Police: Manpower
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Macpherson report, what steps she plans to take to ensure that uniformed police personnel in each police authority area reflect the communities they serve; and if she will make a statement. [67347]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 18 July 2011]: Recruitment and deployment decisions are the responsibility of police forces locally. From May 2012, Police and Crime Commissioners will hold chief constables to account for the steps that they take to ensure that uniformed police personnel reflect the communities they serve.
Police: Pay
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy in her negotiations with the Police Federation on police pay and conditions to be bound by decisions of the arbitration process. [62712]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 30 June 2011]: No. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), will consider the recommendations of the police negotiating machinery very carefully before making any decisions on police pay and conditions of service in line with her statutory responsibilities.
Police: Recruitment
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made any changes to future arrangements for the recruitment and training of police officers as a consequence of her discussions with (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) police authorities and (c) police representative bodies; and if she will make a statement. [67348]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 18 July 2011]: No decisions have been made in respect of future arrangements for police recruitment and training.
Police: Surveillance
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps she plans to take to ensure that the disclosure process in protester trials where an undercover officer was involved is investigated thoroughly; [66715]
(2) if she will request that the independent inquiry into the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station cases examines (a) the role played by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) in the disclosure of evidence and (b) any discussions between the NPOIU and the Crown Prosecution Service on the production of evidence to the courts; [66714]
(3) if she will meet campaigners directly affected by undercover policing; [66713]
(4) if she will make a statement to the House following the conclusion of the inquiry into the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station cases. [66785]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 18 July 2011]: There are a number of reviews that have been commissioned to address concerns that have come out of the Mark Kennedy case. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is carrying-out an independent investigation into disclosure issues relating to the case. The DPP has also commissioned a separate review of the CPS decisions in this case. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is undertaking a review of the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in accordance with the law, including consideration of the proportionality of covert tactics in terms of their impact on protest activity. The full Terms of Reference can be found on the HMIC website. HMIC has met with campaigners with, an interest in the issues covered by the Review.
The Government have given a commitment to ensure that the findings of the Review will be published by HMIC and will consider the conclusions from the findings before taking a decision on whether a statement to the House is appropriate.
Police: Training
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that people who join the police service as special constables or police community support officers with the intention of becoming fully warranted police officers do not leave before they complete their training; and if she will make a statement; [67328]
(2) what assessment she has made of the adequacy of recruitment and retention of special constables and police community support officers in each police authority area in ensuring that they complete their training; and if she will make a statement. [67329]
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James Brokenshire: Special constables and police community support officers (PCSOs) are integral parts of the policing family and the Government are very supportive of the roles that they perform.
Recruitment, retention and training decisions regarding special constables and PCSOs are the responsibility of chief constables and their police authorities.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of people entering training to become fully warranted police officers in each policy authority area; and if she will make a statement. [67330]
James Brokenshire: The number of police officers recruited in each force is for chief constables and their police authorities to determine.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average length of time taken for special constables or police community support officers to complete their training to qualify as a warranted uniformed officer in each police authority area; and if she will make a statement. [67331]
James Brokenshire: The length of time expected for completion of the initial policing learning programme, including the diploma in policing, is two years. This is the time usually expected for completion by a student police officer recruited as a warranted officer and paid as such throughout the training period, the completion of which is marked by a pay increment.
A special constable may complete the full initial learning programme and the length of time which this will take will depend on local arrangements, the number of hours the individual is able to volunteer, and their rate of progress. The Metropolitan police are making arrangements for special constables to complete training and will be best placed to provide the detailed information concerning special constables in the Metropolitan police area.
A police community support officer (PCSO) is not able to complete the full training as a regular police constable because PCSOs do not have police powers and cannot be assessed using the necessary powers. A PCSO may complete the pre-join knowledge course and may achieve competence in four of the ten assessed modules which form part of the diploma. The length of time that this requires varies but is often completed within 12 months. If the PCSO goes on to be recruited as a regular officer and completes training, this should not require more than 12 months to complete. A PCSO may also be a special constable but the time for completion again depends on their availability for the work based assessment using police powers, and on progress.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures she plans to put in place to maintain public protection during deployment of police personnel who undertake public duties before they have completed their training; and if she will make a statement. [67332]
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James Brokenshire: Arrangements for the deployment of police personnel for the protection of the public are a matter for individual chief constables, who are responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and policy to protect the public at all times.
All student police officers and all special constables, are deployed under "accompanied patrol" until such time as they are assessed as competent for "independent patrol". Accompanied patrol means that the trainee will be on duty with a fully qualified regular police officer. The criteria for independent patrol are set by the Association of Chief Constables-led Central Authority for Initial Learning, and the National Policing Improvement Agency is the executive arm of the Central Authority.
The criteria are that the individual must be assessed as competent to:
provide initial support to victims and witnesses;
provide an initial response to incidents;
arrest, detain and report individuals;
searching individuals in a policing context;
search vehicles, premises and open spaces; and
manage conflict in a policing context.
In addition, most police forces apply a local check list called the Police Action Check List, which provides assurance to local supervisors of the level of experience gained under accompanied patrol Initial Policing Learning Programme, including the diploma in policing is a vocational work-based approach to training, closely supervised throughout. This is a deliberate choice to provide maximum assurance of operational competence, particularly with reference to the protection of the public. Officers are not qualified until such time as they are formally assessed as competent.
