Forensic Science
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces have specialist forensic provision for the investigation of computer hard drives. [68635]
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Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not hold this information and there has not been a national survey to establish this at this time. The National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) are working with five police forces in the East Midlands to look at good practice in this area, all of these five forces have a specialist unit of this nature.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on how many private sector forensic science providers are able to provide services using DART-MS instrumentation. [68636]
Lynne Featherstone: The use of Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) is not stipulated in any of the work packages of the National Forensic Framework Agreement and as such this information is not held.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which forensic science laboratories have ISO 17025 accreditation. [68637]
Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not collect or maintain information on the accreditation held by all forensic science laboratories. Information on which laboratories have ISO 17025 accreditation is available from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website at:
www.ukas.com/about-accreditation/accredited-bodies/Testing-laboratories-schedules.asp
Therefore, the Secretary of State for the Home Department does not intend to publish this information.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces had forensic science laboratories (a) with and (b) without ISO 17025 accreditation on the latest date for which figures are available. [68638]
Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not collect or maintain detailed records, as all forces have some laboratory functions.
The Forensic Science Regulator has informed the Department that as of 25 July 2011, five Home Office police forces have gained ISO 17025 accreditation for specific activities for some of their laboratories. The National Policing Improvement Agency is working with the Forensic Science Regulator to roll out a project for Home Office police fingerprint enhancement laboratories to achieve ISO 17025 accreditation by November 2015, which is in line with the EU Council Framework Decision 2009/905/JHA.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forensic science laboratories have ISO 17025 accreditation for (a) specialist methods for investigating sexual offences, (b) forensic toxicology, (c) forensic fire investigation, (d) crime scene investigation and (e) forensic analysis of gunshot residue. [68639]
Lynne Featherstone:
The Home Office does not collect or maintain information on the range of accreditation held by forensic science laboratories accredited to ISO
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17025. Forensic science laboratories scope of accreditation is available from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website at:
www.ukas.com/about-accreditation/accredited-bodies/Testing-laboratories-schedules.asp
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for ISO 17025 accreditation she has received from forensic science laboratories in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011 to date; and how many such applications were successful. [68641]
Lynne Featherstone: Neither the Secretary of State, nor the Home Office receives applications for accreditation to ISO 17025.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the national accreditation body and is responsible for receiving applications and awarding accreditation to ISO 17025.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forensic laboratories have ISO 17025 accreditation. [68660]
Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not collect or maintain information on the number of forensic science laboratories that have ISO 17025 accreditation. Information on forensic science laboratories accredited to ISO 17025 is available from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website at:
www.ukas.com/about-accreditation/accredited-bodies/Testing-laboratories-schedules.asp
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of maintaining the Forensic Science Service's archive following the closure of that body. [68661]
Lynne Featherstone: The Forensics Transition Board has set up an Archiving Project Board with members from Home Office, Forensic Science Service (FSS), the Association of Chief Police Officers ( ACPO) and key partners across the Criminal Justice System (CJS) to recommend options for the handling and retention of FSS records so that historical data remains available to the CJS. As part of this process we will also seek to ensure the necessary expertise exists to mine that data. The Board is considering a number of options for the future of the archives and will ensure that the chosen solution provides best value for money for the taxpayer.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of the Forensic Science Service archive; and if she will make a statement. [68662]
Lynne Featherstone:
We recognise the importance of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) archives, both in academic terms and in the investigation of the re-opened cases (or “cold cases” as they are sometimes called). We also recognise the need for the FSS archive material to be made available to the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in a joined-up way. The Forensics Transition Board has set up an Archiving Project Board with members from Home Office, FSS, the Association of Chief Police
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Officers (ACPO) and key partners across the CJS to recommend options for the handling and retention of FSS records so that historical data remains available to the CJS. As part of this process we will also seek to ensure the necessary expertise exists to mine that data.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) powers and (b) funding will be transferred to the Forensic Science Service Regulator following the closure of the Forensic Science Service. [68663]
Lynne Featherstone: The Forensic Science Regulator has received support and cooperation for his quality standards from the laboratories, professional bodies, prosecuting authorities, the judiciary and the Association of Chief Police Officers, and to date has not been hindered in dealing with any complaints about quality standards. This position will be kept under review and the creation of powers will be considered if that is appropriate. At present there are no plans to transfer any additional funding to the Forensic Science Regulator.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on how many private forensic service providers had ISO 17025 accreditation for IT forensic techniques on the latest date for which figures are available. [68748]
Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not collect or maintain information on private forensic science providers that have ISO 17025 accreditation in this area. Information on organisations with this scope of accreditation is available from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website at:
www.ukas.org
General Register Office: Fees and Charges
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review the appropriateness of the General Register Office's charges for accessing birth, marriage and death certificates on-line. [68261]
Damian Green: The Public Expenditure and Receipts Act 1968 requires the General Register Office for England and Wales to provide certified copies of certificates on a self-financing basis. A review of certificate fees is carried out on a regular basis to comply with the 1968 Act and the last review was conducted in 2010. The outcome of the review led to a revised fee structure being introduced on 6 April 2010.
The revised fee structure was calculated through use of a full cost recovery model agreed with HM Treasury and in line with the principles and guidance to ensure full recovery of costs. Certificate fees were set to a standard fee of £9.25 and a priority fee of £23.40. This provides a much simpler approach for customers and a more efficient charging process.
Government Procurement Card
Gavin Williamson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government Procurement Cards were used by staff of her
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Department between May 2005 and May 2006; and what the
(a)
name of the supplier,
(b)
date and
(c)
value was of each transaction during this period. [68351]
Damian Green: Details of Government Procurement Cards used by staff of the Home Department between May 2005 and May 2006; inclusive of (a) name of the supplier, (b) date and (c) value was of each transaction during this period can be obtained only at disproportionate cost due to manually redacting sensitive information.
We are currently working to provide a consistent method of reporting Government Procurement Card spend data for transactions over £500 in value dating from 1 April 2011. We expect this information to be available on our departmental website later this year.
Hillsborough Independent Panel: Expenditure
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Hillsborough Independent Panel spent in each category of expenditure as at the end of financial year 2010-11; and what its budget for 2011-12 is in each category of expenditure. [68451]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is given in the following table:
| Hillsborough Independent Panel costs 2010-11 | |
| Categories of expenditure | Expenditure (£) |
|
Funding for document disclosure review by donating organisations |
|
The categories of expenditure for the panel's budget for 2011-12 are currently under review as the panel finalises its delivery plans for the year.
