 2011]: We have not made a specific assessment of the use of mediation to resolve antisocial behaviour or disputes between neighbours. However the recent Home Office consultation paper, “More Effective Responses to Antisocial Behaviour”, recognises that informal measures, including mediation, are an important part of the professionals toolkit offering a proportionate response to first-time or low-level incidents.
Burglary: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of trends in the conviction rate for burglary in (a) Bexley and (b) Greater London. [60460]
Mr Blunt: Defendants proceeded against at the magistrates court and found guilty at all courts, and the conviction ratio for burglary offences in London and England and Wales, 2006-10, can be found in the following table.
Prosecution and conviction data for Bexley are not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice. It is not known whether an assessment has been made of the trends in the conviction rate for burglary in Bexley and Greater London.
| Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court and found guilty at all courts, and the conviction ratio for burglary offences in London and England and Wales, 2006-10 | |||||
|
|
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
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| (1) London includes City of London and Metropolitan police. Notes: 1. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. | |||||
Employment Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with (a) officials in her Department, (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and (c) outside organisations on the potential effects of the implementation of changes arising from the review of employment law on matters within her Department's responsibilities. [60710]
Damian Green: 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.
Departments are engaging with their stakeholders on issues relating to the employment law review in accordance with their standard procedures for consulting formally and informally on policy development.
Crime: Finance
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) voluntary and (b) community organisations received grant funding from her Department to tackle (A) knife crime, (B) gun crime, (C) sexual violence, (D) human trafficking and (E) domestic violence in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [60565]
Damian Green: In 2010-11 the Home Office made available funding to 144 voluntary and community organisations working to prevent young people's involvement in knife and gun crime through the Community Fund. A list of the successful applicants to the fund can be found at:
http://grantsadmin.co.uk/homeoffice_communityfund/documents/FinalSuccessfulApplicantsListV2080709.doc
The Home Office also provided funding to the Prince's Trust, which gave out 67 awards through the Ben Kinsella Fund for the 2010-11 financial year.
In 2011-12 the Home Office will be making available £2 million to voluntary and community organisations working to prevent young people's involvement in knife and gun crime though the communities against guns, gangs and knives fund (CAGGK). Over 600 applications were submitted for funding.
Applications are currently being assessed and applicants will be informed of the outcome shortly.
In addition, to the funding above for specific work to prevent gun and knife crime among young people, the Home Office also provided funding of over £2.8 million in 2010-11 to 53 voluntary and community organisations to deliver Positive Futures, a community-based prevention programme targeting vulnerable 10 to 19-year-olds at risk of becoming involved in crime and substance misuse. In 2011-12, the Home Office is continuing to fund these 53 organisations at the same level.
In 2010-11 the Home Office provided grant funding across 44 voluntary and community organisations towards the costs of employing 44 independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs). In 2011-12 the Home Office is providing grant funding of £1.18 million spread across 59 voluntary and community organisations towards the costs of employing 59 ISVAs. Grants to the national bodies Rape Crisis (England and Wales) and Survivors Trust are also being made. These grants are paid towards the core funding costs of their national head offices.
A list of the organisations supported for ISVA posts can be found at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/isva-funding
In 2010-11 the Home Office paid £950,000 to the Ministry of Justice as a contribution to the Poppy Project to fund care for trafficking victims of sexual exploitation, and £142,045 to Migrant Helpline to fund care for victims of Forced Labour Trafficking.
In 2011-12 the Home Office will be contributing £1 million to the Ministry of Justice to fund care for human trafficking victims through the new prime contractor model to be delivered by the Salvation Army from 1 July 2011. £50,000 of this will be paid to Migrant Helpline to cover the cost of victim care provided by them during the transition phase between 1 April 2011 and 30 June 2011.
In 2010-11 the Home Office provided grant funding to voluntary and community organisations which work at a national level to support the victims of domestic violence to: Co-ordinated Action against Domestic Abuse (CAADA), Women's Aid, Refuge, Broken Rainbow, Eaves Housing and Respect.
In 2011-12 the Home Office has provided grant funding: to Co-ordinated Action against Domestic Abuse (CAADA), Women's Aid, Refuge, Broken Rainbow, Eaves Housing and Respect.
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The Home Office has also provided funding to 13 voluntary and community organisations in 2010-11 and to 92 organisations in 2011-12. A list of those organisations who received funding in 2011-12 for IDVAs can be found at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/violence-against-women-girls/idva/
This will also cover local authorities.
Defence Equipment
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure her Department will incur in relation to the Defence and Security Equipment International Exhibition between 13 and 16 September 2011; and whether Ministers from her Department plan to attend the event. [60763]
James Brokenshire: The only costs incurred by the Home Office in relation to the Defence and Security Equipment International Exhibition will be the possible costs of travel and subsistence incurred by visiting staff. No ministerial commitments have been made to this event at the present time.