Protection of Freedoms Bill
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department plans to develop statutory guidance under the Protection of Freedoms Bill to facilitate the implementation of changes across jurisdictions and sectors. [66977]
Damian Green [holding answer 18 July 2011]: The Protection of Freedoms Bill includes a number of provisions which place a duty or confer a power on specified persons to prepare statutory guidance or codes of practice. The relevant provisions are as follows:
clause 22—duty on the Secretary of State to give guidance on the making or renewing of a determination that fingerprints or DNA profiles may be retained for the purposes of national security;
clause 24—duty on the National DNA Database Strategy Board to issue guidance about the destruction of DNA samples and DNA profiles retained under part 5 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984;
clause 29—duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about surveillance camera systems;
clause 47—duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the exercise of powers of entry and associated powers (schedule 3 confers a power on the Welsh Ministers to prepare a code of practice in respect devolved powers of entry in Wales); and
clause 61—duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the exercise of stop and search powers under sections 43, 43A and 43B of the Terrorism Act 2000.
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In addition, we are considering whether guidance to regulated activity providers and personnel suppliers in relation to the revised disclosure and barring regime (as provided for in part 5 of the Bill) should be placed on a statutory footing; we will announce our conclusions in advance of the Bill's Report stage. As part of such consideration we are consulting the Northern Ireland Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Public Order
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidance her Department issues to police forces on offences under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986; and if she will make a statement; [60541]
(2) whether she has any plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986; and if she will make a statement. [60542]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office has supported the Association of Chief Police Officers in updating the legal section of the police’s Manual of Guidance “Keeping the Peace” to ensure that it contains material on section 5 which properly reflects freedom of expression concerns.
While the Government currently have no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, the Government are committed to engaging with key partners across the criminal justice system, community groups and civil liberties groups to assess the benefits of removing ‘insulting’ from section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.
Southern Cross: Vetting
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely number of Criminal Records Bureau checks to be required in respect of former Southern Cross employees who transfer to a new operator; and what plans she has to ensure this process is completed as soon as possible. [67468]
Lynne Featherstone: The decision to obtain new Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for former Southern Cross employees would be one for any new operator or other regulatory body to make. If certificates are required, the CRB will process all applications within its Published Service Standards (PSS), which are to complete 90% of enhanced checks within 28 days and 95% of standard checks within 10 days. The CRB has been exceeding its PSS consistently since December 2010. In June the bureau issued over 96% of enhanced certificates within the target of 28 days.
Terrorism
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer question (a) 59743, (b) 59744, (c) 59745, (d) 59746 and (e) 59753, on the Prevent Strategy, tabled on 9 June 2011 for answer on 13 June. [62501]
James Brokenshire: I refer the right hon. Member to my answers of 6 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1216-17W.
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Theft: Metal
Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on (a) the number of metal thefts and (b) monetary value of stolen metal from church buildings in (i) Wyre Forest and (ii) Worcestershire in the last 12 months. [66246]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office is responsible for the police recorded crime statistics. Offences of theft of metal would be recorded under the Home Office offence classification of ‘Other theft or unauthorised taking'. As such, theft of metal offences cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded within this classification. Information on the value of goods stolen is not collected centrally in the police recorded crime statistics.
Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she (a) has implemented and (b) plans to implement any of the recommendations of the Working Party of the Church Building Council on Metal Theft. [66248]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 July 2011]:The Home Office recently met officials from the Church Building Council to discuss their report. A number of its recommendations are in line with Government policy and already form part of the work plan being delivered by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Metal Theft Working Group and its partners. More generally, the Government are considering what more can be done to reduce the theft of metal.
UK Border Agency: Data Protection
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of changing data protection guidance for UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents; [66996]
(2) what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of changing data protection guidance for UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas; [66997]
(3) how many versions of data protection guidance have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas in the last five years; [66998]
(4) how many versions of data protection guidance have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents in the last five years; [66999]
(5) when data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents in the last five years; [67000]
(6) when data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas in the last five years; [67001]
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(7) when the most recent data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas; [67002]
(8) To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the most recent data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents; [67003]
(9) what guidance has been issued to UK Border Agency staff on data protection requirements for hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents; [67004]
(10) what guidance has been issued to UK Border Agency staff on data protection requirements for hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas. [67005]
Damian Green: The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates the processing of personal data. Personal data means data that relate to a living individual regardless of their nationality, immigration status or where they are located in the world. The agency's guidance is applicable to both in-country applications, overseas applications and to those who are in detention.
The current guidance was put in place in 2003 and has been updated as and when necessary since then, according to inquiries from colleagues across the agency which have necessitated clarification. Amendments were also made in 2005 as a result of the Freedom of Information Act making reference to that Act and its provisions.
The information management team recently produced an information fact sheet for Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents in response to feedback from Members of Parliament. The fact sheet, which was sent to all Members on 14 July 2011, was produced to clarify our current guidance. The fact sheet sets out how we will approach requests for information from MPs in a number of common scenarios.
The agency's guidance is publicly accessible via the UK Border Agency website—it is contained within chapter 24 ‘Disclosure of Information’ via the ‘Policy and Law pages’ (‘Immigration Directorate Instructions’). This guidance is currently being rewritten to give agency staff a clearer steer on data protection and disclosing information and also highlight the particular role and work of Members of Parliament when representing constituents.
We do not hold records for the number of versions there have been since 2003, although there have not been major alterations to it since its inception.
There has been no additional cost to the public purse, over and above the day-to-day operational costs of the UK Border Agency's information management team who oversee Data Protection Policy guidance. The team updates guidance as part of their role and responds to inquiries on data protection policy from colleagues across the agency on a day-to-day basis (including the agency's MPs' Liaison Unit).