Hospitals: Disclosure of Information
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the adequacy of the police investigation into the activities commissioned by The Sunday Times of the freelance journalist Mr Brian Deer in relation to the acquisition of children's medical records and information from (a) the Royal Free Hospital and (b) other sources between 2003 and 2005. [68013]
Nick Herbert: Criminal investigations are operational matters for individual police forces.
Hotels
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of (a) four star, (b) five star and (c) other hotel accommodation for (i) staff, (ii) Ministers and (iii) special advisers in her Department between May 2005 and May 2006. [68372]
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Damian Green: The Home Office accounting system is the principal record of Home Office financial data. This does not record expenditure on hotels to the level of detail required to answer this question. A full answer to the question could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Illegal Immigrants
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants are required to report to immigration reporting centres. [64303]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency uses 15 reporting centres located across the UK and police stations to maintain contact with individuals who may have either breached immigration law or are awaiting a decision on their asylum application.
As of 13 July 2011, the number of individuals required to report to immigration reporting centres and designated police stations was 56,197(1). This data relates to those required to report between 1 April to 30 June 2011.
Frequency of reporting will vary from individual to individual, and is set on a case specific basis.
(1) All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
Immigration Controls: London Airports
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many days the UK Border Agency did not meet the required passport control queue time of 45 minutes or less at (a) each Heathrow airport terminal, (b) Gatwick airport and (c) Stansted airport in the last six months for which figures are available. [68063]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's target is to clear 95% of non EEA passengers within 45 minutes. The measurement of this target is based on a sampling methodology. Queues are sampled on a daily basis at different times of the day. The figures below show that in over 95% of the samples the UK Border Agency met its target.
| Non-EEA passenger queue waiting times: Total number of instances where 45 minute queuing target was exceeded, 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2011 | ||
| Port | Total number of queues exceeding 45 minute target | Total number of measures |
Immigration: Detainees
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to the public purse was of transferring detainees between immigration removal centres and other immigration detention facilities in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [68579]
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(2) what the most frequent reason for the transfer of detainees between immigration removal centres and other immigration detention facilities was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [68580]
(3) how many detainees have been transferred between immigration removal centres and other immigration detention facilities in each year since 2006. [68599]
Damian Green: The escorting contract provides the transfer of detainees both within the UK and overseas and the management of both residential and non-residential short-term holding facilities around the country. It was held by G4S Care and Justice Services Ltd until 30 April with the use of alternative suppliers to meet peaks in demand for the service. All Services transferred to Reliance at midnight on 30 April.
Prior to 30 April, the UK Border Agency paid a fixed fee for most elements of the escorting contract. We do not therefore hold sufficiently detailed information which demonstrates the cost of transferring detainees between places of detention. Although the agency now pays for each individual journey undertaken, it would be at disproportionate cost to examine individual invoices to provide the information since the contract changed.
Around 80,000 journeys were undertaken in the year ending 30 April. These include transferring detainees from police stations, prisons and other places of detention into immigration removal centres, taking them to ports and airports for removal, to hospitals for medical appointments, courts for appeal hearings and embassies for documentation interviews. It also includes the transfer of detainees between different immigration removal centres.
The UK Border Agency keeps the number of transfers to a minimum, but inevitably detainees are sometimes moved for operational reasons. These include where their behaviour requires them to be held in a more secure environment, because they are required for an interview at a particular centre, or because they are being moved close to an airport for their removal from the UK.
John Hagee
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information she has (a) sought and (b) received on statements made by Pastor John Hagee; and if she will make a statement. [65391]
Damian Green: The Government do not routinely comment on individual exclusion cases.
The Secretary of State has the power to exclude or deport individuals whose conduct she considers non-conducive to the public good.
Liberal Democrat Conference
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requests her Department has received from South Yorkshire Police Authority for reimbursement of costs associated with the policing of the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Sheffield in March 2011; what response her Department gave; and what factors determined her response. [69130]
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Nick Herbert: An application for a special grant was received from South Yorkshire police to cover the costs of policing the 2011 Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Sheffield. The application was considered by Home Office Ministers but was declined.
General guidance to forces on special grant sets out broad criteria against which applications will be assessed. These include evidence that the additional expenditure would otherwise create a serious threat to the authority's financial stability and/or where the costs incurred exceed a minimum of 1% of the force annual budget. This, however, is only guidance for forces and does not fetter the power of Ministers to make or decline to make grants in these or other circumstances.
Mass Media
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to the public purse was of her Department's national media coverage evaluations in each month between May 2005 and May 2006. [68367]
Damian Green: In the 2005-06 and 2006-07 financial years the Home Office Communication Directorate spent the following amounts on media evaluations:
|
|
£ |
Costs are charged on a financial yearly basis and as a result cannot be split to give costs between May 2005 and May 2006.
Members: Correspondence
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration plans to respond to the communication from the right hon. Member for Leicester East of 9 April 2001 on case reference S102005. [66076]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency was unable to trace a copy of the correspondence. However a letter dated 9 April 2011 was obtained from your office and will be responded to as soon as possible.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bridgend of 18 April 2011, reference MM/JH/14/04/2011. [68531]
Damian Green: I wrote to the hon. Member on 21 July 2011
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters her Department received from hon. Members in June 2011. [68755]
Damian Green:
In June 2011, Home Office headquarters received centrally 744 letters from hon. and right hon. Members and noble Lords to Ministers for the Home Department to answer. This includes 62 letters received by the Government Equalities Office. (The Department receives some correspondence that is for other Departments of State to answer, which it sends on). The UK Border
5 Sep 2011 : Column 244W
Agency received 3,172 letters from hon. and right hon. Members and noble Lords to Ministers, the agency chief executive and officials in June 2011. To distinguish between letters from hon. and right hon. Members, and those from noble Lords would attract a disproportionate cost.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 14 June 2011 regarding Mr D Thambo. [68912]
Damian Green: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 26 July 2011.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 13 June 2011 regarding Mr C I Kachitsa. [68913]
Damian Green: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 26 July 2011.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she plans to answer the letter to the Minister for Immigration from the Rt. hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 13 June 2011 regarding Ms S Maphosa; [68914]
(2) when she plans to answer the letter from the Rt. hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 13 June 2011 regarding Mr K Ahmed. [68916]
Damian Green: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 26 July 2011.