Departmental Data Protection
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to promote visual data security in her Department; and what training her Department provides to its officials in respect of the management of visual data security. [60911]
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Damian Green: In accordance with the best practice standards set out in the Hannigan Report and compliance with central Government guidance, the Home Office operates a range of information security training requirements for all staff to prevent any unauthorised third party access to its IT equipment. Training requirements include mandatory e-learning which all staff including contractors must undertake and pass on an annual basis.
In addition, guidance on safeguarding information is published on the Home Office Intranet and is actively promoted to all staff by an ongoing communications campaign using posters, internal news items and presentations designed to ensure that all staff are aware of information safeguarding standards and where to seek advice.
Departmental Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what regulations her Department introduced between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011; and what the estimated costs of implementation for those affected were in each case; [60331]
(2) what the name is of each regulatory measure revoked by her Department between 1 March and 31 May 2011; and what estimate she has made of the potential annual saving to those affected by each revocation. [60490]
Damian Green: The information requested is shown in the following table.
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Deportation: Tamils
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will issue a direction to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) not to release to the Sri Lankan government documents held by the UKBA on those with Tamil ethnicity who face deportation to Sri Lanka. [60954]
Damian Green [holding answer 20 June 2011]: The UK Border Agency has a strict policy relating to the submission of information to third party authorities for the purposes of obtaining an emergency travel document. The policy specifically prohibits the submission of any documentation that refers to a subject's status in the UK or any evidence that could potentially pose a risk to an individual.
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information she holds on the number of Commonwealth citizens with Tamil ethnicity who were deported to Sri Lanka by the UK Border Agency and have subsequently disappeared in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [60955]
Damian Green [holding answer 20 June 2011]: There is no evidence that those previously removed to Sri Lanka have been mistreated by the Sri Lankan authorities.
The UK Border Agency does not routinely monitor the treatment of individual failed asylum seekers who return to their home country. We believe that the best way to avoid ill-treatment is to make sure that we do not return those who are at risk. We do this by ensuring that trained caseworkers make the right decisions based on the circumstances of each individual case, and by providing a right of appeal to the independent courts.
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the deportation by the UK Border Agency of those with Tamil ethnicity to Sri Lanka. [60956]
Damian Green [holding answer 20 June 2011]: The UK Border Agency carefully considers all asylum claims and human rights claims including those from Tamils on their individual merits in accordance with UK international obligations against the background of the latest available country information.
We do not accept that all Tamil asylum seekers are in need of international protection. This view has been endorsed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case of NA v. UK 2008. An Asylum and Immigration Tribunal Country Guidance case in October 2009 agreed with the European Court and affirmed that in some cases there is a reduced the risk to Tamils than previous case law had identified.
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If an applicant demonstrates a need for international protection, asylum is granted. If their application is refused, they have a right of appeal to the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the Unified Tribunal framework. In this way we ensure that we provide protection to those asylum seekers who need it.
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the conclusions of the UN Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka, whether she has (a) assessed the safety and (b) conducted a risk assessment on the deportation by the UK Border Agency of those with Tamil ethnicity to Sri Lanka on 16 June 2011. [60957]
Damian Green [holding answer 20 June 2011]: The UK welcomed the UN Panel of Experts report to the UN Secretary-General on the issue of accountability for alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the military conflict in Sri Lanka. We have consistently called for an independent, thorough and credible investigation to address these allegations and expect to see progress by the end of the year.
The protection needs of individual asylum seekers are assessed on an individual basis and are based on the risk they would face on return to their country of origin now, not on risks they may have faced in the past.
Drugs: Misuse
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce the misuse of ketamine. [60357]
James Brokenshire: The Government are committed to tackling the misuse of all illicit drugs including ketamine.
The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 define ketamine as a schedule 4 controlled drug. Companies and individuals wishing to lawfully possess, supply or produce controlled drugs must hold a Home Office domestic controlled drug licence for the appropriate schedule and activity. Prospective licensees are subject to a formal application process within which their competence to hold a licence is assessed; this will include the satisfactory completion of a Criminal Records Bureaux (CRB) check and, in many cases, include a risk-assessed compliance visit.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) carried out a formal study of ketamine in 2003 and produced a comprehensive report following which ketamine became, from 1 January 2006, a class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Our approach to tackling illicit drugs is outlined in the Drug Strategy 2010. It sets out the measures we will take to prevent people using drugs, including ketamine, in the first place and gives our continued support for FRANK, the drugs information and advice service. Where people do become dependent, it also sets out our commitment to take action to support them to recover and make a full and confident contribution to society.