UK Border Agency Worker Registration Scheme
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications to the UK Border Agency Worker Registration Scheme have been refused since the establishment of the scheme. [66453]
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Damian Green: The Worker Registration Scheme was established in May 2004 and ended on 30 April 2011. The number of refused applications is provided in the following table.
| WRS applications refused between 1 May 2004 and 30 June 2011 (1) | ||||
| Case outcome | Year refused | WRS first application | WRS renewal application | Total |
| (1) While the scheme ended on 30 April at that point a number of valid applications were on hold awaiting further information from the applicant or their employer, so processing continued after the closure of the scheme until all applications had been cleared. This work extended into early June. Note: The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. | ||||
Violent and Sex Offender Register
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 365W, on the Violent and Sex Offender Register, (1) if she will name those registered sex offenders who do not have a recorded address or have no fixed abode on the Violent Sex Offender Register (ViSOR); and if she will give details of the last known whereabouts of those registered sex offenders who do not have a recorded address or have no fixed abode on ViSOR; [62765]
(2) what steps she is taking to identify the locations of the persons who do not have an address recorded or have no fixed abode; and what steps she plans to take regarding those people whose location or address is not known. [62766]
Lynne Featherstone: Under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, where a registered sex offender has no sole or main residence, they are required to notify the police of the address or location of a place where they can regularly be found and remain under active police management.
Where an individual breaches their notification requirements all inquiries will be made to locate them via checks with other agencies who may have information and intelligence on their whereabouts. Details will be circulated on ViSOR and via the Police National Computer (PNC). Any public disclosure of details relating to sex offenders who are missing will be considered by the police on a case by case basis and would be made in accordance with obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.
The Home Office is currently consulting on proposals which would require registered sex offenders to notify weekly where they are recorded as having ‘no fixed abode’:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/consultations/notification-sex-offenders/
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Birds
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what timetable has been set for the classification of marine special protection areas under the EU Birds Directive for birds at sea for (a) the UK and (b) England; and what assessment she has made of progress towards meeting the Government's objective of completing an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas by 2012; [64218]
(2) whether marine conservation zones will be designated for mobile species including seabirds, cetaceans and basking sharks; under what conditions such designations may be made; and if she will make a statement; [64219]
(3) what the timetable is for classifying maintenance extensions for breeding seabird special protection areas under Joint Nature Conservation Committee guidance; [64220]
(4) how many terrestrial special protection areas (SPAs) are classified for breeding seabirds; and whether SPA protection has been extended to the marine foraging areas in respect of each area. [64221]
Richard Benyon: All naturally occurring wild birds, including seabirds, are protected by the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007. This legislation transposes the EC Wild Birds Directive and, in particular, prohibits the deliberate killing or taking of wild birds and provides for the classification of special protection areas (SPAs) for birds in both English and UK waters.
To date, 107 SPAs with marine components have been classified. Of these, three are wholly marine (Carmarthen Bay SPA, Liverpool Bay SPA, and the Outer Thames SPA). Of the 97 SPAs established for breeding seabird colonies, 31 have been extended into the marine environment by up to 4 km. Under the 2010 Habitats Regulations, any plans or projects that are likely to have a significant effect upon one or more of these SPAs are subject to appropriate assessment by competent authorities, including where those activities occur outside the SPA.
SPAs, together with Special Areas of Conservation (designated under the Habitats Directive) and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), will be the main elements of our contribution to the ecologically coherent network. Marine Special Area of Conservation designation should be completed by the end of 2012, and we are aiming to complete further work on the identification of additional seabird colony extensions and other seabird SPAs by the end of 2015. In January 2012 recommendations for
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MCZs, formal advice from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and the associated impact assessments will be sent to Ministers. We will give this careful consideration, before making a decision on sites to take forward to public consultation in early summer 2012, and designation by end 2012.
Dairy Farming
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of dairy farms in each of the last 10 years. [67302]
Mr Paice: The number of dairy farms in England from 2000 to 2010 is shown in the following table. The source of cattle population data changed in 2006 from the June Survey to the administrative Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data so the 2006 data are shown on both bases for comparison.
Also shown is UK milk production and milk yields to put the figures into context. The long term trends in dairy production is towards fewer, larger and more productive herds. So while the number of dairy farms has decreased significantly over the past decade, the level of (UK) milk production has fallen only by 4%.
| Number of dairy farms | ||||
| Number (1) | Number (2) | UK milk production (million litres) (3) | Average UK milk yield (litres per cow per year) | |
| (1) Sourced from Cattle Tracing System. Defined as the number of holdings with more than 10 dairy cows over two years old in the milking herd (i.e. with offspring). (2) Sourced from June Survey. Defined as the number of holdings with dairy as the predominant farming activity. (3) Source DEFRA and RPA statistics. | ||||
Dairy Products
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of consumption of (a) milk and (b) other dairy products in each of the last 10 years. [67129]
Mr Paice: The volume of drinking milk, cheese and butter produced in the UK and the volume of milk available for consumption is shown in the following table:
| UK production and availability of liquid milk and dairy products | ||||||
| Liquid milk (million litres) | Butter (thousand tonnes) | Cheese (thousand tonnes) | ||||
| Production | Available for consumption | Production | Available for consumption | Production | Available for consumption | |
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19 July 2011 : Column 810W
| (1) Provisional Source: DEFRA, HMRC Note: The 2010 data are provisional and will be updated at 9:30am on 30 September 2011. Data for 2011 will be published at 9.30am on 23 March 2012. http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-food-milk-milkutil-milksupplies-110624.xls | ||||||
The UK is a net exporter of liquid milk, hence more milk is produced than is available for consumption. For milk products this is reversed with the UK being a net importer of, for example, speciality cheese imports, butter from Eire/Denmark/New Zealand.
International Development
Apprentices
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors. [66591]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) implemented a change to its Invitation to Tender processes in 2009 in response to the Office of Government Commerce publication of guidance on promoting skills through public procurement.