Metal Theft
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has any plans to prohibit payments in cash for large supplies of scrap metal. [68078]
James Brokenshire: The Government are currently considering a range of options to deal with the growing and random problem of metal theft, including a cashless model for payments for scrap metal.
News International
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she last met (a) James Murdoch, (b) Rebekah Brooks and (c) Andy Coulson. [67365]
Damian Green: The Government are committed to publishing details of meetings with newspapers and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives. This information can be found at the following link:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/non-personal-data/hospitality-business-expenses/
Telephone Hacking
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an assessment of the effects of media telephone hacking on (a) public figures and (b) victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland. [66976]
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Nick Herbert [holding answer 18 July 2011]: My right hon. Friend has made no such assessment. Lord Justice Leveson's judicial inquiry will have broad terms of reference; it will be for him to consider whether such issues will be within the scope of the inquiry.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police officers were sentenced to custodial sentences in November 2005 for the sale of information to newspapers; and to which newspapers. [68647]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for offences involving the sale of information in respect of sales to (i) the News of the World, (ii) The Sun, (iii) freelance journalists and (iv) other media outlets since 2003. [68667]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.
North Yorkshire Police Authority: Finance
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department allocated to North Yorkshire Police Authority in (a) 2005-06 and (b) each year since then; and how much it plans to allocate in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in (A) 2012-13 and (B) 2013-14 . [65929]
James Brokenshire: The following table shows the amount of core Government funding allocated to North Yorkshire Police Authority in 2005-06 and the subsequent years.
| Financial year | Allocated amount (£ million) |
| (1) Cash (2) Real | |
Although the vast majority of funding to the police comes from the Home Office and from the Department for Communities and Local Government in England and the Welsh Government in Wales, they also receive funding from the police precept component of council tax precept. In addition, police forces generate a small amount of income for example from charging for service they offer such as the policing of football matches.
Offenders: Deportation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it cost (a) in total and (b) per capita to deport foreign national offender criminals in each of the last five years. [67141]
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Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not have readily available data on total and individual costs of deporting foreign national offenders for the period requested. There are many different factors involved in the cost of a case.
The UK Border Agency intends to publish unit costs of deportations on a full cost basis in its 2011-12 departmental annual report next year.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals with convictions for (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) other sexual offences and (d) violent offences have not been removed on human rights grounds in the last year for which figures are available. [69108]
Damian Green: The following table shows the number of foreign nationals convicted of (a)murder, (b) rape, (c) other sexual offences and (d) violent offences in the UK who were not removed on human rights grounds in 2010 (calendar year). Please note this data is internal management information.
| Offence type | Number |
Offenders: EU Nationals
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals were convicted of a criminal offence following transfer to the UK from another EU member state in each year since 2000. [67358]
Damian Green [holding answer 18 July 2011]: The Government do not centrally collate information relating to the nationality of offenders in the UK and we are therefore unable to provide the full extent of the information requested. However, from 2006 the United Kingdom Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records has taken on responsibility for notifying EU countries when a national of that member state is convicted of an offence in the UK. Information has therefore been collated from 2007 and the total number of notifications of EU nationals is as follows:
|
|
Number |
| (1) As of 2 August 2011. | |
Official Hospitality
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on hospitality since 12 May 2010. [67989]
Damian Green: Expenditure (rounded to the nearest hundred pounds) for Home Office and the UK Border Agency, since May 2010, is as follows:
Home Office (core Department) to end June 2011: £10,900
UK Border Agency to end June 2011: £62,600.
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Home Office expenditure on official hospitality and entertainment conforms to departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, which itself complies with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Hospitality is defined as the provision of food, drink and entertainment to non-civil servants where it is beneficial to the interests of the Department.
The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) uses a different accounting system to that used by the core Home Office. As a result, IPS does not record hospitality in line with the definition above. IPS does not routinely arrange promotional events for non-civil servants so expenditure for the period will be low. To accurately identify relevant expenditure would incur disproportionate cost as it is not explicitly recorded as relating to non-civil servants.
The Criminal Records Bureau allocates hospitality spend to an account code which encompasses other spend categories. To accurately identify relevant expenditure would incur disproportionate cost, as it is not separately recorded.
Organised Crime: Deportation
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were removed by the UK Border Agency following a request from the Serious Organised Crime Agency in each year since 2006. [63718]
Damian Green: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) routinely monitors any case where a judge recommends a deportation at end of sentence, or where an individual will automatically be considered for deportation by the UK Border Agency by virtue of their length of sentence.
Additionally since 1 April 2006 SOCA has referred 14 names to the UK Border Agency to be considered for removal from the UK. In terms of these: five have been progressed for possible removal; four are pending action; three individuals were identified as having left the UK; and two were judged by the UK Border Agency as requiring no further action. To date no individuals have been removed as a result of the 14 recommendations by SOCA.
Police Custody
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to update her Department's 2006 guidance on Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody. [68064]
Nick Herbert: The 2006 Safer Detention Guidance was published on behalf of both the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers. Work is ongoing to produce a revised version of the guidance and we hope to publish it later this year.
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what minimum standards her Department sets for police custody cells; and if she will make a statement. [68065]
Nick Herbert:
The provision and maintenance of police custody accommodation is a matter for the chief constable and the police authority. Codes of practice in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act set out the
5 Sep 2011 : Column 248W
requirements for the detention of suspects in police custody. Code C.8 requires cells to be adequately heated, cleaned, ventilated and lit; and that access to toilet and washing facilities must be provided. The Home Office Police Buildings Design Guide provides advice to forces on how custody suites might be constructed or adapted to comply with the legal requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Best practice advice on cell design detail is also issued via the joint ACPO/Home Office/NPIA ‘Guidance on the safer detention and handling of persons in police custody’ document.
Police Station Closures
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on police forces who are encouraging members of the public to staff police stations at risk of closure; and if she will make a statement. [68783]
Nick Herbert: This information is not collected centrally.
Police volunteers have, for years, provided valuable support to police forces across the country, and help to link the police to their local communities. Irrespective of any other changes in a force's work force, we should celebrate the fact that people choose to support their local communities in this way.
Police: Complaints
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for York Central of 20 July 2011, in how many cases the Independent Police Complaints Authority has (a) had referred to it, (b) investigated and (c) upheld in full or in part a complaint made against the police since its establishment; and how many such cases resulted in (i) police disciplinary action, (ii) dismissal of a police officer or employee, (iii) criminal charges against a police officer or employee and (iv) conviction of a police officer or employee for (A) bribery or corruption and (B) other offences. [68884]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not held by the Home Office. Some of this information is held by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Police: Housing
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) central Government Departments, (b) executive agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies have provided accommodation for the use of police officers and staff in the last five years; how many properties were provided for such purposes; and at what cost to the public purse. [59324]
Damian Green: The Home Office does not collect data from across the Government and public sector on provision of accommodation for police officers and staff.