Entry Clearances
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of visitors to the UK who will use the new Irish pilot visa waiver scheme in the next 12 months. [60813]
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Damian Green [holding answer 20 June 2011]: We welcome the visa waiver programme announced by Irish Minister Alan Shatter and hope that it will lead to an increase in tourism and trade between our two countries. We are unable to estimate how many people from the countries included in the programme will wish to travel to Ireland from the UK during the trial period.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the relationship between the (a) complexity of the short-term business visa system and (b) time taken by the visa application process and the level of foreign direct investment in the UK. [61040]
Damian Green: We recognise the importance to the UK economy of encouraging business people from overseas to visit the UK and are committed to running a visa service that fully supports business growth and investment while protecting our border. In 2010, 93% of business visit visa applications were successful and they were generally processed within three to five days, faster than applications for other categories of visa. We offer a range of premium visa services for business visitors in priority growth markets, including Russia, India, China and the Gulf states, and are piloting fast track processing and mobile biometric services for business people in selected countries. Guidance on applying for business and tourist visit visas is now available in six key languages and long-term, multiple entry business visit visas, with a validity of up to 10 years, are also available for regular travellers.
Entry Clearances: Domestic Service
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for a change of visa category her Department has received from migrant domestic workers who came to the UK with foreign diplomats and who have cited mistreatment as the reason for the change in the last three years. [60828]
Damian Green: We have taken “changed visa category” to mean submitting an in-country application for leave in another category.
The information requested in relation to migrant domestic workers in diplomatic households submitting in-country applications for leave on the grounds of mistreatment is not held centrally by the UK Border Agency, and the information required would involve the investigation of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable her Department has set for its review of visa protections for migrant domestic workers. [60830]
Damian Green: The Government published a consultation on employment-related settlement, Tier 5 of the points based system and overseas domestic workers, on 9 June 2011. That consultation includes proposals for reforming the overseas domestic worker routes, acknowledging that an important consideration is that there can be serious problems associated with the treatment of people working for others in a domestic capacity.
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The consultation is open for comment until 9 September and is available on the UK Border Agency website at:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
Entry Clearances: Iraq
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the safety of Syria as a place for visa applicants in Iraq to collect their visas. [60862] [Official Report, 7 July 2011, Vol. 530, c. 19-20MC.]
Damian Green: We are closely monitoring the security situation in Syria. Our visa application centre remains open for business and applicants are able to make their applications in the normal way. Applicants who live in Iraq can choose to visit Syria, Lebanon or Jordan to make their applications.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement of 13 June 2011, Official Report, columns 54-5WS, on changes to immigration rules, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that as a consequence of part 8 (accountancy courses) the ACCA is independent of and not a sponsor for institutions and organisations providing ACCA-accredited qualifications. [61033]
Damian Green: The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is not an education provider; it is an awarding organisation and is therefore not eligible for a tier 4 sponsor licence. Education providers that do become licensed sponsors may only offer ACCA courses to international students under tier 4 if they are gold or platinum approved learning partners by ACCA.
European Arrest Warrants
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the average cost to the public purse of processes arising from a European arrest warrant. [60504]
Damian Green: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 1 April 2011, Official Report, column 548W. An exercise is currently under way to estimate the average cost of executing an EAW and an extradition request in England and Wales, and the results will be available in due course.
Extremism
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any financial transactions have taken place between foreign governments or police forces and (a) the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, (b) the National Domestic Extremism Team, (c) the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit, (d) the National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism and (e) police units responsible for actions relating to domestic extremism. [57422]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold this information.
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Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which foreign (a) governments and (b) police forces have had working relations with (i) the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, (ii) the National Domestic Extremism Team, (iii) the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit, (iv) the National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism and (v) police units responsible for actions relating to domestic extremism. [57424]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold this information. The national police units will work with foreign agencies to tackle criminality in line with the relevant legal framework.
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with the governments of countries where undercover police officers have been deployed from domestic extremism units since October 2010. [57437]
James Brokenshire: Deployment of undercover officers is an operational matter for chief officers who work within the relevant legal framework.
Human Trafficking
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2011, Official Report, column 708W, on human trafficking, what the criteria are that must be met by recognised victims of trafficking in order that they are not expected to return to their own country. [60849]
Damian Green: All victims of trafficking are offered a minimum 45-day recovery and reflection period. Some victims are UK nationals and some are EU citizens not subject to immigration control. Those who are subject to control may be eligible for a residence permit if their personal circumstances warrant them remaining in the UK or if they are co-operating with the authorities in a criminal investigation or proceedings. Victims of trafficking may also qualify to remain in the UK for a reason other than their victim status under the Immigration Rules.
Human Trafficking: Domestic Service
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of trafficking of migrant domestic workers by foreign diplomats are being investigated by police forces. [60841]
Damian Green: Investigations are an operational matter for the chief officers of police forces.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has assessed the merits of rescinding the sponsorship licence of an embassy where a diplomat is found to be repeatedly accused of trafficking a domestic worker to the UK. [60934]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency would take any such accusation extremely seriously. Action would be taken against a sponsor when the evidence had been established of such activity.