Our standard Invitation to Tender document encourages suppliers to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities in their workforce for DFID contracts where it is appropriate to do so, and that they should encourage their sub-contractors to offer such opportunities as appropriate.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years. [66593]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) encourages all of its prime contractors to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities in delivering their workforce for DFID contracts where it is appropriate to do so, and that they should encourage their sub-contractors to offer such opportunities as appropriate.
DFID does not currently hold management information from suppliers on this matter, and to engage with all prime contractors to gather the information would require a manual exercise and incur disproportionate costs.
Departmental Procurement
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held. [66592]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold live contract information in a way which allows us to split this information into sectors and down to individual annual payment values.
To carry out this request manually from multiple data sources would incur disproportionate costs.
Third Sector
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010. [67548]
Mr Duncan: DFID publishes information on ministerial meetings with external organisations and overseas visits on our website at:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/#travel
Information for the first quarter of 2011 will be added shortly. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Wales
Apprentices
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether her Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) her Department’s prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors; [66624]
(2) how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with her Department in each of the last three years. [66626]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office makes use of centralised contracts supplied to the Ministry of Justice and staff are subject to Ministry of Justice policies. A post within the Department has been ear-marked for the creation of an apprenticeship this year.
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Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many meetings she has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010; [67155]
(2) if she will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) she and (b) officials of her Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party. [67178]
Mr David Jones: The information requested is not readily available and to collate it would incur disproportionate cost.
We have no intention of recording the data as suggested by the hon. Member.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010. [67818]
Mr Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has not spent any money on hospitality for staff since May 2010.
Departmental Photographs
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on ministerial photo shoots and videos since May 2010. [67819]
Mr Swire: A total of £239 including VAT was spent on official ministerial photographs following their appointment. No videos have been commissioned.
Departmental Procurement
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held. [66619]
Mr Paterson: The value of contracts held by my Department, based on spend in 2010-11, is as follows:
| Value of contract (£) | |
Departmental Redundancy
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010. [67826]
Mr Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has not had any redundancy costs since May 2010.
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Departmental Training
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what training was provided. [67824]
Mr Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has spent £260 on ministerial training since May 2010. This was for a Cabinet Office-led action learning set.
Third Sector
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010. [67823]
Mr Swire: Since 12 May 2010, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has visited The Prince’s Trust; the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace; Mediation Northern Ireland; Right Here Fermanagh Project and the Arc Healthy Living Centre.
During the same period, I have visited Action Cancer; Saver/Naver; Wave Trauma Centre; RNLI; Soldiers Charity and Army Benevolent Fund; Bryson Charitable Group and re:store Premises.
Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans any further consultation on bids for the allocation of future funding for Broadband UK after the initial announcement on the allocation. [67704]
Mr Vaizey: The Government have announced four pilot areas, Highlands and Islands, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and three further projects in Norfolk, Devon and Somerset and Wiltshire. Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) is now working with county councils and local enterprise partnerships to help them prepare their local broadband plans and the Government will be announcing all allocations in the near future.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when his Department plans to make further announcements on the allocation of funding for Broadband UK. [67705]
Mr Vaizey: The Government will be announcing all allocations in the near future. The breakdown of funding was published in the press notice accompanying the publication of Britain's Superfast Broadband Future on 6 December. It can be found on the Department's website using the link:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7619.aspx
Chi Onwurah:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to his Department's announcement of 6 December 2010
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on funding for a strategy for the UK broadband network and to his letter to hon. Members of 14 July 2011 on funding for the rollout of high speed broadband; for what reason the sum of £830 million was announced in December 2010 and the sum of £530 million was announced in June 2011. [67889]
Mr Vaizey: The Government announced in the 2010 spending review that they would be investing £530 million over the spending review period, including £300 million from the TV licence fee, to improve the UK's broadband network. In addition there is the potential for a further £150 million per year from the TV licence fee settlement for the years 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Sport: European Parliament
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of European Parliament proposals for a European identity through sport. [67793]
Hugh Robertson: There is no provision in the new treaty on the functioning of the European Union for the EU to compel member states to take specific action in relation to sport. The flags which are flown at grounds and the symbols which are displayed on shirts are entirely a matter for national governing bodies, competition organisers and clubs themselves.
Television: Females
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what discussions his Department has had with broadcasters on the representation of women in children’s television programmes; [67663]
(2) what representations his Department has received from members of the public on the depiction of female characters in children’s television programmes; [67664]
(3) what consideration he has given to measures to improve the representation of women in children’s television programmes. [67666]
Mr Vaizey: Under current broadcasting arrangements, responsibility for what is broadcast on television and radio rests with the broadcasters and the organisations that regulate broadcasting—the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the BBC Trust and the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C)—within the overall framework set by the Communications Act 2003 and the BBC Charter and Agreement.
It is a long-standing principle that the Government do not interfere in programme matters, either on arrangements for scheduling or on content. It is important to maintain the principle of freedom of expression which political interference could undermine.
Ofcom, the BBC Trust and S4C are independent of the Government and responsible for safeguarding the public interest in broadcasting. They set out the rules and guidance with which broadcasters must comply. Within this framework, it is the broadcasters’ job to make judgments about what individual programmes should contain and the time at which they are broadcast.
The Department has not received any representations from members of the public on this matter.
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Third Sector
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010. [67813]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Video Games
Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when his Department plans to respond to the Livingstone-Hope Skills Review of Video Games and Visual Effects; and if he will make a statement. [66388]
Mr Vaizey: The Government committed in The Plan for Growth to respond to the Livingstone-Hope review in the summer of 2011.
Women and Equalities
Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in the Government Equalities Office directly and (b) the Government Equalities Office on behalf of a Minister in November 2010. [67589]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office does not keep records of meeting requests that have been declined by either a Minister directly or by the Department on their behalf.