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Police: Indemnity Insurance
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will take steps to ensure that police officers who respond to (a) chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and (b) other hazardous incidents are afforded similar indemnity insurance cover to fire and rescue personnel who respond to similar incidents; [66705]
(2) if she will assess the merits of a national indemnity insurance scheme for police officers who respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. [66717]
Nick Herbert: The health and safety of police officers and the provision of indemnity insurance are matters for individual chief officers. The Home Office has no plans to introduce a national indemnity insurance scheme for police officers who respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.
Police: Mobile Homes
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward legislative proposals to enable police to patrol park home sites situated on private property at any time, regardless of whether the owner has given permission. [59972]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 21 June 2011]: We have no plans to do so.
Police: Overtime
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of overtime were paid to police officers in each police authority in England in each of the last five years. [68077]
Nick Herbert: This information is not held centrally.
Police: Pensions
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the entitlement of police officers who have accrued pension rights to draw a tax-free lump sum. [68049]
Nick Herbert: There are two pension schemes that apply to police officers. The police pension scheme 1987 does not provide an automatic lump sum on retirement, but allows officers to exchange up to a quarter of their pension for a lump sum. The police pension scheme 2006 provides a lump sum of up to twice the officer's salary on retirement. Lord Hutton's report on public service pensions recommends that all pension rights accrued to date should be protected. The Government have committed to protecting accrued rights built up under present pension arrangements.
Police pension lump sums are paid in accordance with the current tax regime.
Police: Recruitment
Clive Efford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to ensure that people are not prevented from becoming
5 Sep 2011 : Column 250W
police officers as a consequence of being required to financially support themselves during the time it takes to become fully-qualified uniformed police officers; and if she will make a statement. [67349]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 18 July 2011]: The requirements to train to become a police officer do not routinely require student officers to support themselves through training, as the majority of police forces still offer a mix of opportunities fully funded in house training, fully funded in higher education or through pre join arrangements funded by the student.
Steps are being taken to encourage and provide opportunities for those wishing to become police officers to achieve part of the minimum qualification (the Diploma in Policing) prior to recruitment. Prospective students who have not been recruited as either a student police officer or as a special constable will, however, only be able to complete part of the minimum qualification as the full qualification requires the student officer to be assessed in the work place using police powers. Special constables who are volunteers have police powers and will be able to train and complete the full work based assessment.
Steps are being taken to constrain the cost of pre join police training by:
offering part time arrangements to enable continuing employment;
use of vocational qualifications which are at a lower cost than higher education as the minimum requirement;
the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), as the executive arm of the Central Authority for the Initial Policing Learning Programme, has provided the curriculum, learning resources, assessment guidance and e Learning, to police forces at no charge to the force or recruited candidates, and will offer these under license for a small cost to external providers so that the costs passed on to students should be as low as possible. The NPIA hopes to be able to continue to provide this service; and,
police forces are looking at the affordability of bursaries, loans and recompense of costs to successful candidates.
The NPIA, working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the 43 police forces in England and Wales, has developed an equality impact assessment (EIA) for the pre join training arrangements; forces will be required to complete an EIA for their local implementation. The purpose of the EIA is to help to keep under review the impact of the arrangements on any potentially disadvantaged groups and to address any impact.
Police: Training
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what training police officers in England and Wales receive in the use of the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour-based violence risk model; [68264]
(2) whether any police force uses an alternative risk assessment model in place of the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour-based violence risk model; [68265]
(3) whether she plans to review the operation of the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour-based violence risk model in areas where it has been appropriately implemented; [68266]
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(4) what assessment she has made of the effects of implementation of the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour-based violence risk model (DASH) on levels of victimisation in those areas where DASH has been fully implemented. [68267]
Lynne Featherstone: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Council accredited the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) Risk Identification, Assessment and Management Model to be implemented across all police services in the UK from March 2009. Although we understand that the majority of forces currently use DASH, it is for individual forces to decide which risk assessment models to use and the training their officers and staff receive. However, ACPO continue to encourage forces to adopt DASH and HMIC inspections are carried out against DASH standards. Evidence from early adopter forces such as Sussex police suggests that the implementation of DASH has had a positive effect.
Police: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has met (a) Welsh Ministers and (b) the Secretary of State for Wales regarding the scrutiny of and support required by police commissioners in Wales; and if she will make a statement. [68696]
Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), discuss police reform issues when appropriate. I have had a number of discussions with Welsh Ministers and the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Local Government and Communities on the implications of Police and Crime Commissioners for his devolved responsibilities.
Raed Salah
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she considered informing the hosts of Sheikh Raed Salah in the UK of the order to (a) exclude and (b) deport him. [64839]
Damian Green: Exclusion and deportation decisions are confidential to the individual concerned, and operationally sensitive, and it is not normal practice to inform others in a way which may breach confidentiality.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions she had, and with whom, prior to the issue of the exclusion order against Sheikh Raed Salah; [64894]
(2) for what reason the exclusion order was issued against Sheikh Raed Salah; [64895]
(3) whether she took steps to ascertain the position of Sheikh Raed Salah in respect of anti-Semitic remarks attributed to him before issuing the exclusion order against him; [64896]
(4) whether she consulted (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) the Prime Minister's Office before the action to exclude Sheikh Raed Salah was taken; [64897]
(5) on what date the exclusion order against Sheikh Raed Salah was issued. [64898]
5 Sep 2011 : Column 252W
Damian Green [holding answer 11 July 2011]:The Government do not routinely comment on individual exclusion cases but in this instance the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has considered it important to do so. Mr Salah has himself put details of his case into the public domain.
Raed Salah was excluded from the UK on 23 June as a result of numerous statements he had made, details of which were obtained from a variety of sources. Exclusion decisions are confidential to the individual concerned, and operationally sensitive, and it is not our practice to consult widely in making the decision or to inform others in a way which may breach that confidentiality. As is our normal practice in making these decisions, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were consulted as part of the evidence gathering process but the Prime Minister's Office were not. The exclusion was based on an assessment of whether Mr Salah had expressed views which fell within the scope of the Government's published unacceptable behaviours policy. The Secretary of State concluded that Mr Salah had made a number of statements that were considered to be unacceptable behaviour.