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Paragraph 530 of the UK Border Agency's published Tier 2/5 guidance for sponsors states that it may revoke a sponsors licence if:
the sponsor, or any relevant person, is convicted of one of the following offences (unless the conviction is spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974):
any offence under the Immigration Act 1971; the Immigration Act 1988; the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993; the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002; the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006; or the UK Borders Act 2007;
trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Police: Pensions
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has provided for the police pension top-up grant in each year since 2006. [60867]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 20 June 2011]: The current system of police pensions financing was introduced in April 2006, whereby each police authority pays employer and officer contributions into a separate account, which are then used to offset the police pensions in payment by that police authority. Where the income into the police authority pensions account from contributions (plus other payments such as inward transfer values) is insufficient to meet the cash cost of pensions in payment now, it is topped up by Home Office grant. The Home Office has provided total police pensions top-up grant for each financial year since 2006 as follows:
|
|
£ million |
| (1) The figure for 2010-11 is based on police authorities' unaudited data only at this stage, and payment of the balance in respect of 2010-11 is yet to be made; the figure provided is the total expected grant requirement once the balance of payment in arrears has been made. | |
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff the Serious Organised Crime Agency employed in each of the last five years. [60532]
Nick Herbert: The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), as of 31 March in the last five years is set out in the following table. The figure for 2007 is headcount, thereafter SOCA moved to reporting full-time equivalent staff numbers.
| As at 31 March each year | Number |
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UK Border Agency
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average waiting time was at UK Border Agency desks at each Gatwick airport passenger terminal for those (a) with and (b) without EU passports in each of the last 24 months; [60559]
(2) what her most recent estimate is of UK Border Agency control waiting times at each Gatwick airport passenger terminal. [60560]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency constantly strives to provide a high standard of customer service at the border and is committed to expediting the entry of legitimate passengers and trade that help build the UK economy while at the same time maintaining a secure border.
As a demonstration of the importance we place on passenger clearance times, our targets and performance against them will be published this year (2011-12) as part of the Government transparency agenda. This will enable members of the public to be fully sighted on average passenger clearance times, based on samples taken across the UK's ports and airports. Our current target is to clear 95% of EEA passengers within 25 minutes of joining the queue and non-EEA passengers within 45 minutes. Current year-to-date performance sits at 98% and performance is closely monitored to ensure that deployment of resource is flexed to deal with increases in traffic and maintain overall passenger clearance times while ensuring the border remains secure.
While we do not measure performance against average waiting times we do record them and the details requested are provided in the following tables:
| Gatwick North : EEA passengers 2009-10 to 2010-11 | |
| 2009-10 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
| 2010-11 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
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| Gatwick North: Non-EEA passengers 2009-10 to 2010-11 | |
| 2009-10 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
| 2010-11 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
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| Gatwick South : EEA passengers 2009-10 to 2010-11 | |
| 2009-10 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
| 2010-11 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
| Gatwick South : Non EEA passengers 2009-10 to 2010-11 | |
| 2009-10 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
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| 2010-11 | |
| Month | Average queue time |
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent estimate is of border control waiting times at (a) Heathrow airport and (b) Heathrow terminal 4. [60562]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency constantly strives to provide a high standard of customer service at the border and is committed to expediting the entry of legitimate passengers and trade that help build the UK economy while at the same time maintaining a secure border.
As a demonstration of the importance we place on passenger clearance times, our targets and performance against them will be published this year (2011-12) as part of the Government transparency agenda. This will enable members of the public to be fully sighted on average passenger clearance times, based on samples taken across the UK's ports and airports. Our current target is to clear 95% of EEA passengers within 25 minutes of joining the queue and non-EEA passengers within 45 minutes. Current year to date performance sits at 98% and performance is closely monitored to ensure that deployment of resource is flexed to deal with increases in traffic and maintain overall passenger clearance times while ensuring the border remains secure.
While we do not measure performance against average waiting times we do record them and the details requested are in the following tables:
| Heathrow terminal 1: EEA passengers | |
| 2009-10 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
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| 2010-11 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
| Heathrow t erminal 1: Non-EEA p a ssengers | |
| 2009-10 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
| 2010-11 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
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| Heathrow terminal 2: EEA passengers | |
| 2009-10 | |
| 2009 | Average queue time |
| Heathrow terminal 2: Non-EEA passengers | |
| 2009-10 | |
| 2009 | Average queue time |
Immigration operations ceased at Heathrow terminal 2 in November 2009, due to refurbishment.
| Heathrow t erminal 3: EEA passengers | |
| 2009-10 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
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| 2010-11 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
| Heathrow terminal 3: Non-EEA passengers | |
| 2009-10 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
| 2010-11 | |
|
|
Average queue time |
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