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 3W on Equality and Human Rights Commission, whether an obligation to ensure political balance in the composition of the board of commissioners of the Equality and Human Rights Commission will form part of the Government's proposals arising from the consultation on the future of the Commission; and if she will make a statement. [66468]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 18 July 2011]: The consultation on the future of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) closed on 15 June 2011. The consultation did not include proposals regarding the political balance of the EHRC Board of Commissioners and there are no current plans to cover this in the Government's response when it is published later this year.
19 July 2011 : Column 815W
Treasury
Bank Levy
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) by how much the rate of the bank levy is expected to change in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period; [66719]
(2) how much revenue he estimates will accrue to the Exchequer from the bank payroll tax in 2011-12. [66720]
Mr Hoban: The bank payroll tax, introduced during the previous Parliament, was a one-off tax which applied from 9 December 2009 to 5 April 2010. In line with guidance from the Office for National Statistics, the yield from the bank payroll tax was allocated to the 2010-11 tax year, as this is the point at which the tax was passed into legislation. No further revenues from this tax will be collected in 2011-12.
Information on the expected yield from the Bank Levy was published as part of the March Budget, in the relevant Tax Information and Impact Note.
A link to the document is given here:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/tiin6123.pdf
Bombardier
Chris Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects on tax revenue to the Exchequer of the proposed redundancies of employees of Bombardier. [65262]
Justine Greening: Neither HM Treasury nor HM Revenue and Customs hold the detailed commercial information required to provide a reliable estimate of the effect of the proposed redundancies on all tax revenues.
Apprentices
Mr Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether his Departments have a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors; [66627]
(2) how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years. [66629]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury does not hold information on the number of apprenticeships created directly over this period by contracts it has let.
Where appropriate contract conditions and performance requirements are included in major Treasury contracts.
Departmental Correspondence
Mike Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of written correspondence his Department answered within 28 days of receipt in the latest period for which figures are available. [58541]
19 July 2011 : Column 816W
Bob Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of letters to his Department from hon. Members were answered by his Department (a) within one week of, (b) within two weeks of, (c) within three weeks of, (d) within four weeks of, (e) within five weeks of and (f) at least six weeks after the date on which they were received in the period since May 2010. [59796]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 1W.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to publish monthly information on changes in the numbers of employees of his Department's agencies, categorised by (a) seniority, (b) voluntary redundancy, (c) natural wastage and (d) involuntary redundancy. [61705]
Justine Greening: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 627W.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010. [67721]
Justine Greening: The provision of refreshments, including hospitality, at meetings or functions within HM Treasury for Treasury staff, other Whitehall civil servants and non-executive directors has been prohibited since 1 July 2010. Hospitality may be provided where external guests are present. The attendance of Treasury staff at such meetings is dependent on a necessary business need and their number should not exceed the number of external guests. Spending on such hospitality between May 2010 and 31 March 2011 was £15,000.
Departmental Photographs
Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010. [67722]
Justine Greening: The Department has not incurred any spending on photoshoots and videos since May 2010.
Departmental Procurement
Mr Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held. [66628]
Justine Greening: In May 2011 the Treasury refreshed its 2011-15 business plan; this can be viewed online:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_business_plan.htm
Annex A (pages 6-7) to this plan provides data on HM Treasury spend by Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey (PSPES) master category for 2009-10.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_business_plan_annexA.pdf
19 July 2011 : Column 817W
Departmental Redundancy
Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010. [67712]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) on 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 480W.
Departmental Responsibilities
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the responsibilities were of each Minister in his Department between 8 May 2006 and 28 June 2007. [67488]
Justine Greening: Details of current and previous ministers' responsibilities are set out annually in the Treasury report and accounts, copies of which are in the Library and accessible via the Treasury website. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, it would not be proper to comment on appointments made in the period covered by the hon. Member's question.
Departmental Training
Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what training was provided. [67825]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 20 October 2010, Official Report, column 808W.
Disadvantaged: Financial Services
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people have visited the website of the Money Advice Service since its inception; [66398]
(2) how many people have contacted the National Financial Advice Service and received financial advice since its inception; [66399]
(3) how many people have completed the annual financial healthcheck to date. [66400]
Mr Hoban: The Money Advice Service launched on 4 April 2011. The service launched its online health check tool on 8 June 2011.
Since April 201 land as of 12 July 2011 the Money Advice Service has received 1.25m web visits. In this period there were 12,400 face-to-face money advice sessions and 21,849 phone calls to the service's money advice line.
Since the launch of the Money Advice Service online health check, it has received over 90,000 visits, with a 67% completion rate.
19 July 2011 : Column 818W
Excise Duties: Fuels
Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has assessed the potential cost pressures on the (a) public sector, (b) police and (c) armed forces of (i) trends in the cost of petrol and diesel and (ii) the planned increase in fuel duty in January 2012. [66818]
Justine Greening: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR published a full analysis on the prospects for economic growth, employment and inflation in their forecast at Budget, which can be found online at:
http://budgetresponsbility.independent.gov.uk
Government Departments: Internet
Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contract held by (a) Serco and (b) Sweet and Maxwell on the production of editorial material for Government websites. [67341]
Mr Gauke: This response refers to the contract between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Serco for the provision of the www.businesslink.gov.uk (and related) websites.
This contract is for a fully outsourced service.
Sweet and Maxwell are subcontracted by Serco to supply content related services, including the production of editorial material.
In 2010, HMRC arranged for the contract with Serco to be independently benchmarked. The benchmarking report concluded that the contract was generally good value for money. No specific recommendations were made about the production of editorial material.
The www.businesslink.gov.uk site had nearly 20 million visitors last year and customer satisfaction remains at over 90%.