Rape: DNA
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the findings of the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into the response of the Metropolitan Police to a burglary linked to Operation Minstead. [61348]
James Brokenshire: The Independent Police Complaints Commission's (IPCC) investigation report into this case is available on the IPCC website. It found that Delroy Grant, a serial sex attacker, should have been arrested sooner. Following his conviction, the Metropolitan Police apologised for the missed opportunity that allowed him to continue to commit offences.
Clearly there are lessons to be learned from this shocking case which are matters for the Metropolitan Police and its Police Authority.
Rural Areas
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether officials of her Department have had recent discussions with the Rural Communities Policy Unit in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. [67146]
Damian Green: Officials from the Home Office have discussions with officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, including the Rural Communities Policy Unit, as necessary to develop policy.
Officials also undertake equality impact assessments in order to assess the impact of Home Office policies on particular groups, including rural communities.
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual budget for the Serious Organised Crime Agency was in each year since its inception. [62301]
5 Sep 2011 : Column 253W
Mrs May [holding answer 27 June 2011]: The annual budget for the Serious Organised Crime Agency for each year was as follows:
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£ |
Stalking
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police in England and Wales routinely conduct a risk assessment when they receive a complaint from a victim of stalking and harassment; and whether that assessment is disclosed to the victim. [68252]
Lynne Featherstone: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Council accredited the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) Risk Identification, Assessment and Management Model to be implemented across all police services in the UK from March 2009 as part of the police response to domestic abuse. Although the use of the DASH model is discretionary, the Home Office has worked with ACPO to encourage all forces to use it. DASH risk assessments are carried out in the presence of and with the knowledge of victims and are used by the police to provide a response tailored to the individual based on the answers provided.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plans to bring forward proposals to create an offence of cyber stalking in England and Wales. [68256]
Lynne Featherstone: The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 already covers cyber-stalking. The Act was always intended to tackle stalking, but was drafted so that it could also include any form of persistent conduct which causes alarm or distress. A specific “cyber-stalking” offence or reference to cyber-stalking in the existing offence is therefore not necessary. Where an offender pursues a course of conduct which amounts to harassment, and the offender knows or ought to know their conduct amounts to harassment, it does not matter whether the course of conduct was committed online or offline. As long as the elements of the offence are met, the offence can be charged.
Surveillance
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to make available all the information gathered in the CIB3 bugging and surveillance operation codenamed Nigeria for use in the forthcoming public inquiry into media ethics. [67451]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 19 July 2011]: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. It will be for Lord Justice Leveson to determine what information he wishes to consider as part of his independent inquiry.
5 Sep 2011 : Column 254W
Telephone Hacking
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the interception of voicemail by agencies for which she is responsible. [66233]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 14 July 2011]: Interception of communications, including voicemail, by a public authority can only take place with lawful authority. Interception has lawful authority if it takes place in accordance with a warrant issued by the Secretary of State. A warrant will only be issued if the Secretary of State believes the warrant is necessary in the interests of national security, for the purpose of detecting or preventing serious crime, or for the purpose of safeguarding the economic well-being of the United Kingdom, and the conduct authorised is proportionate to what is sought to be achieved by that conduct.
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) voice, (b) email and (c) web interceptions were carried out by agencies for which she is responsible in each month of the year to June 2011. [66234]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 14 July 2011]: Under Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 relevant security and law enforcement agencies may, in certain defined circumstances, intercept an individual's communications pursuant to an authorised warrant issued by a Secretary of State. The Home Secretary is responsible for issuing warrants on the application of the Security Service and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. In addition to the specific safeguards that apply in respect of the Warranty regime in Chapter 1, RIPA also sets out two important further sources of safeguards: a tribunal to investigate specific complaints; and an Interception of Communications Commissioner to oversee the operation of the system of interception as a whole. The only publicly available information on the number of intercept warrants issued is contained in the Commissioner's annual report. A link to the most recent report is at:
http://www.ipt-uk.com/docs/Interception_of_Communications_2406.pdf
Terrorism
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will commission research into the proportion of (a) members of the public and (b) civil servants who understand the terror threat level alert system. [67859]
James Brokenshire: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 18 October 2010, Official Report, column 529W. The findings from the Government's Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) research into the public's understanding of communications about a range of counter-terrorism policies and issues are currently being considered for publication.
The Government will continue to keep their approach to communicating the threat of terrorism to the public and security practitioners under review to ensure that it is effective.
5 Sep 2011 : Column 255W
Terrorist Organisations
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of organisations which have declared that they oppose violence in the UK, but which support the use of violence abroad; what recent representations she has received on this issue; and if she will make a statement. [66488]
Lynne Featherstone: Organisations that promote or encourage terrorism, whether in the UK or abroad, can be proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. We keep the list of proscribed organisations under constant review. Where there are extremist organisations that do not meet the statutory test for proscription the Government have made clear that no funding or other forms of support will be provided.
The Government will also address the challenge of such extremism, and particularly extremist organisations, through other means including the Government's new approach to promoting integration, which is led by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG); other parts of the criminal justice system (including through legislation regarding religious and racial hatred), debate and civil challenge.
Policy and programmes to deal with extremism and extremist organisations will be coordinated from DCLG. However the line between extremism and terrorism is not always precise. The relationship between terrorism and extremism is therefore complicated and directly relevant to the aim and objectives of Prevent, the part of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy that aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent deals with extremism where terrorism draws on extremist ideas; and where people who are extremists are drawn towards terrorism-related activity.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of UK students who have been involved in terrorist attacks abroad in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [66487]
Alistair Burt: I have been asked to reply.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold statistics on the number of UK students who may have been involved as perpetrators in terrorist attacks overseas.
Theft
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many areas other than Birmingham, Quinton ward (a) the number of burglaries increased by 39.5 per cent. or more and (b) the number of robberies increased by 50 per cent. or more between 2010 and 2011. [68779]
James Brokenshire: Police recorded crime data at ward level are not collected centrally. Local area data are collected at basic command unit (BCU), community safety partnership (CSP) and local authority (LA) level.