Regulation: Guidance
Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available. [67200]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury guidance usually relates to non-regulatory issues such as Government accounting, finance guidance, or business case methodologies (including the Green Book). HM Treasury's policy is to comply with best practice on producing guidance, and applicable legal procedures. HM Treasury does not keep records of the numbers of officials engaged in issuing guidance.
Independent Public Service Pensions Commission
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the underlying data for chart 1.E of the final report of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission. [63641]
19 July 2011 : Column 819W
Danny Alexander: The data underlying chart 1E of Lord Hutton's final report were published in tables 4.2 and 4.18 of Cm 7979: Office for Budget Responsibility, the Economic and Fiscal Outlook, 29 November 2010. This is available at:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/econ_fiscal_outlook_291110.pdf
and the relevant data are reproduced as follows.
| £ billion | ||||||
| Economic and fiscal outlook November 2010 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|
Central Government unfunded public service pensions expenditure |
||||||
Following the publication of Lord Hutton’s final report on 10 March 2011, the OBR published an updated Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 23 March 2011: Cm 8036, available at
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/economic_and_fiscal_outlook_23032011.pdf
Tables 4.3 and 4.20 are equivalent to 4.2 and 4.18 in the November Economic and Fiscal Outlook and the data from the March Outlook are reproduced as follows.
| £ billion | ||||||
| Economic and fiscal outlook March 2011 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|
Central Government unfunded public service pensions expenditure |
||||||
Those particular tables do not include expenditure on unfunded pensions administered by local authorities, but these will be included in long-term projections of spending on unfunded public service pensions provided by the Office of Budget Responsibility.
Liverpool Cruise Terminal
Mr Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what meetings he has had with representatives of the Chinese Government at which the Liverpool cruise terminal was discussed; and if he will make a statement; [67096]
(2) whether the presentation he made to the Chinese Vice-Premier in January 2011 referred to the Liverpool cruise terminal; and what assumptions were made concerning its future operational role and function. [67097]
19 July 2011 : Column 820W
Danny Alexander: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer given on 15 July 2011, Official Report, column 485W.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 2 June 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs K Worthington. [67514]
Mr Hoban: On 7 June in response to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton's constituent's letter the Treasury reissued my March letter on the subject of Lloyds Action Now.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 12 May 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Stephen Pennells. [67516]
Mr Hoban: On 13 June in response to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton's constituent's letter the Treasury reissued my December letter on the subject of agriculture derivatives markets and their effect on world food prices which addressed all the points raised.
National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the total number of businesses that are eligible for the regional employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses; [63265]
(2) how many businesses in each qualifying region have (a) applied for and (b) participated in the employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses in each month since September 2010; [63266]
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of the regional employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses on (a) the balance of regional economic growth, (b) the level of new start-ups and (c) growth in the private sector. [63267]
Mr Gauke: The information is as follows:
(1) This information is available in the Budget 2010 policy costings note, page 21, at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf
(2) Up to 8 July 2011, HMRC had received 5,137 successful and 163 unsuccessful applications for the NICs holiday from new businesses. Regional and monthly breakdown for successful applications can be found in table 1. Table 2 shows the regional breakdown for unsuccessful applications, but a monthly breakdown of these figures is not available.
| Table 1: Regional and monthly breakdown of successful NICs holiday applications | ||||||||||
|
|
Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | East Midlands | North East | North West | South West | West Midlands | Yorks. and Humber | Total |
19 July 2011 : Column 821W
19 July 2011 : Column 822W
| Table 2: Regional breakdown of unsuccessful NICs holiday applications | |
|
|
Unsuccessful applications |
(3) No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the NICs holiday on (a) the balance of regional economic growth, (b) the level of new start-ups or (c) growth in the private sector.
The policy is designed to support new businesses in their first year, reducing the cost of hiring staff and improve the likelihood of business survival in the potentially vulnerable early stages. The Budget costing did not account for any additional start-up activity or any wider macro-economic benefits from the policy.
Earlier this year, HMRC commissioned some research into the initial operation of the scheme. This suggests that awareness among potentially eligible employers was lower than expected but the scheme has a positive influence on the prospects for taking on staff and the future growth of businesses for many of the businesses interviewed. Full results of the survey will be published shortly.
National Insurance Contributions: Sheffield
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency have participated in the national insurance contribution holiday. [64187]
Mr Gauke: HMRC has received eight applications for the NICs Holiday from new businesses in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough since the introduction of the scheme.
Private Finance Initiative
Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the value of estimated tax receipts, calculated as required in the Green Book, for all public sector economic assessments of all private finance initiative projects in procurement as of March 2011. [66892]
Danny Alexander: Differences in tax receipts between PFI and conventionally funded projects are considered as part of HM Treasury’s Value for Money model which is run for each PFI project. The model is available, with guidance, at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_vfm_index.htm
The final project documentation, including information about tax expectations, is not held by Treasury and therefore cannot be provided.
Revenue and Customs: Manpower
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many officials of HM Revenue and Customs were assigned to duties involving the prevention of tax avoidance in each year since 2007; [67717]
(2) how many HM Revenue and Customs officials are assigned to duties involving prevention of avoidance of tax on foreign profits; [67719]
(3) how many HM Revenue and Customs tax experts have been working on tax avoidance and evasion by large businesses in each year since 2007. [67736]
Mr Gauke: HMRC undertakes a range of activities to address risk within and across business and individual customer groups under the three core elements of its anti-avoidance strategy: prevention, detection and counteraction.
Although some officials have roles dedicated to addressing avoidance risk the majority of staffing for HMRC's compliance activity cannot be broken down in this way as activities—from policy making, through support and education, to audits and investigations—cover all aspects of compliance behaviour from error through to evasion as well as countering criminal attacks and avoidance.