5 Sep 2011 : Column 256W
UK Border Agency: Data Protection
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidance her Department has issued to UK Border Agency offices on the application of data protection requirements to disclosure to hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are being held in detention; how many versions of such guidelines have been issued in each of the last five years; on what dates; and on what date the most recent guidance was issued; [67732]
(2) what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of each change to data protection guidance for UK Border Agency offices relating to the disclosure of data to hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are being held in detention. [67794]
Damian Green: The Data Protection Act 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 as a result of the Freedom of Information Act in 2005 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 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 & Law pages ('Immigration Directorate Instructions'). This guidance is currently being re-written 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).
Vetting: Police
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will request the Association of Chief Police Officers to amend its National Vetting Policy for the Police Community to prohibit any person with a criminal record from being recruited into police forces in England and Wales. [68011]
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Nick Herbert: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) provides vetting guidance to forces on recruitment into the police service. This sits alongside guidance issued by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in the form of NPIA Circular 02/2011—Eligibility Criteria for the role of police constable. These already outline a number of criminal convictions that will preclude an applicant from being recruited into to the police service. For other convictions forces may wish to decide locally if there are exceptional circumstances.
Responsibility and decisions with regard to vetting lie with the individual force and are made on an individual basis.
Violent and Sex Offender Register
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2011, Official Report, column 806W, on Violent and Sex Offender Register, if she will review the legislation which prevents the public disclosure of sex offenders and their last known whereabouts where they have not fulfilled their obligations to register their address details and where their current whereabouts are unknown. [69106]
Lynne Featherstone: The Data Protection Act 1998 governs the handling of personal information. Public disclosure of details relating to sex offenders who are missing is considered by the police on a case by case basis and only made in accordance with obligations under this Act. There are currently no plans to review this legislation.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of persons on the Sex Offender Register have committed further offences in each of the last 10 years; and if she will provide a breakdown of the offences committed. [69107]
Lynne Featherstone: Data on the number of serious further offences alleged to have been committed by registered sex offenders were first included within the published Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) annual report for 2009-10.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/mappa.htm
and in the Library of the House. The Statistics Bulletin for this report is available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/mappa-stats-release.pdf
The MAPPA annual report for 2010-11 will be published on 27 October 2011.
Cabinet Office
Mortality Rates: Strokes
Mrs Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the mortality rates for stroke at (a) Darlington Memorial Hospital, (b) University Hospital North Durham and (c) James Cook University Hospital were in the latest period for which figures are available. [67979]
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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the mortality rates were for stroke at (a) Darlington Memorial Hospital, (b) University Hospital North Durham and (c) James Cook University Hospital in the latest period for which figures are available. (67979)
The table provides the number of deaths, where stroke was the underlying cause of death, in (a) Darlington Memorial Hospital, (b) University Hospital North Durham and (c) James Cook University Hospital in 2010 (the latest year available).
It is not possible for ONS to calculate mortality rates for patients within" individual hospitals. Although the name and address of the hospital where the death occurred is recorded at registration there are no readily available data for the denominator populations.
Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios (HSMRs) are published annually by Dr Foster Health and are available at:
www.drfosterhealth.co.uk
In November 2010 the Department of Health published a national review of HSMRs which recommended the adoption of a new methodology for a national mortality ratio for use across the NHS, to be known as the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator(1). The first results based on the new methodology are due to be published towards the end of 2011.
Figures for the number of deaths by place of occurrence, based on proportions of the total number of deaths registered in England and Wales (rather than the number of patients or residents within a specific establishment), are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery= number+of+deaths+registered+each+year+by+sex%2C+age% 2C+cause+and+place+of+death
Place of occurrence categories include for example hospitals, hospices and at home. Figures for individual hospital sites are not routinely produced.
(1 )‘National review of the hospital standardised mortality ratio’ (2010) The Department of Health. This report is available at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_121354
| Table 1. Number of deaths where stroke was the underlying cause of death, by specified hospital, 2010 (1,2,3) | |
| Persons | |
| Hospital | 2010 |
| (1) Cause of death for stroke was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I60-I69 (cerebrovascular disease). (2) Figures are for deaths registered in 2010. (3) Figures for communal establishments are provisional until November 2011. | |
British Waterways: Public Bodies Bill
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings he has had with British Waterways on the Public Bodies Bill in the last 12 months; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes from any such meetings. [69070]
Mr Maude: I have not held any meetings with British Waterways in relation to the Public Bodies Bill in the last 12 months.
5 Sep 2011 : Column 259W
Business
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small and medium-sized business product surgeries have taken place in (a) North Yorkshire, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England since their inception. [67260]
Mr Maude: To date one SME product surgery has been held in Birmingham and one London. At least six further product surgeries are being planned with Departments for later in the year, with venues yet to be confirmed.
Mr Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new business start-ups there were in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley in 2010. [69653]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Penneck, dated August 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many new business start-ups there were in a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and b) the London Borough of Bexley in 2010. [69653]
Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at www.statistics.gov.uk. However, statistics for 2010 will not be available until December 2011. Below are the latest figures available which give enterprise births in the London Borough of Bexley as well as Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency for 2009.
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Enterprise births 2009 |
Central Office of Information
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the report which recommended the closure of the Central Office of Information. [67294]
Mr Maude: The recommendation to replace the COI was made by the former Permanent Secretary for Government Communication, Matt Tee, in his review of Government direct communications and the role of the COI. The report was published in March 2011. The Government response to the review was published in the form of a written ministerial statement on 23 June 2011.
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office who undertook the recent review of the Central Office of Information on his behalf. [67295]
Mr Maude: The Review of Government direct communication and the role of COI, published in March 2011, was undertaken by Matt Tee, the then Permanent Secretary for Government Communication. The Government response to this review was undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team in the Cabinet Office, and was overseen by Sir Gus O’Donnell and COI accounting officer Ian Watmore.
5 Sep 2011 : Column 260W
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consultation he undertook with (a) Prospect and (b) other trade unions representing employees of the Central Office of Information before his statement on its proposed abolition. [67296]
Mr Maude: Informal discussions took place to advise the unions of the expected content of the recommendations of the Government’s response to the Matt Tee Review, and following the announcement the Cabinet Office have now begun formal consultation with the unions.
Chief Coroner
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 14 October 2010, Official Report, columns 26-28WS, what the outcome was of the application of the three tests for public bodies to the office of the Chief Coroner. [66137]
Mr Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
In applying the three tests, the Government decided that most of the functions vested in the office of Chief Coroner are necessary. Consideration was also given as to whether establishing this new office would be the most efficient way to deliver these functions. The Government's view is that reform of the coronial system can be delivered by transferring responsibilities to either the Lord Chief Justice or Lord Chancellor, without the additional expense of a Chief Coroner. The details of this are set out in the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice’s written ministerial statement of 14 June 2011, Official Report, columns 64-66WS.