In 2009-10 HMRC deployed approximately 31,000 staff at all grades on a variety of compliance activities including risk assessment, addressing inaccurate returns and verifying repayment claims, debt collection and criminal investigations across all heads of duty. The equivalent figure for 2008-09 was some 32,000 staff.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs officials have been dealing with tax credit queries from the public since January 2010; and what the cost of such officials has been in each month since January 2010. [67718]
19 July 2011 : Column 823W
Mr Gauke: Information is not available in the format requested. Although the majority of customer queries are handled by helpline adviser in HM Revenue and Customs' Contact Centres, these advisers are used flexibly across different lines of business to provide the best possible service to customers and are unable to be disaggregated. It is also not possible to supply details of all staff that might have dealt with tax credits queries from the public within “back offices” or inquiry centres.
Revenue and Customs: Trade Unions
Mr Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at HM Revenue and Customs are entitled to work (a) full-time as trade union representatives and (b) part-time on trade union 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. [65980]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not permit any of its staff to act as full-time trade union representatives. However individuals are entitled to spend a maximum amount of 200 days on union duties in any year. In 2010-11 10 union representatives each used 200 days. HMRC currently has 2,044 staff engaged part-time on union duties; of these 592 have an annual salary of more than £25,900. The estimated salary cost of union facility time for 2010-11 was £5.5 million. This equates to 0.24% of the total HMRC pay bill.
Tax Avoidance
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the revenue forgone by the Exchequer in tax (a) evasion and (b) avoidance. [67720]
Mr Gauke: The latest tax gap estimates were published in September 2010 in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2010’ on HMRC's website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf
This publication also contained an illustrative breakdown of the tax gap by behaviour for 2007-08. This estimated that evasion and avoidance each accounted for around 17.5% of the total tax gap.
HMRC will be publishing “Measuring Tax Gaps 2011” on 21 September 2011.
Taxation: Multinational Companies
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the Governments of (a) Colombia and (b) South Africa on adoption of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. [67476]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.
Business Department—BIS—officials have been liaising with Colombian officials, sharing best practice, to support Colombia's effective implementation of the OECD Guidelines, once Colombia's application process to adhere to the OECD Guidelines has formally concluded. BIS officials have discussed South Africa's adherence to the OECD Guidelines with a visiting MP from South Africa.
19 July 2011 : Column 824W
Taxation: Sports
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to alter the terms of the Community Amateur Sports Club scheme. [67536]
Justine Greening: As with all tax policy, Government keep the reliefs and exemptions for Community Amateur Sports Clubs under review. Changes to tax policy are announced at the Budget.
Third Sector
Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010. [67713]
Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public, private and third sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings. However, a list of meetings with external organisations is provided quarterly on the Treasury website at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Valuation Office Agency: Pay
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the decision to remove pay intentions from HM Revenue and Customs staff working in the Valuation Office Agency in the 2010 pay award has been subject to an equality impact assessment; and if he will place a copy of any such assessment in the Library. [66311]
Mr Gauke: In implementing the public sector pay freeze the Valuation Office Agency was unable to make consolidated pay awards in 2010 unless they were contractual or were for staff earning less than £21,000 (full-time equivalent). After taking extensive advice, the agency concluded that the ‘intentions to maximum' policy was not a contractual obligation and therefore pay increases relating to this policy could not be paid during the pay freeze. No equality impact assessment was carried out as it could have no impact on the implementation of the pay freeze, which is mandatory and affects all staff in the agency. A full equal pay review was undertaken by the agency, in consultation with the trade union side, after the board's conclusion on the compatibility of the intentions to maximum policy with the terms of the public sector pay freeze.
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has taken to ensure that removing pay intentions for staff is not discriminatory on grounds of age; and if he will ensure that the pay offer made to VOA staff on 3 February 2011 is subject to an equality impact assessment. [66312]
Mr Gauke:
The Valuation Office Agency's 'intention to maximum policy' could not be implemented within the terms of the public sector pay freeze as it applied to
19 July 2011 : Column 825W
the civil service. The terms of the pay freeze mean that consolidated pay increases can only be made if they are contractual or are for staff earning less than £21,000 (full-time equivalent). The VOA is reviewing its pay system during the period of the pay freeze and will take account of the impacts of any proposed new system on protected groups as part of that work.
The VOA also conducts equal pay reviews every three years, in line with Cabinet Office guidelines, and intends to undertake a further equal pay review once any revised pay system has been established. A full equal pay review was undertaken by the agency, in consultation with the trade union side after the board's conclusion on the compatibility of the intentions to maximum policy with the terms of the public sector pay freeze, and this included an assessment of the agency's pay system in relation to age.
Communities and Local Government
Community Budgets
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made in the roll-out of community budgets for families with multiple problems. [66440]
Greg Clark: Community budgets for families with multiple problems have been established in 16 areas covering 28 authorities. My colleagues, the Noble Baroness Hanham and the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), wrote to all local authority Leaders on 7 July setting out our intention to roll out Community budgets for families with multiple problems across England and inviting Leaders to express an interest in establishing a Community Budget for families with multiple problems in their area. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010; [67172]
(2) if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party; [67195]
(3) on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010. [67592]
Andrew Stunell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 211-12W. DCLG Ministers meet regularly hon. Members of all parties. It would not be a good use of resources to collect data on the lines the hon. Member suggests.
Departmental Training
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what training was provided. [67810]
19 July 2011 : Column 826W
Andrew Stunell: No training for Ministers has been funded by the Department in the time period specified.