Civil Servants
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent civil servants were employed in City of York in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent month for which figures are available. [69845]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated August 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many full time equivalent civil servants were employed in City of York in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent month for which figures are available. (69845)
There were approximately 2,960 permanent civil servants, on a full-time equivalent basis, employed in the City of York on 31 March 2010.
An estimate of Civil Service employment for the City of York is only published on an annual basis. Data for 2011, with reference to 31 March 2011, will be available from November, when Civil Service Statistics 2011 will be published.
Conditions of Employment
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings officials of his Department have had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Government's employment law review since May 2011. [67222]
5 Sep 2011 : Column 261W
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office does not have responsibility for employment-related legislation. However, in common with partners across Government, my Department has been consulted throughout on the proposals for the employment law review.
Departmental Internet Services
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many requests for the creation of new websites his Department's Efficiency Board has received since May 2010; what proportion of such requests were granted authorisation; and if he will make a statement. [69776]
Mr Maude: The coalition Government have kept a very tight rein on the creation of unnecessary central Government websites. In line with the Public Accounts Committee recommendations of 2008, new sites are not approved except when necessary and with explicit permission. Since May 2010, only three new domains have been approved: a single machinery of government change (education.gov.uk), a change of name (for The Children’s Commissioner) and a temporary development site (alpha.gov.uk). The ERG marketing controls, which receive requests on behalf of the Efficiency Board, does not analyse requests for web activity separately and cannot provide the number of requests without incurring disproportionate cost. Good progress is also being made on reducing the number of central Government websites and a list is published quarterly on the Cabinet Office website.
Lost Property
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was. [66565]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office had a total of £9,951.20 worth of equipment stolen or misplaced in the last 12 months. Every incident of lost or stolen property is taken seriously and is investigated.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website's inception. [67252]
Mr Maude: Since 1 April 2011, 10 of 10 contracts (100%) of the Cabinet Office's contract opportunities above £10,000 that are subject to open competition have been submitted for publication on Contracts Finder.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010. [67174]
Mr Maude: The Department does not hold the information in the form requested.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [67197]
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Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office has no plans to collate such data.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [67590]
Mr Maude: I am not aware of any such requests being refused.
Electronic Government: Finance
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget is for the Government Digital Service in 2011-12. [67261]
Mr Maude: The budget for the Government digital service for the financial year 2011-12 is £22.3 million.
Government Communications
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what basis he determined his policy on the recommendations of the Review of Direct Communications and Government on the establishment of an enhanced Government communications centre. [67297]
Mr Maude: The recommendations were based on a range of evidence and analysis, and detailed policy development work. This included evidence and material from the Matt Tee Review of Government direct communications and the role of COI, as well as new internal and external data. The review had extensive engagement with and input from a range of experts including communications practitioners, the COI, directors of communications and heads of marketing. The Government response was overseen by Sir Gus O'Donnell and the COI accounting officer Ian Watmore.
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what date he determined his policy on the recommendations of the Review of Direct Communications and Government. [67298]
Mr Maude: The Review of Government direct communication and the role of COI was presented and discussed at the PEX(ER) Cabinet Sub-Committee on 31 March 2011. The Government response to this review was presented and discussed at the PEX(ER) Cabinet Sub-Committee on 22 June 2011, on which date the recommendations were fully endorsed.
Departmental Internet Services
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the benefits of the open sourcing of Government guidance and advice websites. [67339]
Mr Maude: The UK has huge knowledge capital in the creative and digital industries and we are working hard to enable them to flourish through allowing them to reuse public sector data and make a profit from their endeavours. The Government are committed to releasing data in reusable forms through their transparency agenda, with the intention of encouraging third parties to develop new services and markets. Where it is useful and appropriate to do so, we intend to link to their work.
5 Sep 2011 : Column 263W
Following the independent strategic review of Directgov, undertaken by Martha Lane Fox, the Government are taking this further in seeking that public services and information are able to be reused under appropriate free licensing and partnering arrangements through the use of APIs (Application Programming Interface). We have already developed standards in public for some parts and we intend to work with expertise wherever it lies to deliver effective digital services.
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to make Government websites accessible on handheld devices. [67340]
Mr Maude: To ensure that Government information and services are accessible on handheld devices, a mobile friendly version of Directgov,
http://m.direct.gov.uk
has been developed. The site launched in December 2005 and has gone through a number of iterations, supported by extensive user testing, in line with changes in the market, technological advances in mobile devices and the evolving needs of the mobile user.
A mobile content management system has been procured for use by Government Departments and agencies who sit outside the Directgov site. It is currently being used by NHS Choices to ensure their content is available on handheld devices and by The Charity Commission to develop a mobile version of their corporate website. Other departments and agencies are in the process of engaging with the Government digital service seeking advice and guidance on how to make their websites accessible on handheld devices.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many complaints concerning Contracts Finder his Department has received since its inception. [67257]
Mr Maude: Businesslink, who manage Contracts Finder on the Government's behalf, have received five complaints, all of which have now been addressed and closed. We have also received six plaudits.
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans his Department has to make Contracts Finder more accessible for small services businesses. [67258]
Mr Maude: The objective of Contracts Finder is to make Government contracts and opportunities more transparent, which is crucial to SMEs. In addition, we have taken three specific actions to make Contracts Finder more accessible to SMEs:
First, an SME representative has accepted an invitation to sit on the board that oversees the delivery of Contracts Finder.
Second, we have established a Contracts Finder SME Working Group to identify and address issues of concern and to promote good practice.
Third, we will be upgrading Contracts Finder in October to improve the search facilities.
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many notifications of tendering requirements have made use of a Prior Information Notice for Official Journal of the European Union procurements since May 2010. [67276]
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Mr Maude: There were 1,059 Prior Information Notices from the United Kingdom, which were published in the Official Journal of the European Union in the period from 1 May 2010 to 14 July 2011.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the (a) monetary value and (b) proportion of Government procurement from small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last five years. [67856]
Mr Maude: Individual Departments have published this information for 2009-10 in their updated Business Plans, which can be seen via the Cabinet Office website:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/department-business-plans-updated
A commentary on the overall picture is included in the SME Progress Report that published on 19 July:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/government-business-smes
Welsh Language
Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Civil Service has reviewed the (a) number and (b) location of Welsh speakers employed by Government (i) departments and (ii) agencies located outside Wales. [67777]
Mr Maude: The numbers of Welsh speakers employed by Government Departments and agencies are not collected centrally by Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office has not undertaken any review of Welsh speaking staff employed outside Wales.