Family Migration
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 390W, and the written ministerial statement by the Minister for Immigration of 13 July 2011, Official Report, columns 28-30WS, on family migration, how his Department plans to integrate its policy on social housing with the policy of the Home Department on family migration. [67895]
Grant Shapps: Third country nationals, including family migrants, who have been granted settlement must also be habitually resident in order to be eligible for social housing. The habitual residence test is not affected by the proposed changes to the settlement requirements set out in the Home Office's consultation on family migration.
Human Trafficking
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what responsibility he has for contributing to Government action against human trafficking; and what recent action he has taken in this regard. [65773]
Andrew Stunell [holding answer 13 July 2011]: The Noble Baroness Hanham represents the Department for Communities and Local Government on the inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking.
The inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking co-ordinates work on trafficking across Government. The group brings together Ministers from key Departments to provide oversight and to strengthen our efforts to tackle human trafficking by ensuring that input and expertise from all Departments is shared.
The Government will shortly be publishing its strategy on human trafficking.
The strategy will reiterate the UK's intention to take a comprehensive approach to combating trafficking—both by focusing on tackling traffickers and maintaining effective care for victims. It will also mark a greater focus on combating the organised crime groups behind this crime.
The Government's approach will be based on four key principles:
improved victim care arrangements;
enhancing our ability to act early, before the harm has reached the UK;
smarter, multi-agency action at the border; and
a more co-ordinated policing effort at home.
Local Government: Accountability
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what plans he has to ensure equality in engagement in local decision-making following the repeal of the duty to involve; [64261]
19 July 2011 : Column 827W
(2) whether he plans to conduct an equality impact assessment in respect of the repeal of the duty to involve; [64262]
(3) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of repealing the duty to involve on his proposals to increase community empowerment under the provisions of the Localism Bill. [64263]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 216W.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had on the effects of repealing the duty to involve on the provision of services. [66237]
Robert Neill: The consultation on draft Best Value guidance generated discussion on the repeal of the duty to involve. Officials have also had discussions on the repeal with the Voluntary and Community Sector Partnership Board—co-chaired by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell)—constituting a number of voluntary and community sector representative organisations.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will ensure that local authorities remain responsible for securing the benefit of involvement. [66238]
Robert Neill: We are encouraging local authorities and civil society to collaborate more, including greater involvement for voluntary groups in the design and running of public services. In this context, we recently consulted on light touch statutory guidance on the best value duty setting out some reasonable expectations of the way authorities should work with voluntary and community groups and small businesses when facing difficult funding decisions. The consultation closed on 14 June and we expect to provide a government response and publish final guidance this summer.
Under the Local Government Act 1999, there is a duty to consult local representatives which supports the duty of best value. This will be backed up by the additional support for voluntary and community groups in the Best Value guidance. In addition, the new duties contained in the Localism Bill (i.e. the community rights to challenge and buy) aim to have a greater impact on links between councils and communities.
Local Government: Freedom of Information
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what remedies are provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of local authorities that fail to make a full disclosure to a request made under the Act. [67089]
Andrew Stunell: The Freedom of Information Act applies to a wide range of public authorities; its provisions are not specific to local authorities. The Act provides for exemptions from the duty to provide information, in specific circumstances, so full disclosure may not be required.
19 July 2011 : Column 828W
If a local authority, or any other public authority, fails to comply with the Act, enforcement falls upon the Information commissioner, who may:
investigate complaints and issue formal decision notices;
serve an information notice requiring organisations to provide specified information within a certain time period;
issue an undertaking committing an authority to a particular course of action to improve its compliance;
serve an enforcement notice where there has been a breach of the Act, requiring organisations to take (or refrain from taking) specified steps in order to ensure they comply with the law;
publicly highlight particular issues with an authority's handling of a specific request.
A local authority is, in common with all authorities subject to the Act, required in most cases to confirm whether information requested is held and, if that is the case, provide that information unless it is determined to be exempt.
Tenancy Deposit Schemes
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 855W, on tenancy deposit schemes, what financial payments were made or underwritten by his Department as part of the revised agreement negotiated in August 2010; [67696]
(2) what the estimated shortfall arising from low interest rates was that resulted in the revised agreement negotiated in August 2010; [67697]
(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the revised agreement of August 2010, redacting any commercially confidential elements to facilitate disclosure. [67698]
Grant Shapps: A service concession agreement that was originally agreed by the previous Administration with the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme contained a guarantee that the Government would meet any shortfall arising if approved fees were not covered by the interest on deposits held.
As a result of the low interest rates that emerged due to the financial turmoil in 2008 and 2009, this agreement left the Government—i.e. taxpayers—liable for a shortfall under that guarantee which was estimated to reach over £30 million by the end of the contract in 2012.
In May 2010, the coalition Government inherited this unacceptable situation and looming liabilities. Following extensive negotiations in summer 2010, the guarantee and all associated liabilities were removed as part of a revised agreement which also incorporated a payment of £12.7 million and a four-year extension of the original agreement.
The new agreement has been designed not only to remove future and current liabilities for Government and secure the best deal for taxpayers, but to safeguard the ongoing viability of the custodial model of tenancy deposit protection and safeguard the interests of tenants.
Hon. Members and the broader public will rightly wish to scrutinise the poor decisions of the last Administration. The new agreement was made in the form of a letter amending the original, flawed agreement. Redacted copies of both documents will be deposited in the Library of the House in due course.
19 July 2011 : Column 829W
Prime Minister
Departmental Meetings
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Prime Minister what protocols apply to members of the Government who attend meetings with foreign Heads of State and Government in a private capacity. [64834]
Mr Hague: I have been asked to reply.
It is the convention that Ministers and members of the Government inform the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when they are attending meetings with foreign Heads of State.
Ministers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Ministerial Code when carrying out their official duties.