Graduates: Unemployment
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of unemployed graduates in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and (c) each other London borough. [68701]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 20July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the level of graduate unemployment figures in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and (c) each other London borough. (68701)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
Whilst the APS does collect data on graduate unemployment, no reliable statistics can be produced for the requested geographical breakdowns due to small sample sizes.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.
Julie Elliott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many graduates under the age of 30 were unemployed in Sunderland in each of the last five years. [68999]
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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many graduates under the age of 30 years were unemployed in Sunderland in each of the last five years. (68999)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
Whilst the APS does collect data on graduate unemployment, no reliable statistics can be produced for the requested geographical and age breakdowns due to small sample sizes.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Life Expectancy
Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average life expectancy is for people aged 65 living in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency, (b) East Sussex, (c) West Sussex and (d) England. [68812]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average life expectancy is for people aged 65 living in (a) Brighton, Kemptown, (b) East Sussex, (c) West Sussex and (d) England. (68812)
Life expectancy figures are calculated as three-year rolling averages and are available for the UK, England and Wales, England, Wales, regions and counties in England, and local and unitary authorities in England and Wales. Figures for Brighton Kemptown parliamentary constituency are not available. Therefore figures have been provided for the Brighton and Hove unitary authority.
Table 1 attached provides the period life expectancy at age 65 for men and women living in (a) Brighton and Hove unitary authority, (b) East Sussex county, (c) West Sussex county and (c) England, for 2007-09 (the latest figures available).
Period life expectancies at birth and at age 65 for males and females are published on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery= Period+life+expectancies+at+birth+and+at+age+65+for+ males+and+females
| Table 1: Period life expectancy at age 65 (1) , Brighton and Hove unitary authority, East Sussex and West Sussex counties, and England (2) , 2007-09 (3) | ||
| Years of life | ||
| Area | Men | Women |
| (1) Period life expectancy at age 65 is an estimate of the average number of years a 65-year-old would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout the rest of his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a 65-year-old living in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those currently living in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2010. (3) Three year rolling average, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. | ||
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Public Sector
Andrew Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many public sector employees in Yorkshire and the Humber were paid a basic salary higher than that of the Prime Minister in 2010-11. [68974]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many public sector employees in Yorkshire and the Humber were paid a basic salary higher than that of the Prime Minister in 2010-11. (68974)
ONS's preferred measure of employee earnings comes from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). ASHE is carried out in April each year and is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
While the ASHE does collect data on public sector earnings in Yorkshire and Humber, no reliable statistics can be produced on the number of public sector employees earning greater than the Prime Minister's salary due to the relatively small sample size at this geographical breakdown.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which local authorities were using Contracts Finder on the latest date for which information is available. [67259]
Mr Maude: We publish a list of buyer groups who have registered to use Contracts Finder at:
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1086925073&type=RESOURCES
As of 30 August 2011, this included the following the local authorities:
Babergh District Council
Birmingham City Council
Central Bedfordshire Council
Cornwall Council
Crawley Borough Council/Horsham District Council/Mid Sussex District Council Shared Procurement Service
Dacorum Borough Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Ealing Borough Council
Forest Heath District Council
Gloucestershire shared service
Guildford Borough Council
Hambleton & Richmondshire District Councils
Hampshire County Council
Harrow Council
Herfordshire County Council
Horsham District Council
Ipswich Borough Council
King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
London Borough of Bexley
London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Haringey
London Borough of Hounslow
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London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lewisham
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Middlesbrough Borough Council
Milton Keynes Council
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Norfolk County Council
North Tyneside Council
Northampton Borough Council
Norwich City Council
Oxford City Council
Reading Borough Council
Redditch Borough Council/Bromsgrove District Council
Sheffield City Council
Shropshire Council
Solihull MBC
Somerset County Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council
Southampton City Council
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
St Edmundsbury Borough Council
Staffordshire County Council
Stockton on Tees Borough Council
Stoke on Trent City Council
Suffolk County Council
Swindon Borough Council
Tamworth Borough Council
Tangmere Parish Council
Walsall Council
Wandsworth Borough Council
Warrington Borough Council
Warwickshire County Council
Waveney District Council
West Berkshire Council
West Sussex County Council
Wigan Council
Members: Correspondence
Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Weaver Vale of (a) 13 April 2011 and (b) 30 June 2011 on behalf of Mr Neil O'Brien. [69420]
Mr Maude: The letters fell within the responsibility of the Central Office of Information. I asked the COI to reply.
They replied on 12 May. I have asked for a copy to be resent for the hon. Member's convenience.
Mental Health Services: Death
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths were reported in mental health hospitals or units in each (a) London borough and (b) NHS mental health trust in each of the last five years. [69064]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths were reported in mental health hospitals or units in each (a) London borough and (b) NHS mental health trust in each of the last five years. (69064)
The table provides the number of deaths occurring in NHS psychiatric hospitals or units in each London borough between 2006 and 2010 (the latest year available). Place of death information is provided by the informant at death registration.
Figures for individual years have been combined, in line with the ONS policy on protecting confidentiality within birth and death statistics.
It is not possible to provide figures for each NHS mental health trust as the information collected at death registration does not distinguish between the organisations managerially responsible for the patient's care. Although the name and address of the hospital where the death occurred is recorded at registration the services provide at a single hospital site may be managed by several NHS Trusts or private contractors.
Figures for the number of deaths by place of occurrence are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery= number+of+deaths+registered+each+year+by+sex%2C+age %2C+cause+and+place+of+death
Categories used to define place of occurrence include hospitals, hospices and at home. Figures for individual hospital sites are not routinely produced.
| Table 1: Number of deaths occurring in NHS psychiatric hospitals or units, London boroughs, 2006-2010 (1,2,3,4,5,6) | |
| Persons | |
| Borough | Deaths |
| (1) London boroughs that contain no NHS psychiatric hospitals or units are not included in the table. (2) London boroughs that contain NHS psychiatric hospitals or units but where no deaths occurred between 2006 and 2010 are not included in the table. (3) A person who dies in an establishment in a specific area may not be resident in that area. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (5) Figures for communal establishments are provisional until November 2011. (6) Based on boundaries as of 2011. | |